What Needs Saying

What Needs Saying

Thoughts and words operate by the same rules. Just because we have a brain fart doesn’t mean our idea isn’t worthless. Many ideas are worthless, just like words. Vet. Filter. Bounce. Discuss. Ideas need to go through other people before you can trust them, even when they are your own. Don’t trust just anyone’s feedback. Their ideas might not be trustworthy either. Trust people’s feedback the same as you trust the results in their lives—because their words are only as credible as the fruit of their ideas, as with yours.

Also, sleep on your own words before sharing them.  · · · →

Why We Talk So Much

Why We Talk So Much

Overtalking is unfriendly. It’s something we each know we should never do, but it’s something we each do anyway. Why? It’s not as if others need our many words or our self-expression. Inadvertently dominating relationships by unplanned filibuster isn’t exactly the best way to win friends and influence people. So, why do we do so much of it?

Deep inside, it probably comes down to a love issue or a self-acceptance issue. We somehow fear rejection or dejection or ejection, so we want someone to validate our coordinates and status. But, others want the same thing, which we can give.  · · · →

How Friends Arrive

How Friends Arrive

There is a good reason Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. That reason specifically relates to how much it isn’t easy. If it were easy to love enemies, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to make it a command. But, it isn’t, so he did. And, most of us have a better idea.

Jesus’s command wasn’t enough for most of us, especially those who think they believe Jesus and thus think they define truth and so justify their grudges. But, when someone else tells us to return kindness for insult, we listen and often discover that enemies can become excellent friends.  · · · →

Fire & Water

Fire & Water

Conflicts between most people are a battle of elements. Fire wants drive without empathy, water wants empathy without drive. Of course, the needs are the needs and don’t change, but we all have our corners we feel some need to emphasize. When the other guy doesn’t focus on the angle we zero in on, we blame him of being unethical—either he doesn’t care about people or he doesn’t care about results.

These differences are only a conflict during immaturity. We weren’t meant to fight against each other; we were meant to lean against each other. That is growing up.  · · · →