Tiny Bites of Wagaliciousness

Do you find it hard to apologize? Many people do, and yet a simple, sincere apology is one of the best ways to get along with people. Stuff happens every day, and sometimes a mistake one person makes causes problems in the life of another person. Fender-benders are a great example – not a huge problem because nobody got hurt, but an inconvenience having to deal with getting a police report, gettin...

Do you love to read? As a child I devoured books – Mom loved to read and set a great example for me. Even if you’re not a voracious reader, you’ve probably read a book or two in your life, right? The story spins, page by page, until all the threads combine to create a lovely tapestry. Want to feel more in charge of your life and less anxious about things that aren’t as you want them to be? Use you...

Does your workplace bring out the softness in you or the survival in you? Think about it – when you step through the doors in the morning, are you feeling optimistic or defensive? Do you look for cooperation or cut-throats? These are extremes, and it’s still a good mental exercise to do every few months. Think about who you are at work – is it who you want to be? Are you learning and growing, and...

Do you have a life partner? Do you love them? Do you give them the benefit of the doubt, and do you look for the best aspects of them, appreciating them out loud now and then? That’s one of the best ways to keep love alive and thriving, and most people get it right most of the time. By assuming the best intentions instead of the worst, by appreciating their strengths instead of focusing on their w...

Where are you headed in your life? Are you hoping for a fairy-tale relationship, or a dream house, or a career where you’re of service and completely satisfied? Do you think that once you have those things you want in your life, you’ll finally be happy? News flash - life doesn’t lead to a destination. Life is the destination. You create the journey, you set the goals you want to achieve, and you c...

Do you know you are the boss of your life? No one else has lived your experiences. No one else has learned what you know. No one can see you the way you see you. No one can know what’s right for you the way you know what’s right for you. And yet so many of us allow others to decide how we’ll behave, how we should feel about things like religion, politics, and even our own selves. We look to our sp...

Think back to when you were a child – did you love to feel free? Adventurous? Like you were creating the story and starring in it at the same time? Most people can say “yes” to all those questions. At some point you felt free. At some point you loved the adventure of what you were doing. At some point your wonderful imagination transported you from where your physical body was into a fanciful plac...

Are you a responder or a thinker? Think carefully – don’t respond right away. And that’s kind of the point of this Tiny Bite. ;) Most people simply respond to the world around them. If something happens they don’t like, they respond negatively. If something happens they do like, they respond positively. Sounds pretty normal, right? Here’s the pitfall – when all you’re doing is responding to what’s...

Are you feeling burned out at work lately? Burnout usually happens when your work hours are long and you’re in a high-stress position. According to the World Health Organization, symptoms of burnout are chronic low energy levels, feelings of distance or negativity about your job, and a feeling of cynicism about the difference you make through the work you do. Burnout has far more to do with your o...

Is there a bully in your midst? Sadly, bullying in the workplace is as common as bullying in elementary, junior, and high school. Is it because no one ever taught the bullies how to better manage their own low self-esteem issues? Perhaps. Is it because no one they bullied ever fought back? Perhaps. Is it because whoever manages the bully in your workplace was bullied as a child themselves and does...

Do you know or work with someone who seems to have a negative perception of themselves? Maybe they avoid social situations and activities, keep their eyes and sometimes even their head down, and might mumble when responding to questions or requests for input? Those are classic signs of someone with low self-esteem. They’re not anti-social – as a matter of fact, they often crave social interaction...

When I was a kid, I’d often ask Dad what he was doing. “Wrestling alligators” was often his answer. Of course we didn’t keep a pit of alligators around, just waiting for him to be ready to wrestle – it was his light-hearted way of beginning an explanation. Usually I ended up learning something about soldering or tinkering with a car engine or trouble-shooting a plumbing problem. When you’re figura...

When you were 10, what was your dream for your life? How about when you were 18, and 25? How have those dreams worked out for you, or have you morphed them into new dreams? Our dreams usually change as we learn more about what the reality will be when we achieve them. When I was 7, I wanted to be a nurse. Then I learned what nurses do, and I still loved nurses and decided I didn’t want to be one....

