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Dr. Val Farmer | ||
| Rural Mental Health & Family Relationships | |||
IX. Living the life You Want to LiveLoginArticlesHow Small Groups Make Bad Decisions (April 1998)
Are you a part of a volunteer board? A church board? A county commission? A member of a family business? A planning committee? A governmental body? An "ingroup" of teenagers? Can a group be too close and work too well together? Can a leader be so well respected that the group follows blindly without enough consideration of other ideas? If there is little opposition, can too much discussion hurt rather than help? In small town America, an additional challenge ... Scouting: Turning Boys Into Men (February 1998)
"Consider what heavy responsibility lies upon you in youth, to determine, among realities, by what you will be delighted, and, among imaginations, by whose you will be led." John Ruskin. What is a man? What is manly, in the best sense of the word? A man takes responsibility for work. He selects worthwhile goals and works steadily and aggressively toward them. He takes his place as a provider for his family. He produces more than he consumes. He is gene ... Readers Share Ideas On Happiness (July 1998)
In February, readers of this column filled out a survey about their quality of life and sense of satisfaction. I received more than 450 responses to the survey. The complete results of the survey will be published later this summer or in the fall. I received many notes of appreciation and encouragement about the column. With just a few exceptions, the comments were positive and personally rewarding. Thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey and adding your thoughts. Y ... Are You Happy? Happiness Survey Results (August 1998)
Last February, more than 460 readers of my column answered a survey about how happy they are with life. Of course, the answers reflect a sample of people who took the time to fill out the survey and return it. This is different from a random sample of the population as a whole or even a sample of those who read this column. The best way to evaluate the results is to look at those who did respond and then wonder what may be going on in the general population. Who an ... Who Is Happy And Why (February 1998)
Taking all things together, how would you say things are for you these days? A) very happy, B) somewhat happy, C) not too happy. A psychologist, David G. Myers of Hope College, Holland, Michigan reviewed hundreds of studies on well being, happiness and satisfaction with life in the research literature of the past several years. He had some interesting conclusions. What predicts happiness? - Old or young? No variation or correlation with age. There was ... Six Ways To Get The Most From A Volunteer Board (February 1997)
Are you a volunteer charged with leadership responsibilities to accomplish a major goal using other volunteers? How do you motivate them? How do you keep them involved and working hard? How do your get the most from your board? Here ar Is This Profession Misunderstood? (August 1996)
Clients in distress. Your clients are in distress with major life consequences and are depending on your ability to help them. Your clients are often difficult and demanding. Their needs are complex. Moreover, clients are not present when yo Why Do Volunteer Organizations Die At The Top (March 1996)
Do you belong to an organization or board that is spinning its wheels and not accomplishing its mission? What is wrong? How do you turn things around? Organizations often fill board leadership with dead weight. This includes people who To Russia With Greed (September 1999)
Americans abroad are generally considered friendly, generous, confident and generally good people. However, people in Russia and other Eastern European countries get a negative view of Americans through the films and videos produced in Hollywood. Also cigarette manufacturers aggressively market their products in ways that are outlawed in this country. Unbridled capitalism coming from the west is poisoning the environment for young people. Parents are alarmed and dismayed. |
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