A word I came across recently that isn't used all that much in regular discourse is hoity-toity. It's yet another one of those funny-sounding words that I like to feature on the blog. To be hoity-toity is to be haughty or snobbish. You can use it in place of words like disdainful, conceited, proud, arrogant, pretentious, and self-important. Interestingly, while we use use hoity-toity as an adjective today, it used to be a noun that meant "thoughtless giddy behavior." The word first appeared in print as a noun in 1668. All of us know at least one person -- be it a friend, co-worker, relative, or neighbor -- who projects this type of demeanor. I generally steer clear of hoity-toity people. I think humility is one of the most admirable qualities one can possess, and, well, hoity-toity folks seem devoid of it. While we can all be a little hoity-toity in certain instances -- say, showing off our new car or watch -- some people are this way nearly all the time. ...

If you're one of those people who strives to impress other people at every turn, I'm here to tell you one thing: you should be trying to impress y ourself  instead. Some of you may ask, "What does impressing yourself even mean?" In a nutshell, it means growing as a person. Impressing yourself signifies achieving big goals -- succeeding at things even you never thought possible. For example, maybe you're convinced you can't lose 30 pounds in two months or read two voluminous books in a single month, but through hard work and commitment, you prove yourself wrong. There's no better feeling in the world, especially when other people said you couldn't do it. While "I told you so" moments can be empowering, here's the problem with trying to impress other people:cic You'll always fall short of someone's expectations. What's more, people always have something to criticize. You could have lost more weight. You spend way t...