THE FOUR STAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
by
William Cottringer
The human potential movement of the early seventies employed a helpful frame of reference to understand the process of interpersonal group development. This model involves four distinct stages of development: ... Views: 19088
WRONG PERCEPTIONS CAN BE LETHAL
By Bill Cottringer
“You are only as wise as others perceive you to be” ~M. Shawn Cole
It would be amusing if it weren’t for the destructiveness that wrong perceptions of people and situations can cause. What is amusing is that we are convinced of the truth ... Views: 13504
THE 3 C’S OF A GOOD RELATIONSHIP
By
Bill Cottringer
We are probably all getting far too overloaded with how-to advice on being successful at things like relationships; and the last thing I want to do is contribute more to the overload. I just want to clarify a few important things I have ... Views: 12184
BEING HAPPY WITHOUT MONEY
By
Bill Cottringer
“If you can’t be happy poor you can’t be happy rich.” ~ The Author.
Are we all really capable of achieving great financial wealth like The Secret proponents and all the wealth books and wealth gurus profess? Are we all meant to have wealth? ... Views: 11348
Why Do Bullies Bully?
by
Bill Cottringer
“Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.” ~Benjamin Disraeli.
I am beginning to think that a very widespread problem today, especially with youth, is the problem of perceiving you are being bullied (by life, parents, teachers, peers, employers, ... Views: 10651
BEING A GOOD EMPLOYEE
By
Bill Cottringer
A big part of being happy and successful, involves your approach to work. These simple requirements are a prescription for the right approach to work in being a good employee If you practice these simple suggestions you are likely to get recognized ... Views: 9791
HOW TO BE DEMOTED GRACEFULLY WHEN YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON
By
Bill Cottringer
One of the realities of today’s economic downturn is a hard one to swallow, at least with any honorable degree of courage, humility and gracefulness. This is the reality that you can still be a good person, and an ... Views: 8818
PUTTING THE COMMON BACK IN COMMON SENSE AGAIN
by
Bill Cottringer
Why do some people succeed and some fail in life? Why do we all sometimes fail and sometimes succeed? Can we do anything to improve our chances of success?
In studying success and failure for over 40 years, I have ... Views: 8371
Success In The Tit For Tat Relationship Game
By
Bill Cottringer
Success in relationships is based on accurate information used in the basic cooperation vs. antagonism tit for tat game we all play. The tit for tat game typically goes like this. If I choose to do this then I expect you to do ... Views: 6729
DEALING WITH A CONTROLLING, TOXIC BULLY
By
Bill Cottringer
It is easy to get trapped into feeling negative about being mistreated by a controlling, toxic bully and worse over not feeling you can do anything about it. It is frustrating, humiliating and maddening. And you can get even ... Views: 6571
BEING OKAY WITH BEING AVERAGE
By
Bill Cottringer
“Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common. ~Satchel Page.
In reality, the great majority of people fall within the “average” range of the so-called Bell Curve. Most people are average in ... Views: 6274
21 EASY WAYS TO HAVE MORE PEACE OF MIND, HEART & SOUL
By
Bill Cottringer
A worthy growth goal and improvement strategy, which builds a valuable sense of general wellness that leads to more success, is to carry out an action plan to give your mind, heart and soul more peace. Hear are 21 ... Views: 5535
BECOMING SINGLE-MINDED
By
William Cottringer, Ph.D.
“Self-consciousness creates the illusion that there is a separate self from the rest of reality. That would be the funniest mistake in the world if so many people weren’t so convinced that the illusion is really true.” ~ The author. ... Views: 5151
“There is no squabbling so violent as that between people who accepted an idea yesterday and those who will accept the same idea tomorrow.” ~Christopher Morley.
This article title is not a rhetorical question at all. In fact it might be one of the most important questions to ask and answer ... Views: 5118
“He who doesn't accept the conditions of life sells his soul.” ~Charles Baudelaire.
