The following two quotes are attributed to the late science fiction writer Isaac Asimov: "Education isn't something you can finish." "Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is." The prolific Asimov, who wrote or edited over 500 books and penned roughly 90,000 postcards and letters in his lifetime, was absolutely correct on both counts. It's a shame that in this age of rapid technological advancement, students leave education in the rear-view mirror, maintaining that their learning days are surely over. But who says that we have to dump our books in crates as soon as we snag our diploma? Why not continue delving into Shakespeare, Newton, or Lincoln even after we've left the Ivory Tower? What many people fail to realize is that schools, colleges, and universities merely scratch the surface of the course offerings they make available to students. You can't possibly expect more than a cursory look, for exa...

Some of the people we have to deal with in our daily lives are, shall we say, difficult. Our bosses may impose unrealistic demands on us, oblivious to the fact we may have a sick child or parent to attend to. Our relatives might meddle in our business, bringing pressure to bear on us so that we take the course of action they think would make us happy rather than the one we're confident will. (As if they would know us better than we know ourselves.) And even our closest friends can be tough to stomach on their worst days. They may take their frustrations out on us without necessarily intending to, potentially causing a rift in the friendship. Here are a few tips to prevent you from losing your cool: 1. Remind yourself it's only temporary. You may intend to stay in that job another year before moving on. The family member giving you grief -- your cousin Eddie, for example -- may only be in town for another few days. And your friend, normally of a jovial temperament, m...

There are good relationships -- then there are relationships that are simply transcendent. There are relationships in which partners connect physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Then there are those in which both cultivate a spiritual bond as well, two souls connecting so deeply that nothing short of death could ever break their union. Oftentimes, a pair might point to the fact they can finish each other's sentences, make the other feel better merely by grabbing their hand, or empathize with them like no one else can as proof that they're truly in sync. The right partner awakens in us feelings that lay dormant, or that we never knew existed. Before we met them, maybe we were too afraid to pursue our dreams, or too reluctant to believe in ourselves. They have a special way of cheering us up when we're feeling down, perhaps with their characteristic smile or laugh. They may not always agree with everything we say or do (and why would they?), but they a...

Do you typically ruminate about the most unfortunate scenario even though it could very well go the opposite way? Rather than picturing and stressing over the worst possible outcome, why not imagine things turning out favorably for you? Sure, it doesn't mean they will. And it doesn't mean we should be oblivious to the consequences of our actions or the potential downsides in any given situation. But pessimism will only work against you, as those negative thoughts that invade the mind will try to convince you that you won't succeed -- that you won't overcome the hurdles life puts on your path. Never give in to negative thinking! You might harp on the negative because deep down you sense that if you're too optimistic, you might very well get blindsided -- and let down -- by setbacks. But here's the thing: You can be pragmatic -- mindful of the pros and cons, the pluses and the minuses -- without allowing negativity to overtake you. In other words, ...

Sometimes it isn't that someone has changed, but that now you see them for who they really are. It can be disappointing to realize that someone whom you held in high esteem -- whether an old friend or relatively new girlfriend -- isn't as you imagined. Maybe you've noticed a pattern of lies, throwing cold water on the rosy impression you'd built of them in your mind. Perhaps they'd hidden the fact that they have a massive heap of debt, a never-before-mentioned ex who continues reaching out to them, or aspirations of moving to Europe in a year. Do some people change for the worst over time? In some instances, yes. It's possible they could grow complacent, envious, or flat-out bitter in the relationship, and things like alcohol and stress at work may be culprits -- though they're certainly not valid reasons for bad behavior. But in other cases, they manage to put up a front -- rather effectively, I might add -- that may persist for years. The p...

Does anyone treat you like you're below them -- whether it's because they have a higher position, nicer car, or bigger house? Kick them to the curb. If a person is so shallow as to put physical objects before the things that really count -- friendship, love, respect, humility -- give them the boot. No one is above anyone else. A janitor is just as deserving of others' respect and kindness as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. One's possessions say nothing of their character. While I'm not trying to begrudge them their success -- especially if they worked their butts off to get what they have -- it should never make people feel entitled. Who's to say that the garbage man or waitress hasn't gone through tremendous hardship in life preventing him or her from going to school and rising above their station? And who's to say they can't eventually reach that point if they truly commit themselves? Yet, not everyone yearns to be rich. They ma...

Chances are there's someone in your midst who carries an ego bigger than the state of Texas. They're heavily preoccupied with looking good in front of others. They can't bear to lose, whether a promotion to a colleague or a game of chess to a friend. They have an unquenchable thirst to come out on top, no matter the cost. Why is it that some people have such oversized egos?  The answer lies in something known as the egocentric bias . First coined in 1980 by Anthony Greenwald, a psychologist at Ohio State University, egocentric bias is the tendency to depend too heavily on one's own perspective and/or have a higher opinion of oneself than reality. It stems from the psychological need to satisfy one's ego, which research suggests can be advantageous for memory consolidation. As it turns out, ideas, beliefs, and experiences are more easily recalled when they match one's own, inducing an egocentric perspective. The effects of egocentric bias can vary based...

