Gregory K. Moffatt, Ph.D.
Some fifteen years ago, Robert Fulghum
wrote a book entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
His work struck a chord with readers and it has been a best seller
for many years. After thirteen years of college and graduate
education and another twenty-something in my profession, Ive
learned that life can be complicated, but as Fulghum observed,
much of what matters in life is not complicated at all.
When we were children, life seemed so simple, but somewhere along
the way our lives became messy and complex. Ive often joked
that if I could get the adults out of the lives of the children
I work with, then their lives would be much better. I dont
really mean that, of course, but the truth is that we often make
life more complicated than necessary for ourselves and those around
us.
My supervisees and interns want to learn the intricacies of the
profession. How do I avoid burnout? How do I get children to
talk to me? How can I be certain of the ethical thing to do?
The answers to these questions and others can sometimes be very
complicated, but in reality a lot of what I do professionally
and in everyday life comes down to simple rules. Here are a few
that guide me.
Be respectful. I do my best to talk to everyone respectfully,
even if they dont deserve it. My goal is to talk respectfully
to my college students, children, my spouse, workmates, clients,
and people on the street. Tact and respect separate us from the
animals. Oddly, children as young as two years of age open up
to me quite readily in part because I simply get down on one knee
and look them in the eye. I listen to their stories respectfully
just as I would listen if an adult were talking to me. Being
heard is a powerful connector.
I dont have to be perfect. My father tried to teach me
this lesson as a boy, but it took me years to fully understand
what he meant. Living with mistakes is part of life. People
who love you will look past your mistakes and see that you are
more than your errors and frailties. People who dont arent
your friends.
Avoid saying anything about someone that you wouldnt say
to their face. Talking down about others is a middle school technique
for feeling better about ourselves. Even if the person we are
talking about never hears what is being said behind his or her
back, trash-talking another human being perpetuates arrogance
in ourselves. Nobody needs that.
Work hard at doing things for others and you will increase your
chances of happiness. As we all started learning in childhood
at Christmas time, it is what we give rather than what we receive
that really brings happiness to the holidays. One part of a treatment
plan for depression is to invest in something outside yourself.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Read to grade school children
or the elderly. Life is not just about you.
Learn to forgive. In 1994 when I started working on my Survivors
book, I searched every scholarly database I could find and only
came up with one academic article (other than theological ones)
on the benefits of forgiveness. By the time I finished that book,
there were hundreds of titles focusing on this topic. Somewhere
in the ten years in between, clinicians had discovered what our
mothers taught us in childhood. Forgiveness isnt just about
what it does for others. It is good for us, too. Holding on
to resentments, grudges, and hatred are caustic to the soul.
Be grateful for what you have. Money really doesnt buy
happiness. Research on this subject is quite clear. Once people
have enough money to subsist, there is absolutely zero correlation
between money and happiness. We can be easily lured by the myth
that just a few more dollars would make our lives
easier, but it rarely works that way. As we get a few more dollars,
we improve our lifestyles and then find ourselves needing a few
more dollars again.
Being satisfied with what we have our families, our health,
our homes, and our possessions is one of the biggest keys
to happiness. The grass is never greener on the other side of
the fence. It is just different grass. If you are happy with
what you have, you will always be happy.
These rules arent a panacea for lifes troubles, but
as most of our parents taught us in childhood, our lives can be
simpler and easier.