Routinely I ask couples who come to see me with marriage issues what they talk about with each other at home. The most common answers are: children money work in-laws sports trips & vacations Can you guess what’s the last thing to get talked about? What’s the most overlooked topic of conversation? What’s often anxiety-producing and…
Author: Chase E. Kneeland, M.Div., LMFT
Make Sure We Define Our Limits, And Then Respect Them!
Everyone has limits, and the big question is, do we define them? But then, the even greater question – do we respect them, and ask other folks to respect them as well? I know, this may sound a bit pushy, but being pushy is not necessary to achieve the result I’m recognizing here…it’s all about…
Being Accountable Is Difficult!
My parents used to talk about how accountability was one of the hallmarks of maturity. They made a key point of stressing that becoming accountable was something that was developed over time; it didn’t “just happen” in a person’s life, because it involved a gradual evolution from living a childlike existence into one of seeing…
Are You A People Pleaser?…At Your Own Expense?
I don’t think there’s any denying that in many ways our world has gotten increasingly self-oriented over the last two decades. Put bluntly, we’re more selfish as a society in general than we were in past generations. With this in mind, let’s look at a phenomenon which has gained traction lately, perhaps partly as a…
Do You Value Criticism?…
Who likes criticism? Almost nobody I know! However, criticism can be quite valuable, and a terrific tool for personal growth. What one has to do is to see it’s value and learn to appreciate it. So, let’s take a few minutes and consider how we might do that. Let’s be clear about it – I’m…
Don’t Make Promises You Don’t Deliver On!
How about if we give some thought to starting out 2016 on a good footing? If you’re like many people who make promises and then fail to follow through and complete what’s promised, instead of feeling ashamed and embarrassed let’s take some time to think through what falling into this way of operating is all…
How About Reasonable Resolutions for 2016?
How many of us make New Year’s resolutions, only to abandon them even before February arrives? Probably most of us. How come? Possibly because the resolution is just not reasonable; it’s too big to be accomplished over the short run, which is what we’re planning, and we just haven’t found within us the energy…
Let’s Think About Gratitude…
Again the holiday season is upon us, and I’m betting many of you are as weary of mandatory shopping & gift-giving as I am. With this in mind, let’s change our focus to something much more in the true spirit of Christmas – gratitude. In so many ways, those of us living in the USA…
Are We Bringing Out The Best In Each Other?
I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that it’s a great idea to surround yourself with positive people. At first glance, it seems like such a simple and reasonable piece of wisdom that we’re often not inclined to take the thinking about it any further. However, that would be a bit short-sighted…and with this in…
More About Distractions…
In my last post the matter of falling prey to distractions came up. I’m convinced this is a major problem in today’s world and that it’s simply not well understood. However, distraction certainly ranks in the Top Ten when it comes to issues that impede our creatively moving forward in life. Like many folks I…
Chase E. Kneeland, M.Div. LMFT 