Podcast

094: Self-Awareness Deepens Our Relationships

By John Certalic on March 3, 2021 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 94, where today we consider how self-awareness deepens our relationships. With just 6 double-digits left before we hit 100 episodes, we’re considering a real-life application of the ORA principle of deepening relationships.

The ORA principle re-stated

In a nutshell, the ORA principle is to Observe – Remember – Ask in our interactions with others to deepen our relationships with them. We’ve been talking about this in recent shows, beginning with episode 88, Get Them to Say “Thank you for Asking.” I’ll have a link to it in the show notes.

Today we’ll apply this principle to one in the most difficult relationship each of us has. The one relationship that offers the greatest rewards, at the same time the greatest challenges. No other relationship is even close.

What’s the relationship, you ask? Keep listening and I’ll tell you. [Read more…] about 094: Self-Awareness Deepens Our Relationships

093: Remembering Deepens Our Relationships

By John Certalic on February 24, 2021 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 93, Remembering Deepens Our Relationships. Only 7 more programs until we reach that magic triple-digit number of 100 episodes.

And in 3 days we’ll also mark the 5th anniversary of the day my book was published, entitled THEM – The Richer Life Found in Caring for Others. Few people know this, but it was selected by Writer’s Digest as the best inspirational book of 2016. If you remember back to 2016, you may recall there was a real lack of inspiration that year, so the completion wasn’t too tough. Nevertheless, I felt honored that the book won this award.

This anniversary is inspiring me to offer the book to our listeners at 25% off the retail price, good though the end of this month. All proceeds of the sale of the book go to support our missionary care ministry, Caring for Others. Go to caringforothers.org/store to order. Be sure to enter “2016” in the Discount Coupon field.

A friend’s important question

Today I want to talk about a question a friend of mine raised several months ago in a meeting at our house. [Read more…] about 093: Remembering Deepens Our Relationships

092: 3 Benefits to Being a Keen Observer of People

By John Certalic on February 17, 2021 0

Hello everyone and welcome to today’s episode, where we pick up where we left off in episode 89, How to Be a Better Observer of People. It aired on January 27th, 2021.

To start, I’m going to share a response I received about that episode. It’s from a listener in Tennessee who wrote, “Loved this message. Really challenged me. Listening to it twice.”

The message of that episode was this: our relationships deepen as we become better observers of the important people in our life. It gives us important data for relating well with them. I expand upon how to be a keen observer of people in today's episode. [Read more…] about 092: 3 Benefits to Being a Keen Observer of People

091: Keeping Your Resolution to Do Good for Others

By John Certalic on February 10, 2021 0

How are we doing with our New Year’s resolution to do good for others? To do more for people than they do for you, to the point they thank you in writing?

Hey, thank you, Carol. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 91, Keeping Your Resolution to Do Good for Others.

We are 41 days into 2021, and I thought it would be interesting to see how we’re all doing with the one new year’s resolution we talked about in episode 87: “Make it a Relational New Year’s Resolution.” If you’re new to the podcast, you might want to go back and listen to it. It aired on January 13th. You’ll find a link to it in the show notes.

This relational resolution I spoke about was to resolve to get written “Thank You” notes from as many people as you can this year. It's to do good for others to the point people thank you in writing.

Today I want to share the results I’ve seen and heard so far. [Read more…] about 091: Keeping Your Resolution to Do Good for Others

090: Encourage Ourself by Observing Others

By John Certalic on February 3, 2021 0

When encouragement from others is lacking, we can encourage ourself by observing others, then ask God to help us to be like the people we admire.

Hello everyone and welcome to today’s show, episode 90. Do you remember the last time someone encouraged you and how good that felt? Do you remember how it motivated you to keep doing whatever it was that prompted another person to take notice of what you did and tell you about it?

Hopefully, it wasn’t too long ago. But for some of us, encouragement from others is as rare as your child asking for more vegetables at dinner. We may not even remember the last time it happened. What are we to do then? [Read more…] about 090: Encourage Ourself by Observing Others

089: How to Be a Better Observer of People

By John Certalic on January 27, 2021 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 89, where today we talk about how to be a better observer of people.

In last week’s episode, Get Them to Say “Thank You for Asking” I talked about the ORA principle of deepening our relationships with people – Observing – Remembering – Asking. Today we’re going to examine in more detail the first component, O – observing.

It’s about how we can understand people better by noticing the clues they give us about what they are experiencing. This is all for the purpose of deepening our relationship with the important people in our life. [Read more…] about 089: How to Be a Better Observer of People

088: Get Them to say “Thank You for Asking”

By John Certalic on January 20, 2021 2

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 88. Today we examine in-depth that odd expression of …. “Thank you for asking.”

In last week’s episode I talked about making a New Year’s resolution of interacting with people in such a way that they will send you a “thank you” note in writing.

That’s going to take some effort on your part because people rarely send thank you notes anymore. So for you to receive one, it will mean you’ve done something so meaningful for someone they can’t help but express their appreciation in writing. That’s a tall order, but still a worthy goal. As I said last week, it will bring out the best in us when we make it our goal for people to appreciate in writing what we’ve done for them.

Today, however, I want to give you a related relationship goal this is easier. [Read more…] about 088: Get Them to say “Thank You for Asking”

087: Make it a Relational New Year’s Resolution

By John Certalic on January 13, 2021 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 87. Today we talk about a New Year’s resolution that will go a long way to deepening your relationships.

I’m guessing it’s a New Year’s resolution you have never heard of before. In fact, I’d bet the farm on it, if I had a farm, that is. And even though we’re 13 days into the new year, it’s not too late to start implementing this resolution. And once you put it into practice, you’ll find it reaps rewards that will motivate you to keep up your resolve for the rest of the year. It's a relational New Year's resolution. [Read more…] about 087: Make it a Relational New Year’s Resolution

086: How to Begin the Year with Joy

By John Certalic on January 6, 2021 2

Begin the year with joy. Find some or create some. When you create joy for others you create joy for yourself. Today’s episode shows how.

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 86 and the start of Season 5 of our podcast.

We said goodbye to 2020 in last week’s episode with the thought that even in difficult circumstances there is always joy to be found if we look hard enough. I gave two examples of finding joy in difficult circumstances.

Starting today, let’s begin the year with joy. To do so I share several examples of finding joy in more positive contexts, like now, at the beginning of a new year. Not much has gone wrong yet. At least at the time of this recording.

I hope the several stories I share will inspire you to either find joy, or create some yourself if you come up empty. I’ll explain how, so listen in. [Read more…] about 086: How to Begin the Year with Joy

085: Finding Joy at the End of 2020

By John Certalic on December 30, 2020 4

Finding joy in the difficult challenges of 2020 hasn't been easy. But when we look for the joy it takes the edge off trying circumstances.

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 85 of our podcast, our last one for 2020, and season 4. Season 5 starts next Wednesday.

In episode 81 a few weeks ago I quoted the bible character Nathaniel, who asked a rhetorical question about Jesus in the very early days of his ministry, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Apparently the town of Nazareth’s reputation lacked a degree of goodness about it. It never made it on the “Top 10 list of Cities in the Roman Empire to Retire.”

A similar question can be asked about 2020, with only two days left in the year here on December 30th. Can anything good come out of this past year?

Like Nazareth, there is good and there is joy that came out of this past year, but we need watchful and discerning eyes to find it as 2020 comes to a close. [Read more…] about 085: Finding Joy at the End of 2020