Everyone likes a little pat on the back for a job well done -- whether from your boss for completing a report on deadline, your spouse for building that time-consuming playhouse for the kids, or your friend for helping organize their party. Sometimes, though, this form of positive reinforcement can be hard to come by. And even if you do fish for compliments or credit in a subtle way, you don't end up getting any. So what do you do in a situation like this? You keep working hard. No one will ever be prouder of your accomplishments than you. If you can't get others to acknowledge your efforts, there's no harm in taking pride in them yourself. If it gets to the point where you feel you're being taken for granted, have a talk with your boss, partner, or friend and let them know your hard work often goes overlooked. If that fails to bear any fruit, it may be time to assess whether the job, relationship, or friendship in question is really worth keeping. Once it...

This morning, I was saddened to read about the death of a man, Lenny B. Robinson, who would dress up as Batman to cheer up kids with life-threatening illnesses in various Maryland hospitals. He drove around in a Batmobile (among the many cars he owned was a black Lamborghini sporting the Batman symbol) and spent thousands of dollars on his costume and memorabilia. Now, he is being mourned by family and fans around the world as a real-life hero. I came across a comment to the article that included this quote: "What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others lives on." It reminds me of a line uttered by Katie Holmes' character in, ironically enough, "Batman Begins," starring Christian Bale: "It's not what you are underneath -- it's what you do that defines you."   These kinds of quotes stand in contrast to the feel-good ones we hear that center around being happy with yourself, not caring what others think of you, and so ...