Worrying About Others

Do others’ choices cause you distress? Do you wish they’d stop making unwise decisions and start listening to you? No matter how sensible your suggestions may be, following your advice might prevent them from learning important lessons. Sometimes...

Who Knows Best?

Do others’ choices sometimes cause you distress? Do you wish they’d stop making unwise decisions and start listening to you? No matter how sensible your suggestions may be, following your advice might prevent them from learning important lessons. Sometimes...

Disguised Gifts

If someone has a problem with your behavior, you can respond by feeling bad, fighting back or, if you want to benefit, consider their opinion as valid information that could help you improve your way of being in the world. The willingness to entertain their...

You Aren’t Your Behavior

Constructive criticism can sometimes feel like an assault on our personal value, but the ability to open to healthy advice without being defensive helps us perceive parts of our work, personality and behavior that we may be blind to. Remembering that our behavior...

Better Left Unsaid

It’s tempting to volunteer advice when we think others have made an unwise move or acted inappropriately, but there are two problems with giving this kind of counsel. First, we can’t know for sure how their behavior will actually play out in the world or...

Every Idea Has it’s Time

It’s rarely a good strategy to share your ideas in their infant stage of development. A critical comment from someone can be demoralizing. Though it’s tempting to seek positive feedback early on, the potentially disastrous impact of well-intentioned (or...