There are ten no-cause things I have found some people needlessly beat themselves up over. It just makes more sense to accept reality as it is with these particular things and move on to greener pastures worth ... Views: 4964
“There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy and its only reward is that it’s easy.” ~Anonymous chooser.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I wrote the book “You Can Have Your Cheese & Eat It Too, with all the clever ways to crack the ancient paradox of you can’t have ... Views: 4787
MENTAL DEMONS
By Bill Cottringer
We humans have been given something that can be seen as a gift or a curse—the ability or the affliction of self consciousness. This is our unique characteristic that separates us from the rest of the things in our world. What are these mental demons ... Views: 4784
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” ~Robert McCloskey.
You can’t understand some things,
You may think you can,
But you really can’t,
Especially the why questions,
Other people’s ... Views: 4740
“He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.” ~Abraham Lincoln.
For as long as I can remember, there has always been a raging war inside me between the terrible twins within—head vs. heart. That is wrong and this is right. This will work out for the best and that won’t. I can ... Views: 4583
What Causes Unhappiness? (And Why This Question is Important)
By
Bill Cottringer
“An unanswerable question: Are good vs. bad and fair vs. unfair dualistic, subjective judgments a human invention just to know one from the other, or do things actually have an innate positive vs. negative flavor ... Views: 4153
Too Much Familiarity Can Breed Contempt
By
Bill Cottringer
“Familiarity breeds contempt, for others at first, but then inwardly, contempt towards ourselves.”
~Oli Anderson, Synchronesia: A Depressing Existential Novel.
Most relationship experts agree that contempt can creep into a ... Views: 4089
How Do You Get Rid of Negative Thoughts?
By Bill Cottringer
“All negativity is an illusion created by the limited mind to protect and defend itself.” ~Ambika Wauters
By now the power of “The Secret” is commonplace knowledge. Since you attract what you ask for, the real secret is ... Views: 4052
THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE
By Bill Cottringer
There are very good reasons why marriage failure is such a widespread epidemic. The four cornerstones of a happy marriage represent life’s toughest tests; and they are not lessons most people are skilled at learning right off ... Views: 4005
“O Lord! Unhappy is the man whom man can make unhappy.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.
I have dealt with a lot of unhappy people during my 45-year career and I have been unhappy enough myself during my own roller-coaster ride in life to have experienced the top ten reasons causing unhappiness and ... Views: 3984
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You Most.
by
Bill Cottringer
“There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.” ~ Russian Proverb.
What you don't know about a situation is what usually results in not feeling good about things, especially about the gap between where ... Views: 3775
The Only Relationship Article You Will Ever Have To Read (Really)
By
Bill Cottringer
“Good relationships are when your head, heart and hands agree most of the time and besides it doesn’t matter quite that much.” ~The author.
Centuries of research would agree that relationships fail ... Views: 3722
Finding Your Way Out of the Swamp When you Are Shoulder-Deep in Alligators
By
Bill Cottringer
“No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~Voltaire.
Scene. Picture this: A Cold, foggy, and damp early morning when you find yourself under-dressed and shoulder-deep in a ... Views: 3511
How To Avoid Out-Aging Yourself Out Of A Job
By
Bill Cottringer
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” ~ Mark Twain.
The workforce in America is becoming more skewed at both ends of the age spectrum—the younger and the older workers. Older ... Views: 3380
STAYING AHEAD OF THE PAPERWORK OVERLOAD
By
Bill Cottringer
“Keeping up with the information overload is like trying to sip water from a fire hose.”
~ Anonymous.
So you think you are overloaded with paperwork at your job? My very first professional job was a counselor at a ... Views: 3185
How To Not Be Controlled By Fear, Failure, Turmoil & Unhappiness
By
Bill Cottringer
“A life of all positives would be very negative and probably very boring.” ~The author.
A true but unpopular reality is that you really can’t live a life free of fear, failure, turmoil and ... Views: 3171
THE TRICKS OF POSITIVE THINKING
By
Bill Cottringer
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~Winston Churchill.
Gee, we have all heard enough about the power of positive thinking, right? You only get about 4 ... Views: 3166
WINNING PRINCIPLES
By William Cottringer, Ph.D.
“Winning and success are what you get from doing what you do to get them.”
~The Author.
I have been an avid student of the psychology of winning/success for four decades now—learning all the knowledge and skills that bring about ... Views: 3149
DIVORCE SURVIVAL KIT
By
William Cottringer, Ph.D.
