Tag: relationships

Practicing Your Humanity

What does it mean to be human? There are many features that differentiate our species. We build skyscrapers, pray, make art, read books, and drive cars, just to name a few. Then there are the more complex features of the human experience, such as our exceptionally high level of self-awareness, our ability to imagine our…


Killjoys and Wet Blankets: Saying No to the Naysayers

“You’ve got to accentuate the positive,” according to the lyrics from an old song, “and eliminate the negative.” While there are dangers in being a “cockeyed optimist”—we find those words in another old tune, this one by Rodgers and Hammerstein—hanging around a habitual pessimist can drain our spirits, dim our enthusiasm for a job, and…


Should You Lend Money to Family and Friends? Read This First

Over the years, I’ve heard from dozens of readers who have lent money to friends and family members, only to become outraged when the deal goes sour. The problem is, they write to me after they’ve made the loan. By now, they’ve been waiting months, even years, for repayment without success, hoping I can wave…


Having Kids at Home May Ease Adults’ COVID-19 Depression

Attending school on Zoom and quarantining from family and friends has children struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, but, surprisingly, having kids at home may help adults feel less distressed, researchers report. Adults in households with children have fewer mental health problems than adults living without kids, a new study shows. Child care—beyond the effect of…


We Can Have Deeper Conversations With Strangers

When we talk to strangers, if we talk to them, we often default to “small talk” or “chit-chat.” We may muse about the weather or a recent movie or what we did over the weekend. This surface-level talk may keep us comfortable, but it’s often unfulfilling. What prevents us from deepening our conversations with strangers?…


Doctor-Turned-Caregiver Shares About Health Care’s Blindspot

Caring for someone with a serious illness stretches people spiritually and emotionally, often beyond what they might have thought possible. Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a professor of psychiatry and anthropology at Harvard University, calls this “enduring the unendurable” in his recently published book, “The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor.”…


Lead Others With a Trust Mindset

It seems like everywhere we look, trust is breaking down. In the years I spent in trust-depleted villages as a Green Beret, this was something we had to contend with regularly as we worked to overcome trust gaps between tribes. Since I retired and started working with business leaders, I am seeing those same indicators…


How Non-Stop Hustle and Grind Is Bad for Your Mind

By Meiyoko Taylor No successful entrepreneur is a stranger to hard work, but the resulting hustle-and-grind mindset can cause more harm than good. The problem lies when this pursuit begins to throw everything off-balance and you begin to neglect other important areas of your life. Your Physical Health   Eating fast food is common for people who are always working…


Love Only Lasts With a Growth Mindset

It won’t be a surprise to most of us that up to 50 percent of marriages in the United States fail. In his book “The All or Nothing Marriage,” psychology professor Eli Finkel describes the increasing expectations that strain marriages: “In contrast to our predecessors, who looked to their marriage to help them survive, we look to…


3 Ways to Take Care of Your Relationships During Stressful Times

By Tom Puthiyamadam The global pandemic brought us disruption, heightened anxiety, and a permeating uncertainty no one saw coming. However, there have been silver linings: new ways of working, more time with family, and a true pause to reflect on how we do business in this brave new digital world. The pandemic also ushered in…