Have you ever stayed in a relationship a lot longer than you should have? While hindsight is always instructive, many people would admit that they began seeing the red flags early on, but decided to turn a blind eye. But why would people do this? As I've noted in prior entries, people could do it for a variety of reasons, including: The fear of being alone They have a long history with the person There are kids in the picture Financial dependency A low self-esteem Fear of change/a reluctance to start anew  Beyond that , they think their partner has the potential to be a better person. This brings me to two mistakes I've touched upon in earlier posts that people with their heart in the right place tend to make: 1. They set their expectations of the other person too high. 2. They set out to help "change" or "save" them. The higher you set your expectations of other people, the greater the chances of being disappointed.  As ...

After a 10-year hiatus from higher education, I'm strongly considering going back to school next year and pursuing a master's degree in English. Considering I bought three prep books earlier in the week to help me prepare for the Graduation Record Examinations (GRE) -- which my program of interest requires a good score on in order to be accepted -- I'd say that shows I'm pretty serious about taking the plunge. Sometimes I regret waiting so long to get my master's -- then I remind myself that it was ultimately a wise choice. Not only have I been able to gain ample work experience in my field, but the money I would have used on the master's has instead gone towards major life events like getting married, buying a home, and taking a few bucket list vacations. With no debt to speak of (mortgage notwithstanding), I'm in a much better financial position now to get a master's than I would have been if I'd gone to grad school right after earning my bach...

Though some of us fear it more than others, human beings, for the most part, have a natural aversion to change. But why? For starters, we all slip into comfort zones that are difficult to clamber out of. We become so accustomed to the same people, routines, and processes in our everyday lives that a big life change -- like moving to a new town,  getting a new job, or beginning a new relationship -- can seem utterly frightening. Even the best of us have a tendency to think that going through with the change can turn out disastrous. Countless questions run through our minds like "What if I regret it?" and "What if it doesn't work out?" As I've noted in other posts, I am very risk-averse myself. When contemplating making a change that would require getting out of my comfort zone, I often tell myself that the status quo isn't so bad and the grass on the other side isn't necessarily greener. The only problem is that making our goals a reality ...