It’s easy to get caught up in a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, but that won’t help you conquer the year ahead
It’s no secret that life can be tough. And there are a lot of distractions lately that can feel like they’ll prevent you from going after big dreams and big goals. Some of you may not even have set new year’s resolutions. It’s easy to get caught up in a sense of hopelessness and helplessness,…
Address any fears, let go of the anger and look for the good in the relationship
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the often stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
Every new year, we seem to spend a bit of time on the goal of decluttering the house or the office. A year of accumulated belongings and paper just feels so burdensome. Add to that the onslaught of marketing that shows up on our social media feeds: How to be more minimalistic and why that’s…
Give yourself permission to freak out on your own time and then find ways to move forward
Humans are creatures of habit. North Americans tend to prefer their salad first but Parisians tend to prefer it last. The status quo provides comfort and familiarity. Is it any wonder that so many of us are struggling with the pace of constant change these days? When changes are exciting we rally behind them. But…
Yes, it has been a tough year for a lot of people but dwelling on the negative has never infused a moment with joy
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the often stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
Amid increased COVID-19-related restrictions, some of you may be less enthusiastic about the Christmas holidays this year. But now more than ever, we need to find a bit of childlike delight as we navigate the final days of 2020. Why? Because being ageless starts in your mind. Everyone grows older and eventually dies; it’s just…
Listening is a lot harder than most of us admit
How often have you uttered the phrase “How are you?” without even bothering to wait for the recipient of the question to respond? The receiver could say, “I just won the lottery!” or “Well, my wife left me, I lost my job, I’m getting evicted from my home and the dog died!” and it’s all…
A bully has learned that their aggressive tactics grant them a feeling of power or super confidence
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the oft-times stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
Take your time and deconstruct that unresolved story that has been holding you back from living a remarkable life; let go of the resentment
“Please, tell us a bit about yourself.” “Why did you leave your last job?” “What happened to that guy you were with? You seemed so great together.” Do these words fill you with dread? Is this the moment that the story you have been telling yourself about these events becomes your undoing? I am a…
It's amazing what people feel they can or should be able to control. Getting these assumptions wrong has major effects on our lives
We can only be disappointed, shocked or delightedly surprised if we were expecting something else. When people disappoint themselves or are disappointed by others, we can ask: What exactly was the expectation? The answer tells us how the person feels their life ought to be or how they think things should go. My daughter was…
We crave, mythologize, demonize and fight wars over money. Why can’t we just treat it with respect and maintain harmony in the home?
My husband and I once got into a mild argument over finances. It started with calculating costs for a trip east with friends to see a football game. It ended with a tally of summer bills and how on earth they would ever get paid. This happens in countless households. Money – or lack of…
Simple courtesy has taken a giant nosedive
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith uses her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the oft-times stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears every…
Confidence, direction, соurаgе and reassurance аrе constant companions in your efforts tо mаkе a successful rесоvеrу from divоrсе
Divorce is nothing like it appears on TV or on the Internet. The grieving ebbs and flows as your life changes significantly. Divоrсе rесоvеrу gives rise tо thoughtѕ like, “I nеvеr thought I'd hаvе tо dо this. I'vе never bееn in this predicament bеfоrе. Evеrуthing iѕ nеw and threatening. I feel lоѕt and afraid thingѕ…
Stop making excuses and go for it!
