It’s easy to forget about our relationships when they are doing well. When life is good, it’s easy to assume that our relationships will always go well. If we aren’t careful, we will take them for granted and stop doing the things that keep our relationships healthy and growing. Over the next few posts, I […]
I have a favorite coffee shop in town that I go to when I get stuck in a creative rut. It’s an edgy place with great coffee. Sometimes a change of environment can make a huge difference in my thinking. I’m amazed when I go there at how all of the employees seem to be in […]
One of the greatest leadership books of all time is Jim Collins’ Good To Great. In the book Collins discusses a thought that he termed “The Stockdale Paradox”. The maxim was drawn from the life story of Admiral James Stockdale who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He endured severe torture and designed a system […]
I grew up in a small town in the mountains of western North Carolina. Every home town has its own unique set of rules that seem to be relatively constant throughout the area. In my hometown (and the south in general), we were taught to say, “I’m sorry”. If we had done something wrong, or […]
The second week of Advent offers a closer look at something everyone would say that they desire, peace. While most people claim a desire for peace in the world, it is something that seems to be growing increasingly rare over time. Countries are at war with neighboring countries. Companies battle for greater market share. Families […]
This is the final post in a series about small phrases that can make a big difference in your relationships. The last phrase may be the most difficult, and it is definitely the one that is used the least. These three words can make a huge difference for you at home, work, and with […]
As we continue our series of small phrases that pack amazing relational power, we look at a third simple statement, “I don’t know”. There are few things that feel more like failure than having to admit that we don’t know the answer or what to do next. So, most of us never admit it. We […]
Unlike admitting that we are wrong, lots of us say “I’m sorry”. In fact, it is so often said, that it has been stripped of it’s meaning. “I’m sorry” is different than saying “I was wrong”. “I was wrong” is something we say when we examine ourselves and admit that we have made an incorrect or […]
My wife and I are big fans of Louise Penny’s mystery novels that center around the small Canadian town of Three Pines. They are great reads, and I highly recommend them. The main character in the novels, Inspector Gamache tells those he trains that there are four phrases that will make them great detectives. They […]
This trust enables a relationship to be free. It means we do not have to control the other person, to follow their every step lest they escape our grip. Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything.