An encounter at a church recently highlighted how people can be blindsided by their emotions and the need for others to respond sensitively to where people are at. Why? Because his dog was dying.

There are two general patterns of response to conflict—active or passive aggression. It is always best to resolve conflict constructively, rather than destructively. However, we cannot manage ourselves effectively nor understand others well if we do not understand the basics of these two types of aggression.

Some conversations recently have reinforced the need to be wise about which voices we heed. A wise person will learn the skills of hearing feedback. Not all feedback is useful, we need to learn what to take on board and what to reject.

Our resilience in times of stress is related to the number of people with whom we have significant, close relationships.

The statement that one certainty in life is change may seem obvious when we say or read it, yet often we do not prepare for it when it happens to us or learn how to implement it well when it is required.

Some things about us are fairly fixed from the moment of conception, others we have opportunity to change. Thankfully, emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of those things in which we can grow throughout our lives.

Some recent research has shown a clear causal link between physical actions (PQ) and our emotional state (EQ), particularly depression.

An article in the West Australian notes that sleep plays a more important part in memory than previously thought.

A recent situation reminded me that it is so easy to offend people by doing the right thing at the wrong time or in an insensitive way.

With an unknown and fast-changing future in front of us, it seems to be that we will better face future challenges and opportunities if we learn how to hear and encourage the diverse voices among us.