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...

Most of us have been there: We unexpectedly run into an ex boyfriend or girlfriend in a public place -- be it the grocery store, gym, or dry cleaners. It can be hard figuring out what to do in such an awkward situation. Some people feel the urge to say "hi" and then go about their business, while others might feel compelled to ignore the person completely. I once ran into an ex girlfriend inside the library of a local college. I felt the need to be courteous, so I said "hello" and proceeded to sit at a table to catch up on my reading. I think most people in this situation would want to be polite, but they'd stop short of actually engaging the ex girlfriend or boyfriend in conversation. People might be afraid, and reasonably so, that chatting the person up might send the wrong signals, like a desire to be friends, or, worse -- to get back together! My recommendation is simple: Either greet the person, or pretend you didn't see your ex and just keep ...