If I asked you what's the one goal we should aim for in order to ensure a decent life for ourselves, what would you say? While the answers may vary, I would argue that it's moderation more than anything else. Moderation  in our relationships, in our eating habits, in our work and exercise regimen, and so forth. The dictionary defines moderation as the avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions. Synonyms of moderation include self-restraint, self-discipline, and temperance. In other words, to be moderate is to achieve that happy medium between too little and too much. So what are some examples? Not being too nice, but not being a jerk either. Not eating everything in the fridge, but not starving oneself either. Not being extremely ambitious, but not resting on one's laurels. Not being a compulsive neat freak, but not being a slob.  Not being a spendthrift, but not being parsimonious.  I know what you're...

One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from, not surprisingly, one of my all-time movies, Batman Begins.  A young Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) is asked by his father, Thomas, why we fall. Thomas goes on to answer "so we can learn to pick ourselves up." It's such a simple statement, and yet so deep. I think all of us will agree with it. If we never failed, we'd never strive to improve ourselves. If we never faltered, we'd never have any reason to grow. Life, as a result, would seem mundane -- empty, even. Nothing feels sweeter than achieving a goal after investing a lot of sweat and tears -- and failing repeatedly -- in something. Obviously, this in no way means failing deliberately or as a result of reckless, ill-conceived decisions. I'm talking about exhausting all your savings just so you can get your fledgling business off the ground. I'm talking about studying your tail off until you turn your "F" in engineering clas...

It isn't being a good cook or a hardcore sports fan, though those things definitely help. A secret to winning a man's heart is to be supportive of his decisions, whether they involve his health, appearance, education, or career. Among the many things a man seeks in a woman is encouragement . He wants a partner who will encourage him to follow his dreams, no matter how outlandish they may seem at first. Even if you find his plan to leave the medical field and become a professor preposterous, for example, don't lambast him for it. Hear him out and see what he has to say. His reasons for wanting to make the switch may be totally valid. Every man desires a woman he can confide in -- someone who inspires him to reach for the stars, not shoots down his every aspiration. If you take exception to all or most of his plans, you can rest assured he'll come to one conclusion: you are not the person he sees himself having a future with. In the end, men want someone who bel...

Contrary to popular belief, venting our frustrations in an overtly aggressive or hostile way -- whether by puncturing a pillow with a knife, punching a wall, or screaming at your neighbor -- doesn't help us feel better. If anything, it has the opposite effect. Studies have found we feel even more upset after doing these things. Engaging in aggressive or destructive behaviors when we're upset not only adversely endangers our well-being, but it potentially puts others at risk. Some people have been known to get wasted and drive erratically after some disappointing event, whether it's a fight with their boss that ultimately led to their being fired or having their partner break up with them unexpectedly. You can only imagine how terrible the consequences of such reckless acts. Once it has all passed, we experience a host of emotions ranging from regret to shame. Instead of reaching for a knife or bottle, there are other things we can do to channel our anger in more constru...

Obviously, we live in all of these at different moments. Whether we're past-, present, or future-oriented depends largely on how we're feeling at a given point in time. For example, when something good happens, we tend to become very focused on the present and on the fruits that the favorable circumstance will bear in the future. If we're feeling a little blue about our current prospects, we may start thinking back to a time when things were going more smoothly in our lives. The more optimistic among us, however, might look forward to brighter days ahead. Many people say harping on the past isn't healthy, and I agree -- a line has to be drawn somewhere. But only by considering history -- our prior successes and failures, our earlier ups and downs -- can we can guide our behavior toward the ends we seek in the present and future. In other words, you need to examine the past in order to build on your triumphs and prevent making the same mistake twice (or more time...

Many people say that men have it made: they're physically stronger than women, don't have to give birth, and enjoy better salaries and promotion opportunities in the business world. The statistics below, however, might cause these people to reassess whether being a man is really all it's cracked up to be: Nine out of 10 prison inmates are men Among the homeless, men outnumber women by at least three to one Men are 10 times more likely to commit murder than women are Men are 10 times more likely to show up at the low end of distributions of IQ scores Men are more likely to be mentally retarded than women Men are more likely to abuse and abandon their kids  Men are less likely than women to take care of aging/ill parents Men outscore women on measures of closed-mindedness, cruelty, narcissism, hostility, and self-indulgence Men pay more than women for car insurance Men die earlier than women (about five years earlier on average) I think the above statistics s...