1: And how do we create more of them?  

Those are amongst the questions Chip and Dan Heath pose in their terrific book The Power of Moments.

Chip and Dan share the research of Harry Reis, a social psychologist who has spent his career studying this mystery.

Turns our there is a simple answer:  Our relationships are stronger when we perceive that our partners are responsive to us.

2: What does … continue reading

That is an understandable question, writes FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss in Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It.

The answer? Everything.  

Because “life is negotiation,” he writes. “The majority of the interactions we have at work and at home are negotiations that boil down to the expression of a simple, animalistic urge: I want.

“I want to free the hostages,” may be relevant only … continue reading

This week we’ve been looking at relationships: how the strength of our relationships is the number one driver of happiness and how to create moments – personally and professionally – that deepen our relationships.

Today we revisit public enemy #1 of building relationships: technology.

First, to be clear: I like technology.  Technology is a good thing.  Technology makes our lives better.

And…  Technology is also a relationship-chiller. 

Let’s say we’re … continue reading

Why do some relationships endure while others crumble?  Why does intimacy develop between some partners and not others?  

This week we are exploring how to create more moments of connection that lead to stronger relationships.  

We typically think time is the key ingredient in strengthening relationships. Yet, maybe not.  

It’s Thanksgiving.  We are making the same small talk with our uncle we do every year.  After ten years, we still aren’t any … continue reading

“The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest and most comprehensive study on human happiness.

Period.  Hard stop.

Robert tells us: “It’s not the number of friends you have; it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.”

This week we are going to be explore the power of … continue reading

This week we’ve been looking at different ways to self-coach ourselves to be more intentional and more present in our lives. We started with the power of getting up an hour earlier and priming ourselves for the day ahead. Then, we looked at seeing our days as a series of pivot points on which to focus. When our attention wanders (as it always does) we simply bring our attention back to what’s most … continue reading