If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to ease the pain of loneliness, I have news for you: Being in the wrong company can be far worse, as such feelings are only magnified.  Ask yourself this: Do you really think you'd feel lonelier by yourself, or in a group of people you hardly know and may have little in common with? As shocking as it may be to some, it's perfectly normal to enjoy your own company. You don't need other people to enjoy such hobbies as reading, writing, listening to music, and exercising. Besides, sometimes you need alone time to contemplate and catch a breath of fresh air after a tough day. In essence, being alone and being lonely aren't one and the same. The former can actually be a plus -- something one seeks for their general well-being. The latter, on the other hand, is a negative condition one generally tries to extricate themselves from. Having others around can be a boon if you know and trust them. In the absence of such rap...

So many of us have a tendency to base our decisions around those of others. We buy a certain car because our neighbor just bought a similar one. We suddenly feel the urge to have a child because all our friends are having kids. Our coworker gets a promotion and all of the sudden, we want one. Even though we don't drink or eat sushi, everyone in our book club does, so we feel pressured to follow suit. Unfortunately, many us fall victim to the herd mentality. We'll do almost anything not to stand apart from our fellow peers in any way. We hate the thought of being ostracized or left out, so we try to shadow their behavior -- in everything from the clothes they wear to the products they buy. I'm of the belief that embracing your uniqueness is the key to self-fulfillment. People will always try to impose their beliefs and attitudes on you so you can think and act like them. Why? Because it validates the decisions they've made. If you opt to go down a different pat...

I've made what I -- and several others -- consider to be an astute observation:  Many people become highly obnoxious when they get together with other people -- whether their friends, coworkers, or others they're close to.  They become looser and less conscious of their surroundings, which often translates into firing off cuss words and lame jokes. Such behavior is only magnified when drinks are involved. I don't take any issue with people having fun with their friends. It's being so silly as to be annoying -- getting drunk, joining forces to demean others, making fools of themselves -- that gets on my nerves.  As I've pointed out in prior entries, people tend toward civilized behavior when they're alone because there's no audience to impress. They don't have to worry about channeling someone else's behavior -- being "part of the group" -- because no one else is there. Thus, when people are alone, they're more vulne...