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Articles by William Cottringer

Browse published articles attributed to William Cottringer, with full-archive search.

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Showing 51–100

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

The Ten Most Common Causes of Unhappiness and Their Common Sense Cures

“O Lord! Unhappy is the man whom man can make unhappy.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. I have dealt with a lot of unhappy people during my 45-year career and I have been unhappy enough myself during my own roller-coaster ride in life to have experienced the top ten reasons causing unhappiness and their best commonsense cures from the trenches. Here goes: • Unhappiness Cause # 1: Wrong, dumb or silly beliefs that you can never prove anyway.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,103 views2/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

THE REAL ENTRY POINT TO WHOLE-GRAIN HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS

THE REAL ENTRY POINT TO WHOLE-GRAIN HAPPINESS AND SUCCESSnBy Bill Cottringe n“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” ~Stuart Chase. Several years ago my youngest daughter Abby was given an unusual final exam in her high school ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,082 views5/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

MANAGING METAPHORS ABOUT LIVING AND DYING FOR EVERYDAY LIFE

MANAGING METAPHORS ABOUT LIVING AND DYING FOR EVERYDAY LIFE Byr Bill Cottringer “Key metaphors help determine what and how we perceive and how we think about our perceptions.” ~M.H. Abrams. Metaphors: Creative communication of words that magically simplify huge, complex realities into smaller, common denominators for easier consumption, ironically exploding into infinite possibilities for application in everyday living.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,466 views3/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Some Uncommon Sense Needed today

Some Uncommon Sense Needed todayr Byr Bill Cottringer “You can see a lot by observing and hear a lot by listening.” ~Yogi Berra

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,067 views5/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Wrong Perceptions Can Be Lethal

WRONG PERCEPTIONS CAN BE LETHAL By Bill Cottringe n“You are only as wise as others perceive you to be” ~M. Shawn Colenn It would be amusing if it weren’t for the destructiveness that wrong perceptions of people and situations can cause. What is amusing is that we are convinced of the truth ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

13,588 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

“The Dark Depression Cloud of Later Life”

“The Dark Depression Cloud of Later Life” By Bill Cottringer “The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.” ~Doug Larson Later life often brings a dark cloud of depression that can be very worrisome and quite difficult to deal with, alone or as a couple. This period of life can be especially difficult because it involves a lot of things that work against each other to make matters worse.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,851 views3/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Maintaining More Ups Than Downs

Maintaining More Ups Than Downs Byr Bill Cottringer “Let it rain on some days, let yourself shiver on some cold nights, so when it's Spring you'll know why it was all worth going through.” ~Sanhita Baruah.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,557 views4/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Welcome Back Kotter (Likeability)!

Welcome Back Kotter (Likeability)! Byr Bill Cottringer “Welcome back, Your dreams were your ticket out. Welcome back, To that same old place that you laughed about…”~John Sebastian, Lov’ Spoonful. One of the most popular TV programs of my generation was “Welcome Back Kotter.” I can still hear the theme song written by “Lovin’ Spoonful” playful songwriter and singer John Sebastian, clearly in my mind as the day I watched the first show. So what made this program so popular and successful?

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,336 views3/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

STAYING HAPPY IN HOPELESS SITUATIONS

STAYING HAPPY IN HOPELESS SITUATIONS Byr Bill Cottringer “No situation is completely devoid of all hope; hope is always there waiting patiently for patience to see it.” ~The author. Staying reasonably happy in hopeless situations is certainly one of life’s greatest challenge. Hopeless, impossible situations can hit us at the beginning or ending of life or anywhere in between, usually without a whole lot of warning. Consider the likely unhappiness in these hopeless situations: • Being born with a serious disability.r

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,392 views3.5/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

THE 3 C’S OF A GOOD RELATIONSHIP

THE 3 C’S OF A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BynBill Cottringe n We are probably all getting far too overloaded with how-to advice on being successful at things like relationships; and the last thing I want to do is contribute more to the overload. I just want to clarify a few important things I have ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

