Author Archives: RealityCheck

Reality Check: Purpose, Feedback and Influence

Defining purpose in our lives is interesting to me, but I didn’t know for sure whether others share that interest. Now I know; it’s not just me who sees purpose as a topic worth thinking about. How do I know? … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Finding the Good Thing

Humans seem to be wired to easily recognize bad things—danger, fear, hostility—and skip over good things. I’m sure there’s a perfectly sensible survival-related reason for that. However, if the lens we look through shows us only negatives, it makes for … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Trade-offs We Choose

In case your mind feels like it’s still on holiday, here’s a little scenario to spark your imagination. You are going down a hallway behind a person on crutches. They are proceeding hesitantly; giving you the impression that the crutches … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Actions of Optimism

The New Year has arrived. This year, the consistent sentiment that I’ve heard expressed is, “I hope it’s going to be better than last year!” Will 2021 be a better year than 2020? Some folks believe that it will be; … Continue reading

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Reality Check: To Make a Difference

We’re in to a New Year! But before we leave Christmas 2020 behind, let’s remember the classic Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It’s an oldie, yet the message is still worthwhile. George Bailey gets to see the difference he … Continue reading

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Reality Check: A Look at Happiness

What does it mean to be happy? Is it selfish to want to be happy? Do some people seek happiness in a bad way? Is there a formula for happiness? So many questions; so few answers. But as we come … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Spirit of a Conversation

With limitations on visiting people, how we handle our conversations may matter even more now than during normal times. Why? When we can’t talk face to face, we can’t see expressions or body language. It’s harder to distinguish between a … Continue reading

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Reality Check: A Year in Perspective

In “Choice Theory,” Dr. Glasser tells the story of a mother who is travelling with her infant. The baby screams through the whole three-hour flight. Mom tries everything she can think of; nothing helps. You can probably understand why the … Continue reading

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Reality Check: What’s in a Bribe?

When you think of bribery (if you ever do) what comes to mind? Scenes of brown paper bags stuffed with cash, surreptitiously dropped into the hands of corrupt, powerful people? In his book, “Take Charge of Your Life,” Dr. Glasser … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Tension Between Safety and Freedom

People do the strangest things, don’t they? Sometimes you shake your head in disbelief. Yet for any of us, I suspect that there are times when an observer would think our own actions quite irrational. An observer can only see … Continue reading

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