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Communication skills
“Lack of communication leaves fear and doubt.” ~Kellan Lutz Lately I’ve been thinking about communication — and what makes good communication. I’m an over-communicator by nature and by trade. After college, I had publishing jobs that required a lot of meetings and follow-up phone calls. Later, as a newspaper columnist, my career was all about talking to people in print. (Early in my marriage, one of my in-laws told me I “talk too much.”) But after years of living among both chatterboxes and quiet people, I’m much more comfortable with the chatterboxes. While some folks believe it’s safer to say less — or nothing — silence doesn’t help build relationships.…
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What will you tolerate?
“I have insecurities and flaws, of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who points them out to me.” ~Adele I was lucky to be raised by folks who believed in positive reinforcement. They encouraged my interests and were generous with praise and compliments. And while my mother wasn’t particularly religious, her interpretation of the Golden Rule still resonates: “Treat other people the way you want to be treated.” She and my dad walked their talk — and I learned from their example. As a kid, I soon learned that not everyone was given the same operating instructions. I had to develop a thicker skin — especially when I…
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Hit the reset button
“I need to take an emotional breath, step back, and remind myself who’s actually in charge of my life.” ~Judith M. Knowlton How many times have you suddenly realized you’re following patterns or routines that worked for a while, but aren’t serving you anymore? As creatures of habit, we tend to stay on the same beaten path, rarely stepping away from our comfort zone. We might keep buying the same brand of coffee, hanging out with the same people, walking the same route with the dog … or continually putting up with the same negative or disrespectful treatment from others. So maybe it’s time to shake things up. Time to…
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Summer hasn’t left yet …
“Summer nearly does me in every year. It’s too hot and the light is unforgiving and the days go on way too long.” ~Anne Lamott, humorist and author We tend to think of late August as the end of summer — but the season isn’t officially over until the autumnal equinox, which falls this year on September 23. So let’s not rush things! Don’t waste another minute complaining about heat and humidity. Grab a cold beverage and head for the front porch or patio. Invite summer to stay a while longer. And while you’re at it, make plans to savor every fair-weather activity you can fit on your calendar for…
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The keys to discovery
“When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ~Alexander Graham Bell Have you ever been so stuck on a frustrating problem or project that you missed a few good opportunities in the meantime? Sometimes we have to accept the fact that something isn’t working — whether it’s a product that isn’t right for us, a career we’ve outgrown, or a dead-end relationship. Giving up on something after you’ve given it your best effort doesn’t always mean you’ve failed. As today’s quote reminds us, great inventors like…