12,275 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

The Most Difficult Thing About Managing Others Is…

The Most Difficult Thing About Managing Others Is… Byr Bill Cottringer “Mis-management of others is usually a symptom of mismanaging yourself.” ~An older, wiser, unnamed manager of sorts.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,613 views3/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

THREE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS TO HAVE

THREE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS TO HAVE Byr Bill Cottringer “We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.” ~John Lennon.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,379 views4/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Making Relationships Less Difficult

Making Relationships Less Difficult Byr Bill Cottringer “Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.” ~Anonymous.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,948 views2.5/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Being Happy Without Money

BEING HAPPY WITHOUT MONEY Byn Bill Cottringe nn“If you can’t be happy poor you can’t be happy rich.” ~ The Author. Are we all really capable of achieving great financial wealth like The Secret proponents and all the wealth books and wealth gurus profess? Are we all meant to have wealth? ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

11,438 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Relationship Reality Repair

Relationship Reality Repair byr Bill Cottringer “Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Successful relationships are all about keeping things in proper perspective. This is especially true about the different perceptions of the realities of the relationship, and what happens when the water starts getting a little rough on its way to being a tsunami. People get drawn into relationships for many different reasons (some overlapping), and of course it is best if these reasons are mutual, whatever they may be:

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,646 views2.3/5 (3)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

FROM KNOWING TO DOING

FROM KNOWING TO DOING Byr Bill Cottringer “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~Napoleon Hill. But will I actually do it—go from knowing to doing—is the dangling question after Napoleon Hill’s quote above. Great self-development and self-help sources of information are now nearing 1 billion “hits” on Google, and growing by the second. Maybe the problem is that this is too much information overload. What source is the best to start with? The right answer is that it doesn’t matter. Besides, if the shoe seems to fit, put it on and try it.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,865 views2/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

WHY PARENTING TODAY IS SO DIFFICULT

WHY PARENTING TODAY IS SO DIFFICULT By Bill Cottringer Why is parenting today so difficult (besides being so expensive and all of us being so busy doing other things)? The answer to this question involves the main parenting role—teaching our children the basic skills that are necessary to get the most out of their lives. In other words, as parents we have to first learn what it takes to be successful and happy in our own lives, so we can pass that valuable wisdom on to our children. This is so they don’t have to experience the unnecessary failures that stopped us in our tracks.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,844 views2/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

A Work Conflict Deserving a Thoughtful Resolution By Bill Cottringer

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means” ~Ronald Reagan.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,701 views2.5/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

BEING A GOOD EMPLOYEE

BEING A GOOD EMPLOYEEnBy Bill Cottringe n A big part of being happy and successful, involves your approach to work. These simple requirements are a prescription for the right approach to work in being a good employee If you practice these simple suggestions you are likely to get recognized ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

9,895 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Facts of Life That Get In The Way Of Living

Facts of Life That Get In The Way Of Living Byr Bill Cottringer “It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” ~Victor Hugo, Les Misérables.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,743 views3/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Whole-Brained Thinking

Whole-Brained Thinking © 2021 William Cottringer “A wise person uses intelligence to find reasons to support intuition.” ~The author.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

755 views5/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

How Successful Are You?

“Success is the progress we each make in our private, lifelong journey of learning, growing and improving into our best selves.” ~The author. There are currently as many “tests” to measure success as there are personal definitions of it or criteria for defining it. Where do you go to sort this all out and really know how successful you are? A good starting point is to ask the toughest question there is: What is your main purpose for being here?

