In 1987, I was an education major at James Madison University. In one of my classes, Psychology of the Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Child, I remember reading about a study that shapes me even to this day. The study observed children on a playground. Researchers watched changes in the children’s behavior when a [...]read more

Fear of failure is about as common as any fear we have. We spend so much time trying to avoid even the appearance (and especially the reality) of failure. We will go to great lengths to protect ourselves from failure. Sometimes we decide the risk isn’t worth it. We try [...]read more

Sometimes “success” looks easy on the outside. I see people every day that have jobs that pay the bills, families, nice places to live, and opportunities to engage others outside of work. And yet something feels like it is not working. We are anxious or bored or dissatisfied or discontented [...]read more

Feelings are often either the hero or the villain in our lives. There is a lot of mystery around our feelings. Sometimes we are confused about our feelings. Sometimes we are afraid of our feelings. Sometimes we are ecstatic about our feelings. The challenge in life comes in how we [...]read more

Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak to a group on a retreat about parenting. When I was asked about giving this talk, a big part of me wanted to say no. Public speaking has never been something I’ve enjoyed doing. I have often enjoyed sharing what I have [...]read more