Archive for the ‘Relationships’ Category
Get your point across
August 2nd, 2010
In 1999, Nevada resident William Junge bought a personalized license plate
after purchasing his SUV. So in 2006 when the 59-year-old tried to renew the plate, he couldn’t understand why the DMV denied his application. He’d had that plate seven years. What suddenly made hoe offensive? Well, a DMV employee suddenly found the word listed in an online slang dictionary as a variation of “ho” … not to be confused with tally-ho, Westward Ho, or Ho! Ho! Ho!
Okay … but what did that have to do with Junge?
TAGS: confidence, inspiration, motivation, Self-Improvement, success, support, trust, word meaning, words | 
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Preventing tongue-tripping fiascos
July 29th, 2010
In 1977, 16-year-old Cathleen Crowell decided to cover a possible pregnancy with her foster parents by inventing a rape story. Too bad for 20-year-old Gary Dotson that he slightly resembled her fictional assailant. In 1979, with Crowell’s help, Illinois courts sentenced Dotson to 20–50 years.
By 1985, Crowell had become a deeply religious woman, desperate to make amends. Confessing her deception, she helped Dotson get released on bond, pending a new hearing. Then the guilt-ridden accuser and the man whose life she’d shattered made the rounds of network morning programs, ending with The CBS Morning News and Phyllis George, a one-time Miss America recently hired from CBS Sports.
George’s interview style fell somewhere between perky and giggly, and the uncomfortable guests probably were relieved to reach the wrap-up—until George playfully suggested they shake hands like two kids making up after a playground spat. They awkwardly complied. Then with all the stereotypical vivaciousness of a former Miss Texas, George added, “How about a hug?”
Words in bloom
July 21st, 2010
In 1967, polygrapher Cleve Backster
connected electrodes to a house plant to measure psychogalvanic reflex (PGR)—how quickly moisture increased in the plant after it was watered. During the experiment
, he became curious about what else the equipment might measure. For instance, could it detect the plant’s stress levels?
He dunked a leaf in a cup of hot coffee. Nothing. He pondered what to try next. Aha! he thought. I’ll burn the leaf. The instant the thought leapt into his mind, the needle on the machine jumped—just as it would for a human experiencing sudden stress. The plant seemed to sense Backster’s diabolical plan … and it was afraid.
How to disagree agreeably
July 15th, 2010
Recently I had a long conversation with one of my closest far-away friends and was reminded of an incident a few years ago. We were having coffee with a group of acquaintances and began discussing a medical issue. I’d researched the topic and was confident in the data. She was equally confident in the anecdotal information she’d read. Soon we were in a heated disagreement that finally ended with a mutual decision to drop it!
If our companions were shocked by our passionate head-butting, it didn’t compare to their expressions when she nonchalantly asked, “Where do you want to go for lunch?” and I casually replied, “Oh, anywhere you’d like.” They still looked dumbstruck as we drove off laughing like we’d never exchanged a cross word.
TAGS: argue, debates, disagree, get along, inspiration, motivation, respect, Self-Improvement, success |
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Judge not
July 14th, 2010
I’m standing at the counter in the doctor’s office, waiting to schedule my next checkup, when a stranger approaches and makes a snarky crack because I’m wearing a long-sleeve cotton t-shirt in the summer.
Now this woman could be Tommy Boy’s
So this giant lemon drop has strolled up to me, completely unsolicited, and—with all the condescension of Miss Piggy
TAGS: critical, criticism, inspiration, judgmental, judgments, motivation, Quotations, quotes, respect, Self-Improvement, success |
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Reacting to others’ screw-ups
June 15th, 2010
Poor Virgil was a sweet young man saddled with total ineptitude. Whatever he touched, he broke. No matter how simple the job, he botched it. Finally, given the easy task of polishing a set of keys, he managed to wear away the grooves, rendering the keys useless and sealing the door they were supposed to unlock.
Faced with this latest example of his incompetence, his cousin Barney berated his stupidity, leaving Virgil hanging his head in shame and defeat.
Fans of The Andy Griffith Show
Be a supportive friend
April 7th, 2010
In May 1995, actor Christopher Reeve
The accident left 42-year-old Reeve, best known for his big-screen portrayals of Superman
Signs of unstable coworkers
February 23rd, 2010
We’ve all been stuck in a boring meeting where someone was droning on and on while we thought about all the things we could be accomplishing if we weren’t stuck in a boring meeting. When called to a faculty meeting, college ecology professor Robert O. Lawton had the foresight to bring his manuscript. As other participants debated tenure issues, he quietly worked on his book about trees. The last thing he expected was that another professor would end the boredom by pulling an automatic weapon and opening fire.
When the shooting stopped, three of Lawton’s colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville were dead and three others wounded. “It was an ordinary faculty meeting,” Lawton told reporters. “And then it became unordinary.”
Unfortunately, Lawton’s “unordinary” experience isn’t all that unordinary.
Find peace in a polarized world
January 25th, 2010
Okay, it’s not really polarized … at least not for the great majority of Americans as they work or try to find work, and worship or don’t worship, and spend time with their traditional or nontraditional families. The great majority are just trying to live their lives the best they can.
For that great majority, the world doesn’t become polarized until they launch into a discussion of some religious or political issue … or until they turn on the cable news channels. Then they suddenly find themselves combatants in the so-called “Culture Wars.”
Squirming? Don’t. MoveThatMountain.com isn’t drifting into religion and politics. This is neutral ground. But it’s also a place about overcoming your challenges, conquering your bad habits, coping with your crises, and figuring out how to make your life a little easier. Doing combat in a culture war takes a lot of energy that might be better spent moving the real mountains in your life.
Deciding what matters most
January 14th, 2010
Recently I settled in to watch a DVD of my favorite reality cooking series
His honest confession made me a little sad.
The idea that you have to appear on television—gain some measure of fame and public recognition—to validate your life explains everything from reality TV to … well … blogging. But it’s a flawed perspective.
