by dmackinnon | Jul 25, 2013 | Healing Choices, Process
One day not too long ago I was rushing to get my son to preschool before an appointment. As we were walking into the building, I realized I didn’t have my keys in my hand. I brought my son to his classroom and got him settled in, then returned to my car. Yep, it was...
by dmackinnon | Jul 18, 2013 | Communication, Healing Choices
How well do you receive compliments? Do you accept them with a gracious “Thank you?” or do you brush them away? How do you feel when you offer a sincere compliment and it is accepted graciously? How about when it is brushed aside? When someone offers you a compliment,...
by dmackinnon | Jul 10, 2013 | Healing Choices, Thought Work
These days, I spend a lot of time observing my own thoughts. Sometimes I can see myself thinking a negative thought and see how that plays out in my day, and sometimes it all happens at a more unconscious level. When I see it, sometimes I just keep watching. Sometimes...
by dmackinnon | Jul 3, 2013 | Healing Choices, Thought Work
“Don’t believe everything you think.” I say this to all my clients, usually in the first coaching conversation we have. I write it on the white board when I speak in front of groups—doesn’t really matter what the topic is, this quote always applies. Most importantly,...
by dmackinnon | Jun 26, 2013 | Coaching Tools, Healing Choices
One of the tools Martha Beck taught me many years ago that I’ve used the most is “The 3 ‘B’s.” The 3 B’s are three ways to handle tasks or jobs that don’t really float your boat—things you’d rather not do, if you felt like you had a choice. The 3 B’s: 1. Bag It. Just...
by dmackinnon | Jun 19, 2013 | Healing Choices, Process
I’m reading Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project. It’s about one woman’s decision to spend a year trying to become happier. The book’s wonderful and Gretchen does a good job of describing her day-to-day struggles to focus on things that make her happier. One...
by dmackinnon | Jun 12, 2013 | Healing Choices, Process
I recently coached someone who was trying to lose weight. Last year she started exercising regularly and eating better. Then, in the fall of the year, she got buried in work and stopped exercising. Over the next six months she gained 15 pounds. Now she is exercising...
by dmackinnon | Jun 5, 2013 | Communication, Healing Choices
A boundary is something you do for yourself. It is a way of practicing self-kindness and self-compassion. A boundary is you saying: I’ve thought about this and this is what I need. I’m not telling you what to do, but if you do this (or don’t do that) again, I’m going...
by dmackinnon | May 29, 2013 | Healing Choices, Process
I live on a small street with a cul-de-sac at one end. There are some common areas that all the residents of the street are responsible for, along with our own properties. It is clear to all of us what spaces are our responsibility and what spaces are not. In our...
by dmackinnon | May 25, 2013 | Tools for the Practitioner, Whole Healer
Once when I was a resident, I rotated with a brilliant specialist for a month. He was funny, didn’t suffer fools gladly, and he was very good to his patients. One day we walked briskly to the door of one of his exam rooms. He pulled the patient chart from the holder...
