Would you care as much about what people think of you if I told you that people, in the grand scheme of things, don't think of you as much as you think they do? That goes for all of us. In general, human beings are very self-conscious. We assume people are looking at or talking about us when they're really not. We presume they're thinking about what we're eating or wearing when that may not be the case. Let's face it: people have more than enough to occupy their mind. From our jobs to kids to bills, we have more important fish to fry than other's dressing and eating habits. Mind you, there are people -- we see them in the workplace all the time -- who do expatiate on such topics, but it's the exception rather than the rule. There's nothing wrong with caring about how you come across to others, but some people take it to an extreme. They spend beyond their means to buy the most expensive clothes, jewelry, and cars in hopes of impressing othe...

There's a well-known adage that variety is the spice of life. This is far from a tired cliché; it's the truth. The only way to ensure that our lives don't get stuck in a repetitive rut is to keep them fresh and exciting. We do this by infusing them with new experiences. That can be anything from traveling the world to taking a different route to and from work each day. We are creatures of habit who tend to get stuck in our comfort zone, conditioning us to live each day in "rinse and repeat" fashion. While a little routine is to be expected, we shouldn't feel as if each day is a rehash of the prior one. If, at the end of the week, you can't remember a single thing that distinguished one day of that week from the other -- if the entire week seems like a big blur -- that's a telltale sign you may need to spruce things up a bit. And no one says injecting some spontaneity into your life has to be expensive. The key is to do a few little things ...