Ever since I began what has since become a multi-faceted career revolving around human psychology, behavior, and performance, I have been fascinated with the science (and even the oddball speculation) that underlies whether, and how, people are able to bring about what they say they want. I have been convinced that success isn’t merely a question of wishing, affirming, or declaring something into existence as the "Law of Attraction" movement might lead you to believe.  Read more »

Even after a career as a human performance specialist and now as a life coach and therapist, I'm still naïve enough to be tempted to implement a dozen or so good New Year's resolutions. But this year I'm clinging to two principles: "First things first" and "biggest bang for the buck."   Read more »

Attachment parenting is a term coined by pediatrician and father William Sears. A number of attachment parenting bloggers like this wiki definition of attachment parenting, and so do I:  Read more »

“How can he not know how horribly inappropriate it was to give me a blender for my birthday?” “Does she not get that I can’t just spill my guts on demand? Why is she all up in my face with “What’s wrong? Talk to me!” “Do I have to write him a (expletive deleted) manual to get any sexual satisfaction?” “How can she keep nagging me about a night out with the guys when she knows it’s the only way I get to blow off steam?” 

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Did you know that some of the best resources available to a professional career counselor are available to anyone, and for free?  True.  I learned of some of them firsthand during my tenure at the US Employment and Training Administration, whose charge includes the development, training, and retraining of the American workforce; and at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose primary charge is to gather and report unbiased statistical data in all areas of labor and employment.  Familiar terms such as "Job Corps, "One-Stop Career Centers," and "unemployment in  Read more »

I was recently asked to identify the key factors that make employees satisfied and engaged on the job.  Two theories came to mind, and both have proved themselves true in my experience in human performance improvement in a number of organizations. One is Frederick Herzberg's Motivation Hygiene theory (aka Two Factor theory).  Read more »

Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, integrates ancient Asian healing traditions with contemporary Western clinical psychology by combining acupressure (digital pressure applied to acupuncture points) with imaginal exposure (i.e., mental imagery) to traumatic or conflicted feelings, memories, or images.  Read more »

I recently read an article in which the author wrote, "I don't know what makes a good marriage."  It was an advice piece on marriage. 

That we come out of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education with no instruction in how to succeed at marriage is strange, isn't it?  Is this negligence, or is it that we have no commonly accepted and dependable wisdom about what makes a good marriage?  Read more »