Archives

A complete list of UnTangled posts, by category and date:

Community

Losing Limbs and Finding People [3.9.12]
Conflict Kills Community (But It Doesn’t Have To) [4.6.12]
The Reason We All Need Community [9.7.12]
10 Ways to Build Community You Can Touch [9.11.12]
How to Annihilate Your Out-Group (The Way Jesus Did) [10.19.12]
You Can’t Love When You’re Staring At Your Lap [10.22.12]
A Plea on Behalf of Newtown, Connecticut (and All of Us) [12.15.12]
A List of Those Responsible for the Sandy Hook Massacre [12.21.12]
The One Thing with the Power to Bring Us All Together [3.20.13]
How I Will Dishonor the Victims of the Boston Bombing [4.18.13]
How Smartphones Paved the Way for Same-Sex Marriage [5.22.13]
The Only Two Things You’ll Ever Need to Know About People [10.16.13]
What “Joy to the World” Really Means” [12.4.13]
What Your Parents Never Told You About How the World Works [3.12.14]
The One Thing Worse Than Being Embarrassed (And How to Avoid It) [5.7.14]
BringBackOurGirls (When the Nigerian Girls Feel Like Your Little Girl) [5.21.14]
The One Illusion We Cannot Afford to Believe In [7.23.14]
Why I Waited a Month to Write About Robin Williams [9.10.14]
A Letter of Thanks to You [11.26.14]
Why Siblings Fight (And Why We All Fight Like Siblings) [2.17.15]
I’ve Got Bad News and I’ve Got Good News (Which Will You Choose?) [3.18.15]
Home is Where the Grace Is [4.8.15]
Karma Envelopes [4.15.15]
Why Kindness Multiplies, Joy Rebounds, and Generosity Goes Viral [4.22.15]
The Power of Friendship (When Friendship is a Verb) [6.17.15]
Reflections on Beauty (From Main Street U.S.A.) [8.5.15]
The Kindness Challenge [1.13.16]
It’s All the Rage: How Outrage Has Become a Virtue [2.3.16]
The Antidote to All the Crap in Your Facebook Feed [5.18.16]
The Parable of the Mass Shooting That Didn’t Happen [6.22.16]
Our Best Hope(s) in a Summer of Violence [7.12.16]
What We’ve All Been Searching for Since Childhood (A Post About Belonging) [8.23.16]
How to Dream a Better Dream Than This Nightmare We’re Living In [10.4.16]
A Father’s Letter to His Little Ones (In the Wee Hours of the Election) [11.8.16]
How to Choose Your Friends in the Aftermath of the Election [11.29.16]
What Is Christmas? (It’s When We Defiantly Choose the Light) [12.20.16]
Why We’re Lonelier Than Ever (and What to Do About It) [8.29.17]
What to Do When the News Is All Bad [10.17.17]
How to Recognize Where You Truly Belong [1.23.18]
Can You See Yourself in All of Them [7.10.18]
Let’s Stop Dismissing Our Young People (Our Decency May Depend Upon It) [10.16.18]

