Leadership Lessons Learned as a Soldier
Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Platoon Commander Simon. I did my national service in Singapore for two years. In those two years, I met a very good leader during my basic military training. In basic military training, we’re enlisted as recruits and go through three months of intensive physical training and military tests. At that time, I was only 21 years old and new to the world of military training.
Read full storyOpinion: Can Reminders Be Helpful to Start The Year Well?
Reminder written on sticky notePhoto byKelly Sikkema/Unsplash. Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes, small changes and reminders make a big difference in the way life’s challenges are handled.
Read full storyOpinion: Can Dismissive Conversations Be Disheartening?
I’ve encountered dismissive conversations, behaviors, and people in my life and some of you might have experienced it. Some or even many human relationships fail due to poor methods of communication. The dismissive conversation is one of those poor ways of communicating. When a husband or wife goes to their partner to discuss an issue, conflict or argument, the other partner dismisses(ignores) the conversation, and soon or later their relationship turns sour.
Read full storyOpinion: Dealing With Energy-Sapping Conversations Can Be Difficult?
Woman sitting on the chairJessica Da Rosa/Unsplash. Good communication is important everywhere. In the workplace and in social environments, we easily tend to lose our energy when we get caught up in the unwanted small talk, when we're asked awkward questions, when too much-unsolicited advice is given, or when our pet peeves chit-chat surface. Sometimes we encounter rude people, dismissive people, and mean-spirited people who delight in seeing the unhappiness of others. These people can come in the form of co-workers, relatives, acquaintances, or even family members or intimate partners. In some cases, poor communication can escalate to bigger and more complex conflicts. On the other hand, good communication can help mitigate risks, deescalate conflicts, and solve problems. Some families and relationships break up because of poor communication.
Read full storyOpinion: Can Mindful Communication Improve Communication Skills?
I believe strongly that communication is key that opens positive and negative doors. Good communication starts with mindful communication. I worked as a family therapist and counselor and have solved many problems in families and communities by balancing and strengthening poor interaction patterns. In this article, I will share some tips from my knowledge and experiences with mindful communication.
Read full storyOpinion: Can We Stay Energetic Without Coffee?
There are many reasons why we get tired. It may be due to health problems, lack of sleep, stress or work pressure. Mental and physical fatigue occurs when we strain our mind and body beyond its limits. I used to work late into the night to complete my tasks and feel lethargic and tired the next morning. I broke that habit because I learned that it affects my overall ability to function, especially when I'm working on a task that requires my full attention. When we work on a task with less focus and attention, it's like lifting a heavy weight while recovering from a headache.
Read full storyOpinion: Mental and Physical Health Can Be Taken Care Of Anytime
When I am traveling for work-related purposes, I usually do not bring along any fitness equipment. Simply, because I am too idle to pack them in my luggage and drag them along. I do not have much time to visit the gym too, due to my tight schedule. I have to attend meetings and company activities in the morning and evening.
Read full storyImproving Formal Email Communication Enhances Working Relationship
Person's hand on MacBook near iPhone flat lay photography photoCytonn Photography/Unsplash. Writing formal emails becomes a challenge when our minds are hungrily searching for the best words. When it comes to written communication, it's important to find words of value. By this, I mean that each word should work in a unique way to create positive meaning for the reader. A writer or speaker's ability to use the right word at the right time demonstrates confidence and professionalism. Good written communication enhances working relationships.
Read full storyOpinion: Some Differences Between Knowledge and Intelligence in Humans
assorted-title book in bookcaseDakota Corbin/Unsplash. Have you come across people who are well-educated and have good career experiences, but they are unable to empathize and relate to the thoughts and feelings of others? Have you seen people with poor problem-solving skills or using methods that make problems worse? These types of behaviors reflect how a person's intelligence is functioning.
Read full storyCan reading sessions be made more enriching and joyful?
Reading is an exercise that trains and builds writing muscles. Physical exercise strengthens our muscles and helps us in our daily movements. Similarly, reading helps us to strengthen our writing muscles and makes our words flow well.