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,664 views3/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Relationship Facts That Get In The Way of Relating

Relationship Facts That Get In The Way of Relating Byr Bill Cottringer “Relationships are the real test to find out if you are as good as you think you are.” ~The author.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,546 views3/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Putting the Common Back in Common Sense Again

PUTTING THE COMMON BACK IN COMMON SENSE AGAINnby Bill Cottringe nn Why do some people succeed and some fail in life? Why do we all sometimes fail and sometimes succeed? Can we do anything to improve our chances of success? In studying success and failure for over 40 years, I have ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

8,467 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Managing Success for a Better Destiny

Managing Success for a Better Destiny byr Bill Cottringer “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” ~Tony Robbins.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

575 views5/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

When 1/2 Plus 1/2 Doesn't Add Up to One

“How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.” ~Abraham Lincoln. When some new, intriguing, and well-packaged self-help book, system or idea comes out, it is very easy to run straight towards it with a smothering full body embrace. Unfortunately years later, what we are left holding sadly turns out to be nothing more than a half-truth on its way to evolving into full maturity. Even “The Secret” and “The Law of Attraction” still both have the rest of their stories to tell.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,485 views2/5 (2)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Success In The Tit For Tat Relationship Game

Success In The Tit For Tat Relationship GamenBy Bill Cottringe n Success in relationships is based on accurate information used in the basic cooperation vs. antagonism tit for tat game we all play. The tit for tat game typically goes like this. If I choose to do this then I expect you to do ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

6,805 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Resolving The Clash Between Younger and Older Workers

Resolving The Clash Between Younger and Older Workers Byr Bill Cottringer “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.” ~Max Lucade.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,845 views2/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Dealing With A Controlling Toxic Bully

DEALING WITH A CONTROLLING, TOXIC BULLY By Bill Cottringe nn It is easy to get trapped into feeling negative about being mistreated by a controlling, toxic bully and worse over not feeling you can do anything about it. It is frustrating, humiliating and maddening. And you can get even ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

6,657 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

21 EASY WAYS TO HAVE MORE PEACE OF MIND, HEART & SOUL

21 EASY WAYS TO HAVE MORE PEACE OF MIND, HEART & SOUL BynBill Cottringe n A worthy growth goal and improvement strategy, which builds a valuable sense of general wellness that leads to more success, is to carry out an action plan to give your mind, heart and soul more peace. Hear are 21 ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

5,631 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Becoming Single-Minded

BECOMING SINGLE-MINDEDnBy William Cottringer, Ph.D.nnnn“Self-consciousness creates the illusion that there is a separate self from the rest of reality. That would be the funniest mistake in the world if so many people weren’t so convinced that the illusion is really true.” ~ The author. ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

5,288 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Mental Demons

MENTAL DEMONS By Bill Cottringe nn We humans have been given something that can be seen as a gift or a curse—the ability or the affliction of self consciousness. This is our unique characteristic that separates us from the rest of the things in our world. What are these mental demons ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,873 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Thinking Away The Crap

Thinking Away the CrapnBy Bill Cottringe nn“Keep writing. Try to do a little bit every day, even if the result looks like crap. Getting from page four to page five is more important than spending three weeks getting page four perfect.” n~Alan Dean Foster. I am not going to apologize for ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

1,290 views2/5 (1)

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Head And Heart Battle

“He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.” ~Abraham Lincoln. For as long as I can remember, there has always been a raging war inside me between the terrible twins within—head vs. heart. That is wrong and this is right. This will work out for the best and that won’t. I can ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,687 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

What Causes Unhappiness? (And Why This Question is Important)

What Causes Unhappiness? (And Why This Question is Important) BynBill Cottringe n“An unanswerable question: Are good vs. bad and fair vs. unfair dualistic, subjective judgments a human invention just to know one from the other, or do things actually have an innate positive vs. negative flavor ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,234 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Too Much Familiarity Can Breed Contempt

Too Much Familiarity Can Breed Contempt Byr Bill Cottringer “Familiarity breeds contempt, for others at first, but then inwardly, contempt towards ourselves.” rn~Oli Anderson, Synchronesia: A Depressing Existential Novel.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,216 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

The Four Cornerstones Of A Happy Marriage

THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE By Bill Cottringe nn There are very good reasons why marriage failure is such a widespread epidemic. The four cornerstones of a happy marriage represent life’s toughest tests; and they are not lessons most people are skilled at learning right off ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

