In the midst of so much fear and concern with the coronavirus outbreak this past couple of weeks, there have been some beautiful stories. One of those is about a couple celebrating their 67th anniversary. Here’s their story:
Read MoreIn 2010 I left working full-time in a local church and decided to start a coaching practice. One of the first things to do was come up with a name and we landed on WellSpring. It was a pretty easy selection for us since Proverbs 4:23 was a passage of Scripture that has been a family verse for us. We commissioned calligrapher Timothy Botts in the mid 1990's to take that verse and turn it into a piece of art that has hung by our front door ever since. I like that these are the last words we see as we walk out the front door: Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.
Read MoreWhen I was in elementary school one of the most stressful days of the year was Valentine's Day. For several days leading up to February 14, all of us made our personalized mailbox - using materials like cereal boxes, oatmeal canister or a shoe box with tons of glitter, construction paper and paint.
Read MoreSelf-awareness + Self-management + Others-awareness = Relationship Management
The final area of Emotional Intelligence is Relationship Management and it is the combination of the three previous areas. It works like this in a relationship:
Read MoreAs the Emotional Intelligence quadrant illustrates, there are two major categories of EQ: how we relate to self and how we relate to others. Over the past two blogs we’ve explored the importance of self-awareness and self-management. Today and next week we will discuss how we bring awareness and management to our relationships with others.
Read MoreEmotions move us. The word emotion comes from a Latin word that means to stir up or to move. Like nitroglycerin, emotions can move us in a healthy and healing way (like a nitroglycerin tablet) or in a destructive way (like dynamite blowing up a building).
Read MoreYou know those moments when something or someone startled and you gasp or jump back? Or when your eyes well up with tears and you feel your nose flaring? Or when your pulse starts racing and your face gets flushed? Or when you are so overcoming with joy that you scream and jump up and down?
Read MoreWould you like to understand why you react the way you do to certain people? Do you wish you could lead better in your job? Are you longing for deeper connection in your marriage? Or maybe with your children? Is it hard for you to pick up on social cues from others?
Read MoreSeveral times this past weekend, I found my three and a half-year-old granddaughter, Palmer, lying on the floor under the Christmas tree looking at the lights and ornaments and beautifully wrapped gifts. "Papa", she started while pointing to a present, "can I open this one?" It took every ounce of discipline in me to tell her that she would have to wait until Christmas morning. "Okay", she said in a somewhat dejected voice.
Read MoreEarlier this week, Lora and I did the final touches on decorating the Christmas tree. To be fair, Lora does the majority of the decorating of the tree - I basically help set the tree up and get it straight and make sure the angel on top is somewhat secured. Then Lora works her magic - with lights, ribbon, beautiful silver and red ornaments. At that point it’s a beautiful tree, but what finishes it off is what we do next — maybe my favorite part of preparing for Christmas.
Read MoreIn addition to Thanksgiving Day, last Thursday was also the 40th anniversary of the death of my Mom. She was only 53 when she passed away. For most of those years, I have a standard line that I use to describe her to people who never met her: “You were never loved until you were loved by my Mom and you were never hurt until you were hurt by my Mom.” I then explain how she may have been diagnosed today with bi-polar disorder or something else that might explain her significant mood swings.
Read MoreAmid football, family and too much food, we pause quickly and without inconvenience to remember and to thank. We remember ancient pilgrims who followed dreams of alabaster cities and financial opportunity;We remember hospitable first nation people who welcomed them, and then lost their land;We remember our family times filled with joy and filled with anxiety, and old scars still powerful.
Read MoreSeveral years ago, Lora and I wrote a book called The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge. Our dream for the book was pretty simple: what if couples intentionally invested in growing intimacy in their marriage by having one weekly conversation for a year? It’s so easy to get busy with work, kids, hobbies, extended family and other good things, that we can fail to intentionally invest in each other.
Read MoreThis past weekend we hosted a marriage retreat at the beautiful Whitestone Country Inn in East Tennessee. We were joined by 16 couples who desire to grow their marriage and live more connected from the inside out by living wholeheartedly.
Read MoreWith the arrival of November, it’s the time of year when we focus on giving. From Thanksgiving to giving gifts at Christmas, these next two months will provide multiple opportunities to focus on others. Often our giving starts with a simple act of kindness.
Read MoreHappy Halloween! I’ve always enjoyed Halloween. As a kid, it meant tons of candy for my massive sweet tooth. As a dad, I loved watching our kids spend an evening pretending to be an action hero, professional athlete or favorite TV character. And as “Papa”, I love seeing the characters that my kids have their young kids become on Halloween night.
Read MoreLast week I was walking through Concourse B at Midway Airport in Chicago and saw in the distance a Navy platoon waiting at a Southwest gate. As I got closer I saw a military pipe and drum band, a tunnel of people holding several dozen American flags and hundreds of travelers who had stopped and joined in with anticipation for whoever it was that was about to come off of the plane.
Read MoreI recently came across a study by Evite that discovered the average American has not made a new friend in the past five years. That seems impossible to believe! But then I looked in the mirror and I thought about the past five years in my life. If you take away the people that I meet through work and if I ignore the acquaintances that I make at church, in my neighborhood and in my office building, I've made a lot fewer new and true friends in the past five years than I'd like to admit.
Read MoreI'm a big Enneagram fan. I really appreciate the impact it has made in my life and the ways it has helped me change and grow. I also enjoy using it with individuals and teams in my coaching practice to help with self-awareness, communication and transformation.
Read MoreOur family is together this week at the beach. It's my favorite week of the year! I love everything about time together with our crew: telling stories, laughing together, deep conversations, playing with grand-babies, making new memories, cooking for the family and cherishing every new moment.
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