Carrie Cabral

Carrie has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember, and has always been open to reading anything put in front of her. She wrote her first short story at the age of six, about a lost dog who meets animal friends on his journey home. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. Carrie worked in book publishing for several years before getting an MFA in Creative Writing. She especially loves literary fiction, historical fiction, and social, cultural, and historical nonfiction that gets into the weeds of daily life.

What are the Six Paradigms of Human Interaction? Which is Best?

All interactions between people constantly include some sort of negotiation, big or small: Where are we going to dinner? What movie are we going to watch? How much will you sell your product for? How much will you buy it for? How do you reach a resolution? There are six paradigms of human interaction. The six paradigms of human interaction are win/win, win/lose, lose/win, lose/lose, win, and win/win or no deal. These were identified by Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While we know that we want to achieve the Win/Win paradigm in most situations,

Autobiographical Listening Hurts Relationships—Here’s Why

While we ideally want to work toward empathic listening methods, we also need to understand some of undesirable listening habits, to make sure we don’t use them in our relationship. Autobiographical Listening is one type of listening we want to learn to avoid. But what is Autobiographical Listening? Autobiographical Listening is any attempt by the listener to make the conversation about them. This is detrimental to relationships. Read more to find out about how to listen and avoid Autobiographical Listening.

Roles and Goals: To Be Successful, Know Who You Are

You have many roles in your life. Some of them are in your personal life and some are in your professional life, but chances are, you can name those roles and what they mean to you. The roles and goals you have for those roles are defined by you and your principles. By creating a mission statement and setting your goals, you can define these roles and goals in your life and give them a greater meaning and purpose.

The Self-Paradigm: How to Master Your Own Destiny

As humans, we have the power of self-awareness, which means we can think about our own thought processes. You are the master of your own destiny, and you can examine your behavior and your thoughts, and that ability gives you the power to change your behavior and thoughts by making or breaking habits. Creating a self-paradigm will enable you to recognize your behaviors, and form a concept of yourself based on your values and principles. You self-paradigm should be a part of how you interact in relationships and with your own problems.

The Inside Out Approach—The Best Way to Change Bad Habits

Do you want to make your life better? Are you struggling in your personal or professional life, your interactions with other people, your life balance, or your life’s purpose? Have you made attempts to fix these issues — from workshops to self-help books to counseling — with little or no success? Try the “inside out” approach. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People endorses an inside out approach to improving yourself and your life. This method starts with examining and adjusting your character, your motives, and how you see the world; only when you start from the foundation of your character and

Dr. Emma Hayward—How She Helped Paul Kalanithi Live Fully

Dr. Emma Hayward is an American oncologist. She treated the cancer of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, and she was featured in the book When Breath Becomes Air.” Paul Kalanithi was a respected doctor in neuroscience and worked with many other reputable doctors. But when Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer just as he was preparing to reach his career goals, he found himself on the other side of the doctor-patient relationship. Throughout When Breath Becomes Air, Paul discusses how his doctor, Emma Hayward, helped him frame his diagnosis differently and live a better life.

The Stages of Grief and Cancer: Paul Kalanithi’s Experience

Grief can come in many forms from many places. Experiencing the stages of grief in cancer diagnoses is common. The stages of grief are considered: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Faced with a devastating stage IV cancer diagnosis at age 35, Dr. Paul Kalanithi turned to his support systems and his writing as a way to cope. Dr. Kalanithi, a respected doctor with big plans for his future, discusses how he experienced the five stages of grief with cancer as he mourned the life he planned, and tries to envision a new one.

Lucy Kalanithi’s Epilogue: Completing Paul’s Manuscript and Legacy

Lucy Kalanithi is an American physician. She was Paul Kalanithi’s wife, and completed and published his book, When Breath Becomes Air after his death. In Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s touching memoir about life and death in the face of a cancer diagnosis, he details the harrowing journey of treatment, starting a family, his marriage, and learning to live life on different terms. Paul met his wife, Lucy Kalanithi at Stanford. The couple later married and moved to California together. Throughout When Breath Becomes Air, Lucy Kalanithi is a central figure. Lucy is initially angry about Paul’s diagnosis, but both later admit

Dr. Paul Kalanithi: How He Found Meaning in His Last Days

When Breath Becomes Air recounts the life of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon, after he is diagnosed with lung cancer during his last year of residency. With elegant and beautiful prose befitting a novelist more than a doctor, Paul guides readers through his life before and after his diagnosis, a life marked by a search for understanding life, death, and meaning.

Covey’s Time Management Matrix—Focus on What Matters

Take a moment to think about your life and your goals. What are some things that you could do — but aren’t doing — that would significantly benefit your life and get your closer to achieving your goals? This is an important task, and one that you’re neglecting. This is where Stephen Covey’s time management matrix and the four quadrants come in. Quadrants organize tasks according to urgency and importance. Covey’s matrix allows you to prioritize what matters.