When we're in a happy mood -- whether because we nabbed a promotion or landed a date with someone we've had our eye on -- we don't hesitate to express our emotions. We might smile, laugh, cheer, post a buoyant message on social media, or treat your friends to celebratory drinks. But things play out quite differently when we're going through a rough patch in our lives. We might instead hide our emotions -- sadness, anger, jealousy -- because we don't want to worry others or compel them to probe. As a result, we might turn down invitations to attend parties, call it a night unusually early, and shelve the kinds of things we look forward to when we're in better spirits, like hobbies.  There's nothing wrong with playing your cards close to your chest. In particular, I discourage anyone from bringing your feelings to light on social media unless you've altered your settings so that only those closest to you -- the ones you genuinely trust -- see those posts. ...

Instead of striving to be superior to other people, we should aim to be superior to our previous selves. It can be easy to assume, judging from the content people post on social media, that they lead perfect lives. As we sift through photos of Facebook friends sunbathing in the Caribbean, sharing cheesecake at a 5-star restaurant with a partner, or driving away in a souped up Mercedes Benz, we may find ourselves green with envy. But comparing ourselves to others -- whether our coworkers, our neighbors, or are friends -- is an exercise in futility. Really, people are not some monolithic group. We have different tastes and interests, goals and fears, struggles and challenges. While it's good to look up to others and admire what they've accomplished, there's no sense in wishing for the lives they have. After all, they may be doing a good job at masking the fact that their lives leave a lot to be desired. They may very well be having health, money, or marital problems...

Entering into a relationship with the intention of changing or fixing someone is a surefire recipe for disaster. For starters, while it's possible that your influence will help change someone for the better, there are never any guarantees. And even if they do make progress, who's to say they can't revert to their old ways? It isn't your responsibility to resolve all their problems for them. You can lend a helping hand, sure, but you should never carry their burdens on your shoulders. One thing is to feel compelled to help someone you're married to or have been with for many years, and another is to start a relationship with someone who has issues -- whether financial or emotional -- from the outset and expects you to rescue them. I've heard stories of women who have resolved to change a so-called bad boy into a nice guy and seen their efforts bear little fruit. Sooner or later, it becomes apparent that the guy is unable to turn the corner in his life...

Many people -- myself included -- let life get them down sometimes. We fret over the fact that life never quite seems perfect -- there's always a problem to be resolved, an issue to be addressed. Here's the reality: Life was never perfect before, it won't be perfect today, and it won't be so in the future either. We can do things to put our ducks in a row as best as we can, but we can't just sweep everything under a rug and go about our business. It doesn't work that way. As counterintuitive as this may sound, it's a good thing that life presents a steady stream of challenges. It keeps us on our toes and striving to better ourselves. Can you imagine a life completely devoid of worries or goals? We'd have nothing to look forward to if things remained the same day in and day out. Of course, you want to minimize the stress in your life and not allow problems to tailspin into crises. But you shouldn't feel despondent over the fact that your l...

You know those people who think they know you better than you know yourself? Yeah, you should ignore them. I'm talking about the ones who try to pass judgment without knowing much about you. The people who are clueless as to your goals, dreams, struggles, travails. Why do people do this? Because they're insecure about themselves. They're constantly measuring themselves against other people -- their looks, their clothes, the car they drive, their job, their overall lifestyle. When people perceive you as a threat, they try to do all sorts of things to malign you behind your back -- from spreading rumors to downright character assassination. I've seen this firsthand at work. The bottom line is that no one knows you better than you know yourself. Only you have the right to pass judgment on or criticize yourself, for no one else walks in your shoes. It's okay to offer some form of constructive criticism when warranted -- many of our well-meaning friends a...

Judging from the content of some people's Facebook posts and how frequently I see them come up on my Wall, it would seem that they have the perfect life. For example, a girl I've known since elementary school, who has two kids from different fathers, posts almost every day that she LOVES her new boyfriend. Then there are those women who engage in what I like to call "child worship." They post an endless barrage of baby pictures with such captions as "my happy family." I'm not saying there's anything wrong with these types of posts, or that people are never being truthful in them, but why must they disseminate them so often? Call me crazy, but when someone has to come out and say "I'm happy, look at me" several times each week, it smells of pretentiousness and leads me to think they're anything but. I know that parents have it rough the first five or so years of a child's life, but what good would posts detailing their ...