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I was reading an article this weekend in the paper about politicians getting together to discuss the decline in traditional values. The article made me think a lot about the “traditional values” that have declined or have been entirely eliminated from our culture.

My son has to read a book called “The Revealers” for summer reading. We like to take turns; he reads a couple of chapters to me, then I will read one to him. It makes the story come alive and gives us something to do together. This book has intrigued me because, so far, it is about Russell, a boy who is bullied. He seeks out other bullied kids to try to figure out how to push back on the bullies.

I had an opportunity to be interviewed by a wonderful, engaging woman this week – Dana Woods, who hosts a show called “Professional Scope Power Hour.” Dana wanted to discuss how younger employees can communicate effectively with their older peers. We had a great dialogue and it was a fun show. To kick off the show, Dana started to talk about the difficult people she encounters.

There is one reason and one reason alone I do the work that I do: to give people ideas to help make their lives better, easier and more joyful. Life is filled with difficulties, frustrations, disappointments and tricky relationships. We can get so focused on “getting through” the tough parts that we forget sometimes to raise our heads and see the beauty and joy around us.
 

We all encounter difficult people and difficult situations in our lives. This blog is devoted to helping you find ways to cope more effectively whenever you encounter something or someone that challenges you. I hear frustration from many people, though, telling me that they “do everything right” but still can’t seem to get that other person to cooperate, or to change.
 

 This past week, my son and my nephew went to baseball camp together. My nephew is an amazing athlete – we’ve always marveled at how agile and capable he was, even as a young child,  and he continues to develop his athleticism. At the baseball camp they had “contests” for the fastest runner round the bases, the best infielder and the best outfielder. Technically, my nephew won two of the three contests but he was “only allowed to win one,” so they took the other away from him.