Family & Parenting

Angry Kids, Angry Parents [2.18.12]
“Mommy, Daddy, Lookit!” [5.11.12]
Maybe Our Kids are POWs [6.8.12]
I Love My Kids (And I Want Them to Leave Me Alone) [6.15.12]
A Letter to Masculinity [7.6.12]
The Hidden Calling of a Parent [8.17.12]
The Way to Host Your Children [8.21.12]
How to Find the Promised Land (In Less Than 40 Years) [10.12.12]
How to Discipline Our Children with Love Instead of Frustration [10.16.12]
Why We Should All Ask for Coal in Our Stockings [11.23.12]
Turning an Old Holiday Threat into a Healing Holiday Ritual [11.27.12]
Parenthood is for Losers [2.8.13]
10 Lessons I Learned in 10 Days as Mr. Mom [2.12.13]
A Daddy’s Letter to His Little Girl (About Her Future Husband) [4.17.13]
A Father’s Letter of Apology to His Boys (For Father’s Day) [6.12.13]
Cherishing Every Dad Moment: Caps and Gowns Will Remind Me [7.10.13]
A Letter to a Generation of Parents (On the Eve of Back-to-School) [8.21.13]
Who’s Got YOUR Back, Dad? [8.27.13]
Does Unconditional Love Create Entitled Princesses? [9.25.13]
Why Would Anyone Get Married and Have Poopy Kids? [10.2.13]
Halloween Hope: Trading in the Perfect Mask for Something Even Better [10.30.13]
The Reason Every Kid Should Talk Back to Their Parents [11.6.13]
The Best Way to Age in Reverse This Holiday Season [12.18.13]
Words from a Father to His Daughter (From the Makeup Aisle) [1.15.14]
What Men Are Lying About (And Why It Causes Road Rage) [1.22.14
A Dad’s Letter to His Son (About the Only Good Reason to Get Married) [1.29.14]
Can We All Agree on One Thing About Beauty? [2.26.14
A Daddy’s Letter to His Daughter (About Bossiness, Power, and Authority) [4.2.14]
Confessions of a Parent (From the Dinner Table) [4.30.14]
A Father’s Letter to Young Women (About Getting Naked) [5.28.14]
A Father’s Letter to Young Men (About How to Treat a Woman) [6.11.14]
The Hidden Message in Maleficent (And How It Can Heal All of Us) [6.18.14]
Promises to Our Boys About Manhood (On the First Day of School) [8.20.14]
Why We Need to Protect Our Kids From Us [11.19.14]
A Letter of Thanks to You [11.26.14]
Which is More Important, Your Marriage or Your Kids? [12.10.14]
When Did You Stop Asking for What You Want? [12.17.14]
Dear Dad, You’re Doing It All Wrong (A Letter to Myself) [1.28.15]
Why Siblings Fight (And Why We All Fight Like Siblings) [2.17.15]
A Father’s Bucket List [3.25.15]
How to Turn Pro at Relationships (By Keeping It Simple) [4.29.15]
Dear Parent, Cut Yourself Some Slack [7.29.15]
3 Word to Keep You Sane During Back to School Month (Or Any Month) [8.19.15]
Why I Want My Kids to Be in Pain [8.26.15]
The Lesson We Can Learn from Kids About How to Care for Our Souls [9.16.15]
A Little Inspiration for Parents, Dads, and Everyone Who Needs a Bit of Kindness [10.28.15]
Is Parenting Beautiful or Brutal? Or Both? [12.2.15]
This Is How Kids Will React to Taking Away Their Electronics (In Sequence) [1.27.16]
A Daddy’s Letter to His Little Girl (About How Fast She’s Walking Away [4.6.16]
The 7 Most Cleverly Disguised Pitfalls of Parenting [4.13.16]
A Dad’s Letter to His Kids (About the Perfect Father’s Day Gift) [6.15.16]
Why I’m Glad It’s Back-to-School Time (and Not Afraid to Admit It) [8.16.16]
A Father’s Letter to His Little Ones (In the Wee Hours of the Election) [11.8.16]
How to Talk with Family About Politics This Holiday Season [11.15.16]
A Guide to Getting the Love You Never Knew You Wanted [12.6.16]
Dear Little One, Release Your Shame (A Letter From a Father to a Child) [1.31.17]
Dear Little Ones, You Are Good Enough (No Matter What) [3.14.17]
Dear Daughter, You Don’t Need to Act Like a Man to Become a Strong Woman [4.11.17]
The Kind of Trophy Every Kid Should Receive [5.30.17]
A Therapist Explains Why We’re All So Ticked Off in Social Media [6.6.17]
A Father’s Love: It’s Complicated, and Quite Simple [6.13.17]
The 3 Reasons You Should Not Try to Make Anyone Happy [8.1.17]
The Real Reason Back-to-School Makes Us So Emotional [8.15.17]
What Everyone Needs to Know About Chasing a Dream [10.3.17]
How to Recognize Where You Truly Belong [1.23.18]
Dear Young Author (A Dad’s Letter to His Son About Writing and Living) [4.17.18]
Why We Need to Wobble [6.26.18]
The Question at the Heart of Every Parent-Teen Relationship [8.7.18]
School Is Back in But It Was Never Really Out (and This Is Why That Matters) [9.4.18]
Why I’m Glad My Daughter Got Kicked in the Face with a Soccer Ball [10.2.18]
Let’s Stop Dismissing Our Young People (Our Decency May Depend Upon It) [10.16.18]

