When children misbehave at school, teachers sometimes kindly tell the parents that they’ve been “acting out” in the classroom. This phrase may refer to a child’s ignoring or arguing with the teacher, not sharing with another student, being uncooperative with classmates, or having a temper tantrum during class. While unpleasant, these are not unexpected behaviors […]
Author: Joanne Deck
Joanne M. Deck, MBA, SPHR is a certified human resource professional, educator, public speaker, and author with expertise in leadership, education and training, careers, spiritual direction, and healthy dating relationships. She has over 20 years of corporate experience as an trainer, leadership coach, human resources director, wellness and management consultant, and customer service manager and was a Toastmaster, having achieved the levels of ACS and ALB. Joanne is also the author of Sane Sex for Singles, a three-time winning dating guide for the new millennium. Joanne was born in Rochester, NY and graduated from the University at Albany, NY with a degree in math and an MBA in human resources. She is the mother of young adult twin daughters and lives in Santa Barbara, CA with her husband, Roger. Joanne is currently working on her next book, Learning to Receive with Grace and Ease, aimed at helping people become more comfortable and skillful receivers. Her observation is that most people have the giving side of the equation down, but struggle with receiving.
The Ripple Effect of Resisting
It may seem that when we resist receiving, we’re the only ones affected. But not so – the wanna be giver is denied the opportunity to give, so they don’t receive the good feelings people get when they give. But that’s not the whole story. Often our resistance affects others. Have you ever watched people […]
Honesty is a Non-Negotiable
I’m always amazed to see how much lying happens on television and in the movies. Want to impress someone you’re attracted to? No problem, just make something up. (E.g., the series opener of About a Boy) What’s the thought process here? Unless it’s a one-night stand, they’re eventually bound to find out your real age, […]
“I Don’t Have the Exercise Gene”
People phrase it a number of ways, but the idea is the same. They find exercise a chore, so they decide they’re not meant to move. The flaw with this argument is that we all have the same basic equipment, which includes 600 major muscle groups and a body that responds positively to exercise, even […]
“I’m Too Old to Learn”
This misstatement comes in other forms, too, such as “I’m not smart enough” or “School was never my thing.” The fact is your brain was designed to learn, loves to learn, and knows how to learn, according to Rita Smilkstein, Ph. D. It learns with practice as over time it literally constructs a new neural […]
“It is Better to Give than to Receive”
I know we’ve been taught all our lives that it’s better to give than to receive, but it’s just not so. It doesn’t even make sense. To say that it’s better to give than to receive suggests that people should do more giving than receiving. How would that work? In order for someone to give, […]
Think Before You Text!
I’m amazed at the prevalence of texting reported by my dating coaching clients. Breaking up, arguing, or handling any sensitive matters are not appropriate or effective uses of text messaging, regardless of your age. Just as we have commonly understood rules of etiquette for email messages, such as using all caps is unacceptable (equivalent to […]
Getting Our Attention
“Healing is the revealing of God’s presence at the center and circumference of an apparent condition.” Dennis Merritt Jones Do you know someone who has done all the “right things” and still ended up with a devastating diagnosis? I know several people; maybe this describes you as well. Our first thoughts might be how unfair […]
Advice from a Master
Our men’s speed skating team had a tough 2014 Winter Olympics. In reflecting on this, master skater Apolo Anton Ohno, winner of eight medals, a record for a U.S. Winter Olympian, offered the following advice when things don’t go well: 1) look at the positives, and 2) ask – what can I learn from this? […]
Borrow for Easier Receiving
Did you catch the excitement about 18 year-old Mikaela Shiffrin at the Sochi Olympic Games last month? She became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in women’s slalom history due to her exceptional technical skills. In a video piece about Shiffrin, she explained how she has spent hours studying the world’s top skiers, taking the best […]