Tag Archives | Praise

What’s Your Praise-to-Criticism Ratio?

Bedtime at our house is a challenge. Putting four kids to bed is not for the faint of heart. Too often, my wife and I exchange short words without paying attention to how it affects an already chaotic situation. Our negative words breed negativity and our emotions pile up until they bubble over. As a sort-of social experiment, I’ve begun paying attention to the amount of criticism in my life. Whether it’s comments on Facebook or Twitter, the terrible tragedies […]

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Why Do We Love To Hate Other’s Success?

Love them or hate them, and most prefer the latter, the Duke Blue Devils have one of the most prolific college basketball programs in the country. However, their fifth National Championship didn’t begin under the lights in Indianapolis. As I watched Duke University defeat Wisconsin last night, I heard the commentator mention something that stuck with me. Tyus Jones, the freshmen sensation and Final Four MVP, was at the free throw line shooting two shots that would maintain a two-possession […]

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Thankful for Cancer | A Story to Remind You Not to Skip Thanksgiving

At the age of thirty-two, I was diagnosed with spreading malignant melanoma. That moment was a turning point in my life—a pivotal intersection of the way I wanted my life to go and my new reality. When the doctor’s eyes connected with mine as she gave me my diagnosis, it pierced me in a way I had never experienced. For the first time in my life I faced my own mortality. I can honestly say that I wasn’t afraid of dying. I […]

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Stand Alone

As if Middle School isn’t Awkward Enough At eleven years old you’re faced with enough change in your life, the last thing you want is more. However, in addition to the internal challenges, I faced an ominous set of external challenges as I embarked into middle school. D.C. Virgo was a revamped inner city school and despite the fact that there were three other schools closer in proximity, I was bussed nearly eight miles away based on a Board of Education’s decision to […]

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