Before you enter into a relationship, it's important that two conditions be met: (1) You love yourself, and (2) You feel happy and content without a partner. Relationship satisfaction is closely tied to personal life satisfaction, so the happier a person is in general, the happier he or she is likely to be in a relationship. Don't rely on a partner to make your life great; your life should already be great regardless of whom you're dating. If you don't love yourself, you'll always feel as though something is missing in your life -- even if your partner professes to love you to the moon and back. It isn't fair to depend on anyone else to fill that void. And why should they? A relationship isn't meant to "complete" you. A relationship isn't intended to "fulfill" you. It's meant to enrich your life. You're your own person with or without a partner. Just because you're single doesn't mean you enjoy eating a d...

Many of us can't help but grumble about our jobs, whether it's the low pay, obnoxious coworkers, or lousy commute. But what we fail to realize is that we can make our jobs much more tolerable if we only made a couple of mental adjustments. Below are two things you can do that will most definitely make your job easier to stomach. 1. Don't depend on the job to fulfill you. While we should like our work enough not to feel miserable doing it day in and day out, we should never think of our jobs as the be-all and end-all. A job will never fulfill you completely; that's what hobbies are for. I know certain jobs can certainly be fulfilling (e.g., charity work), but let's face it: the vast majority of jobs have an ugly side to them. Politics, red tape, layoffs, and other negatives are part and parcel of virtually all organizations. The less pressure you put on a job to fulfill you, the happier you'll be. You can always leave for another opportunity if your current...

As the late great British novelist C.S. Lewis once said, " You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream." I totally concur. Whether you want to switch careers at 40, make new friends at 50, or travel the world at 60, your age should not hinder you from striving to achieve goals big and small. I've read success stories about senior citizens starting new businesses, skydiving, finding love, and achieving other impressive feats. We can't assume that they didn't at least try to accomplish these things earlier in life. Maybe it just wasn't in the cards for them at that juncture, or it took a few repeated attempts before things worked out. These individuals inspire younger generations to pursue their passions at full throttle. Their remarkable achievements send a clear message: That it's better late than never. Just because you can't achieve something, say, in your 30s, doesn't mean you can't achieve it later in life. ...

Look in the mirror and you'll see the person ultimately responsible for your happiness -- yourself . It's a shame that so many people I talk to are quick to mention other people when asked what exerts the biggest influence on their happiness. Yes, some people bring us great joy -- our parents, spouse, children, closest friends -- but they should not bear the responsibility of making you happy all the time. Parents grow old, our spouses have their own issues to worry about, our children grow up eventually, and our friends can always drift away from us. No one has your best interests at heart more than yourself. No one confides in you more than yourself. No one experiences the highs and lows in your life like you do. Happiness shouldn't depend on how people treat you or what they think of you. In fact, in my view, you can't love others unless and until you love yourself first. We all want to feel loved and accepted by others. Great social relationships, in and...

Whether you work in nursing, finance, or teaching, expecting your job to bring you fulfillment isn't always the best way to go about it. Read on to learn why you should instead strive to start a business of your own or cultivate hobbies outside of work. Expecting your job to fill a void in your life is a surefire prescription for trouble. Why?  From tyrannical bosses and untrustworthy co-workers to red tape that utterly stifles creativity, there’s simply too much going on at our jobs that is beyond our control . And when there’s too much beyond your control, it’s hard to fulfill your goals and make as big an impact as you desire. This is precisely what prompts many of us to hop from one job to another in search of conditions that are better aligned with our goals. Still, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I currently work as a writer in the travel industry. (That’s my day job;  I also write articles for websites and maintain this blog.) You would think I’d h...