What to do about the Dumbest Word on the Planet

There’s a really dumb word floating out there, and most of us use it. A lot. It’s a mean word. A soul-sucking word. A horrible, no-good, terrible word. I reveal it through a few quick ditties about people just like you and me. See if you get the theme. Rachel was super-excited as her second grade teacher returned her art project. She was proud that s...
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A Sincere Letter from Me to You

Dear You: I hope you are doing well. No…scratch that. I hope you are doing wonderfully. In fact, I hope you are as happy as you can possibly be. Are you? My guess is you’re not. You might be somewhat happy, or you might be pretty happy some of the time…but as happy as you could be? Not so sure. The reason I know this is because ...
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The Problem with Life’s Pop-Tarts

I’ve noticed a troubling personal trend lately. Here's just one example. See if you can relate… I’m on social media and see a news headline, likely about whatever daily debate is going on. I read the article. Despite feeling my blood pressure rise a scooch, I click on links within the article to get more details and background. I feel myself growi...
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The Truth About Your Guts

Guess what? I’m a quitter. Yep, Deirdre’s a quitter. A QUITTTT…TER! Why the proud proclamation? Because I am proud. And because lots of people wouldn’t be. Or think I shouldn’t be. Because lots of people believe that quitting says something terrible about us.  It means we can’t hack it. It means we’re weak. You’ve heard that message at some po...
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The Truth About Your Factory Settings

Guten tag! I’m writing this trip in the midst of a visit to the lovely country of Germany. The whole family is really into it. This being said, and despite LOTS of planning, not everything has gone as…planned. My finest example? Our reservation at a hotel located smack dab in the middle of all the action in Munich. Which didn’t actually have ...
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The Problem with How You Spend Your Time

There’s a dangerous trend afoot.  And it has to do with this thing: Yes, that’s my planning calendar (and yes, I have a paper planning calendar. Keep those comments to yourself, please.) You might notice the calendar is pretty filled up…lots of meetings and commitments and things to do. But this dangerous trend isn’t about how busy I am.  It’s a...
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