Grace

A Manifesto for Grace: How a Radical Embrace Changes Everything [1.23.13]
Why Grace is Free and We Still Don’t Buy It [2.1.13]
The Best Way to Guarantee a Blog Post Will Not Be Shared on Facebook [2.20.13]
What Dressing Up Like a Rock Star Taught Me About Shame and Grace [2.22.13]
How Burning Your Hair Off Could Make You Beautiful [2.26.13]
Why Grace Gets Angry (and Sometimes Starts a Fight) [3.15.13]
Good Friday or Ridiculous Friday? [3.29.13]
Why Shame is Destructive But Guilt is Creative [4.24.13]
Breaking News: Celebrity Divorce Causes Global Uprising [5.29.13]
Are We Damaged Human Beings or Luminous Creatures Made of Stardust? [6.5.13]
On Being Human at the Table for Everyone [6.19.13]
Breaking News: Love No Longer Exists (and the World is Better Off) [8.14.13]
Permission to be Uninspired [9.18.13]
The Only Guaranteed Cure for the Fear of Public Embarrassment [2.19.14]
How Self-Acceptance Might Just Save the World [7.2.14]
Why I Don’t Believe in Grace Anymore [7.9.14]
No Matter What, You Are Beautiful and Beloved [7.30.14]
A Letter of Thanks to You [11.26.14]
Home is Where the Grace Is [4.8.15]
The Secret About Healing Nobody Wants to Hear (But Everybody Needs to Hear) [10.14.15]
This Is How Christmas (and Life) Should Be More like Halloween [11.4.15]
The Secret to Becoming Who You’ve Always Wanted to Be [5.4.16]
The Parable of the Mass Shooting That Didn’t Happen [6.22.16]
The Grace of Failure (Or, How to Avoid a Midlife Crisis) [12.13.16]
How Do You Live Beloved? [2.27.17]
Dear Little Ones, You Are Good Enough (No Matter What) [3.14.17
This Is the Difference Between Getting Rich and Living Richly [3.20.17]
Warning: This Post Could Be Hazardous to Your Paralysis [7.25.17]
This Is What Happens When Grace Wins [11.28.17]
Nothing Is at Stake [5.15.18]
Can You See Yourself in All of Them [7.10.18]
How to Stop Chasing What Won’t Make Us Happy [8.21.18]

Intimacy & Vulnerability

Trojan Horses and Flying Dice [1.20.12]
Marriage is for Liars [5.4.12]
An Invitation to Our Quiet Spaces [5.18.12]
Why Asking for Help is the Most Courageous Thing You Can Do [1.4.13]
How Our Friends Bring Us to Life [4.10.13]
How to Defeat the Most Insidious Epidemic of Our Time [7.31.13]
What Men Are Lying About (And Why It Causes Road Rage) [1.22.14]
A Dad’s Letter to His Son (About the Only Good Reason to Get Married) [1.29.14]
An Invitation to Dance Like No One is Watching [3.19.14]
The One Thing Worse Than Being Embarrassed (And How to Avoid It) [5.7.14
A Father’s Letter to Young Men (About How to Treat a Woman) [6.11.14]
The One Illusion We Cannot Afford to Believe In [7.23.14]
What Were You Made to Do? [9.3.14]
The One True Thing About the Perfect Valentine’s Date [2.10.15]
Curiosity May Have Killed the Cat But It Saves Relationships [3.4.15]
The 5 Empathy Fails in Marriage (And How to Avoid Them) [4.1.15]
The Fault in Our Scars [5.13.15]
Why It’s Exhausting to Hide [5.20.15]
How to Know Who Loves You Best [6.10.15]
The Power of Friendship (When Friendship is a Verb) [6.17.15]
The Only Real Secret to a Healthy Marriage [9.23.15]
Why Healing Our Hearts Might Be Simpler Than We Think [3.23.16]
What I Want My Daughter to Know About How to Make a Brave Face [5.11.16]
The Truth (and the Surprisingly Good News) About Who We Really Marry [8.9.16]
What We’ve All Been Searching for Since Childhood (A Post About Belonging) [8.23.16]
The Subliminal Sexism Both Men and Women Are Still Listening To [9.6.16]
How to Choose Your Friends in the Aftermath of the Election [11.29.16]
The Simple Trick to Finding True Belonging This Year [1.10.17]
The One Thing We All Need (But Hate to Ask For) [1.17.17]
Why Valentine’s Day Is Demonic [2.13.17]
What We’re Hiding Just Behind Our Faces [3.7.17]
How to Survive (Maybe Even Thrive) in Life’s Most Vulnerable Moments [3.28.17]
Of Course You Are an Imposter! [5.16.17]
The 3 Reasons You Should Not Try to Make Anyone Happy [8.1.17]
The Good Reason We Wish Bad Things Upon Other People [2.20.18]
This Is the Powerful Promise of Our Pain [3.16.18]

