Invisible Lives

Invisible Lives

Invisible Lives Note: To enjoy this interactive blog by clicking on words in orange, we recommend reading the blog on the computer rather than a mobile device. Just before drifting off to sleep a few nights ago, I found myself wondering what life would be like without words. It sounded absurd, but I decided to indulge the thought for a few moments. Objects would have no discrete labels. People would all somehow have the same name, if any name at all. It would be a mightily confusing place to live, sure, but an interesting one. Tarrying a few moments in

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The Enthusiasm of the Desperate

The Enthusiasm of the Desperate

This post was originally published on this siteEQ can help us achieve our goals and get through hard times, even cold, wet, and trapped in the shower.  How can EQ help us stay optimistic and make new habits? When we exercise optimism, shifting from powerless to powerful, we take on new challenges, and make positive change. Since co-founding 6seconds.org in 1997, I’ve found myself so much more aware, on a daily basis, of how emotional intelligence can help us move forward, solve problems, mend fences, and even see the world in a whole new way.  And, just this last weekend, I

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Not just SMART goals, setting CLEAR goals for success

Not just SMART goals, setting CLEAR goals for success

This post was originally published on this siteHave you been making lists each day but not making progress? Most goals are missing and essential component: emotional intelligence. Power up your goal setting with EQ. By adding the CLEAR method for setting goals to your SMART goals routine, you’ll boost your effectiveness. With CLEAR methodology you can use emotional intelligence in goal setting to increase collaboration and empathy, transforming your teams to high performing achievers.  SMART and CLEAR: Emotional Intelligence in Goal-Setting If you are like me, you began today by drinking something sweet and chocolate and making a list of

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Teaching in the Age of Selfies

Teaching in the Age of Selfies

This post was originally published on this siteWelcome to the Age of Selfies, where we are so self-absorbed, self-promotional, and self-conscious we’ve lost connection with others. Is there anything we do to counteract it? Using emotional intelligence will help increase compassion and empathy. EQ in the classroom or boardroom helps build bridges between people and gets us to break free from the Age of Selfies. Here’s 6 how-to tips to build stronger relationships and help use emotional intelligence to increase compassion and empathy. Reject Rejection Think back for a moment to your first day at school when you were fix

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Feeling Stressed? It’s a Laughing Matter

Feeling Stressed? It’s a Laughing Matter

This post was originally published on this siteStress is on the rise – especially after the recent election. Fortunately, a bit of emotional intelligence will help you dissolve stress the fun way: Humor! Here’s how to use emotional intelligence to fuel laughter to manage stress. When Was the Last Time You Laughed? The terribly stressful events of recent weeks–I write in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election–might see some of us sinking into despair and to worry for our futures and those of our loved ones and our communities. No matter whom you supported, the escalation of tension in our

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More Kindness, Less Random

More Kindness, Less Random

This post was originally published on this siteIn lieu of recent news, this message for kindness is especially necessary.  Let’s reach out and create more Random Acts of Kindness. Beautiful random acts of kindness are actually careful, often hard, choices that any of us can make. There’s no secret – it’s the work of applying emotional intelligence to do the right thing. Here’s how… and why. Random Acts of Kindness: Or a Careful Choice? We all make choices, we are constantly confronted with decisions where our actions affect others. How can we know in that moment what is “right” thing to

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Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

This post was originally published on this siteHow can we take the next step in developing our emotional intelligence?  What’s holding us back?  By getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, we can break through our limits and really focus on our core values, leading to tremendous growth. Recently, one of my graduate students in my psychology class ended her journal with these words: “I want to set a goal of becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.  I want to speak up more and challenge my tendency to only listen and stay silent.  I want to be more ‘in the moment’ and embrace

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5 Sound Principles To Live Life By

5 Sound Principles To Live Life By

What has kept this goldfish alive?

It certainly hasn’t been my diligent cleaning of his/her home. There was algae growing up the side of the bowl and the water was pea green. It had been several days/weeks/ months past due for a cleaning. Thank heaven my son had been given a more regular “maintenance program” during his upbringing.

So, on this quiet and open Saturday morning, it seemed a reasonable activity. I put the goldfish in another bowl of clean, cold water and began working on the murky stuff.

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I Am Grateful

I Am Grateful

Recently, I was explaining to a friend about my upcoming surgery. Her reply was, “Kidney surgery. Yuk!” I thought she nailed it. It is certainly how I am feeling with the date now only three days away.

This all began with an ordinary kidney infection, which was discovered when I ended up in the emergency room with chills, a temperature—all indicators of another kidney stone—of which I have been plagued for over twenty-some years.

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Ready or Not . . .

Ready or Not . . .

Delights of dipping chocolates, baking filled cookies, and the perennial favorite—pumpkin pie. They flutter through my brain along with images of glistening snow, sleigh bells ringing, and carolers singing. This time each year, I start thinking about Christmas in my hometown: Inkom, Idaho. It’s just like in the movies, I swear. And 71 of my 75 Christmases have been spent there with my parents and extended family.

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