Sometimes our defense of past actions is more injurious to those close to us than those actions themselves. Let’s get academic. Dr. Martin Seligman is a former president of the American Psychological Association. Seligman says we all have what he calls “an explanatory style.” He defines this as “the manner in which we habitually explain…
On January 23, Tom Brady completed a touchdown pass to Mike Evans in the fourth quarter of his final playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Evans proceeded to toss the ball into the stands. I know. I was there. A fan caught that ball from Evans. Security was on the spot to document that…
It’s a real word. You can look it up – beamonesque. In the 1968 Olympics, American long jumper Bob Beamon won the gold medal. In the process, he obliterated the world record by two feet, with a jump of 29 feet, two and a half inches. His jump was so far ahead of any jump…
You will never get out of addiction by relying on the same thinking that got you into addiction. Said another way, it was your best thinking that got you into this mess. Perhaps it is time to follow your heart rather than your brain. Blaise Pascal said, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows…
Today’s RM is for those of us who wish to see someone close to us get better. Rather than berating them and reminding them of their shortcomings, encourage them. In the words of Wolfgang von Goethe: “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can…
Sometimes, it is a good idea to look at our past mistakes, to learn from them, so we can move on. Winston Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.” Paul spoke with an optimistic voice. “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will…
A man whose car broke down walked ten miles in the desert in search of water. He was barely able to make it to a small house on the edge of town. Knocking on the door, he then collapsed, near death. A man answered the door, and the poor fellow gasped, “Water! I need water!” …
“The human heart,” said John Calvin, “is a perpetual idol factory.” An idol is defined as “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.” And we’ve all had them. Some bow to multiple idols every day without even knowing it. In America, we’ve even made a TV show out of…
Gordon MacKenzie, with Hallmark Cards, did an interesting study. While leading art workshops at elementary schools, he asked first graders, “How many artists are in the room?” Every hand went up. MacKenzie asked the same question to a room full of third graders. Half the hands went up. And when he asked sixth graders, only…
I’ve never met anyone who knew more about marriage than Gary Smalley. That’s why I put a lot of credence in this quote. Smalley observed that most marriages are 80 percent good and 20 percent bad. What makes the difference is which part they decide to focus on most. When we meet our future spouse,…