If people take issue with who you are as a person despite the fact that you haven't done anything (that you know of) to deserve such behavior, it says more about them than you. The worst cases are those where the person has a beef with you for some reason, but rather than come out and say it, they ignore or bad-mouth you behind your back. It's these folks whom I characterize as cowardly and dishonest. If they take exception to your liberal views, religious beliefs, choice of career, or range of hobbies, why not be truthful about it? Perhaps the two of you were once close college buddies and over time, you've diverged in your tastes and lifestyle. As a result, your calls and texts seem to go unanswered now when that was never the case before. Or maybe you only met recently at work or at the gym, but something about you rubs them the wrong way -- prompting the individual to avoid you or become visibly distant.  It isn't a stretch to say that sometimes we mischaracterize p...

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...

The expression "settling for less" gets thrown around quite loosely, but what many people fail to realize is that it is entirely subjective. One's idea of settling less may not jibe with someone else's. While you may perfectly content with a GUESS purse, your gaudy friend may feel you're settling for less unless you opt for a more luxurious brand, like Coach or Louis Vuitton. Or, while you're happy to hook up with average-looking but highly intelligent guys, your sister may insist that you're settling for less unless you set your sights on guys who are a "9" or better in the appearance department. Furthermore, you may be told you can do better if you are not the CEO of your company, but what if you're happy having a less taxing, lower-paying job if it means spending more quality time with friends and family? This type of thinking is seriously misguided. The fact is that people have different tastes and disparate desires. Some of...

I came across the following quote earlier this week while browsing the web: "What people think of you is none of your business." When I started to analyze the quote more carefully, I realized that there's a lot of truth to it. Sure, we all want to know what others think of us so that we can manage our reputation accordingly, including dispelling any misconceptions they may have about us. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you should change anything about yourself based on information you dig up. Regardless of what they think of you, if you're happy with yourself, that's all that matters . If you're not entirely happy with yourself and think they have a point -- whether it's that you should talk more during meetings or not talk over people in conversation  -- there's no harm in working to improve yourself in those areas. I want people to regard me as an intelligent man, so if I were to discover that they think otherwise, would I take o...

Maybe you're the quintessential book nerd like me. Or an avid painter. Or a fervent coin collector. Maybe you're a germophobe, teetotaler (i.e., you never drink alcohol), or obsessive Dodgers fan. There's something about you that likely sets you apart from everyone. That's a good thing, right? Well, not to all people. As I have emphasized on this blog before, when someone is a little different from everyone else in the pack, it tends to make certain people a little uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, in fact, that they might try to change you. For example, you might be a hardcore baseball fan, but the vast majority of people are into football. Your friends may try to dismiss baseball as boring and attempt to convert you into a fan of the pigskin. If you find yourself in a similar situation, do not -- I repeat, do not -- cave! People ought to mind their own business and respect the unique tastes and preferences of others. If you've given football a try and...