Even amongst my closest male friends, I've noticed something of a pattern: Men generally don't like to talk about their problems. I recently wrote to a friend who uncharacteristically forgot my birthday this year. To my surprise, he told me he'd had surgery and had been in recovery for two weeks.  He didn't seem inclined to talk much about it; in fact, he didn't even disclose what kind of surgery he'd had. I'm in a similar boat with yet another male friend, who recently broke up with his fiancée of three years and has been scant on details.  This despite the fact that I, as a man, have been transparent with them about my health and relationship woes in the past.  I understand not everyone is at the same comfort level when it comes to divulging personal information, even to close friends.  But these very men have a tendency to pry into the affairs of others. They may ask questions of me that they wouldn't answer themselves if it were the other way around....

When life knocks you down, refuse to give up. Get back on your feet and hit it back -- and go for nothing short of the jugular! You're in the driver's seat of your life. Never let other people -- or circumstances over which you may have little to no control -- get in the way of your happiness. Life is too short not to fight for what you want. Life is too short to throw in the towel anytime something doesn't go as planned -- whether you didn't get the job or the girl. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, focus your energies on what lies ahead. Instead of thinking that you missed out, consider that even better opportunities are in the offing. Maybe all it takes is to work a little harder and fine-tune your approach. If something bothers you too much -- if it has you down in the dumps -- it's because you're letting it have control over your thoughts and feelings. Don't let anything negative hold so much sway over you! For example, let's say someon...

Many people tell me that they wish they could change certain aspects of their lives. To be sure, some of them are fully in their control, like finding a better job or losing weight. It takes hard work and persistence to achieve these goals, but they're certainly not impossible. What is outside their grasp, however, is the behavior of other people. It's this that seems to make them more despondent than anything else.  You may have tried your hardest to change your partner for the better -- say, to be more helpful around the house -- to no avail. You might be pushing your friend to hang out with you more often, but she seems to have time for everything and everyone except you.  We've all been there. As long as you've done your part and expressed how you feel, there's no reason to feel dispirited over that which you cannot change. We can't will others' behavior to be how we like. People will always do things that will upset us. Unfortunately...