Read full storyDeveloping A Good Sense of Self Awareness Helps In Solving Problems
Battling problems is an inevitable process of life. This process nurtures personal growth if problems are clearly evaluated and lessons are well-learned. However, a problem tends to repeat itself if maladaptive coping methods and same unworkable solutions are applied. A predisposing cause to poor problem solving skills is due to lack of self-knowledge. Lack of self-knowledge often leads to unclear perceptions and unconscious decisions.
Read full storySelf Care Can Help To Manage Thoughts and Emotions
woman in black and white sweater sitting on a chairkevin turcios/unsplash. Many of us know challenging moments in our lives when we've difficulty controlling our own thoughts and feelings. Imagine coming home after a hard day at work, taking a nice hot shower, eating a good dinner, having some chocolates, and starting to watch your favorite show on TV - nice, right? But we may have noticed that during these happy activities, our thoughts were thinking about project deadlines at work, the nagging boss, unfair colleagues, or the rude stranger we met in traffic that morning. These intrusive thoughts distract us from our present moment. Even as we go about our daily activities, we may be physically in one place, but mentally in another. For example, eating dinner at home and thinking about your rude boss will not help you to have a peaceful time.
Read full storyProblems Can Be Solved and Managed Effectively
I have been in the human services field for a decade. During those years, I have worked with various leaders and teammates to apply problem-solving approaches. My hard-won lessons and experiences have led me to develop my “soaps method.” I share this method with my readers because I trust it will be helpful to them in overcoming their life problems.
Read full storyEmotional Support and Mutual Healing Is Crucial For Long-Lasting Intimate Relationships
man kissing woman on forehead photoVictoria Roman/Unsplash. Emotions play an important role when it comes to growing a beautiful, happy, loving and long-lasting relationship. Strong emotional connections support couples in building trust, empathy and deep intimacy. Powerful emotional connections help couples relate to one another through body language. For example, sometimes eye contact with your partner is simply what you need, to see, hear and feel your partner without spoken words. Through strong emotional connections, we can even send thought vibrations to our loved ones.
Read full storyFinding and Sustaining Motivation Through Self-reflection
man wearing white long-sleeve shirt on air photoCam Adams/Unsplash. Most of us look forward to maintaining motivation when we're doing certain activities or tasks or trying to achieve our goals. Sometimes it's quite unnerving to work hard to stay motivated, and we tend to procrastinate or give up easily.
Read full storyImproving Emotional Intimacy Strengthens Couple Relationship
Woman wearing black shirt and black pants sitting on bed photoSinitta Leunen/unsplash. Emotional intimacy is needed to make relationships strong and healthy. Emotional intimacy helps couples to build trustful and long-lasting relationships. Emotional intimacy deepens love bonds, comfort, security and mutual support.
Read full storySelf-Forgiveness Is A Crucial Phase Of Self-Healing
woman praying while leaning against the brick wall.Ben White. Today I am going to talk about a beautiful word, it is self-forgiveness. It is believed that the root word of forgiving comes from the Latin word, “perdonare,” which means to give entirely without hesitation.
Read full storyCan Difficult Communication Styles Be Managed?
Have you encountered difficult communication in your life when you strain to explain your statements and the people listening to you aren't receptive?. So....what makes communication difficult? Like the tip of an iceberg, we tend to see the obvious problems of dysfunctional communication patterns, but there are many underlying personality traits that contribute to critical transactions between people. Some of these unconscious personality traits include distorted perceptions, indifference, judgment, bias, rigid thinking patterns, imposition of values, lack of empathy and emotional intelligence, and more.
Read full storyIs Compassion Fatigue Consuming Clinical Workers and Samaritans? Lack of Self-Compassion Can Be The Answer
Compassion fatigue is a form of mental and emotional exhaustion. You get compassion fatigue when you try very hard to help others out of their suffering. An Indian proverb says, “Even juices of longevity when consumed beyond limitations, will turn into life-consuming poison.”
Read full storyIs Managing Anxiety Difficult? Self-Care Plays a Crucial Role
The recent challenges caused by the coronavirus could cause anxiety in many people. Anxiety affects our overall mental, emotional and physical functioning. Therefore, in these difficult times, it's good to take steps to maintain our balance and improve our functioning.
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