Some time ago, David and I wrote a post about something my mom used to say, “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.”(https://magnus.lisawhitsell.com/2019/03/its-later-than-you-think/) This post is a follow up and serves as a reminder that it really IS later than you think. And, for that matter, it really is later than I think too! A […]
Archive | Psychology
Formality Never Hurts
In thinking about the job candidates who failed to get out of the starting gate due to their wardrobe choices, I reflected on how formality provides a guide for “good” behavior. Being formal in addressing people with “Ms.,” “Mr.,” “Dr.,” etc. is a good starting place. It is likely you will soon be told to […]
Social psychologists have an explanation for most kinds of people’s encounters with others. In the situations to which David refers, one’s self monitoring level is crucial to the impression they make upon others. Self monitoring is defined as the degree to which people regulate the way they present themselves, including their emotions and behaviors, in […]
Know What You Don’t Know
Many years ago, a college professor of mine told me that knowing what you don’t know (or that you don’t know something) is an important sign of intelligence. It was an enlightening discussion and I think I’ve mentioned this in another post. But, it bears further discussion because we seem to live in a world […]
Employees Should Cover Each Other
This is the 3rd in a series about “covering” or looking out for each other in a work environment. The need to do this is on a top down, down to top, and peer to peer basis. In the immediately prior post, I mentioned an employee who was hostile to another employee. The fact that […]
Although it has been over 30 years since I have been an employee, as opposed to an employer, I can recall what it was like to have co-workers and colleagues. The best example I am aware of is my colleague, and now, long time friend, Dr. Susan Broome, who looked out for me in an […]
Ziggy’s Birthday Is Still an Event
I will always and forever miss Ziggy. For those of you who never met Ziggy, he was my cat and my friend for 19 years. I loved Ziggy so much that, after his passing, I wrote a book about him. I fell in love with Ziggy on October 31, 1977. It is the only time […]
Ziggy lives on in many ways. Melissa’s book (available on Amazon) is high on that list. Ziggy touched many people’s lives and his story is entertaining. He was “old” when I met him, with old being relative – he was 9. But he and Melissa were inseparable. He did things his way, like Sinatra. And, […]
Cover the Employee’s Back
As I wrote the prior post about the need for employees to cover the boss’ back, I had this post, and the next one, in mind, because covering for each other is critical. It is important for a boss to keep the health and well being of the employees in mind. In our 30+ years […]
I strive to be a good boss. I thank all of my employees, and vendors, for completing tasks to which they have been assigned. I thank the employees at the end of every work day for everything they have done that day to help me. I am aware that, absent the help I receive from […]
Expand Your Horizons: Johnny Cash, Jazz…
Expand your horizons. Exit your comfort zone. Try new things. Visit new places. Meet new people. These are mantras to which I aspire. Many people are too afraid to venture outside things they’ve always done. They go to the same restaurants, then order the same things off the menu. When it comes to music, some […]
How broad one’s horizons, or comfort zones, are is probably relative. While some people consider Melissa and me to be adventurous in certain respects like music or food, I know, I for one, still draw a line somewhere. I know I have limitations based on foods because of 2 things. One is an allergy issue […]
Probing Questions and Difficult Answers
I went to my primary care physician recently for my annual check up. (As an aside, my physician is smart: He has a Ph. D. in addition to an M. D.) My physician is committed to helping medical students with their education. He has mentored medical students from The University of Miami for decades and […]
I loved hearing the story Melissa related about the young medical student shortly after her check up. It was a classic example of how Melissa’s interactions with the world are sometimes more than what people bargained for on any given day. I hope that, not only did this make a lasting impression on this future […]
Con Mucho Gusto
David and I have written in previous posts about one of our pet peeves, replying to “thank you” with “no problem.” We always get a little miffed when someone says “no problem” because we don’t think there is a need to mention any sort of problem when someone is being thanked for doing something. I […]
I do not speak Spanish. Living in south Florida all these years has not been enough for me to learn more than some basics and I depend on Melissa when we find ourselves in Spanish speaking countries, or places. But, it didn’t take me long to catch on in Costa Rica that the locals, Ticos […]
Live Your Life Like Someone Left the Gate Open
I don’t remember where I saw this quote for the first time, but I instantly liked it: “Live your life like someone left the gate open.” I guess there are multiple interpretations of this sentence, however, my view of it is that, as David’s late mother used to say, we should try to “have fun” […]
For reasons I won’t go into, the timing of my reading of Melissa’s post was, well, timely. We sometimes have to remind ourselves, and each other, to have fun, find fun where we can, and to leave that gate open to get out and enjoy what there is to enjoy in life. It might be […]