Tag: Social Skills

A teacher friend of mine told me that this year students were different. If she asked to see a hall pass from a freshman, they’d give her the finger. They swore at her and were generally rude. The behavior was so out of line that seniors would step in and tell them not to talk… Continue reading Conversation Skills Essentials

One of the best compliments I ever received was when a friend told me that I was a leader of leaders. He was also a leader, so it meant a lot coming from him. I’ve had this topic on my “to write” list for years now, but every time I attempt to write it I’m… Continue reading Leading Leaders

A reader emailed me recently and asked how I’m able to have such a great group of friends who are so adventurous and into crazy ideas like buying an island and other properties around the world. I certainly don’t take my friends for granted, but because I’m surrounded by them constantly I do sometimes forget… Continue reading How To Make Amazing Friends

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post about what I think single people in their thirties should do. A few people emailed my about it, and one reader named Jack asked some really good questions. Rather than reply to him directly, I asked if I could reply to his email as a blog post.… Continue reading Reader Questions: How Selective Should I Be?

I have a surprising number of single friends who are in their 30s. I don’t think that this is a problem by any means, but I know that a lot of them don’t actually want to be single. I’m married and think that being married is pretty cool, but I could also see a great… Continue reading Dating Advice for Single People in Their 30s

As I always say, I really do believe that I have the best group of friends that a guy could ask for. I use friends as a shorthand, but I really mean it to include everyone who surrounds me, including my wife and my family. The people in my life are truly incredible, and a… Continue reading What I Admire About My Friends

When I asked for blog topics before writing this annual batch, I got a lot of great suggestions with almost no overlap at all. The one exception? Everyone wanted to know what I think about marriage. I think that this comes from my history as a pickup artist, and a perceived incompatibility with the two.… Continue reading Some Thoughts on Marriage

One very common thing I work on with coaching clients is social skills. Through that work I’ve seen a lot of common patterns and have come to use a three layer model to think about and discuss how people are interacting with the people around them. If all three layers are in good shape, you… Continue reading Your Three Social Layers

Recently I’ve had a lot of friends going through hard times. Not terrible times like great illness or financial loss, but times of growth like going through big life changes or breaking up with a significant other who you know isn’t the right one. It’s nice to be able to provide some comfort or advice… Continue reading How to Support Your Friends Through Hard Times

In the year before I met the woman who is now my wife, I was dating with purpose. I didn’t necessarily aim to find a wife, but I was pretty intentional about what I was doing. And since I ended up finding an amazing woman and marrying her, I figured I’d share what I learned… Continue reading What I Learned From a Year of Intense Dating