By now, you may have picked up on a common refrain across many of my posts: That happiness lies in the present, which is why we should aim to live in the here and now. Sadly, however, many people live only for a better tomorrow. Then, when tomorrow comes, their focus is still on the future.  There's nothing wrong with being forward-looking and continually aiming to achieve goals. But unless one takes time every now and then to appreciate the present -- to come up for air and smell the roses, so to speak -- they will always find themselves in a state of yearning rather than contentment. For example, some people have an insatiable appetite for acquiring material goods, whether they be clothes, shoes, gadgets, and cars. No sooner do they get their hands on one than they already set their sights on their next conquest. They may leave the item collecting dust, rendering it obsolete in a few years. In essence, they're all about the chase. Once what they want is in their...

Looking to achieve a goal? Inhale confidence. Exhale doubt.  Even if no one else believes in you (which is highly unlikely), you are your single biggest ally. If you don't believe in yourself, you won't realize your dreams -- plain and simple. Achieving goals take hard work, determination, and dogged persistence. If you want something badly enough and are willing to go the extra mile to get it, you've already won half the battle. You might cry, face sleepless nights, argue with friends and loved ones, and even have occasional bouts of depression, pushing you to the brink of quitting. But don't give up!  Things will get better. Hang in there. When everything seems doomed to fail, stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. Ask yourself whether retooling your strategy -- making a few tweaks here and there -- might get you back on the right path. If achieving a goal were easy, we'd have countless superstar athletes, actors, rock stars, and rocket scientis...

Don't preoccupy yourself trying to be more successful than your friends, neighbors, or coworkers. Instead, focus on improving yourself. Concentrate on being better than you were a day, a week, even a year ago -- whether that means getting in better shape, becoming more productive, having more money in the bank, or just becoming a better person all around. Comparing ourselves to other people can only lead us down a path of jealousy, resentment, and frayed relationships. We must all concede that there will always be someone more popular, attractive or successful than us. But that doesn't mean we have to begrudge them their fortune. And it doesn't mean we have to emulate them either. Their lives are theirs alone. You have your own life in which to achieve the goals that you've chosen to pursue. Those goals won't always align with others', and that's okay. Not all of us want to be rich doctors, parents to four children, or globetrotters. Some of u...

Dream big.  The sky is your limit. When others say you can't, let that fuel your drive even more toward achieving your goals. There's nothing more satisfying than proving the naysayers wrong. There's nothing more gratifying than seeing others eat crow for doubting your abilities and dismissing your "lofty" dreams. Don't let anyone tell you that you're incapable of achieving something -- especially not yourself. You're your own biggest supporter. A dream starts with and is realized by you. If you get knocked down, get back on your feet and try again. No one said success comes easy. Giving up is simply not an option on the road to success, one with its fair share of forks. Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything. Be positive. Be resilient. Be unstoppable!

If you're dead set on achieving something -- whether it's to lose weight, get a promotion, or find a partner -- putting it off until tomorrow won't get you any closer to your goal. Start today! Waiting until tomorrow -- or next week, or next month -- only increases the likelihood that you won't get around to achieving that goal. Either that, or your heart and mind truly aren't as invested in it as you may think. Procrastination is anathema to progress and results. Why not begin working toward achieving your goal sooner than later? The earlier you start, the quicker to the finish line, and the less of a load you'll have to worry about later on. For example, let's say part of your diet includes hitting the gym three times a week. If you schedule your workouts for the early part of the week -- say, Monday through Thursday -- that leaves the weekend for other items on your to-do list, from bills to laundry. Human beings are especially reluctant to do thi...

When someone casts doubt on you and your ability to achieve a goal -- especially a far-fetched one -- how should you react? Should you hurl obscenities at them? Stoop down to their level and discredit their own goals or accomplishments? Absolutely not. The best course of action is to work harder than ever to achieve that goal -- and prove them wrong.  Over the years, people have doubted my ability to do everything from lose 30 pounds over the summer to land jobs for which there have been over 100 applicants. There's nothing sweeter than proving wrong those who write you off. And why would they? We can achieve anything we set our hearts and minds to. The naysayers are likely those who doubt their own ability to accomplish whatever goal you've set out to achieve, as well as their personal goals. They're simply projecting their own lack of self-confidence to you. Never stand for such behavior. If these individuals claim to be your friends, perhaps you ought to thin...

Most of us are appreciative of the things and people in our lives. Still, there is always something missing that we wish we could have. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Wouldn't life become a bit dull if everything we could possibly want was in our possession? Here are a few examples of things we might yearn for: More money Better health A college degree Traveling around the world Children, or more of them A better job A partner A better house Right now, the thing I want most in my life is to earn a master's degree. I've always loved to learn, which I do even in my spare time. I find it unsettling that some of the people I know don't share my deep passion for knowledge, and yet they have that diploma hanging on their wall. Something just doesn't seem right about that.  That's why I'm mulling whether to go back to my alma mater and get that ever-elusive degree. Up until now, my excuse for not going had been that they didn't...

All of us have gripes with certain things about our present lives, whether it's being stuck in a dead-end job, not having enough friends, being overweight, or just feeling like we're in a monotonous rut. This has some of us feeling rather depressed or even wallowing in self-pity. The secret to life is not what happens to you, but how you react to and deal with such circumstances. I'll give you an example: While I blog and freelance on the side, my day job is as a copywriter in the travel industry. While I enjoy working in the travel business, I sometimes feel as though I'm doing nothing truly meaningful in the private sector; it's all about the bottom line and helping the big-wigs get richer. I found my college days to be the best time of my life, largely because I loved learning, studying, and challenging myself to get A's and graduate with a high G.P.A. (I take pride in the fact that I graduated summa cum laude with a 3.91 G.P.A.). Thus, I yearn to eventua...

Sometimes we question what the purpose of our lives really is. We get stuck in ruts, or, even worse, we hit rough patches where nothing seems to go right and ask ourselves, "Is there more to life than this?" What we have to remember is that storms eventually pass. We need to stay focused on the things that really matter to us life. Those things obviously vary from person to person, but we all strive toward achieving goals that make life purposeful. My goals in life include: Loving my wife and family and being there for them as much as I can Helping the less fortunate Helping animals, about which I am passionate Learning as much as I can, especially about the subjects that interest me the most (psychology and history) Living below my means Becoming as good a writer as I can possibly be, and writing a book someday Your goals may be to strike it rich, support the environment, and help find a cure for a certain disease. That's the beauty of life. We all hav...