Margaret’s Persuasion Coach Blog

[W]e know that it isn’t selfish to be kind to ourselves. As I’ve written before, it’s like being on a plane when the oxygen masks drop. You put on your own mask first. You can’t help your seatmate if you’re unconscious…Lately, however, I’ve been more than kind to myself. I have indulged myself…But I’ve come to see that what I did for myself enabled me to do an even better job at kindness.

I recently had the honor of being interviewed by author & activist Catherine Onyemelukwe. We talked about my professional journey, my current work, and especially about my book, Love on the Rocks with a Twist…Catherine has published the interview on her own blog. You can read it all at once, or better, in segments along with Catherine’s other fascinating topics.

Skillful, bridge-building communication wants a cool head and a relaxed body. Worry and tension work against you… Lately, I’ve been finding plenty to worry and tense about. Laughter has been my tonic. I bet you all could use a few humor breaks as well… Have a funny weekend!

Back in the day, spring was a time to thoroughly clean one’s house, doing things we don’t do routinely, like washing windows, cleaning pantry shelves, dusting baseboards, or clearing out the fridge…I suggest we clean up our language—whether spoken or head talk. I don’t mean banning four letter words, but rather, changing self-defeating terms to empowering terms.

I’ve written a lot about the First Magic Question, “Why?” in my books Bridges to Consensus and Love on the Rocks with a Twist  and in this blog. I’ve also written quite a bit about the Third Magic Question, “How do we want to feel?” I write least about The Second Magic Question, but it’s a wonderful question, “What else do we want?”

When you find an interest that both parties share, that’s a gift, a gift of common ground, a great place to begin discussion. And when you do, follow the Silver Rule…
A real life example: When the “bathroom bill” was in committee in the Texas Senate, I heard an idea that would interest both Democrats and Republicans. I phoned the committee members’ offices.

This morning, I turned on my recording of last night’s local news to see the weather forecast. That’s when I learned about the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
So I postponed answering additional questions about Me Too, deciding to give my readers and myself a break from such serious topics. Instead, I’m listing below a few inspirational quotes and good news stories.

The Me Too movement raises emotions, questions and speculative answers. How could so many famous men have sexually harassed or abused women? Some of those men have made large, positive contributions to our society. Others, if not angels, at least seemed normal, respectable.

In a Facebook group I administer, I raised a discussion question, “What does love mean to you?” Among many great, thought-provoking comments, one member quoted something she’d heard, “Love is giving what someone else needs, not what they want.”…It can get tricky, though, because I ‘m not necessarily the best judge of what another needs.

It may seem that most news is bad news lately. But bad news gets more airtime than good news. I see many reasons for hope in the long run. Yes, the environment is being harmed, species are threatened, and non-renewable energy sources are being used up. But various countries and organizations are taking countermeasures, and they’re working.