Taking a hard look at how we socialize helps us spend time the way we truly want.” – Nir Eyal Source: Forge, February 24, 2022. Link. Asking ourselves some potentially uncomfortable questions about the way we get together could help us make important changes now that the world is entering the new normal. … [Read more...]
Quitter’s Day and finding a theme word that hits you right in the gut
What if resolutions complicate our lives and pressure us more than we realized? Research conducted by Strava using over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019 predicts the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year's Resolution is January 19, now coined as Quitter's Day. The resolution isn't the problem. Most people fail because of the way they try to … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – July 29, 2021
Last week’s most read post 5 ways your workplace isn’t accommodating to fat people Source: Animal Health Digest, July 20, 2021. Link. Obstacle course training for a puppy. LOL, what a hoot! Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, You Tube, July 21, 2021. Link. Puppy does a flop during obstacle course training. Dogs can tell if you’re lying more than … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – July 1, 2021
Last week’s most read post: Manage or coach? Source: AHD, June 22, 2021. Link. The legal ramifications of a pet-friendly office Source: National Law Review, June 21, 2021. Link. Workforce and workplace considerations. Authorization requirements. Guidelines to establish. Why you should read old emails Source: Forge, August 2020. Link. “Emails are … [Read more...]
Reacting versus responding. There is a difference.
Veterinary media sources are full of articles about stress, overwork and meeting those challenges. Brad Stulberg’s article on reentry stress is relatable to more situations. The only real constant in life is change. And when confronted with it, most people respond or react, says Stulberg. Responding tends to be advantageous. You rarely regret deliberately responding to a … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – May 27, 2021
Last week’s most read post No, people aren’t giving up pandemic pets because they’re bored Source: Animal Health Digest, May 18, 2021. Link. Two words for an instant dose of empathy Source: Forge, May 3, 2021. Link. Try mirroring the other person’s struggle with the words “of course” to validate their challenges or … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – April 22, 2021
Feeding cattle seaweed reduces their greenhouse gas emissions 82 percent Source: My Vet Candy, April 19, 2021. Link. "We now have sound evidence that seaweed in cattle diet is effective at reducing greenhouse gases and that the efficacy does not diminish over time.” - Ermias Kebreab Even Moses knew about biosecurity Source: Watt … [Read more...]
Do you want to be right or happy?
Michael Easter offers a psychology-based approach to conflict. He says psychologists theorize that our capacity to reason didn’t develop so we could find better beliefs and make better decisions. Reason likely evolved so we could win arguments. By inserting the question, “do you want to be right or happy?” Easter says we insert perspective into the equation. Source: Forge, … [Read more...]
Stop insisting everything’s fine when you’re actually drowning
Being emotionally transparent is an unnatural response, writes Annaliese Griffin. She writes about emotional resilience, stoicism and achievement in the context of people who look fine, who look like they are handling everything with calm resilience but are potentially really drowning. Source: Forge, February 21. 2021. Link. The emotional drowning response is a common … [Read more...]
What you’re experiencing is an emotional hangover
Kathleen Smith offers advice to regain your focus after an emotional roller coaster. It’s normal to experience some dip in mood and functioning after a period of high emotion. She says people often feel low shortly after they graduate from school, for example, or after their team wins a championship, or after a crazy election week. Source: Forge, November 10, 2020. Link. To … [Read more...]
Learn to say, “No.”
To make the most of your time, you will need to say no to things that are not particularly aligned with your personal or professional goals. Source: Forge, September 21, 2020. Link. The question is not would I rather do this thing or nothing, it’s would I rather do this thing or everything else in my already packed life that I’m currently living. INSIGHTS: Time is a … [Read more...]
Take a 2-minute reset before the next meeting
. . . interruptions between tasks, as opposed to within them, are vital to your overall functioning. Research has shown that even brief diversions improve focus. Taking a break, even a quick one, right before a meeting can make it much more productive. Kate Morgan shares the two-minute psychological buffer zone as the ultimate gear-switching tool. It’s a quick, but powerful … [Read more...]
Two types of toughness required for success
You can either experience baby steps as insulting frustrations or as small, precious achievements.” - Ross Ellenhorn, PhD Source: Forge, July 22, 2020. Link. Personal change is not about having one lovely nirvana-like moment of self-acceptance. It’s about accepting yourself where you are — and accepting the fact that, right where you are, you lack something you believe will … [Read more...]
Controlling others means you’ve lost control
Overfunctioning is a common reaction to distress, writes Kathleen Smith, PhD. Some people call it controlling; therapists call it overfunctioning. She relates how it: keeps people from growing hurts relationships leads to self-neglect An article from Smith was featured in a recent post < link >. Because of the number who read the post, we are sharing this … [Read more...]
The pandemic beard quest explained
Growing a beard while homebound and avoiding coronavirus may seem like a silly choice, but it is an act that has powerful psychological and social effects. In both history and Hollywood, beards stand for toughness, strength, adventurousness and even aggression writes Jacqueline Detwiler. Source: Forge, March 31, 2020. Link. Men grow quest beards as a way to mark a period of … [Read more...]
Equations for a happy life, even during a pandemic
The involuntary new pace of Covid-19’s social distancing has slowed lives and allows us an opportunity to think a little more deeply about life, writes Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D. In our go-go-go world, we rarely get the chance to stop and consider the big drivers of our happiness and our sense of purpose. Brooks shares three equations for well-being to start managing your … [Read more...]
Reframing fears during the Covid-19 uncertainties
Brian Pennie reprises the circle tool from Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for us. Here are a few of his statements from the article. Every situation can be divided into two circles: the circle of concern, which consists of factors we have little or no influence over, and the circle of influence, which is made up of things we can control. Covey’s idea … [Read more...]
Don’t try to fix anything right now
The ability to sit with uncertainty is a valuable asset. In these unpredictable times, it is a necessity, writes Kathleen Smith, PhD. She shares two steps to cultivate a skill that has never been more vital: Recognize your anxiety fixing Work on your cognitive flexibility Source: FORGE, March 23, 2020. Link. You can’t control the future, but you can begin to work on … [Read more...]
Options for the conversationally challenged
Barry Davret shares tricks for rescuing a stalled conversation, and even turning it into a great one. You simply need to listen and ask the right questions. Source: Forge, February 17, 2020. Link. To keep conversations going, use open-ended questions that encourage detailed answers.” INSIGHTS: We liked Davret’s ping-pong analogy to describe keeping conversations moving by … [Read more...]
Dealing with procrastination
Eric Olszewski stopped putting things off when he learned to see life as one big deadline. A perpetual procrastinator, he would let time fly by until panic set in, at which point he finally buckled down and did whatever it took to get through the work he was avoiding. He learned he was suffering from too much freedom. . . . simply overwhelmed by the multitude of options in my … [Read more...]
“Just Do It,” the cure for what really ails you
You’re not lazy. You’re not bored. You’re not unmotivated. What you are, what all of us are, is afraid, writes Niklas Göke. He describes Nike’s marketing slogan, “Just Do It,” as a tactic to refuse letting everyday hurdles get to you, while relentlessly focusing on the next, smallest action you can control. “Just Do It” isn’t an elegant solution, writes Göke. It’s not … [Read more...]