Since Valentine’s Day (in the US) is right around the corner, I thought I’d write about 3 proven tips that will help you have a better relationship. What better gift to someone than to not just give a card, candy, flowers, or jewelry, but to make an investment in your relationship by implementing one or …
When I work with clients on their relationships, we’ll go over their thoughts, beliefs, and actions, starting out with the ones they think are holding them back (and then what they’d like more of). Have you thought about how many of your thoughts and behaviors have become habits that have become so ingrained in you, …
Want a More Loving Relationship? Start with Your Habits! Read More »
You hear this word a lot this time of year: GRATITUDE. It’s that time of year again- Thanksgiving- and with it the hustle and bustle of people getting ready for family, friends, a big meal, and a day to give thanks. In our house, it also means my husband going off to play football in …
This is part 3 of my journey of meeting and marrying my soul mate. In this series of articles, I share how I found authentic and conscious love and how you can, too. In part 1, I wrote about how my childhood set me up for disaster. In part 2, I wrote about how my …
This is the part 2 of my journey of meeting and marrying my soul mate. In this series of articles, I share how I found authentic and conscious love and how you can, too. In part 1, I wrote about how my childhood set me up for disaster. Entering Adulthood I flunked out of Syracuse …
How I Met My Soul Mate, Part 2: How My Childhood Affected My Choice for a Husband Read More »
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] In this vlog, I share with you some of my thoughts on couples in conflict. I shot this video on the beach near my home, soon after a storm. The storm wiped out a lot of the old debris kind of leaving us with a new canvas. It also left in its …
Is taking a time out from an argument when you or your loved one are worked up, a good idea? An author on a book about emotional intelligence believes emotionally intelligent people don’t walk away from conflict. In this video message, I talk about what I believe is emotionally healthy when two people in a …
In the last article, 7 Reasons Why Your Relationship Might Not Make It, I wrote about the 7 relationship skills that have a tremendous impact on your relationship. Here’s a recap: Communication. Knowing how to communicate in a healthy way makes a huge difference. This includes listening, keeping a majority of your interactions positive, and …
Loving Relationships Have These Two Things in Common Read More »
When it comes to having a happy and healthy relationship, there is all kinds of advice out there. Some advice is good, and some not so good. When it comes to advice, it is important to think about the source. There are relationship “experts” who aren’t “walking their talk”. Unfortunately, some also provide disastrous advice …
7 Reasons Why Your Relationship Might Not Make It Read More »
Ah love…First you meet each other, then you fall in love, and then if it reaches this point, you decide to get married. It’s wonderful, those first months and years of being in a serious relationship. It’s at that stage in your relationship that maybe you laugh more together. You do more fun things. You …
Why You Might Be Headed Down the Road to Divorce and What You Can Do About It Read More »
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”justified” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Relationships are the best way to find out about others and about yourself. Relationships can have a huge impact in your life on how you thrive, stay alive, or barely manage to survive. There’s so much advice out there on how to have healthy, happy, …
18 Quotes About Love and Relationships That Will Inspire You Read More »
Triangles (not the shape but the relationship dynamic) can mess up relationships especially if you aren’t aware of what they are and what they can do. Everyone, to some extent, has relationships that are triangles. Triangles, according to Murray Bowen*, a psychiatrist and one of the early marriage and family therapists, are “the smallest stable …
As a life coach, I have the privilege of helping clients reach their goals. It’s amazing to watch! This time of year (New Year’s), people tend to take on the role of life coach to themselves as they write out their resolutions of how life will be different this year. They’ll probably write something along …
3 Life Coaching Tips to Amp Up Your New Year’s Resolutions Read More »
Want to know how to have a better relationship? On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, answer this question: How much do you know about your partner? Do you know their favorite color? Their favorite food? Favorite restaurant? Favorite date night idea? Their worst fear? Biggest role model? Where they want to …
If there were a course called Relationships 101, what would it cover? There’s probably a course out there somewhere that’s called this, but let’s see if we can come up with some of the topics: How to communicate well How to honor your commitment How to honor each other’s dreams How to learn and grow …
Our elders have a lot to teach us. Recent research* has uncovered the reasons why long-married couples stay together–and by long-married I mean couples who have been together for 30,40, 50 or more years. What’s their advice for long-lasting love? The Top 5 Tips for Marriage Success 1. Communicate well. 2. Work as a team. …
How to Have a Loving, Long-Lasting, and Successful Marriage Read More »
Most parents need parental guidance at some time during their kids’ lives. Maybe they get their parenting tips from loved ones (whether it’s solicited or not) or they might get it from books or the Internet. Wherever the information comes from, searching for guidance on a particular challenge can be frustrating because it may not …
