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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: I Wonder…
Are you dealing with a challenging problem now? Do you see one coming up in the future? Or maybe you’ve recently resolved a problem. Problems are pretty common, so it’s not unusual to be in one of those boats at … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged anxiety, conflict, improving relationships
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Reality Check: The Attentive Gardener
“The best fertilizer is the footsteps of the gardener.” Why? What is it about a gardener’s footsteps that would help a garden grow? While I fall far short from being an enthusiastic gardener, even I know that it’s hard to … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Behaviour
Tagged choosing actions, examining wants, improving relationships
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Reality Check: Negotiating Differences in a Relationship
The seventh and final caring habit in Dr. Glasser’s list of caring habits is “always negotiating disagreements,” which I refer to as negotiating differences. It might seem odd to think of negotiations when we’re talking about personal relationships. Negotiating sounds … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged choosing actions, conflict, improving relationships, negotiation
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Reality Check: The Habit of Respect
If you’ve been following recent columns, you’ll know that I’ve been examining Dr. Glasser’s caring habits for building relationships, one at a time. To recap, those habits are: supporting, encouraging, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting, and negotiating differences. We’ve now come … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged choosing actions, choosing thoughts, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: The Role of Trust in Relationships
How trusting are you? If you heard yourself described as a trusting person, would you take that as positive or negative? Does trusting mean that you are gullible? My perception is that trust is a very good thing, in some … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged improving relationships, perception, trust
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Reality Check: The Caring Habit of Listening
We have many kinds of relationships. Some we choose, such as with our friends. Others are created through work, volunteering, or other connections. All of our relationships may not be chosen, but they can still be cooperative and functional. In … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged encouragement, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: Encouragement as a Caring Habit
In a world where it can feel that we have little control over so much, it’s helpful to recognize what we can control—especially when it has a significant effect on our quality of life. The care and nurturing of relationships … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged encouragement, examining wants, improving relationships
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Reality Check: The Caring Habit of Support
Unsatisfying relationships are at the heart of many unsatisfied lives. Good relationships are essential, but how do we get them? Is it luck? Accident? We see plenty of appeals to “be kind.” Will that do the trick? In “Take Charge … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged improving relationships
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Reality Check: Starting with Goodwill
Have you ever had a conversation that somehow went awry? You believe that you spoke clearly and reasonably, but the other person either couldn’t or wouldn’t understand. Frustrating, isn’t it? When we speak, we want to be heard and understood. … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged choosing thoughts, improving relationships, perception
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Reality Check: Technology, For Better or Worse?
If you ever have conversations about “the way things are going,” it’s likely that the topic of technology has popped up. Technology plays a big role in our lives. Even if you don’t use tech devices yourself, the fact that … Continue reading
Posted in Choosing Perspective
Tagged choosing thoughts, helpful, improving relationships
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