Tag Archives: examining wants

Reality Check: The Quest For What You Want

What do you want? Is that a question worth thinking about? Some believe it’s selfish to think about what we want. Others see it as futile; if you believe you can’t get what you want, why bother asking? Yet “wants” … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Having Trouble Getting Started?

Wait, delay, and put it off. For some people, procrastination is practically an identity, as in, “I’ve always been a procrastinator and that’s just who I am.” This is fine, until it’s not. Putting off can ultimately result in poor … Continue reading

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Reality Check: When We Make A Change

The scenario outlined in my recent column on people-pleasing prompted comments from readers who agree—in that situation, it would be helpful if the people-pleaser made some changes. When we’re in a relationship where one person attempts to control the other, … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Are You Afraid That You’re Missing Out?

The phrase “fear of missing out” is so well-known that it has its own acronym: FOMO. Don’t fret if you hadn’t heard that before. You didn’t miss out on anything. Not really. However, if you’re a person who hates to … Continue reading

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Reality Check: What We Want and What We Control

One of the structured processes used in Reality Therapy is known as WDEP, where the W stands for Wants. That is, the first step in the process is—Figure out what you want! You’d think that would be simple, wouldn’t you? … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Ups and Downs of People Pleasing

Jo is upset. She would like to please her friend Maggie but if she does, she’ll end up unhappy with herself. Maggie is insisting that Jo spend essentially all of her free time with her. We all know that no … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Paths We Select Through Our Choices

One of the benefits of writing is that people sometimes tell me their stories. I appreciate getting them, especially stories about choices. Recently, a young woman I’ll call Rebecca emailed me. We are acquainted, so the contact wasn’t completely unexpected. … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Need to be Free

Here in the “true north strong and free,” you might think that everybody understands freedom. According to Dr. Glasser’s choice theory, we all have some level of the need for freedom. We may all have the need, but there are … Continue reading

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Reality Check: The Belonging Problem

The Choice Theory of Dr. Wm. Glasser suggests that we have five basic needs that motivate us to act. We may choose effective actions that create a satisfying life or we may choose ineffective actions that are counter-productive, even self-destructive. … Continue reading

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Reality Check: Our Most Basic Needs

Are there more incidents of unhappiness now than ever before? The pandemic and the changes that accompanied it can certainly give that impression. There are plenty of stories. Some—about celebrities or strangers—appear in the media. But you may also be … Continue reading

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