Marriage

Marriage is for Losers [3.2.12]
Marriage is for Liars [5.4.12]
Your Marriage is a Mess [6.1.12]
Marriage and Scooby-Doo (And the Freedom of Mystery) [6.4.12]
How to Fight With, Instead of Against, Your Partner [7.24.12]
Marriage is the Real Problem [7.27.12]
Instead of Pointing Fingers, Join Hands [7.31.12]
Why “For Better or Worse” is a Fatal Vow [8.31.12]
The Smallest Way to Save Your Marriage [9.4.12]
Marriage is For Hopelessly Lonely People [9.28.12]
How to Make Loneliness the Foundation for Connection [10.2.12]
Why Dirty Dishes are the Biggest Threat to Your Marriage [10.26.12]
Why Peanut Butter and Jelly is the Best Marital Therapy [11.8.12]
What Christmas Exposes About Marriage, Family, and Identity [12.7.12]
The Marriage Manifesto: Turning Your World Upside Down (Free eBook) [12.11.12]
Free eBook: Happy New Year! [1.1.13]
The Forgotten (But Essential) Foundation of a Powerful Marriage [1.11.13]
The 5 Things We’re All Fighting for in Marriage [1.15.13]
Parenthood is for Losers [2.8.13]
Why Good Enough Love is Better Than Amazing Love [2.14.13]
It Takes Two to Tango (But It Only Takes One to Love) [3.1.13]
The 5 Barriers to Empathy in Marriage (And How to Overcome Them) [3.6.13]
Why Couples Shouldn’t Do Couples Therapy (Says the Couples Therapist) [3.22.13]
The Most Important Thing to Look for in a Life Partner [5.1.13]
How a Chocolate Chip Bagel Almost Ruined My Marriage [6.26.13]
How to Find Balance in an Imbalanced Relationship [7.24.13]
The Key to Great Communication and a Loving Marriage: Less is More [9.4.13]
Why Would Anyone Get Married and Have Poopy Kids? [10.2.13]
Marriage is a Joke [11.13.13]
How to Take Any Marriage to the Next Level (With One Good Story) [12.11.13]
What Men Are Lying About (And Why It Causes Road Rage) [1.22.14]
A Dad’s Letter to His Son (About the Only Good Reason to Get Married) [1.29.14]
Why One Text Message is More Romantic Than a Hundred Valentine Cards [2.12.14]
Marriage is Not a Convenience Store [3.26.14]
Three Metaphors for the Outdated Institution of Marriage [5.14.14]
How to Accept the Things That Drive Us Crazy in a Marriage [6.25.14]
How to Make the Magic Happen in a Marriage [8.27.14]
The 9 Most Overlooked Threats to a Marriage [10.1.14]
A Letter of Thanks to You [11.26.14]
Which is More Important, Your Marriage or Your Kids? [12.10.14]
The Last Marriage Post You’ll Ever Need to Read [1.21.15]
The One True Thing About the Perfect Valentine’s Date [2.10.15]
Manning Up and Leaning In to Marriage [3.11.15]
The 5 Empathy Fails in Marriage (And How to Avoid Them) [4.1.15]
How to Turn Pro at Relationships (By Keeping It Simple) [4.29.15]
Why I Like to Fight with My Wife [7.22.15]
The Only Real Secret to a Healthy Marriage [9.23.15]
An Open Letter to Millenials About the Insanity of Marriage [12.9.15]
For Valentine’s Day, Let’s All Admit We Love a Stranger [2.10.16]
Expanded Wedding Vows for a More Complicated Generation [3.9.16]
Why Trying to Stay Married Forever Could Kill Your Marriage [4.20.16]
A Post About Marriage and What We’ve All Longed for Since the Crib [6.8.16]
The Truth (and the Surprisingly Good News) About Who We Really Marry? [8.9.16]
The Subliminal Sexism Both Men and Women Are Still Listening To [9.6.16]
Why You Shouldn’t Waste Time Working on Your Marriage [11.1.16
Why Valentine’s Day Is Demonic [2.13.17]
The 3 Reasons You Should Not Try to Make Anyone Happy [8.1.17]
Dear Marriage, Humanity Wants a Divorce from You [3.20.18]