4,085 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

The Tricks Of Positive Thinking

THE TRICKS OF POSITIVE THINKINGnBy Bill Cottringe n“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~Winston Churchill.nn n Gee, we have all heard enough about the power of positive thinking, right? You only get about 4 ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,241 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Winning Principles

WINNING PRINCIPLES By William Cottringer, Ph.D. nnn“Winning and success are what you get from doing what you do to get them.” n~The Author.n n I have been an avid student of the psychology of winning/success for four decades now—learning all the knowledge and skills that bring about ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,235 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Divorce Survival Kit

DIVORCE SURVIVAL KITnBy William Cottringer, Ph.D.nnn A pending divorce can be a scary and devastating experience for a married couple. For every divorcing person, the future is nothing but uncertainty, anxiety and confusion. Such an emotional state is not good for focusing on priorities or ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,171 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Principles of Successful Conflict Resolution

Truth = The absolute way things could be in a perfect world, where we are trying to go. Reality = The relative way things are in the real world, where we are at now. Conflicts occur when people have differing opinions as to the causes of and solutions to particular truths and ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,142 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

BREAKING THE NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE CYCLE OF ADDICTION

BREAKING THE NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE CYCLE OF ADDICTION byr Bill Cottringer “In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.” ~Aldous Huxley. A drop dead handsome, smart young man gets a good education and marries a beautiful, wealthy wife, goes to Hollywood and starts partying with the in-crowd and then starts an irreversible, painfully slow downhill slide to his casket with drugs and alcohol greasing the way.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,116 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

Seven Things Relationship Counselors Usually Won't Tell You

SEVEN THINGS RELATIONSHIP COUNSELORS USUALLY WON’T TELL YOU By Bill Cottringe nn Now I realize that this article is going to rile a few people in the relationship counseling profession, but I will at least try to speak the truth gently and kindly. I have been there, done that and paid my ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

3,022 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

The Plus Side of ADHD

THE PLUS SIDE OF ADHDnBy Bill Cottringe nnn I have studied ADHD for nearly 60 years now and am ready to share the results of one very in-depth, classic case study—myself. As a child I would have gotten double “X’s” on every symptom checklist available. I ran and climbed constantly ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,950 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

30 Questions To Help You Find Your Best Self

30 Questionsr To Help You Find Your Best Self Byr Bill Cottringer "You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be."rn~ Lou Holtz.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,941 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN?

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN? BynBill Cottringe n“Adam and Eve are like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one... If you include it in your equation, you can calculate all manners of things, which cannot be imagined without it.” ~Philip Pullman. I have been ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,736 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

When Ability, Intelligence, Effort, Creativity, Perseverance & Luck Aren’t Enough

When Ability, Intelligence, Effort, Creativity, Perseverance & Luck Aren’t Enough Byr Bill Cottringer “Man may have been made in God’s image, but he has been trying to return the favor ever since.” ~Unknown humorous lay philosopher.

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,575 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

From Falling In Love, To Being In Love, To Loving

From Falling in Love, to Being in Love, to LovingnBy Bill Cottringe nn Over four decades of trial and error in relationships have taught me a valuable lesson. This lesson is to slow down and learn to listen to the lesson. The main purpose of a relationship is to get you to do something to ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,563 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

WHEN TO FISH OR CUT BAIT?

WHEN TO FISH OR CUT BAIT? By Bill Cottringe n“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of the hardest places to locate intellectually and emotionally is getting to the comfort zone where you can make the right decision to fish or cut bait—to continue ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,521 views

By William CottringerRecently published1 topic

THE HARDEST LESSON IN LIFE TO LEA

THE HARDEST LESSON IN LIFE TO LEARNnBy Bill Cottringe n“It isn’t what you think you know that is most important, but rather how you feel about what you think you know.” ~Unknown author. What is this hardest lesson for us all to learn in life? Learning what to take seriously and what to ...

Primary topic: Success Principles

Success Principles

2,481 views

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