As Valentine’s Day rapidly approaches, how about checking in with yourself as to your lovability? Yes, you know you’re a great person, terrific, but are you loveable? Great question! In this podcast, you’ll explore how to find out where you’re at in terms of your lovability – beyond your pretty/handsome face and winsome personality – to genuinely answer the question: Would you marry you?
Listen to all Up! Podcasts here.
You can sprinkle love anywhere! Anytime. Just like fairy dust. It’s not love as in “hugs and kisses,” as nice as those are, it’s love by a different description. Namely, “to delight in the presence of.” Nice, huh? You won’t find that definition in any dictionary. I heard it many years ago in a seminar and it hit home with me. I never forgot it.
In this month of love, with Valentine’s Day as its pinnacle, what if you chose to sprinkle love (aka fairy dust) in the form of “delighting in the presence of”? It doesn’t cost a dime, although it does take a bit of effort. Not much, really, and gets easier as you do it more often.
How do you do it?
It’s easy. Notice that when you appreciate someone or something, the appreciation makes you smile, even if only inwardly? I brought a rose in from my garden yesterday, and I can’t help but delight in its presence. It’s beautiful, and as the petals unfurl, it gets even more beautiful. Such delight is a little thing. It takes but seconds, and yet . . . a little more love just got sprinkled into the Universe.
It's really a question of focus. You can focus on your partner’s or your children’s flaws, or you can focus on how much fun it is to do things together that you all enjoy. Every time you focus on something about your partner/child that delights you, you’ve sprinkled more fairy dust.
Don’t have a partner or children? Not a problem. You can delight in literally anything, including yourself in the mirror. Really? Of course! Focusing on your crow’s feet, that new pimple or your receding hairline just makes you unhappy. Instead, sprinkle some fairy dust your way. Delight in how smooth your skin is, how pretty the color of your nut-brown/blue/green/hazel eyes is and how your smile lights up your whole face.
Try it. Sprinkle fairy dust wherever and however you can as you go through your day. The results may surprise you, and you don’t even need a wand.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
When did your relationship togetherness become a drag rather than a joy? What happened to the fun-loving happy-together couple that you once were? Wouldn’t it be nice to have that feeling of “happy together” once again? Well, in this podcast, you’ll find out just how to re-discover the closeness, the joy in your relationship.
Listen to all Up! Podcasts here.
Does the seeming impossibility of reaching your New Year fitness goals have you beyond frustrated? How can you pay attention to something as seemingly selfish as personal well-being when there’s so much else to take care of: family, work, etc.? In this podcast discover how to easily get to that energized self you want to be and truly deserve!
Listen to all Up! Podcasts here.
The first month of the New Year is traditionally when we give thought to what we might want next in our lives. As in wanting to change, or achieve, or hoping will be different. Such as the idea of better relationships with family, friends, loved ones, even pets. Starting with having less conflict or arguments with our nearest and dearest. Well, supposed to be our nearest and dearest. . .
A tried-and-true way of getting there can be summed up very simply by the phrase, “Seek first to understand.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it? We all want to be more understanding of the others in our lives. Preferably without turning into doormats. But what does it really mean? And how do you get there?
Glad you asked. You see, “Seek first to understand” is actually a great way to defuse conflict because it lets you step back from a defensive posture. When you don’t attempt to respond with righteous push-back, but instead first try to understand where your partner, co-worker, child, or pet is coming from, chances are there won’t be an argument. Oh, you still may not come to a perfect solution, but as you understand what matters to the other, you open the door to negotiation, compromise, and eventually mutually acceptable solutions.
The easiest, most effective way to get to understanding someone else’s position or thinking, is to first take a breath and take a mental step back so you don’t march in with your automatic “That makes no sense!” or “You’re wrong, that’s all there is to it.” Then, as calmly and neutrally as you can, say something like “Ok, I hear you. Please tell me more.” And then wait. If that means internally counting to 10, so be it. 10 it is. Or 15 or 20. Whatever you need to help you stay calm. Meanwhile, if they stand there in stunned disbelief, which is highly likely, or ask “What do you mean, tell you more? There’s nothing more to say,” respond (calmly!) with something like “Tell me more about what that means to you, how it matters.” Once again, wait.
The wording of this technique is important. “Tell me more” gets you further than “I want to understand” which makes them ask about you. “Tell me more” makes it about them. And asking what something means and how it matters doesn’t engage the other’s defensiveness, whereas asking “why” most often does.
“Seek first to understand” rather than seeking first to win the argument. Try the “tell me more” technique and see for yourself just how much further it takes you along the road to peaceful relationships in every area of your life.
Happy 2025!
Why is it you can be kind, compassionate, patient, forgiving with everyone as you go about your work day, yet when it comes to dealing with your family, wham! All that flies out the window, and instead of being your best self, you are your worst self. On the offense, nowhere near kind or forgiving. Find out, in this podcast, how to stay in your best self even (especially) with your nears-and-dears, so that you can have the satisfying relationships you so deserve.
Listen to all Up! Podcasts here.
Really? Is that all it takes? Being on time? Heck, yes! Why? How? Well, that’s what you will explore in this podcast: the hows, wheres and whys of the serious career and job advantages of simply – being on time.
Listen to all Up! Podcasts here.
As I stood in line waiting for a table last week, a couple of people were leaving the restaurant. One of them was complaining about the fo...