Mindfulness & Gratitude

Death Defying Gratitude [2.24.12]
Live Passionately, Not Mindlessly [3.31.12]
The Deep Magic is Everywhere [5.25.12]
Why the Amish Have It Better Than You [7.20.12]
How to Breathe Pain [8.7.12]
How Healing Can Begin with a Raisin [8.28.12]
Patience is Not a Virtue, It’s a By-Product [9.14.12]
Discover Patience in a Day [9.18.12]
The Best Way to Ruin the Best Moments [9.21.12]
Why Dirty Dishes Are the Biggest Threat to Your Marriage [10.26.12]
Why You Should Stage an Entertainment Strike [10.29.12]
Looking for Thanksgiving in All the Wrong Places [11.16.12]
10 Paths to a Grateful Thanksgiving [11.20.12]
What Santa’s Demise Can Teach Us About Doubt and Wonder [12.22.12]
What Madmen, Drunks, and Bastards Know About How to Live [3.13.13]
Out with the Good, In with the New! [4.3.13]
What Good is Gratitude When the World is Tearing Apart? [5.15.13]
When Carpe Diem Feels Like Crappy Diem [9.11.13]
Permission to be Uninspired [9.18.13]
The Only Way to Be Enduringly Grateful This Thanksgiving [11.27.13]
Me and a Magnolia Tree (Why I’m Going Back in Time) [12.20.13]
The Three Things I Discovered When I Went Back in Time [1.1.14]
Confessions of a Parent (From the Dinner Table) [4.30.14]
Why Nobody is Interested in the Secret to Self-Confidence [6.4.14]
The Virus is Coming [8.6.14]
Why You Should Unsubscribe From My Mailing List [8.13.14]
Why I Waited a Month to Write About Robin Williams [9.10.14]
The Whole Truth About How (Not) Rotten Human Beings Can Be [9.17.14]
Caution: Abusing Gratitude Could Be Life Threatening [10.8.14]
Why Halloween Turns Children Into Monsters [10.29.14]
How Losing Your Senses Could Make Sense of Everything Else [11.12.14]
Why the Stillest Silence Always Comes Before the Greatest Gifts [12.24.14]
The 5-Minute New Year’s Resolution That Will Make All Things New [1.7.15]
Dear Dad, You’re Doing It All Wrong (A Letter to Myself) [1.28.15
Why It Takes Courage to Look Inside (And Why It’s Totally Worth It) [2.4.15]
Curiosity May Have Killed the Cat But It Saves Relationships [3.4.15]
How to Look Fear in the Face and Say, “I Just Don’t Care” [6.24.15]
Where to Find Peace When Peace is Elusive [7.15.15]
Reflections on Beauty (From Main Street U.S.A.) [8.5.15]
3 Words to Keep You Sane During Back To School Month (Or Any Month) [8.19.15]
Don’t Try to Be More Extraordinary (Just Try to Be More Human) [10.7.15]
A Little Inspiration for Parents, Dads, and Everyone Who Needs a Bit of Kindness [10.28.15]
The Two Kinds of Gratitude (And How to Cultivate the Lasting One) [11.25.15]
Why Christmas Eve Is More Magical Than Christmas Day [12.23.15]
This Could Be the Difference Between a Life of Suffering or Joy [3.16.16]
Why Our Heads Fill Up with Too Many Thoughts and What to Do About It [4.27.16]
The Antidote to All the Crap in Your Facebook Feed [5.18.16]
The Life Changing Difference Between Seeing Beauty and Seeing Beautifully [7.19.16]
The Blessing of Living Unfinished [7.25.16]
The 71 Most Effective Ways to Avoid Feeling What You’re Feeling [9.27.16]
Miracles Happen Every Day (and This Is How to Experience One) [10.11.16]
Let’s QWERTY Like It’s 1999 (An Experiment in Presence) [10.18.16]
How to Have a Mountaintop Experience (Right Where You Are) [11.22.16]
How to Survive (Maybe Even Thrive) in Life’s Most Vulnerable Moments [3.28.17]
I see. [6.20.17]
When Life Gives You Lemons, Pay Closer Attention to the Lemons [7.11.17]
What I Will Miss When They’re Gone [7.18.17]
Warning: This Post Could Be Hazardous to Your Paralysis [7.25.17]
What Anxiety Steals from Us (and How to Steal It Back) [8.8.17]
The Real Reason Back-to-School Makes Us So Emotional [8.15.17]
Why We’re Lonelier Than Ever (and What to Do About It) [8.29.17]
What Everyone Needs to Know About Chasing a Dream [10.3.17]
What to Do When the News Is All Bad [10.17.17]
The Only Thing Better Than Being Remembered [10.31.17]
How to Feel True Thanksgiving in Just 45 Seconds [11.14.17]
Listening for Invisible Blessings [5.1.18]
What Is This Lump in My Throat? [6.12.18]
School Is Back in But It Was Never Really Out (and This Is Why That Matters) [9.4.18]
Why I’m Glad My Daughter Got Kicked in the Face with a Soccer Ball [10.2.18]
Let’s Be Grateful for What We Cannot See [11.13.18]
Before We Begin Again… [12.24.18]