Earlier this week, I watched a video on psychological techniques employed in marketing and advertising. One of the subjects they talked about extends well beyond the world of promotion. In fact, it's something we do in our lives quite often, sometimes to our detriment. They touched upon what is called the focusing illusion.  In a nutshell, it means that the more you think about something, the more importance you assign it. The moment you convince yourself that you're hungry, you might not want to do anything else until you've grabbed something to nosh on. And you might find yourself unable to stop thinking about an ad you saw on TV promoting the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte the night before. Moreover, we tend to see the focusing illusion in action when it comes to those things that make us excited, nervous, or sad. A couple of examples include: Not being able to take your mind off a new girl you just met Being consumed by negative thoughts as your doctor...

Whether you're nervous about a presentation you're slated to make before investors, worried about lab results following a doctor's visit, or freaking out about a blind date you have coming up, does it benefit you in any way to think the very worst? Absolutely not! As soon as a situation presents itself that forces us out of our comfort zone, for many of us a sense of pessimism kicks in immediately. We assume we're going to bomb the presentation. We convince ourselves the lab results will reveal something serious. We anticipate the date will be a total disaster. Seeing the glass as half empty erodes our confidence and can even do a number on our self-esteem. It's normal to feel a little anxiety in such situations, but getting extremely worked up won't help matters at all. Instead, we need to force ourselves to consider alternative -- and decidedly positive -- scenarios. Who says things can't things go smoothly? Chances are you've been in...

The untimely deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain this week -- both from apparent suicides -- have rocked the entertainment world and left many people asking one key question: How can people who have so much -- money, fame, a bevy of accomplishments to their name -- commit suicide? Interestingly, I wrote separate entries in recent days that touch on these topics peripherally. Here they are in case you missed them: 2 effective ways to combat depression A sad truth about many people we know The first entry suggests helpful ways of keeping your mind off of whatever is dragging you down, like staying busy through mentally rigorous activities. The latter post attempts to dispel the notion that money and material possessions translate into indefinite happiness. Spade and Bourdain's deaths are the latest in a string of celebrity suicides in recent years. You may recall that Robin Williams, one of world's most celebrated actors, took...

Buddha once said, "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." If there's one thing we can unequivocally infer from Buddha's words, it's that the mind wields a very powerful influence on our daily lives. Thinking positively can make a world of a difference between a good day and a terrible one. Merely telling yourself in the morning that today will be a good day becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Living in the moment and thinking about all you have can lift your spirits in a big way, unlike the tendency to ruminate on the negative -- what you lack, what could be better, etc. If you aspire to become, say, the CEO of your company, the very first step is believing you can get there. If you don't believe in yourself, you'll lose motivation almost as quickly as you've mustered it. And positive vibes are infectious; they draw people to you like flies. It's no surprise that when you're in a gre...

Between work, kids, household chores, and other responsibilities, many of us are left with depleted physical and mental resources at the end of the day. However, I've observed that even on weekends -- when we have more spare time to read, write, play Sudoku, or engage in other mentally-stimulating activities -- many people still opt to do things that require minimal thinking, such as sifting through Facebook posts or binge-watching The Real Housewives of Potomac . Mind you, there's nothing wrong with these kinds of things. But while I'm all for giving the mind a rest at certain points throughout the day, I can't go more than a couple of hours without wanting to learn something new -- whether it's the meaning of a word I came across in an article or about President Trump's latest economic proposals. I'm on a seemingly never-ending quest to expand my vocabulary and gain as much insight into the world -- and the human mind -- as I possibly can. I try m...

Here's to a happy, healthy, and productive March for us all! If February was a good month for you, I hope this month will be nothing short of great! If you're dealing with any problems that carried over into March, you now have a fresh 31 days to resolve them. It will get better! If you're working to achieve a goal but haven't quite crossed the finish line, don't despair. A new month presents a wonderful opportunity to work a bit harder toward achieving it. You'll get there, little by little. Don't ruminate on what did or did not happen in February, for that month is now behind us. Focus on what lies ahead. As long as you're positive, the forecast won't call for showers and thunderstorms. Instead, there will be plenty of sunny days in store. As I've put forward in prior entries, the mind exerts a powerful influence over our mood and attitude. If you go into the month assuming the worst, you'll get the worst. It's that simp...

