Other than working in women’s retail for a short period of time in high school, very few of the jobs I’ve held would be considered working in customer service; however, over the years, I’ve come to believe that most of us actually engage in more hospitality opportunities than we realize. Although the responsibilities described in …
Category: Relational Equity
Flourishing Filter
How do you know when you’ve made a good choice? What criteria do you use to evaluate a bad choice? How did you choose the brand of toothpaste that squeezed a colored glob of goo on your toothbrush this morning? Assuming that you participated in that daily ritual this morning, the answer you provide may …
Flourishing Thinking
On this journey to examine ways to equip and engage Gen Z, specifically in the college classroom, much of my interest has zeroed in on processes such as active or experiential learning activities such as gamification, virtual simulations, and student-created content. As I’ve pondered what strategies might be successful in my classes, research on tinkering …
This Is Your Brain on a…Smartphone
If you are unable to recall the 1987 public service announcement related to the dangers of drug abuse, our wonderful world of instantly accessible information allows you to click here to view the commercial. The scene depicts a man cracking open an egg into a frying pan to demonstrate the effects of using drugs. The …
Is Gen Z the Canary?
Entering unchartered territory is challenging and not for the faint of heart. Thankful for all the pioneers whose courage led them to brave new areas, I relish those who are willing to risk the unknown. Trailblazers are eager to journey into new territories to open opportunities for the rest of us; and currently, I believe …
Attitude and Gratitude
In the wee hours of the morning thoughts come to mind that I cannot explain, perhaps this is the only time when my brain is not scrambling with items from a to-do list or the activities I failed to accomplish the day before. Maybe 3:00 AM is the time when I am able to let …
A Flourishing Generation
At the university where I teach, each semester we are provided with opportunities to participate in dialogue groups with other faculty members and administrators which I find both insightful and challenging. Since the spring of 2011 where the group discussed Tim Elmore’s Generation iY to the fall of 2016 when the group read Jean Twenge’s …
The Habit of Growth
John Townsend shares in People Fuel the importance of creating a Habit of Growth when he shares, “That’s why we are responsible to ask for relational help not just in a crisis but on a regular and sustained basis for the rest of our lives. So many people shy away from going to others for …
The Habit of Margin
Loads and Limits Several years ago, fellow Union professor Hayward Armstrong recommended a book to me entitled Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swensen in relationship to a nutrition course. Today, not only do I return to the wisdom Swensen provides, but his use of the word flourishing …
Probing Conversations
Since we’ve been conversing about conversations in previous posts, I could not omit relevant information from Todd Henry as he writes in Die Empty, which I read in 2017, and continue to return to again and again for the wisdom it provides when considering the qualities of a flourishing life. One of my hopes in …