A pending divorce can be a scary and devastating experience for a married couple. For every divorcing person, the future is nothing but uncertainty, anxiety and confusion. Such an emotional state is not good for focusing on priorities or ... Views: 3086
Truth = The absolute way things could be in a perfect world, where we are trying to go.
Reality = The relative way things are in the real world, where we are at now.
Conflicts occur when people have differing opinions as to the causes of and solutions to particular truths and ... Views: 3055
BREAKING THE NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE CYCLE OF ADDICTION
by
Bill Cottringer
“In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.” ~Aldous Huxley.
A drop dead handsome, smart young man gets a good education and ... Views: 2991
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~Dr. Seuss.
Just like glue appearing to be very smooth until you touch it, communication can seem to be that way too, at least until you actually try to undue miscommunication ... Views: 2971
SEVEN THINGS RELATIONSHIP COUNSELORS USUALLY WON’T TELL YOU
By Bill Cottringer
Now I realize that this article is going to rile a few people in the relationship counseling profession, but I will at least try to speak the truth gently and kindly. I have been there, done that and paid my ... Views: 2955
THE PLUS SIDE OF ADHD
By
Bill Cottringer
I have studied ADHD for nearly 60 years now and am ready to share the results of one very in-depth, classic case study—myself.
As a child I would have gotten double “X’s” on every symptom checklist available. I ran and climbed constantly ... Views: 2862
30 Questions
To Help You Find Your Best Self
By
Bill Cottringer
"You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be."
~ Lou Holtz.
The self-growth movement is all about people finding ways to help themselves and each other become their ... Views: 2816
HEROES, VILLAINS, VICTIMS & BYSTANDERS
by
William Cottringer
In the game of life there are four main roles we can choose to play. These roles are Hero, Villain, Victim or Bystander. Which of these roles are you playing?
HERO
Heroes dream big, translate their dreams into ... Views: 2782
“Success is what you get from using common sense; failure is what you get from using everything else.” ~The author.
Success is built on a firm foundation of good old common sense (which unfortunately isn’t so common these days); failure follows the crumbling of a weak foundation built on ... Views: 2752
FROM KNOWING TO DOING
By
Bill Cottringer
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~Napoleon Hill.
But will I actually do it—go from knowing to doing—is the dangling question after Napoleon Hill’s quote above. Great self-development and self-help sources of ... Views: 2739
WHY PARENTING TODAY IS SO DIFFICULT
By
Bill Cottringer
Why is parenting today so difficult (besides being so expensive and all of us being so busy doing other things)? The answer to this question involves the main parenting role—teaching our children the basic skills that are necessary to ... Views: 2717
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
By
Bill Cottringer
“Adam and Eve are like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one... If you include it in your equation, you can calculate all manners of things, which cannot be imagined without it.” ~Philip Pullman.
I have been ... Views: 2648
Do You Know Who You Really Are?
“Most of the things you think you know may not be so.” ~The author.
From the beginning days of Philosophy and Psychology to the billions of sources of information we have today trying to answer this question, it may be time to pause and reflect upon the ... Views: 2589
FIVE PILLARS OF HAPPINESS
by
Bill Cottringer
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama.
Happiness is the end game goal of living. Whatever it is you are doing, it is to secure happiness. In a paradoxical way, how you define happiness ... Views: 2549
Growing Old Gracefully
By
Bill Cottringer
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” ~Mark Twain.
It has been said before that “growing old isn’t for sissies.” The truth be known, growing old doesn’t always have to be a losing struggle against, ... Views: 2505
From Falling in Love, to Being in Love, to Loving
By
Bill Cottringer
Over four decades of trial and error in relationships have taught me a valuable lesson. This lesson is to slow down and learn to listen to the lesson. The main purpose of a relationship is to get you to do something to ... Views: 2497
PUTTING THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MOVEMENT IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE
“Happiness is not a goal, but rather it’s a byproduct.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt.
This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt puts a lot of things in proper perspective, especially the popular movements for change driven by the mass media ... Views: 2476
When Ability, Intelligence, Effort, Creativity, Perseverance & Luck Aren’t Enough
By
Bill Cottringer
“Man may have been made in God’s image, but he has been trying to return the favor ever since.” ~Unknown humorous lay philosopher.
Now what? When the above sure-cure success ... Views: 2454