If You Want People to Listen to You, Stop Talking

You know the type: the type of person I call a fire hose. This is the person who, as soon as he thinks he has your ear, lets loose a flood of words without regard to the give and take that is found in normal conversation. If you’re a political activist, you might have aContinue reading “If You Want People to Listen to You, Stop Talking”

How Do You Make Amends When You Can’t Make Amends?

Making direct amends can be difficult, but necessary, when the harmed party is looking for it, and rewarding when you do it well. The payoff is reconciliation. But not everyone you have harmed is all set to forgive you. Some are gone, many don’t know they were harmed, and a lot don’t want anything toContinue reading “How Do You Make Amends When You Can’t Make Amends?”

Building Walls

When people change from being non-engaged politically to becoming activists, the first thing they do hinders everything they try to accomplish afterwards. They rally like-minded people to their cause and build a wall. This renders their activism less effective and obstructs the exercise of statecraft.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Bringing you the best of mental health every week. Most methods of psychotherapy are designed for the therapist to help the client. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) seems to be one of these; but it’s actually therapy for the therapist  when standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) just ain’t working.

Making Amends is Better than Making Apologies

No one is interested in your apologies, unless you back them up with a change in behavior. Making amends repairs the damage; making apologies is only a promise to repair the damage. One is action; the other, words. One will cost you something; it might even bring about a transformation. The other is as cheapContinue reading “Making Amends is Better than Making Apologies”