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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: 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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Reality Check: Lots on your Plate?
Busy, busy, busy. Ask most anyone how they are doing and you’ll often hear, “I’m so busy!” What are some potential consequences of that busy-ness? Harriet cares for a very sick child, looks after an elderly aunt, and has a … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged guilt, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: More Encouragement
Last post, I suggested that honesty is an important characteristic of effective encouragement. When offering encouragement, ask yourself, “Do I believe the encouraging words I am about to say, or are they just “feel-good” words and wishful thinking?” If your … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged discouragement, improving relationships, offering information
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Reality Check: An Encouraging Word
The act of offering sincere encouragement can be as satisfying for you as it is helpful for the person being encouraged. Encouragement feels good. Encouragement can be motivational. Encouragement can be the key to a win-win in many areas of … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged discouragement, improving relationships, offering information
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Reality Check: Fluffy, Revisited
A few posts ago, I presented this classic quandary: Is it appropriate to deceive someone if you believe the deception is kinder than the truth? Here’s the scenario: Maria’s beloved cat, Fluffy, went missing. Maria responded to the reality of … Continue reading
Posted in Helping Others
Tagged "should", improving relationships, making choices
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Reality Check: A “Map” of Relationships
Responses to the column that asked, “Are you in the people business?” have encouraged me to take this “people business” a little further. If (or when) you realize that you are in the “people business,” then you might find it … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged improving relationships, self-evaluation
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Reality Check: Love is a Verb
How we use our words can shape our thoughts and attitudes. Love is many-splendored indeed, and we use the word “love” in many ways. Anna says, “I’m not in love with my husband anymore. We used to be in love, … Continue reading
Posted in Love & Belonging
Tagged choosing actions, improving relationships, need satisfaction
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Reality Check: The People Business
Are you in the “people business”? Almost certainly, the answer is… yes! In their book, Have a Nice Conflict, Scudder, Patterson, and Mitchell assert that everyone is in the people business. There’s nary a line of work where people aren’t … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged conflict, improving relationships, need satisfaction, perception
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