As they waited to be called into the courtroom, two men were discussing their jury duty assignments. Both were teachers. Juror #1 relayed how glad he was that he was able to get a substitute and didn’t have to ask the assistant principal to stand in. Juror #2 complained, “The assistant principal at my school couldn’t run my class if she wanted to. She doesn’t even have her teaching credentials!”

Juror #1 sensed that he was about to get an earful so he quickly asked, “Do you by any chance work at Lakeview High School?” Juror #2 said that he did. Juror #1 replied, “You must be talking about Elaine. She’s my wife.”

Talk about an awkward situation! Like Juror #2, too few people realize that what they say and do can offend people and will likely have a ripple effect on their lives. It may be for a week, or it may be for a lifetime…read more

Beginning in the days of World War II and for decades, famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey shared The Rest of the Story with millions of Americans. After presenting news stories on a variety of factual subjects, he surprised listeners each time with a true ‘twist’ at the very end and concluded with his signature sign off, “And now you know… the rest of the story.”

Although Paul Harvey died in 2009, I can’t help but think of his influence on today’s lesson. There are always two sides to every story, and it benefits us to make sure we know and understand both sides before making a judgment or rendering an opinion.

Whether it’s your best friend complaining about his or her spouse, a co-worker complaining about another employee, or a newspaper columnist writing a political story, just remember, there are always two sides to every story…read more

Do you remember the days before everyone had Caller ID and before there was a Do Not Call list? What I remember most distinctly is the phone ringing every night around 5:30 p.m. as my family and I sat down to dinner. Whether they were selling windows, offering to switch my phone service, or insisting that they could save me money on something I didn’t need—I often resented the interruption and their unsolicited advice.

In all fairness, those callers may have had something valuable to offer, but their timing was way off. They were trying to sell me a solution when I didn’t ask for one.

Learning to Listen Without Trying to Fix The Problem

This same notion holds true when listening to a friend or coworker who is sharing a problem or concern with us. Unfortunately, in an effort to be helpful, we’re all guilty of diving into ‘fix-it’ mode and are ready with a quick solution as soon as there’s a break in the conversation…read more

As I went about my normal routines the past few weeks, I listened closely for some attention-grabbing examples of sarcasm to include in today’s lesson. I was dismayed at the amount of sarcasm I heard.

When I began to intentionally evaluate the damaging effects of sarcasm, I was utterly shocked at how inappropriate, culturally offensive, and downright cruel most of the sarcastic, off-the-cuff remarks turned out to be. A few decades ago, they were called cut-lows—what a fitting label.

This experience only reinforced my belief that sarcasm doesn’t belong in our interactions with one another…read more

Today, we will be exploring the hidden value in the opinions of others, and I urge you to be open-minded and receptive as you read this blog. This is capable of affecting your potential for better on a number of different levels.

Opinion can be defined as a thought, a view, or a concept formed in the mind about a particular subject. It’s a conclusion or belief held with confidence but not substantiated by positive proof or knowledge. Because of this, many people are fearful of accepting someone else’s opinion. Elizabeth Cady Stanton—an activist and leader of the early women’s rights movement— said, “The moment we begin to fear the opinion of others…the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”…read more

Does it bother you when someone thoughtlessly cuts you off in traffic? How about when you’ve been waiting in an endlessly busy line and someone waltzes right in and slips ahead near the front?

When these things happen to me, I usually end up thinking something along the lines of, “Hey buddy, I’m just as busy as you!” or “Oh really, you think you’re more important than the rest of us?”

Sure, these responses may sound a bit silly after the fact, but we all have similar reactions when someone barges in and unfairly imposes their agenda on us…read more