Purpose & Meaning

Live Passionately, Not Skillfully [3.16.12]
Live Passionately, Not Fearlessly [3.23.12]
Live Passionately, Not Mindlessly [3.31.12]
(What Your Dentist Knows) About the Secret to Life [8.3.12]
Why the U.S. is Losing the Olympics by Winning Them [8.10.12]
How to Find Passion, Peace, and Purpose (Without Looking for Them) [8.24.12]
Why Broken Lampshades are the Best Gift This Holiday Season [12.14.12]
Do You Matter? [11.20.13]
BringBackOurGirls (When the Nigerian Girls Feel Like Your Little Girl) [5.21.14]
Why Sometimes Hope is Hopeless and Hopelessness is Our Best Hope [7.16.14]
What Were You Made to Do? [9.3.14]
The Real Scandal Behind the NFL Domestic Violence Controversy [9.24.14]
How to Feel Joy (With These Five Little Words) [11.5.14]
It’s About Time (To Make Peace in Your Most Important Relationship) [5.6.15]
The Point of Life Isn’t to Be More Happy (It’s to Be More You) [5.27.15]
How to Find Your Brave Place (and the Good Thing Waiting For You There) [8.30.16]
Why Dreaming Small and Ordinary Is Way Better Than Dreaming Big [1.24.17]
Life Isn’t About Proving Yourself (It’s About Being Yourself) [2.20.17
The 3 Things I Was Afraid to Write About This Week (Or, How to Truly Live) [4.25.17]
Chase Your Dreams, but Chase Them for the Right Reasons (A Commencement Address) [5.2.17]
The Life-Altering Decision to Love Your Limitations [8.22.17]
What to Do When Your Path Is Covered in Darkness and Fog [9.12.17]
What Everyone Needs to Know About Chasing a Dream [10.3.17]
The Only Thing Better Than Being Remembered [10.31.17]
Dear Young Author (A Dad’s Letter to His Son About Writing and Living) [4.17.18]
Why We Need to Wobble [6.26.18]
The Ordinary Webs We Weave [7.24.18]
This Is Why Your Definition of Success Might Be Keeping You Stuck [9.18.18]
The Best Reason to Do Scary Things [11.26.18]
The End of a Seven-Year-Long Chapter [1.6.19]

Story & Narrative

JoePa and the Death of Story [1.28.12]
I Wish I Was Clark Kent (And I Wish You Were Too) [2.3.12]
Conflict Kills Community (But It Doesn’t Have To) [4.6.12]
The Deep Magic is Everywhere [5.25.12]
Life is a Mistake (And So is This Title) [6.22.12]
Who’s Editing Your Life Story? [7.29.12]
Why the U.S. is Losing the Olympics by Winning Them [8.10.12]
Your Story Starts NOW [8.14.12]
How to Take Any Marriage to the Next Level (With One Good Story) [12.11.14]
I’ve Got Bad News and I’ve Got Good News (Which Will You Choose?) [3.18.15]
How To Talk with Family About Politics This Holiday Season [11.15.16]
What Everyone Needs to Know About Chasing a Dream [10.3.17]

