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Welcome to Reality Check:
articles and observations inspired by the work of Dr. William GlasserCategories
Tag Archives: happiness
Reality Check: Gifts and Earned Successes
For some folks, a favourite activity is comparing themselves with others. Who has the best car? The nicer house? The most friends on facebook? Keeping score can pass the time, but I don’t believe that it helps make one’s life … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Perspective
Tagged blame, comparing with others, discouragement, gratitude, happiness, perception
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Reality Check: “Good Thing” Accountability
Accountability. We know it’s good for us. Yet, it sounds kind of naggy and judgey. Like, “You said you’d do this and now I’m holding you accountable. So ‘fess up; did you do what you said you would do?” It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Making a Change
Tagged choosing thoughts, encouragement, gratitude, happiness
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Reality Check: The Effect of Small Encouragements
Vera is a seasoned citizen, and like every other grown-up, she’s becoming more seasoned by the day! Because she wants this phase of her life be as positive and productive as possible, she’s adopted various practices. Her plan is to … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged encouragement, happiness, helpful, motivation
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Reality Check: The Dashboards of our Lives
For some of us, a “dashboard” refers to a collection of lights and indicators in a vehicle. For others, a dashboard brings to mind a webpage that shows system status and controls. In either case, a dashboard provides information about … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Perspective
Tagged frustration, happiness, internal & external control, making choices, need satisfaction
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Reality Check: To Fill a Caring Gap
When we’re not able to satisfy our basic needs, we’re unhappy. So I proposed examining our needs. Find out whether our needs are being met. If not, where are the gaps? You may be thinking, it’s all well and good … Continue reading
Posted in Belonging
Tagged gratitude, happiness, improving relationships, need satisfaction
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Reality Check: Getting in the Mood
Are we prisoners of our moods? Some days we feel great from the moment we wake up; others not so much. Why? We could blame the weather. Maybe it’s that incomprehensible jumble of hormones inside our bodies. Or it could … Continue reading
Posted in Control and Choice
Tagged "should", choosing thoughts, frustration, happiness, internal & external control
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Reality Check: The Encouragement of Youth
The recent passing of Prince Philip reminded me about the Duke of Edinburgh award, and that it’s important to encourage youth in positive directions. Encouragement—or a lack of encouragement—can make a significant difference for us, whether we are youthful or … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged confidence, encouragement, examining wants, happiness, persistence, responsibility
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Reality Check: A Morning Outlook
How’s your morning outlook? Sunny and bright? Cold and dreary? Maybe it’s unsettled; you’ll wait to see how the day goes. These outlooks could be describing the weather forecast, but our internal outlook is more interesting. What control do we … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Perspective
Tagged choosing thoughts, discouragement, happiness, perception
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Reality Check: The Companions on our Journey
If you associate Pythagoras with unhappy high-school math memories, then you might be surprised to find a quote attributed to him about friendship and happiness. Here it is: “Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged encouragement, gratitude, happiness, persistence
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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
Posted in Choosing Perspective
Tagged anxiety, choosing thoughts, happiness, perception, unhappiness
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