If you expect people to think and act like you, I regret to inform you that those expectations are unlikely to be met! Of course, you do have control over the company you keep. If you want your friends to be liberal baseball fans like you who advocate for the environment, you can make a conscious effort to surround yourself with such folks. And it's only natural to expect others to share common values like loyalty, decency, and respect. Otherwise, why bother keeping them around? But even like-minded people -- from your partner to your closest friends -- won't approach every situation as you would. For example, just because your hubby proposes a markedly different solution to a problem than you would, i.e., how to tackle your kid's poor math grades, should not be taken to mean your suggestion is wrong. Similarly, just because your wife doesn't display affection in the ways you would -- or as often -- doesn't mean she doesn't love you. Neither pers...

Becoming overly preoccupied with what others are thinking -- especially about you -- and doing is not conducive to a happy life. In fact, it can bring on feelings of anxiety and even depression if one isn't careful. When I say "don't think too much about people," I don't mean blocking out thoughts of, say, your adorable daughter's first steps, or repressing thoughts of your sister's recent promotion.  There are obviously favorable events tied to those we love that in turn bring us joy because we care deeply for them.  No, I speak of negative thoughts that can send us down the rabbit hole of overthinking. Examples include: Your boss throws you under the bus in a meeting, and you find yourself unable to let it go the rest of the day -- even though she apologized profusely and chalked it up to things she's going through in her personal life. Your partner agrees to pick you up from work on her day off work since the two of you are curre...

While life isn't perfect, it is definitely what we make of it . Stop for a second and think about what that really means. How do we really make the most of our lives? Simply put, we recognize that although things won't always go our way, we refuse to let bumps in the road stop us from reaching our ultimate destination: happiness. People will disappoint us (and often such people will include ourselves). Crappy days at work are a certainty. We may run into financial and health problems here and there. And we're likely to see a venture or two fall through (e.g., launching a new business doesn't work out). But life isn't about what happens to you. It's what you do with what happens to you. In other words, we may not be able to control unfolding events, but we can control how we respond to them. Do you allow setbacks to knock you off course? Or do you use them as catalysts for achieving your goals? Do you let one obnoxious person ruin your day? Or do ...