Therapy & Personal Growth

A Provocative Question and a Clumsy Owl [1.6.12]
(Speedos) And the Smallness of Redemption [1.13.12]
Truth and Baseball Cards [2.10.12]
Cheap, Crappy Hope [4.13.12]
Passive, Boring Hope [4.20.12]
Dangerous, Rebellious Hope [4.27.12]
An Invitation to Our Quiet Spaces [5.18.12]
Licking Happiness and Forsaking Joy [7.13.12]
The Mess Will Set You Free! [10.5.12]
10 Ways to Make Life Messy and Beautiful [10.9.12]
One Sentence That Will Change Your Life [11.1.12]
How to Say You’re Sorry and Mean It (Or Not) [11.5.12]
We Wish You a Messy Christmas! [11.30.12]
10 Messy Christmas Tips (Courtesy of Clark Griswold) [12.4.12]
The Surprising Secret to Discovering Your True Self [1.18.13]
A Manifesto for Grace: How a Radical Embrace Changes Everything [1.23.13]
One Word That Will Transform Your Year [1.25.13]
Why “Messy” Could Be the Best Word to Live by This Year [1.30.13]
Winners Anonymous: Breaking Our Addiction to the Extraordinary [3.8.13]
The Safety and Danger of Certainty [5.8.13]
How to Find Joy in Unexpected Places This Summer [7.3.13]
Why I Cried at a Kindergarten Soccer Game [7.17.13]
What to Do When Our Feelings Are Lying to Us [8.7.13]
When the Critics Are Loud, May Our Courage Be Louder [8.28.13]
How to Become Beautiful in One Simple Step [10.9.13]
When Autumn Shows Us How to Die and How to Truly Live [10.23.13]
The Top 10 UnTangled Posts of 2013 [12.27.13]
If One Question Could Change Your Life, Would You Dare Ask It? [1.8.14]
We All Hear Voices (Which Ones Are You Listening To?) [2.5.14]
Don’t Let Fear Have the Last Laugh [3.5.14]
An Invitation to Dance Like No One is Watching [3.19.14]
Why I Stopped Teaching My Kids the Wrong Lesson About Hard Work [4.9.14]
Why the Key to Reinventing Ourselves is Uninventing Ourselves [4.23.14]
The One Thing Worse Than Being Embarrassed (And How to Avoid It) [5.7.14]
A Father’s Letter to Young Women (About Getting Naked) [5.28.14]
Why Nobody is Interested in the Secret to Self-Confidence [6.4.14]
The Hidden Message in Maleficent (And How It Can Heal All of Us) [6.18.14]
How Self-Acceptance Might Just Save the World [7.2.14]
Why Sometimes Hope is Hopeless and Hopelessness is Our Best Hope [7.16.14]
Why You Should Unsubscribe From My Mailing List [8.13.14]
Why I Waited a Month to Write About Robin Williams [9.10.14]
The Whole Truth About How (Not) Rotten Human Beings Can Be [9.17.14]
The Best Way to Respond to a Compliment [10.15.14]
Who Do You Blame When Life is Breaking Bad? [10.22.14]
How to Feel Joy (With These Five Little Words) [11.5.14]
The 8 Reasons We Should Wish Each Other Crappy Holidays [12.3.14]
When Did You Stop Asking for What You Want? [12.17.14]
Why the Stillest Silence Always Comes Before the Greatest Gifts [12.24.14]
The Unspoken Reason for Every Failed New Year’s Resolution [1.14.15]
Why It Takes Courage to Look Inside (And Why It’s Totally Worth It) [2.4.15]
Why Siblings Fight (And Why We All Fight Like Siblings) [2.18.15]
Why We Should All Just Give Up [2.25.15]
Why Kindness Multiplies, Joy Rebounds, and Generosity Goes Viral [4.22.15]
It’s About Time (To Make Peace in Your Most Important Relationship) [5.6.15]
The Fault in Our Scars [5.13.15]
Why It’s Exhausting to Hide [5.20.15]
The Point of Life Isn’t to Be More Happy (It’s to Be More You) [5.27.15]
The Beauty of Being a Quitter [6.3.15
How to Know Who Loves You Best [6.10.15]
In Celebration of the Mundane [7.8.15]
The One Thing Nobody Can Take From You (And What to Do With It) [8.12.15]
What’s the Difference Between the Good Life and the Redemptive Life? [9.2.15]
Just Be a Person [9.9.15]
The Lesson We Can Learn from Our Kids About How to Care for Our Souls [9.16.15]
Why Therapists Are Clueless [9.30.15]
Don’t Try to Be More Extraordinary (Just Try to Be More Human) [10.7.15]
The Secret About Healing Nobody Wants to Hear (But Everybody Needs to Hear) [10.14.15]
You Can Find Your Way to the Light [10.21.15]
Why I’m Writing My First Book [11.11.15]
