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Welcome to Reality Check:
articles and observations inspired by the work of Dr. William GlasserCategories
Tag Archives: improving relationships
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: Better Left Unsaid?
Communication is generally recognized as being essential to the development of satisfying relationships. I’m not just talking about romantic relationships here. All kinds of relationships: friends, work-related, parent-child, student-teacher, benefit when people can communicate effectively. Did you notice the word … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged criticism, frustration, improving relationships
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Reality Check: The Employability Skill of Getting Along… But How?
Last post, I suggested that the skill of “getting along” is essential if you are to succeed in most any workplace. If you find yourself in disputes or isolated from your co-workers, then it may help to work on your … Continue reading
Posted in Workplace
Tagged choosing actions, conflict, improving relationships, win-win
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Reality Check: The Employability Skill of Getting Along
Employability skills are the skills that help you get and keep a job. You might have thought that the technical skills that enable you to do your specific job are all you need in the way of employability skills. For … Continue reading
Posted in Workplace
Tagged choosing actions, conflict, improving relationships
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Reality Check: Friendly Support
“You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family!” As we can, indeed, choose our friends, it makes sense that friendship would be supportive, encouraging, and helpful for both people. But that’s not always the case. Some friend … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged "should", improving relationships, offering information
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Reality Check: The Big Sigh
Memorable sayings aren’t always elegant and this one, though a little crude, is also unforgettable: “Assume—it makes an ass of u and me.” Making an assumption doesn’t literally turn you or me into a body part. (I know because I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Perception & Reality
Tagged conflict, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: The Give and Take of Communication
There are so many communication pitfalls that it’s amazing that we can communicate at all! It’s not that we can’t make ourselves heard, rather, it’s the understanding /being understood part that’s so problematic. Rebecca has a hard time communicating with … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged "should", blame, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: A Sustainable Relationship
Sustainability. It’s a popular word now, and its relevance is not limited to trees and trash. Thinking about sustainability implies thinking long term. For example, consider a sustainably-harvested woodlot. What do you see? Some trees ready for harvest, some left … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged improving relationships, offering information, perception
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Reality Check: Their Good News
How do you respond when someone tells you their good news? In his book Flourish, Martin Seligman describes four ways of responding, and suggests that only one of those ways is helpful for relationship building. Let’s look at an example. … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged criticism, happiness, improving relationships
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Reality Check: Boundaries and Disputes
Boundaries can create cause for dispute. Sometimes, however, setting a boundary can be an effective way to diffuse a dispute. Emma has endured criticism from her mother all her life. In her youthful rush to get married and away from … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged confidence, improving relationships, internal & external control
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