Author Archives: RealityCheck

Reality Check: Go For It!

Posted on July 28, 2026 by RealityCheck

If you spend any time looking at life management strategies, the topic of goals is sure to come up. Last column, I looked at goals from the perspective of what we might want to give up. This time, I’ll take … Continue reading →

Posted in Choosing Behaviour | Tagged choosing actions, examining wants, need satisfaction | Comments Off

Reality Check: When We Choose To Give Up

Posted on July 21, 2026 by RealityCheck

What does it mean to “give up”? Perhaps the first picture that comes to your mind is surrender. We’ve thrown our hands in the air, reached our limit, “That’s it; I’m done.” Sounds pretty negative, doesn’t it? On the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Control and Choice, Making a Change, Needs | Comments Off

Reality Check: Staying Alive

Posted on July 14, 2026 by RealityCheck

Have you ever taken a CPR course? Or maybe you can recall music from the ‘70s? If so, I imagine that the words, “Staying Alive” bring a little tune to mind. Feel free to hum along as you read. Staying … Continue reading →

Posted in Needs | Tagged basic needs, conflict, need satisfaction | Comments Off

Reality Check: Love and Belonging

Posted on July 6, 2026 by RealityCheck

According to Choice Theory, we have basic needs, and much of what we do is an attempt to satisfy those needs. Some actions are effective; others not so much. Most of the time, we likely don’t think of needs as … Continue reading →

Posted in Belonging | Tagged basic needs, improving relationships, need satisfaction | Comments Off

Reality Check: Positive Power

Posted on June 29, 2026 by RealityCheck

The Choice Theory approach to human behaviour includes the idea that we have basic needs. There are just five of those needs, and in recent columns I’ve explored two: freedom and fun. This time, I’ll take a look at another … Continue reading →

Posted in Power | Tagged basic needs, choosing actions, choosing thoughts, power | Comments Off

Reality Check: Are We Having Fun Yet?

Posted on June 22, 2026 by RealityCheck

When was the last time you said, “That was fun!” Not sarcastically, but with genuine appreciation for time spent laughing. Was it today? Yesterday? Last week? Or maybe you have some vague memories of fun times when you were a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun | Tagged basic needs, choosing actions, examining wants, fun, happiness | Comments Off

Reality Check: What Does Freedom Mean To You?

Posted on June 19, 2026 by RealityCheck

“How do you want your life to be?” In these columns, I’ve chosen to use the structure of basic needs as outlined in Choice Theory to help us answer that question. We’ll start by taking a look at our basic … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom... | Tagged basic needs, freedom, happiness, need satisfaction | Comments Off

Reality Check: Could Organizing Your Wants Change Your Life?

Posted on June 12, 2026 by RealityCheck

I have an important question for you and it’s only four words long: “What do you want?” Perhaps you can easily produce a detailed list of exactly what things you want, what people you want in your life, what values … Continue reading →

Posted in Needs | Tagged basic needs, examining wants, need satisfaction | Comments Off

Reality Check: Those Difficult Thoughts and Feelings

Posted on June 12, 2026 by RealityCheck

When choosing a title for this column, I was torn about how to describe the thoughts and feelings I’m writing about. There are so many possibilities; we could call them negative, upsetting, or troublesome. I like “pesky” but it seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Doing, Thinking, Feeling, Physiology | Tagged choosing actions, choosing thoughts, happiness | Comments Off

Reality Check: Positive Physical Activity

Posted on May 25, 2026 by RealityCheck

If you ever have the feeling that you need to “pull yourself together,” then it would be handy to have a procedure to follow, wouldn’t it? Dr. Bob Wubbolding wrote a set of directions for doing just that. He called … Continue reading →

Posted in Choosing Behaviour | Tagged choosing actions, persistence, reality, total behaviour | Comments Off