The motivation is clear: it can feel so good, so powerful to be "right." But is it really worth it? What do you gain? The truth is: you can pursue being right but at the cost of being unhappy. Basically, if you approach conversations, dialogue, or arguments with the...
5 Ways Speaking Up Makes Our Lives Better
Yesterday I had the opportunity to co-facilitate a discussion on the theme “Dare to Speak Up and Be Heard” with the organization, Women Standing Together. It was a great group of interesting, competent, accomplished women. Still, most agreed on one thing: it’s too...
Speak Up and (Actually) Be Heard: Effectively Frank™ Fall Offerings
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve our lives. Skilled communication enhances relationships, reduces stress, and leads to better results at work. I’m passionate about teaching people how to find the...
Excuses, Excuses: What Gets in the Way of Attending to Your Health?
Yesterday I wrote about what I think it means to be truly healthy. I know this kind of discussion easily lends itself to excuses and talk of how hard it is. I get it, on some level, but I really want you to be healthy. It’s too important. So humor me and read why I...
What Could You Gain by Becoming Effectively Frank™?
What if you had the ability to say with clarity, kindness, and confidence the things you really need to say? How would your life be different? How much easier would it be? How much time, energy, and frustration would be saved? I believe that we can all do better with...
Parenting: Are You a Fixer or a Guide?
It seems to me that well-meaning parents lean towards one of two strategies (but often do both): being a fixer or being a guide. Neither is wrong. Like I said, these are what caring parents do. The trick is getting the right ratio of guiding to fixing, and knowing the...
What 56 Pull-Ups, Positive Psychology, and Mister Rogers Taught Me About Failure (and Happiness)
I looked up at the bar, but I knew I couldn’t do any more. I had reached muscle failure. I looked at my coach, feeling defeated, and said, “I’m done.” She looked at me warmly and said, “Okay.” As I caught my breath, I thought about how I didn’t make it through the...
The Hidden Dangers of People-Pleasing
I know how this is going to sound. But I’m going to say it anyway. Be careful of being nice. The problem is that we do "nice" in ways that are actually detrimental. The misconceptions about how to be nice are the key issues. One of the main problems is that a lot of...
Motivation and Change: Is it Worth It?
This is the second blog in the motivation series. You can catch up with the first one here. It seems to me that everyone likes to be motivated, so it may disappoint you to know that you can’t be motivated to do everything. The overachievers out there hate to admit...