I was tagged in a FB post the other day – it was about the power of words and was vaguely magical. It said, “Words cast spells – that’s why it’s called spelling.” The meme made me laugh, and it also got me thinking about the power of words. They can sometimes feel magical and like you’re casting a spell with them. The magic works both ways, though – it can be beneficial or quite harmful, depending...

Do you work in a space that feels confining to you? Let me share a story from many years ago. I worked in an 8 foot by 8 foot room that was stuffed with racks on two walls, making the room effectively 7 by 7 feet square. Now add equipment that sat in built-in cabinets on the other two walls, taking up three feet on each side. Now my workspace was 4 feet by 4 feet. Wait – there was a diagonal cabin...

When you’re faced with doing something you’ve never done before, does it make you nervous? Anxious? Frightened? Or intrigued? Anticipatory? Excited? It’s pretty common to dip into the less-happy emotions when trying something new, and it’s good to get your thoughts worked around to a more-happy state of mind before you actually begin. Think back to when you were learning things as a child – everyt...

Would you like more self-confidence? Here’s an exercise I suggest you to do every day. Yes, every day. You can do it while you’re brushing your teeth, because it’s just that easy. The reason I want you to pair this new daily exercise with one you already do each day is because that’s the easiest way to create a new habit – pair it with one you’ve had for years. While you’re brushing your teeth, sa...

Let’s talk about your body…how do you feel about it? OK, so we’ll talk about how most people feel about their bodies. Yuk. Right? I remember being a child, reading a Nancy Drew mystery where one of the characters was described as having “knobby knees.” Before that I had never judged my knees – that day, when I looked at them in the mirror, they looked knobby and I disapproved of them. I also disap...

Do you think you’re stubborn, even just a little bit? When you want to do something and someone tells you “no” how do you feel? If you are like me, there’s a bit of a stubborn streak in you. Being stubborn is one of those mixed blessings – on one hand, it can be annoying to those around you and can cause you to make less-than-optimal choices because you stubbornly want to be right. When “stubborn”...

Do you indulge in regrets? And “indulge” was an intentional word there, so you probably already see where this is going, right? Spending time ruminating over the past, maybe wishing you’d done things differently or better or not at all is indulgent – it’s you spending your time making a mental movie about something you can literally do nothing about. You made the choices you made, whatever they we...

Do you have a friend that you think has it all together? When you look at her life, she seems to have everything you want and more? Beware the tendency to compare your life to anyone else’s. It’s very common for humans to measure where they are in life against where someone similar is – their car is better, their house is better, their partner is better – and yet you’re using a flawed yardstick. T...

If I asked you to tell me about yourself, what would you say? Would you tell me the roles you play in other peoples’ lives? Would you tell me where you were born or grew up? Maybe you’d tell me the school you graduated from. What else would you tell me? Would you tell me what you’re really good at doing? Would you tell me what you love to do for fun? Maybe, if I prompted you just a little bit, you...

If you’ve ever been online, you’re probably familiar with the term “influencer.” In the social media space, an influencer is someone who is generally attractive, outgoing, online a lot, sometimes showcasing their experiences with specific products and services. If they’re a really good influencer, they make a living from the makers of those products and services. Even if you’re not that kind of in...

Are you raising a family? Are you chasing that unicorn called work-life balance? Do you feel pulled in too many directions, and find yourself choosing to meet everyone else’s needs but yours? Stop. This is the time for you to prioritize your needs, your children’s needs, and your job’s needs. Yes, all are important. And yes, you can create a schedule that meets most of those needs most of the time...

Have you been this way, too? A mistake I made throughout my marriage was thinking I needed to keep the peace. I would try to talk about something, be met with defensiveness or dismissiveness, and unless it was something I felt very strongly about, I’d drop it. Each time I chose to let the wasband get away with dismissing my input, I disrespected myself and my feelings. I also ensured that what I s...