It's a topic I broached in an earlier post this week regarding kids returning to school: TRAFFIC. The time spent stuck in traffic is time you'll never get back -- ever. Whether you drive through a school zone on the way to work or are delayed by an accident or two, traffic congestion can be anathema to even the most patient drivers. Once our commute approaches or exceeds an hour, it really starts to grate on us, especially if it's something we grapple with several times a week. It makes us more irritable and tired, often leaving us feeling awfully achy. For example, many people who spend inordinate amounts of time behind the wheel complain of chronic back pain, headaches, and other health issues. Worst of all is the fact that long commutes cut into the time we can be spending doing other things -- hanging out with friends or family, putting in a workout at the gym, sleeping, watching TV, etc. As I noted in my post on back-to-school traffic, I read while waiting ...

Today I'd like to share a quote from John Wooden (1910-2010), an American basketball player and coach: "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden This reminds of another quote that is often bounced around in work and school settings: "To be insane is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result." To be successful in life, you have to be receptive to change -- there's no way around it. I started college as an accounting major and excelled greatly at it. About halfway into the program, though, I realized accounting wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so I switched to a major that not only afforded me the opportunity to be more creative, but harnessed my passion for the written word and made use of my writing and editing skills: marketing.  I now have ample marketing communications/copywriting experience under my belt. But making the switch wasn't easy. I had my sights set on accoun...

New research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology has found a clear link between perfectionism and burnout at work, school, and sports. The findings suggest that perfectionistic concerns create a great deal of stress, resulting in depression, eating disorders, fatigue, anxiety, and even early mortality. Sounds almost counter-intuitive, right? When we're perfectionists, we're aiming to do our very best, so we figure that trying to be perfect at everything can only lead to positive health outcomes. But when things aren't going our way -- say, we can't seem to earn the grades at school or promotion at work we've worked so hard to get -- we start doubting our performance. Such feelings of insecurity can snowball into myriad health issues and interfere with our relationships. We begin viewing every mistake as a setback, and we lash out at people who display genuine concern in us. Not surprisingly, perfectionist concerns had the stronges...

There's a girl I work with (let's call her Ana) who loves chatting up Cindy, my cubicle neighbor. Though Cindy is about 15 years Ana's senior, you'd think the two are best friends upon hearing them converse. They can blather on for hours about everything from food and children to the usual workplace gossip. Today, my department had a holiday lunch at a nearby restaurant. Ana, a male coworker named Andy, and I carpooled to the restaurant. On the way there, Ana began dishing about Cindy and some of the other women in the department. She commented on everything from their dressing habits to their rather "old school" perspectives, as she put them, on life. (Mind you, these women are in their 50s and 60s.) You might be thinking, "Poor Cindy. She probably doesn't deserve that." But Cindy herself has been known to talk behind others' backs, so, as I see it, she's getting a taste of her own medicine. This goes to show you that backstabbers ...

Throughout my entire life, I have always been a relatively quiet guy -- the type who lets work and writing do the "talking" for him. I tend to observe and gather my thoughts before stepping in. I don't usually open my mouth unless I have something meaningful to say. I avoid small talk like the plague. These are the well-documented hallmarks of an introvert. Though I have always found comfort in my introspective ways, this certainly hasn't sat well with some people I've come across at school and in the workplace. In middle and high school, I had several peers (and even some teachers) question why I was so quiet. My taciturn demeanor and reluctance to speak up, unfortunately, made me an easy target for bullies, some of whom I came very close to getting into fist fights with. It isn't as though I didn't have friends or speak to classmates; I simply kept a low profile and minded my own business. I've encountered the same issue at work -- that is, peo...