I came across the following quote on Facebook earlier today: "Fifteen years ago, the internet was an escape from the real world. Now, the real world is an escape from the internet."  The quote is attributed to Noah Smith, a professor of finance. What Smith is essentially saying is that we seem to "live" digitally now more than we do the traditional way. It makes perfect sense. If you're like me, you probably communicate more with friends and family via email, text, WhatsApp, or social media than you do in person. You're likely shopping more online than you do at brick-and-mortar stores. And you're probably watching movies more frequently through services like Netflix than at the movie theater. While there's no question the convenience the internet affords us has made our lives easier in myriad ways, it's also made human interaction much more impersonal. If you'd asked me in the 90s whether relatives and friends would someday wish ...

Today's quote comes from Dr. Seuss of all people: "Sometimes you will never know the value of something until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss I couldn't agree more with this quote. I'm sure most of us would concur that our youth is the perfect example of something we tend not to appreciate until later, when we can no longer relive those years. I often think about how zealous I was to graduate from college and go out into the real world. While there's a lot to be said about attaining financial security as a working professional, I don't see myself ever being able to recapture the magic of my college years. It's really a unique, transformative time in one's life -- your first taste of freedom, the first time in your life where you actually feel like and are regarded as an adult. I feel my years before college were largely forgettable, and life in corporate America (post-college) is essentially like reverting back to high school, where o...

When we were kids, we were asked a specific question that we probably felt we knew the answer to: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Answers would run the gamut -- from firefighter to teacher to baseball player. It's understandable that we wouldn't know what our calling is at such a young age. Unfortunately, though, some of us -- even in our 20s, 40s, or 60s -- still haven't arrived at a concrete answer. It's well-documented that a lot of us switch majors multiple times in colleges and go on to receive a degree in something we might never use in the real world. While this isn't a big deal, it does become a problem when one opts to change careers several times after being in the working world for a considerable amount of time. Here are a couple of reasons why: It shows you can't make up your mind as to which career you wish to settle into People will start to think you can't hold down a job Your resume is proof that you have ...

Do you prefer for your partner to be the bookworm brainy type? Or would you prefer someone more practical who applies his or her knowledge toward solving real-world problems? I suspect that most of my readers will say they prefer the latter. I am of the belief that people should have a little of both. It's obvious that people will tilt toward one side more than the other. The key is to pick a partner who balances you out. For example, despite the fact my wife is a teacher, I feel I am the more intellectual one in the relationship. She doesn't like to read, and some of the documentaries I watch put her to sleep in no time. She also finds writing to be a chore while I can do it all day long -- not only is it my job, it's also my favorite hobby. On the other hand, she is very practical when it comes to fixing and assembling things, cooking, and other "real world" stuff that bores me to no end. Although I can do some things myself, I usually let her assume respo...

The world has become increasingly digital. Nowadays, we can do almost anything online, from paying bills to shopping to finding a date for the weekend. There's concern among a growing number of people, however, that the internet is turning a lot of us into technology-dependent hermits. I think these claims are unfounded. I spend a lot of time online, but I do it because I actually enjoy communicating with people in written form. (I am, after all, a writer.) From writing posts on Blogger to actively contributing to various message boards, there are several reasons why being in cyberspace is more appealing than the "real world": You can remain anonymous: No need to worry about people judging you or knowing where you live You can share your feelings freely: I find it's sometimes easier to open up to strangers on the internet than to people in person. After all, some of those topics may be personal in nature.  You can do so many things in the comfort of your home...

Between work, kids, and other responsibilities, human beings need a break from the humdrum of everyday life. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the wherewithal to set off on a cruise to the Bahamas every time boredom strikes. So what is one to do to break the tedium? That's when we resort to "mental" escapism in the form of: Reading novels Watching movies or soap operas Playing video games Writing stories And so on. I advise everyone to make the effort to carve out time in their busy schedules to engage in these activities. You don't have to be a movie buff or a bibliophile to enjoy a flick at the local theater or thumb through the pages of a good book or magazine.  The stresses of daily life can weigh on us and leave us feeling drained sometimes-- whether physically or emotionally. Mentally retreating into a different world -- be it one conceived by James Cameron, Nicholas Sparks, or yourself -- allows us to cast our worries aside at least ...