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof,” says author Barbara Kingsolver. Have you ever stopped to wonder what you want…
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the oft-times stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
And how to keep an open-door policy in your office without overwhelming your productivity
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the oft-times stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach column appears…
Lower your risk of depression, improve cognitive function, reduce fatigue, spark creativity, drive blood flow, among other things
It might surprise you to hear that something as simple as walking can improve your brainpower. It doesn’t even have to be full-on power walking. Even a 20- or 30-minute walk during your lunch break can have a positive impact on your brain. Walking also reduces your stress and improves your overall sense of well-being.…
Faith Wood knows how to resolve conflict. Her years in front-line law enforcement taught her how to effectively de-escalate any situation to a successful conclusion. Beginning today, Faith will use her knowledge of conflict management to guide you through the oft-times stressful experiences you may encounter in your personal or professional life. Her Conflict Coach…
Start by keeping your head and following our tips
When things go wrong at work, your first thought is going to be how you can protect your job. After all, without your career, the rest of your life can very quickly succumb to various pressures, not the least of which is financial. On top of that, the COVID-19 uncertainty that’s permeating our environments may…
Sometimes we get stuck in our stories – our dramas – and our friends grow weary of how often we tell them
When we experience life, we talk about it. We share the stories that are amazing, funny and absurd. We talk about moments when we felt unfairly treated or when we obsessed over something quirky. It’s natural – this is how humans have learned to communicate, to share with others and tell the tale of who…
Embrace adversity, become more adept at challenges and seeing opportunity, cultivate positivity, develop more empathy
When you’re in upheaval, you tend to hit survival mode pretty quickly. Your life becomes focused on just getting through the day. Beyond that? You don’t have the time or energy to care. But now more than ever, you need to take advantage of what time you have for personal growth. When we’re challenged is…
If fear is putting you in an inner conflict, try collaboration instead of fighting and imagine a more triumphant outcome
That which we resist persists – but you can change all that! A young gymnast has been working with me on elevating her performance. Despite being exceptionally talented and scoring well on the bars and mat, she recently developed a completely debilitating fear of the balance beam. When pressed about the problem, she described a fear of falling;…Form a mental picture of what is causing your anxiety to take control and set your feet on a better path
Calm down. Seriously. We all have things that leave us on edge. Sometimes it’s an event or a person (like a visit from your mother-in-law). Sometimes we’re more anxious due to more significant issues, leaving us unsure of our safety and well-being, like when a severe illness is going around. Whatever the case, anxiety is…
Our reactions to perceptions that aren’t aligned with our own firmly-held beliefs often lead to misunderstandings and conflict
We learn early that not everyone shares our point of view. To understand a situation, we need to consider varying perspectives. There’s no inarguable truth for all situations. We build understanding from inviting multiple perspectives. Consider your emotional reaction to the idea of honesty in politics, or where to spend critical health care or education…
Being able to see the big picture and develop the resources to make dreams reality leads to important mental growth
As far back as 1937, Napoleon Hill was writing about the human mind. In his book Think and Grow Rich, he set out the idea that success truly starts internally. According to Hill, we can think ourselves rich by having the right mindset, and following certain guidelines on how we think about success, money and…
Handwriting analysis requires comparing upstrokes and downstrokes, looking for patterns and discrepancies to form a profile of the writer
As a handwriting analyst, I often speak to groups on the value of learning to interpret someone’s handwriting as a strategy for improving communications and reducing conflicts on teams. After a recent event, several people indicated how impressed they were by the accuracy of the group analyses. Aside from being entertaining, one business man declared, “This is…
When you become accustomed to worrying, you have a constant stream of negative feedback and information in your brain
Worry can derail an entire day if you let it. But you have the power to stop it in just 30 minutes, freeing up the rest of the day to really live. The strategy is more straightforward than you might think. When you become accustomed to worrying, you have a constant stream of negative feedback…
Conflicts are less likely when everyone is focused on the goal, clear about how they can contribute and appreciated for their efforts
“I'm so tired of being ordered around or dictated to – I’m done with this!” “I can't believe they didn’t even discuss this with me. If they want to make all the decisions, then they can do it themselves.” If you've ever been on a planning committee, condo board, conference committee or not-for-profit board, you've…
Don’t freak out; just laugh at life’s little quirks
You have a great idea as you are getting dressed in the morning. “Aha,” you think, “I’ll do something about that right away.” You walk from the bedroom to the kitchen for your first cup of coffee of the day and realize that the important thought you had has magically disappeared in the 15 feet…
Visualization can eliminate some of the unknowns that create stress-induced anxiety in the average person, just as it does for elite athletes
Success can often be seen first in the mind's eye. The performance of most elite athletes is directly affected by their thoughts; they must master their inner emotions when the pressure is on. Learning to harness the power of the mind is an extraordinary gift, not just for athletes but for any of us who need…