Checking Our Assumptions Prolonging the “honeymoon” through openness and wonder Our Assumptions Often Lead to Unnecessary Suffering I was hosting a group at my house and a guy showed up who seemed callous and insensitive. He wasn’t reading social cues and he kept treating my cat unfairly. I was angry with him and felt threatened. […]
Exchange “Shy” for “Shine” A Quick Trick to Deepening Happiness When it is Already There In the past two days I’ve gotten to connect with two people who exhibited shyness over feeling positive emotions. I am fairly certain everyone has had this experience before. Rationally this does not make too much sense, especially when the […]
Dear Jordan: How Do You Go About Feeling More Deeply? A Rare and Underappreciated Skill Dear Jordan, When you know there is something bothering you, and you realize you should allow yourself to feel it deeply rather than avoiding the feeling, what do you do to feel it? I ask because I am increasingly aware […]
What does “Interesting” REALLY mean? Getting to Love Someone Better Through Precision in Language I often hear people say, “I think that’s really interesting.” What does that mean? Interesting like noteworthy, exciting, or fascinating? Interesting like disgusting, confusing, disappointing? Do you want to know more, do you feel cautious or repelled when you think of […]
What is Authenticity? An Integral Look Deconstructing Authentic Expression, Encouraging Purpose When people pursue “authenticity,” real transformation and healing occur. Yet I often disagree with what people mean by authenticity. I propose that we gain a more nuanced understanding of a word encompassing more supportive, loving interactions that are more in touch with reality. Why […]
How to Have a Conversation About Race Hint: Stick to the *Experience* of Prejudice One really cool thing about living in the times we do is that racial prejudice is generally looked down upon. Modern societies have specific laws and protections to minimize the negative effects of stereotyping for all kinds of minorities, from race […]
How to Give and Receive Compliments, Better Are You Screwing This Common Interaction Up? You may not know it, but there is an art to giving and receiving compliments. And if you are not a practicing artist, you are likely missing the full effect of receiving appreciation. Furthermore, the compliments you pay are likely going […]
You Are Never Separate & Never Alone There is a whole movement happening in the world right now where people are striving to be more authentic with each other. All around the planet people are working on improving themselves themselves emotionally and relationally, sharing deep and painful things, empathizing with the highs and lows of […]