Happy Wednesday, everyone! I wanted to share with you an inspiring quote from William Arthur Ward: "Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them." Whether a fantastic new job opportunity presents itself, a house you've been eying for some time finally becomes available on the market, or you serendipitously meet someone who seems to embody everything you want in a partner, when opportunity comes knocking, you must answer the door! It probably sounds cliché by now, but some opportunities don't come twice in a lifetime. If a great one comes up, don't rest on your laurels -- seize it before someone else does! Most people would agree that it's better to regret doing something than not doing something, so long as your gut doesn't tell you otherwise. At least when you do something that turns out unfavorably, you learn from it so that next time you can make a more sound decision. Experience steels us for future challenges. ...

As an overthinker, I know firsthand what a double-edged sword it can be. At times, it can feel like a blessing, while at others it can seem like a curse. You're always proactive about everything so as to prevent any mishaps: setting three alarms in the morning so you don't oversleep, making sure your spouse charged his or her phone overnight so that you don't assume the worst if you don't hear from them, checking several times that you locked the front door before heading to work, overpreparing for meetings and presentations, and so on. In other words, an overthinker's modus operandi is to minimize risk and avoid problems, which definitely keeps them out of trouble. The problem is that overthinking can lead one to become very anxious, almost to the point of having a nervous breakdown. There have been times where my wife has left her phone at home or on silent. When I dial her number and don't get a response, I continue to call incessantly until she p...

We have a tendency to get bogged down over stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, isn't all that important. We fret about toxic people who appear to dislike us but are themselves disliked by most people, insignificant gossip that we worry sullies our reputation at work and elsewhere, and being betrayed by even our closest friends. In other words, we make mountains out of molehills . Life is short, guys. There is no reason to let such negative thoughts infiltrate your mind. Worrying constantly about people hurting you is like worrying over your car breaking down on you right before you have to give the biggest presentation of your life, or your wallet being stolen. There's no use worrying about things so excessively. A better approach is to be proactive so that bad things are less likely to occur. For example, never deign to join the gossip fray at work and talk behind others' backs. That's just asking to become someone else's target. At the same tim...

As much as I hate to admit it, I normally see the glass as half empty. The same occurs when I notice that my cell phone battery is at 50%. My first impulse is to reach for the water pitcher or charger. I'm usually one to harp on the negative rather than dwell on the positive. I realize it's something I have to work on a bit. However, my sometimes-pessimistic-nature helps me be a lot more perceptive than most people around me. By thinking of the worst possible scenario -- and taking proactive steps to avoid it -- I've kept myself out of trouble. My friends sometimes chide me for being a creature of habit -- one who seldom leaves the comfortable confines of his comfort zone. But I've come to accept and like this about myself. Not everyone is meant to be a spontaneous, happy-go-lucky wanderer. I think people who remain grounded and weigh their options carefully can live a happier life. They're less likely to make hasty, regrettable decisions. My friends know I...

I'm not sure if you've seen "School of Rock" starring Jack Black, but there's a scene in the movie where Joan Cusack, who plays a tough-as-nails prep school principal reviled for her disciplinarian ways, tells her fellow colleagues that it's always best to "over prepare." "The best defense is a good offense," she goes on to say. As someone with OCD-like tendencies, I've always lived by this motto. Just yesterday, as I was pulling into the parking lot of my barber shop, I noticed there was no available parking, which left me no choice but to find a metered space in the adjacent street. I debated how much change to put in the meter and wound up putting enough to last me an hour and 40 minutes. Initially, I thought I had gone overboard. "Why did I put so much?" I asked myself. It usually takes my barber about 20-30 minutes to cut my hair, but the only difference was this particular appointment was scheduled for the early afte...