Child or Teen Acting Out? Consult Your Future Self Read More »
When I was on the verge of turning 40, my 17-year marriage blew up into oblivion. Divorced and alone, I faced the world with a certain resolve that I would not get in a relationship again. I didn’t want to go through the heartbreak of another break up. I also began to realize after time …
5 Reasons Why You Might Be Preventing a Great Relationship from Happening Read More »
When life gets busy, hectic, or stressful, one of the first things to go on the proverbial back burner–besides your self-care–is your relationship. Taking relationships for granted, thinking they’ll be there when you are less busy, less stressed, less in your head about other things instead of focusing on your relationship with your partner–can be poison. Everyone has …
5 Things You Can Do Today to Change Your Relationship Read More »
As a coach and counselor, I consider a major part of my job is bringing out the best in people. Isn’t that a wonderful job description!? But guess what! You have that job too! Part of your job as Loved One to others is to bring out the best in people. If you are in …
Parent? Partner? Bring Out the Best in Your Loved Ones Read More »
I have had several challenges during my child- and adulthood that have helped define the person I am today. And what has gotten me through them is knowing this: This too will pass. When I was seven years old, I lost my adoptive mother. Pregnant at the time, she passed away suddenly from a pulmonary …
One thing I see a lot of in couples is the lack of emotional connection between them. They are so busy or so distracted with other things in life, they don’t pay attention to how their relationship suffers because of the lack of attention and focus they give it. Last week I wrote about how …
3 Ways to Build Emotional Connection in Your Relationship Read More »
Look around you and you’ll notice that most people are in a rush. Hurry up to finish the project at work. Hurry to get supper on the table. Hurry to help the kids with their homework. Hurry to kiss goodbye to your spouse as you rush out the door. Hurry, hurry, hurry! This feeling of …
Recently, I published the following quote on Twitter: “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”- The Buddha One of the things I teach my coaching clients is to keep an inspiration file–something that allows them to …
I’m going to bet you’ve either heard of or you’ve read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I read the book a long time ago when someone gave it to me as a gift. I remember thinking it was really helpful (at that time, I remember too, that there were a few typos). The …
At the outset if I was more mature, aware, and conscious, I would have recognized that my first marriage was a disaster from the start (except that we have three beautiful children from this relationship). Oh, our marriage was okay-ish for a long time–until we both hit middle age. In the beginning of our marriage, …
A lot of conflict in relationships boils down to one thing: You and/or your partner aren’t getting your needs met. Everyone has basic needs–like food, shelter, and water. But do you know what your needs are when it comes to your relationship? These are the needs that are the unconscious drivers behind every choice you …
Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty (thank you dictionary.com). Having integrity as a person is a wonderful ideal. Ask people what character traits they value and most will respond with integrity as part of their list (maybe they–or you–have it up on your vision board or written down in …
Most people get married without knowing if they are truly a good match with their partner. Your romantic feelings override those important discussions about roles, values, and major life issues. You overlook the charming quirks. There’s nothing like the feeling of falling head over heels in love. During this phase of your relationship, you are excited …
Character–an ethical or moral quality; an aggregate of traits and features that comprise the nature of a person. Character is more than what we notice about a person from the outside–it is who they are even when no one is watching. When was the last time you thought about good character? Do you know anyone …
No one gets married with the intention of eventually getting a divorce. We all want to buy into that optimistic dream of living happily ever after. After all, who wants a divorce? Divorce can be traumatic, expensive, it can tear apart a home, affect children for the rest of their lives, and send some people into poverty (usually …
I recently heard an interview on a Sirius radio show with a host asking someone their best piece of advice for the audience. “Don’t feed the trolls,” they said. Don’t feed the trolls! What a clever way of disguising a great skill to have in life in the form of myth! This particular radio show (I’m on the …
Parenting is probably the hardest job out there, but it can really provide us with innumerable lessons for growth. I recently read a post called What if We Gave Them the Benefit of the Doubt? It was a post about a parent going right to blame when a child spilled an expensive bag of fruit all …
On one of my many trips to Disneyworld when my kids were younger, we sat behind an older couple of about sixty-five or seventy years old on a ride. For the entirety of the ride around Animal Kingdom, the woman berated her husband. He did not say one word while she, without raising her voice, …
Relationship Killers–5 Ways You May be Sabotaging Your Relationship Read More »
“When you meet anyone, treat the event as a holy encounter. It’s through others that we either find or love our self. For you see, nothing is accomplished without others. When you eliminate the concept of separation from your thoughts and your behavior, you begin to feel your connection to everything and everyone.” – Dr. Wayne …
Moving Past the Pain of Being Rejected by Your Family Read More »
