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articles and observations inspired by the work of Dr. William GlasserCategories
Author Archives: RealityCheck
Reality Check: Other People’s Misery
Do you ever find yourself embracing misery that isn’t really yours? John does. Unlike others in his extended family, John feels that he has a duty to visit and maintain connection with his great-uncle Matthew. Far from expressing appreciation, Matthew … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Freedom
Tagged examining wants, frustration, unhappiness
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Reality Check: The Value of Support
Last post, I told a little story about Sally and her intent to invite a roommate to share her living space. Based on your knowledge of the situation, you anticipated that this arrangement wouldn’t work well. In other words, you … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged "should", improving relationships, offering information
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Reality Check: If I Know What’s Right for You…
Do you know what’s right for someone else? It’s easy to think that we know exactly what someone should do, think, or feel. And then, it’s easy to tell them! Dr. William Glasser associates the “I-know-what’s-right-for-you” perspective with misery. In … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged "should", improving relationships, offering information
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Reality Check: Time to Double Down?
Not so long ago, in a place not so far away, a government with the very best intentions wanted to encourage kids to eat in a healthy way. A commendable goal. The question: how might one do this? A program … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged "should", making choices, self-evaluation
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Reality Check: Are we there yet?
When you go on a trip with kids (or some adults), a repetitive chorus of, “Are we there yet?” is something you may as well just expect. If you are the driver, you may choose to find that annoying. However, … Continue reading
Posted in How it is sometimes
Tagged discouragement, frustration, offering information
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Reality Check: Habit-Forming
It’s commonly said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. It’s tempting to believe that if you rigidly adhere to a new behaviour for a set number of days, then it magically becomes engrained in you. You … Continue reading
Posted in Making a Change
Tagged choosing influences, examining wants, happiness, need satisfaction
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Reality Check: The Worry-Weed Patch
Even if you’ve never gardened, you’ve probably noticed that a patch of bare ground doesn’t stay bare for long. Nature doesn’t like empty space. What fills that space? Weeds, of course. Lambs-quarters take up residence in the garden; plantain plants … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged anxiety, total behaviour, worry
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Reality Check: The Scorekeeping Relationship
Last time, I made a case for keeping score in our lives. Keeping track of data about how we spend our time, what we do with our money, or even how much we eat can be helpful. It provides us … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged "should", comparing with others, fairness, improving relationships
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Reality Check: Scorekeeping and Self-Evaluation
Scorekeeping. We’re all familiar with it. Whether your experience is on the soccer field or at the card table, you know that keeping score can add value to the game. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t keep doing it, right? Fundamentally, … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged choosing actions, comparing with others, self-evaluation
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