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Reader, Legendary baseball star Pete Rose died a few weeks ago. He shares something in common with Tom Brady, whose football jersey was recently retired by the New England Patriots. Both men were described by their respective former teammates like this: “He made everyone around him better.”
While this complement was made in the context of each man’s skill on the playing field, it could also apply to our relationships. He made everyone around him better makes me think of the people I know, who by the way they live, inspire me to be better than I normally would be. Conversely, He made everyone around him better makes me wonder if the way I live makes other people better. It also makes me wonder who inspires you to be better. And who might you be impacting in the same way? Grateful for those who have made me better, John Certalic For more thoughts and reflections like this, click on JohnCertalic.com. |
Articles
“At the end of the day, nothing matters MORE than relationships.” — John Certalic
Relating with People Who Don’t Talk Much
Reader, One of the things I enjoyed about writing my book THEM in 2016 was coming up with a quote to put at the top of the page for each chapter. I love it when other authors do this. Here’s the quote I found that encapsulated the theme of chapter one of the book: The older I grow, the more I listen to people who don't talk much. - Germain G. Glidden Today’s podcast episode is about how to do what the quote describes. I tell two stories from the book that give examples of putting the quote...
Reaction to Our Most Popular Blog Post Ever
Reader, I was surprised by the amount of reader reaction to our blog post of January 24th. It’s the most we’ve ever received. Joy From An Unlikely Source” was about the death of Herb Kohl, former owner of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks and United States Senator for 24 years. He passed away at the end of 2023 and I shared some of the tributes paid to him. The stories people told about him personify what I say at the end of each podcast episode, “spread a little relational sunshine with the people you...
5 Things to Watch For In Your Next Conversation
Hi Reader, Sports journalists often write about what to watch for in upcoming sporting events. Articles like “5 Things to Look For In the 49er’s - Chiefs game” were common leading up to the Super Bowl earlier this month. Today’s You Were Made for This podcast uses the same format, “Five things to Watch For In Your Next Conversation.” Click here to listen in to episode 213. You’ll hear a few things you may not have heard before that will help deepen your relationships. Until next week, I wish...
Relational Curiosity and Joy
Hi Reader, If you’re new to our You Were Made for This podcast you should know that a new episode drops the first and third Wednesday of each month. The last episode was no. 212 which aired last week, “Little Things We Do Matter the Most to People.” For the Wednesdays without a new episode, like this one, you will find an email/blog post. For example, today I thought you might be interested in how our podcast is encouraging people. Hopefully it’s encouraging you, too. Here are three recent...
Little Things Mean a Lot
Reader, The most recent episode of our You Were Made for This podcast, no. 211, was about a group of guys and what they did at a Saturday morning breakfast to honor their wives. If you haven’t heard it, click here to listen to the “Men with Waffles” episode. Today’s episode, no. 212, describes what happened ten years later to the men at that breakfast, especially one in particular. Click here to listen to examples of how the little things we do for people often matter the most to them. One...
What Do You Do When This Happens to You?
Reader, One of our You Were Made for This listeners once told me, “I really enjoy hearing feedback from other listeners to the podcast.” I’ve have some for you today. An episode from a few weeks ago, no. 210 - “Word of the Year for 2024: Curious” referred to another show on the same topic, no 063, “Six Reasons Why We’re not More Curious About People.” Episode 063 was from a few years back, and a listener by the name of Amy recently listened to it and left this comment: I bookmarked this...
Joy From an Unlikely Source
Reader, Last week’s podcast episode, no. 211 “A Men’s Breakfast Like No Other,” is one of my favorites. Click here if you missed it. Especially if you’re a woman and want to know what men talk about when you’re not around. Today I'm sharing an example of what I’ve been saying at the end of every podcast episode (I think) since the very first one back in November of 2018. It’s an encouragement to Spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for...
When a Friend Visits from Out of Town
Hi Reader, A few weeks ago a friend who moved away texted me to ask if we could meet for breakfast while he was in town over the Christmas holiday. It’s always a delight when we get together and get caught up on each other’s lives. We picked up where we left off the last time we talked. It was like he had never moved, even though it had been almost 9 years since he did. Today’s podcast episode is about what our breakfast reminded me of - another breakfast we were both involved in 13 years...
Be Curious, But Not Nosy
Reader, In episode 210 of last week’s podcast, I announced my choice for Word of the Year for 2024: Curious. Click here if you missed it or want to hear it again. In that episode I explained one issue always comes up when I talk about this topic with a live audience. It’s the fear some people have that being curious about about someone could mean you'll be perceived as “nosy.” There are big differences though between curious and nosy: Being nosy doesn’t enrich your life. Curiosity does. Nosy...
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