I wrote earlier this year about the idea of being the one who wronged someone. That post can be found here. That post deal with five specific things that someone who has wronged another can do and some issues to be aware of during the restoration process. But what about the person who was wronged?…
In my last post, I talked about the pressures and stress of the holidays. I would like to talk about how to handle the stress of the holiday expectations. It is what it is. Often our stress comes from unspoken and usually unmet expectations. Try just accepting that your holiday is what it is this…
Christmas is six days away! My wife's birthday is tomorrow! My kids are on break. Life is good. Last Christmas, I worked at the hospital. This year, I have it off and even my school requirements are minimal. But what about you? Chances are good that if there is more than a few people reading…
One of the common issues that I deal with in couples counseling is related to the aftermath of mistakes. A spouse cheats A spouse uses painful words like a scalpel to cut as deeply as possible. An angry outbursts scares the bejezus out of a spouse A secret offense is brought to light. The list…
One important aspect of living authentically is living in truth. From the standpoint of relationship, this means not living in state of denial about the conditions that surround a relationship. It also means not passively accepting the negative aspects of the overall circumstances that surround us. With regard to friendships in particular it means not…
The tipping point is really about our perspective. Rather than maintaining ourselves in a place where we are exercising an evolved sense of "me-and-you" (ethno-centricity), we can get stuck in "it's all about me" (ego-centricity) — especially when confronted with the strong emotions of another person, or an emotionally charged situation. That sort of thinking…
There is a really great principle called the The Dependency Paradox. This states that the ability to depend on a close relationship partner when needed actually allows one to operate more autonymously. This means that the more connected you are to someone, the more dependent upon them you are the more freedom you actually have….
Carol Anne Riddell, the former TV reporter and one-half of the newlyweds who have been widely criticized for participating in a Sunday New York Times wedding feature that detailed how the couple had broken up their previous marriages in order to be together, said she regrets nothing. Riddell told Forbes on Tuesday: "We did this…
I found this video via Jonathon Brink. I found the thoughts in it to be honest, real and quite frankly amazing. One of my favorite quotes is, "When you ask people about love, they will tell you about breakup." Enjoy!
"We spent too much," he conceded. "I have a fourth grader, an eighth grader and a girl who just finished high school. I should have kept working and put the money in bonds." Mrs. Martin recalled the summer night in 1998 when the family was having a spaghetti dinner at home in Paso Robles, in…
