Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE Hanlon’s Razor- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity or incompetence. Hanlon’s Razor (adapted)- Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by _______. Often when I have seen behavior I do not understand, and particularly when I would see behavior I do...
Category Archives: Personal Growth
Unspoken expectations…
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE Sometimes, when people do not know what they need/want (or do not know how to advocate for their own needs/wants) they will relieve that psychological tension by finding someone else to blame for not knowing what they need/want. It may sound like this… “If you loved me you would know...
“…the heroes of all time have gone before us.”
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE We have spent our lives learning to help others… but often do not know what to do or have trouble asking for help when we need help ourselves. It may be useful to remember that someone has experienced what we are experiencing. ____ Reference: The Hero With A Thousand Faces,...
Living life in reverse…
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE Memento mori- remember you must die. Perhaps not the message you wanted to read. However, there is power in accepting this reality. One day, others will be at your funeral. How will they remember you? They will remember you by how you live your life TODAY… and every other today...
Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself: 7 Dirty Words Part 1
Christopher J. Colombo MD, CEC, CMC, CPP Take control of the “Shoulds”: Aligning Expectations with Reality In our introductory installment of “The seven dirty words” we discussed a general approach to building mindfulness and becoming aware of using the words. Our mindfulness exercise focused on assessing your personal energy level and emotional state preceding the...
Your problem is you are driven by a fear of insufficiency and you are hoping that the next thing will be THE answer…
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE How do I know? Because… You have already achieved goals you said would make you happy. Read that again… YOU have already achieved goals YOU said would make YOU happy. So… How can you presume that your happiness sits on the other side of your next set of goals given...
You are allowed to dislike some things people do while loving all of the rest of them.
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE Sometimes when we are struggling with a relationship it is because we are defining the other person by their worst moments. The problem with this approach is that there is no one that can live up to a perfect standard. Other people are complex and imperfect… just like you. You...
If the relationship is strong, you can say anything. If the relationship is weak, there is nothing you can say.
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE You have likely been given the advice, “Choose your words wisely” and “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” This is useful advice. However, consider these 2 situations… Have you ever been in a situation where it seemed like no matter what words you used or how...
The 7 Dirty Words Holding you Back: Introduction
Christopher J. Colombo MD, CEC, CMC, CPP Our words: Should, Only, Just, Must, Always, Never, Except…be on guard for the dirty words: times when we are low on energy and looking for a quick and low effort expression of thought, these little rascals may creep in. George Carlin wrote and delivered a historic comedy bit about...
When you see anger… train yourself to look for pain.
Paul M. Michaud MD, CPE Sometimes, when we are with someone who is experiencing strong emotions, the interaction is limited by the way those strong emotions may make us feel inside. Sometimes we fail to recognize that what we can see as the problem is only the symptom of a deeper problem. Sometimes we fail...