Now that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, people are starting to get out and resume their public lives. I don’t know about you but the pandemic was especially hard for me because it limited my in-person interactions with my friends and family. As humans, we are social creatures made to exist in community. I have heard countless stories…
When your car runs out of gas, do you expect it just to fill itself and drive better? Last week, we talked about building strength in order to create lasting behavioral change. If you want to experience enduring change, you will first need to seek help for your own needs which can only be done in the context of real,…
Abrasive leadership is dangerous because it fosters a fear-driven work culture that tears down trust and can cause bitterness or resentment towards you.
Sheep are stupid animals. Did you know that sheep will only eat what is literally right in front of them? They don’t even look around to see where the best food is! Shepherds have an important task of making sure their sheep don’t just wander off and have cleverly discovered that by putting a bell around one sheep’s neck, the…
I passed a hearse today while driving on the highway in my Jeep Wrangler and it got me thinking about death. Now granted, as a former Navy SEAL, I have probably thought about death more than the average 39-year-old. Each SEAL operator has to come to terms with what death looks like and the possibility that each mission could be…
In my last post, I talked about a breathing exercise we can all use to reduce stress. In this post, I want to give one more example called Progressive Relaxation. Here’s how: Sit in a comfortable position, with your head supported. Start breathing slowly and deeply. Let your entire body relax. Release all tension and try to visualize your body…
Over the last month I have talked about positive affect and optimism, but what good is talk without something practical to “do” about it? First, I want to challenge you to think of at least three things you do to minimize stress in your life (walking, working out, or other appropriate distractions). Practice these often. But I also want to…
In my last blog post, I talked about the benefits of being a positive person and the personality trait called: positive affect. Optimism is a close cousin to positive affect. Optimism is the expectation that good things will happen in the future and bad things will not. If you agree with statements such as, “I tend to expect the best…
Have you ever wondered why some people survive in the face of great stress (personal tragedies, demanding jobs, or an abusive home life) while others do not? These survivors share a personality trait called “positive affect.” Positive affect is what happens when a person experiences and expresses positive emotions, including feelings of happiness, joy, enthusiasm, and contentment when faced with challenges. Interestingly,…
Often, we find ourselves needing a fresh start. As kids, our fresh starts would come in the form of “do-overs,” and sometimes we even get them as adults. Unfortunately, though, when given second chances, we often end up repeating the same mistakes we’ve made in the past. One of the key elements of starting over is to learn from our…
