Hope you are enjoying the summer. Can’t believe the conversation has already turned to the beginning of school…time marches on! I’m just going to stay in a summertime mindset through October! So be it…      – Stewart

PTS

Recently my step-daughter sent me the following link to a piece about PTS. My essential conclusion after reflecting on it is that we are all living with some degree of PTS.  http://tinyurl.com/pahm22j

I responded:

That’s the umpteenth piece I’ve read or was mentioned ...

I recently spent three weeks traveling in Japan. Of course I was on holiday so I was without the usual level of push and drive and drive to get things done. That said there were a number of factors in the context in which I was living that contributed to my sense of well-being.  These struck me as both things I observed that were present and those that were absent. In no particular order of importance here are the factors I observed and ...

Conflict as an Ordinary and Expected Phenomenon

When I listen to businesspeople and lawyers talk, I usually hear them speaking about the problems and issues that upset, concern, or worry them.

Many people have difficulty accepting that life is filled with surprises, conflict, disappointment, unmet expectations, and change. These things happen?consistently and predictably. This phenomenon was elegantly expressed by an infant I once saw at an airport. Mom was preparing the child for a feeding, and she pulled out a beautiful embroidered ...

Most of us avoid taking personal responsibility for conflict resolution. We often lack the courage to deeply connect with others and we personally avoid confrontation. If we have a disagreement in a business transaction or with a neighbor, we may let a lawyer take care of it. If we have emotional conflict, we may visit a therapist or counselor who we hope will tell us what to do.

The symptoms of conflict are stress, pain, and discomfort. When you take personal ...

The only way to resolve conflict is to listen to what they have to say. Until you stop thinking about yourself, your position, and what you’ll say next you have no chance to resolve the conflict.

Listening is the most underrated of communication skills. People think that good listeners are great communicators and they become more interested in you.