Want to be happier? The   less you attach your happiness to people or material things, the happier you'll be. Why? Because material things come and go, as do people. They're transitory.  What brings us true joy are experiences, which can create lasting memories. While things may have ended badly with your ex-boyfriend, there's no harm in conceding that you cherished -- perhaps to this day -- the times you spent with him, even if you don't want him back in your life. Or, you may reminisce about the trip you and your friends took to Cancun while you were in college, even though time and distance have caused something of a rift in your friendship. See what I mean? Focus on the experience and how it enriched your life, not on the person. Relationships evolve just like the people in them. Depending on someone else to be happy sets one up for disappointment in the event that person does a one-eighty, which most of us have experienced at some poin...

Curly haired women wish they had smooth, silky hair. Balding men just wish they had more of it, no matter the texture. Women want bigger purses and more shoes. Men desire bigger houses and cars. Short people wish they could be taller and heavy people would do anything to look like their thin neighbors. As you can see, we are in a constant state of yearning. Very rarely do we just settle for what we have and call it a day. No, we constantly strive to achieve or obtain things -- and the more out of reach they seem, the more desirable they are to us. There's nothing wrong with bettering yourself. If you've worked hard to earn your money, you should be able to get hair transplants, luxurious cars, or whatever else you're aiming for. I always warn people, however, against becoming too focused on what they don't have versus what they already do. We must keep things in perspective. No matter how much money we have, we're never going to get every single thing we...

I am pleased to share with you the first of many Quotes of the Day. This is just one of several new features I will be integrating into the blog in the new year. Without further ado, the first Quote of the Day comes from Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), who, aside from being one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was a respected writer, printer, inventor, scientist, statesman, and diplomat. "If you desire many things, many things will seem few." - Benjamin Franklin I love the meaning behind this well-known quote by the revered Franklin. I take it to mean that the more you yearn for material things, the less you'll be satisfied by them. You'll want something, grow bored of it, and angle for the next thing that grabs your interest. Rinse and repeat -- it's a vicious cycle that never ends. Unfortunately, we know far too many people that become locked in the tight grip of consumerism. Many factors are to blame, including advertisements and promotions ...