It is the beginning of 2018 and it is the end of my blog—SPOTLIGHT ON DARING COUPLES. The blog is being retired and my weekly Facebook Live Chats are being born. In 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream. A few years later “they” said that speakers,...

A colleague of mine sent this heartwarming video to me some time ago. It is fitting that, at the end of the year, we take stock of who we have been and how we have attended to the people and events in our lives that have mattered, and recommit ourselves to being and...

Stress is not pressure from the outside: Challenges at work or at home, money problems... Those are the stressors. Your response to those situations, those stressors, is what we call stress. This distinction is important. Stressors are the multitude of daily...

The holidays can be a confusing time for those who are in a pre-committed relationship. There are so many considerations and questions that arise. I believe that some issues in our lives come up over and over and that helpful reminders are timeless. Gifts: Should I...

What do you think about giving and receiving gifts? Are you an enthusiastic, appreciative receiver or does getting a gift make you feel uncomfortable? Are you a spirited gift giver picking up small (or large) tokens of your esteem and affection wherever you go for the...

The holidays can be a stressful time of year for many people. Often you are juggling shopping, traveling, visiting and entertaining. For many of you, the most stressful part of the holidays is family gift giving. Here are some suggestions to ease your stress: Key...

What do you mean when you refer to a “relationship”? Do you know the differences between a dating relationship, a pre-committed relationship and a committed relationship? The difference has to do with the nature and structure of the relationship. The nature and...

There is no limit to what you don’t have, and if that is where you put your focus, then your life will inevitably be filled with endless dissatisfaction. Most people focus so heavily on the deficiencies in their lives that they barely perceive the good that...

Conflict is inevitable and a normal part of life. Healthy conflict can lead to positive changes in personal relationships. Negative conflict can be very destructive and can sap energy from everyone around. Causes of Conflict Searching for the causes can be helpful in...

Making and keeping agreements and commitments is a fundamental ingredient of any relationship. It is one of the cornerstones of a committed love relationship. It is vital that partners know in the deepest part of their being that they can count on the promises and...

Your life will not be "better" if you are married or in a committed relationship. We take ourselves with us wherever we go...especially into love relationships. A successful, committed relationship depends upon being ready: physically emotionally financially legally...

Let me say first, setting boundaries is not disrespectful, bad or wrong. In fact, emotionally healthy people set personal boundaries. Educate people in your life about your boundaries. Calmly and respectfully inform them about how they can and cannot behave around...

If your life is filled with discord and you don’t feel that others respect you, it's time to set your boundaries. Each of us experiences our reality in four ways: Body - what we look like Thinking - how we give meaning to incoming data Feelings - our emotional...

If your life is filled with more of what you don't want and not enough of what you do want, it's time to set your boundaries. Boundaries define a person's sense of self (i.e., who he or she is as an individual). Setting boundaries makes others feel safe around you and...

Most of us know how to speak. Many of us have never learned how to communicate. Recognize that clear, accurate and understandable verbal and non-verbal language is essential for marriage, committed relationships, friendships, business relationships and virtually all...

I received the “Instructions For Life” by the Dali Lama in an email from a very dear friend. Whether or not you embrace the teachings of the Dali Lama, these “Instructions For Life” seem very universal to me; and something we can all benefit from by being reminded...

For most of us, it is equally difficult and uncomfortable to receive an apology as to offer an apology! Offering and receiving apologies is an art and requires learning a few simple skills and practicing those skills often. Here Are 8 Easy Steps to Receiving an...

For most of us, offering an apology feels awkward or uncomfortable. For one thing, we don't have a lot of practice. For another thing, the concept of apologizing is often associated with being "bad" or "wrong." Consider thinking about an apology as a behavior that...

If your partner is hurt or offended by something you said or didn’t say, or did or didn’t do, his or her upset is not an indictment of you. It doesn’t mean you are a bad person. It doesn’t even mean you did something bad or wrong. In fact, it may not mean anything at...

It is highly likely that in the course of relationships with associates, friends, family members and your partner you will do or say something or not do or say something that will cause someone hurt. Reacting to the words and actions of others is normal, natural and...

When a family member becomes ill, whether for a week, for a few months, or with a life-threatening or chronic illness, each individual has a reaction and the entire family unit has a reaction. I am asked by family members and by those who are ill, how to talk to...

Sometimes in a relationship there is a sticky dynamic where one party tries to set a boundary that is comfortable for them, but it feels exclusionary to the other person. As if they are being shut out or exiled. This can feel painful for the person who feels shut out....

Has anyone ever told you she or he needed “some space”? All too often men and women are threatened by their partners needing or wanting “space”—an opportunity to enjoy solitude. They somehow feel that if their partners really loved them they wouldn’t want to be apart...