The key to a happier life, as Albert Einstein said, is to tie your life to a goal -- not to people or things. We all have goals we aim to achieve, from getting a degree to traveling around the world to losing weight to spending more time with our family. When you make your happiness contingent upon the acquisition of material possessions or the approval of others, the quality of your life takes a nosedive. For one, material stuff rusts, wears, and tears. Sure, it's always nice to get a new phone or car, but the novelty of the item dissipates quite fast. Before you know it, that phone or car is giving you problems. People who feel they have to be the first to obtain the latest and greatest gadgets will never be content, and it's likely because they're trying to stay ahead of their peers. In the end, buying loads of expensive products you may not even need does nothing but eat away at your bank account and credit. Typing your happiness to other people is similarly ...

If your plans fail, change the plans -- not the goal. Far too many people give up when their initial strategy or approach doesn't immediately bear fruit. Ever heard the saying, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result"? Sometimes it's all a matter of fine-tuning your approach. For example, if a baseball player is in an awful slump, he won't give up on his goal of getting hits and driving in runs. In such cases, the batter will merely change his approach at the plate. It might take a while before he finds something that works, but at least he's working toward breaking out of the dry spell. Rather than trying to swing for the fences each and every time, he may decide to go back to basics and focus on making contact. Once he's regained his confidence at the plate, he's bound to hit homers and provide a jolt to the offense. If you want to achieve something badly enough, you won't just abandon your goa...

Did you notice how I put the word "your" in all caps? That was done for a reason. All of us have had family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances -- some well-meaning, and others not so much -- try to impose their opinions, feelings, and beliefs on us. But others' instincts should never override our own . After all, no one knows us better than we know ourselves. I often tell my readers that the best tool in their arsenal for navigating the world is none other than their gut. I have found my gut to be invaluable in guiding me to make sound decisions. Whether I've had to choose between different job opportunities or love interests, following my instinct has usually led to the best outcome.  I'm sure you've made decisions that, in hindsight, wound up being the wrong ones, prompting you to say wistfully, "If only I had listened to my gut." But listening to your instinct isn't easy when you have a cacophony of voices...