Stories & Articles

Reader, The older I get the more grateful I’ve become for the stories people share about the experiences that shaped their lives. It’s not so much what we learn about others from these stories, as it is what we learn about ourselves in listening to them. Today’s podcast episode illustrates this relational principle you may want to consider for yourself. I tell the story in today’s show of an accidental breakfast I had with an older man from another country, and how it lifted me out of myself...

Hello Reader, If you missed last week’s podcast episode, #205 How to Have Meaningful Conversations, you can listen to it when you click here.​ While I work on next week’s show I’ll leave you today with something interesting I came across in a book I’m reading. The book is Wired for Love - A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Romance, Loss, and the Essence of Human Connection by Stephanie Cacioppo. The author applies what she’s learned about the neuroscience of love to her own relationships,...

Reader, One thing that deepens our relationships is to have meaningful conversations with people from time to time. Today’s episode of You Were Made For This gives a few example of how to do it. In today’s program I share a meaningful exchange I had with my barber a while back, along with a surprising conversation over a recent dinner with 5 friends. Click here to listen in, especially to what I learned from a friend while sharing a meal together. It was something that’s helping me be a...

Reader, Last week's episode of You Were Made for This, #204, was about a woman taking an unusual marketing approach to get new clients for her coaching business. She posted on the NextDoor social media app a request for 40 “deep conversations” by the time she turned 40 in a few months. As it turned out, the “deep conversations” request was nothing more than a disguised sales call. The most interesting aspect of the episode last week was how 99 people responded to this request for a “deep...

Hi Reader, I was struck recently by a social media post of someone looking for “deep conversations with 40 people before I soon turn 40.” The initial post was interesting enough, as it took an unexpected turn. But more intriguing were the responses to this person’s request. They reveal something significant about the human condition. Click here to listen in to this thought provoking episode. It will likely stimulate your thinking for ways you can enhance your relationships. Until next week,...

Reader, In recent episodes of You Were Made For This I’ve been talking about the power of listening. It’s been in the context of interpersonal relationships. But I came across something interesting a few weeks ago that speaks to the importance of listening from an organizational perspective. The Washington Post reviewed a book by two pastors from Orlando titled, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?. I’ll have links to all of this...