I’ve written about relationships before, but a few of you asked for more specific ideas and examples of how to get closer. Here are a few of my random thoughts on behaviors that I think matter a great deal in relationships.
So I’m constantly working with guys who are at some stage of change. Or at least they recognize that something needs to change. Their mood has gotten bad enough, they’re tired of their crap job, or their terrible relationship skills have served them up with an ultimatum.
The funny thing is that a lot of them don’t want to change. Can you blame them (or anybody) for not wanting change? Nope! That’s because change sucks!
So there's this really lame joke that therapists are always hearing. Eight or nine times out of ten when I introduce myself and tell someone that I am a psychologist, they laugh and say, “Ha, bet you have me all figured out already,” or “Ha, guess you've been analyzing me. Maybe I should come by sometime.” I laugh politely and say, "No, no.” But here’s the truth: I’m lying. Because I’m always watching people! It’s what I have carved my life into. I've made it my business to see how people behave, why that might be, if they are happy, mad, sad, or simply making a show of an emotion, playing everybody else. It’s a blessing and a curse. But I’m not the guy that’s going to call people out when I just met them and especially not in public.
If you are a man who needs to know how to improve your relationships, you have to watch this. If you are a man who needs to know how to challenge yourself and achieve that next career goal, you need to watch this. And if you have children, you need to watch this.
We've launched a podcast! This is something I have been talking about doing for a few years now, so I'm totally stoked to share this with you! In this first episode Courtney (my wife) and I talk about a recent blog post that I wrote on relationship conflict. Please share it, subscribe on iTunes, and like our Facebook page.