Can you guess the one thing no one can take from you? If you said learning , knowledge , or education , you've hit the nail on the head. People can break into your house and steal your jewelry. They can snoop through your drawers at work and snag the million dollar idea you wrote on a post-it note. But no one can magically teleport into your brain and pilfer your knowledge. What's in the mind stays in the mind. That's why we should all aim to nourish our minds with as much information as we possibly can. The more we learn, the more we enrich ourselves. Human beings have a tendency to want to conserve their mental resources wherever possible. But thinking critically keeps the brain sharp, whether we're playing Scrabble or dreaming up ways to get a new business off the ground. Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets." Fortunately, you're never too young or too old to lea...

Whether you're going through a tough time because you're short on cash, unable to find love, or having marital problems, I have a message for you: Things will eventually work out. That may strike you as impossible at this juncture, but over time, things will fall in place. It may not happen on your timetable, but it will occur nonetheless. This is only a passing storm, a temporary blip, a small fork in the road. With hard work, gumption, an irrepressible drive, and support from friends (including me and others on this blog), you'll land back on your feet before you know it. Don't underestimate your will and capacity to overcome even the most daunting obstacles. You can achieve anything you set your heart and mind to. As someone anonymous once put it, "A river cuts through a rock, not because of its power, but its persistence." Pray, put in a vigorous workout at the gym, treat yourself a hearty meal -- do whatever it takes to relax and blow off so...

Nelson Mandela once said, "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." I think he was spot on. We should never allow the heart to dictate all our decisions, nor should we let rationality call the shots on its own all the time. Instead, we should balance what the mind wants with what the heart desires. The two should work in tandem with and complement each other, thus allowing us to make better decisions in the process. Wearing your heart on your sleeve all the time might lead to your being taken advantage of. And using logic as a guide without ever considering your emotions can be conducive to playing it too safe. With the latter, you're being too carefree. With the former, you're being too rigid. The ideal? Striking a healthy balance between the two. As long as the heart checks the brain and vice-versa, one is better positioned to make better choices. Do you agree with Mandela?

Little do some of us know how powerful positive affirmations can be when it comes to breaking out of our depression and/or getting in a better mood. A moment ago, I came across a quote from George Washington that perfectly illustrates this point: "Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person's mind than on the externals in the world." Indeed, the mind exerts a much more powerful influence on our happiness than external factors -- from material possessions to others in our circle -- can. Telling yourself things like "everything's going to be okay," "you'll get through this," and "stay positive" puts you in a positive frame of mind rather than a negative one. When I've found myself down in the dumps, resorting to such positive affirmations has garnered me the strength to get up the next morning. And if you feel embarrassed that other people might hear you "talking to yourself," no one says you c...

Do what is right for you . No one else is walking in your shoes. No one knows you -- your fears, your passions, your goals -- better than you do. Never let anyone chart your path for you, for only you know the ultimate road to fulfillment in your life. Never let anyone convince you that whatever you wish to pursue isn't right for you -- only you have the final say in that. Never let anyone dissuade you from attempting to accomplish even the loftiest of goals. If your heart and mind are in the right place, you can achieve anything. Your parents' or friends' experiences won't necessarily be your own. Just because they failed at something doesn't mean you will. Perhaps they lack your will to persevere in the face of long odds. Sometimes people secretly want you to fail; never, ever give them that satisfaction. There's no greater feeling in the world than proving someone who said you couldn't achieve something wrong . Only you have the right to say you ca...

Many of us have a tendency to see people through rose-colored glasses rather than judging them for who they really are. In other words, we're idealistic rather than realistic . We know what people are capable of -- they've done us wrong before -- yet still we decide to give them the benefit of the doubt. We really exclusively on what our heart tells us, to the exclusion of any alarms your mind may be sounding. Unfortunately, this is how people end up in disastrous relationships. When dealing with people, it's imperative that we not solely rely on our emotions. The brain should also play a role. We can compare this to something in politics of all things: the system of checks and balances, where each of the three branches of government can limit the powers of the others. This way, no one branch becomes too powerful. Each branch “checks” the power of the other branches to make sure that the power is balanced between them. It's precisely because of this system that the ...

Thanks to how easy technology has made everything for us, people are becoming lazier and lazier by the minute. At work, people would rather wait five minutes for the elevator than take the stairs. And as I've stressed in some of my other posts, people are relying heavily on technology to do everything from send out wedding invitations to wish people a Happy Birthday. The world has gone digital -- in the process, our relationships with people have grown more impersonal. Traditional Hallmark cards? Written letters sent by mail? These things have gone the way of the dodo bird. While technology certainly has made it possible to do things at the push of a button -- things our ancestors could only dream of -- it has also made us lazy and complacent. I've said it before and I'll say it again here: I think people are spending too much time watching TV and surfing the web. This has contributed in part to what pundits and academics have been saying for years: Society is b...