How Therapy Saves Us from Wasting Our One Precious Life [12.16.15]
5 Essential Life Lessons from 4 Surprising Years of Blogging [1.6.16]
The Kindness Challenge [1.13.16]
Don’t Try to Make Your Life Better (Try to Make It Beautiful-er) [2.17.16]
How to Survive the Darkness of Depression [2.24.16]
The Thing We’re All Searching For (And Where to Find It) [3.2.16
This Could Be the Difference Between a Life of Suffering or Joy [3.16.16]
Why Healing Our Hearts Might Be Simpler Than We Think [3.23.16]
Why Our Heads Fill Up with Too Many Thoughts and What to Do About It [4.27.16]
The Secret to Becoming Who You’ve Always Wanted to Be [5.4.16]
What I Want My Daughter to Know About How to Make a Brave Face [5.11.16]
Why You’re Good Enough (No Matter What) [5.25.16]
The Simple (But Not Easy) Choice That Will Define All of Us [6.1.16]
How Good Habits Break Bad (And How to Make Them Good Again) [6.29.16]
What Will People Think of the New Me? (A Post About Courage) [7.5.16]
Our Best Hope(s) in a Summer of Violence [7.12.16]
The Blessing of Living Unfinished [7.25.16]
How to Find Your Brave Place (and the Good Thing Waiting For You There) [8.30.16]
The Unfolding of Your Soul (A Post About Becoming Your Truest Self) [9.13.16]
The Simplest Way to Find a Blessing in Every Moment [9.20.16]
The 71 Most Effective Ways to Avoid Feeling What You’re Feeling [9.27.16]
How to Dream a Better Dream Than This Nightmare We’re Living In [10.4.16]
How to Have a Mountaintop Experience (Right Where You Are) [11.22.16]
A Guide to Getting the Love You Never Knew You Wanted [12.6.16]
The Grace of Failure (Or, How to Avoid a Midlife Crisis) [12.13.16]
What Is Christmas? (It’s When We Defiantly Choose the Light) [12.20.16]
This Is the Truth About a Post-Truth World (Maybe) [1.3.17]
The Simple Trick to Finding True Belonging This Year [1.10.17]
The One Thing We All Need (But Hate to Ask For) [1.17.17]
Dear Little One, Release Your Shame (A Letter From a Father to a Child) [1.31.17]
What No One Ever Told You About How to Live a Loveable Life [2.7.17]
The One Place We Forget to Look for Our True Self [3.21.17]
The Reason We Avoid the Space Between [4.4.17]
Dear Daughter, You Don’t Need to Act Like a Man to Become a Strong Woman [4.11.17]
This Is the Difference Between Growing Old and Growing Up [4.18.17]
The 3 Things I Was Afraid to Write About This Week (Or, How to Truly Live) [4.25.17]
Chase Your Dreams, but Chase Them for the Right Reasons (A Commencement Address) [5.2.17]
This Is What Therapy Cannot Do For You (Says the Therapist) [5.9.17]
Of Course You Are an Imposter! [5.16.17]
The Art of Being Alive in a Broken World [5.23.17]
The Kind of Trophy Every Kid Should Receive [5.30.17]
A Therapist Explains Why We’re All So Ticked Off in Social Media [6.6.17]
The Definition of Freedom (According to a Psychologist) [7.3.17]
How Can You Trust a Therapist’s Authority? [9.5.17]
Whoa, That’s Deep! [9.19.17]
How to Show Up to Your Life [12.12.17]
An Old Man’s 7 Resolutions for a New Year [1.9.18]
How Your Phone Is Robbing You of You [2.6.18]
This Is the Powerful Promise of Our Pain [3.16.18]
Why We Must Become Like Little Children Again [4.3.18]
Why We Need to Wobble [6.26.18]
How to Stop Chasing What Won’t Make Us Happy [8.21.18]
This Is Why Your Definition of Success Might Be Keeping You Stuck [9.18.18]
Why I’m Glad My Daughter Got Kicked in the Face with a Soccer Ball [10.2.18]
This Is How to Find Your Place in the Family of Things [10.29.18]
The Most Wonderfully Painful Time of the Year [12.11.18]
Before We Begin Again… [12.24.18]

Dr. Kelly Flanagan

Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of Artisan Clinical Associates in Naperville, IL. He is also a writer and blogs regularly about the redemption of our personal, relational, and communal lives. Kelly is married, has three children, and enjoys learning from them how to be a kid again. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.