I know how tempting comparing our life to that of a friend, co-worker, or neighbor can be. He has a BMW and I don't. She has a Louis Vuitton purse, but I don't. They have beautiful children, but we don't have any. If you're constantly comparing your life to others', you'll never be truly happy. Why? Chances are, there will always be something someone has that you don't. I've talked in other posts about how people's need for approval can prompt them to act, dress, and live like their peers, even if it isn't what they really want to do. It doesn't matter whether they incur loads of debt or go against their core values as a result. Some people cannot resist the urge to keep up with those Joneses. The pressure to conform to societal norms is alive and real. But no one says you have to succumb to it. Do things -- whether it's buy a fancy car, dress in a certain style of clothes, or have children -- because you want to, not ...

Let's face it: We're all different. Some of us are shy and meek. Some of us are bold and aggressive. Some of us are bookish and cerebral. And still others love being the life of the party. No one personality is better than the other.  Just because I'm an introverted bookworm and you're a garrulous social butterfly doesn't mean either of us should prod the other into changing. We may neither hang out a lot nor have much in common, but we can still get along and communicate with one another tactfully. People can share their interests with others without any expectation of the person liking them. Yes, people are more likely to associate with like-minded individuals who share their passions -- baseball fans with other baseball fans, politics junkies with other politics junkies -- but we should still be accepting of others' personality, interests, and lifestyle, even if they don't align with ours. Yet, there are those who attack others who are diffe...

Which of these do you find to be more intense: the pressure to get married or to have kids? I find it to be the latter. For one, I've observed that couples are having kids out of wedlock at an unprecedented rate, and society no longer frowns upon this like before. Decades ago, it was assumed that everyone "grew up" and joined the ranks of adulthood in a decidedly linear fashion: fall in love, get married, have kids. While some people still follow this pattern, others aren't. In fact, I know at least 10 people -- friends and relatives alike -- who had kids before tying the knot. So long as they eventually get married, society seems to give these people a free pass. That's not the case with couples who put off having kids or decide not to have any at all. Perhaps the reason for this is that people figure that while you can get married anytime you want -- even in your 90s -- women have a limited time window within which they can have kids. So once they reac...