I took a gander at my wedding pictures and realized that I haven't spoken to many of the attendees who appear in them since the occasion itself. I also reflected on how different some of these people -- and our relationship -- were when we first met. Life changes us all, some a little more than others. Marriage, kids, moving, shifting jobs and changing interests cause us to drift apart from people we were at one point very close to. It's hard to think that some of the people you would interact with on a daily basis are hardly in your life now. Luckily for us, while people have a tendency to change over time, memories endure. I may have lost contact with many of my closest friends from high and college, but the great times we shared remain firmly seared in my memory. When one of those friends comes to mind, I try to reminisce about the good old days, and not fixate on the fact that we've become estranged of late. This phenomenon applies to even my closest friendships. ...

If you're feeling a little blue, all it takes to turn that frown upside down is a little mental rewiring. The best way to do this is to stay busy. Keeping your mind occupied prevents you from ruminating on negative things for too long. If you love animals, the "aww" moment you get from seeing a picture of a newborn kitten might be all it takes to change your mood. (This works for me, as I have a soft spot for animals.) Whether you enjoy sports, cooking, reality TV, or reading fiction novels, focusing on things you like pushes your thinking in a much more positive direction. The point is that sadness and negativity can eat away at us. Unfortunately, things of a negative nature have a much stronger effect on us than those of a positive nature. Is it any wonder the news is saturated with stories that center on death and murder? Remind yourself to always cancel out a negative thought with a positive one. DO NOT let the negative ones infiltrate and take over your mind! J...

When I compare what my personality was like growing up to what it is today, not much has changed. And that should come as no surprise. A study I read about recently concluded that our personalities don't change much after the 1st grade. Think about it: Once we hit the 1st grade -- that's around 7 years of age -- our personalities remain mostly fixed the rest of our lives. That means that if you were predisposed to being shy, quiet, angry, or aggressive then, there's a good chance you are the same way now. Even so, as we get older, our experiences help shape us into the person we are today, so I think it's a combination of genetics as well as our environment. Experiences not only make us wiser, but they help guide our future behavior. For example, taking karate in middle school may have made you bolder, being involved in a car accident while in high school may have made you more appreciative of life, and so on. The people we hang out with may also influence what ...

Studies show that too many compliments can go to your head -- and fast. I can vouch for the veracity of these studies, as I've experienced this firsthand and have seen a few friends change dramatically as a result of too many compliments. Let's face it: When people compliment us, it feels really good. Whether they're commending us on something we put together at work or complimenting us on our getup, compliments feed our egos and make us feel like a million bucks. They lead to increased feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. They validate something about us that we've likely put considerable effort into improving. People thrive on positive feedback from others; it gives us the impetus to continue striving for improvement. When I lost roughly 25 pounds in 2013, I started getting more looks from women at the gym and at work. It felt great considering the hours I was putting in at the gym and the willpower it took to cut back on my favorite goods. It's never fun...

As I've stated in other posts, when it comes to the question of whether or not to have kids, I'm still on the fence. While I have moments where I envision myself being a good dad to a little girl, the realities of parenthood -- loss of sleep and freedom among them -- are rather off-putting. I've noticed that ever since my best friend and many of my family members had kids, my relationships with them haven't been the same. That's understandable considering the extent to which children change one's life and how much of your time they take up. However, I can't help but feel a smidgen of jealousy that the kids have "stolen" these people from my life. Not only does my friend have two kids, but he moved nearly 6 hours away from me for a job opportunity. I've noticed that when my friend gets time away from his family and is able to call me, he lets loose like he used to back in his pre-marriage/pre-fatherhood days.(When his family is around, he ...

Many people say that hard work accounts for one's success while others contend that luck is the single most important contributing factor. It reminds me of a famous question posed by Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the 3rd President of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence: "Why is it that the harder I try, the more luck I seem to have?" In other words, another school of thought is that hard work leads to luck, which in turn creates fortuitous circumstances that make success easier to attain. I am of the opinion that success depends on hard work and luck. From what I understand, before Justin Bieber became a megastar -- when he was just a regular kid no one knew of -- he would post videos of himself singing on YouTube. The videos garnered heaps of praise, but that still didn't translate into dollar signs. All it took was for Usher, who is a world-renowned singer in his own right, to take notice of the videos in order for Bieber'...

My biggest regret is not making more friends in college. As we speak, I only have three strong in-person friendships. I've known one guy for 12 years, the other for 15, and the third one since kindergarten. The rest of my friends are merely acquaintances -- people you say hi to on Facebook every once in a while or see only at special occasions. I'm the type of person who would rather have 3 really strong friendships than a slew of superficial convenience-type ones. Still, it would have been interesting to make at least a couple more friends in college and see if those bonds would stand the test of time, distance, and change of lifestyle. Let's face it. After college, our lives change, as do we. And once a spouse and kids are thrown into the picture, we may not have as much time left over for friends. Family comes first. I'm thankful for the opportunity to make so many online friends through this blog. I consider you all more than readers -- you're true frien...

All of us are prone to getting bogged down by negative thoughts, most of which are triggered either by things that happen to us or things others do. For example, we have a tendency to become despondent as a result of having arguments with those closest to us, including our spouses and friends. As I have told some of my readers individually, you cannot -- I repeat, cannot -- let those negative thoughts trickle into your mind. As soon as they're there, it becomes very difficult to shake them off. Here's a tip you'll want to keep in your back pocket: As soon as you find those negative thoughts trying to get a hold on you, you can undo them by quickly thinking of positive things that make you happy, whether they be your kids smiling, puppies and kittens, a sun-drenched beach, or a strawberry sundae. You want your mind to be flooded with positive, feel-good thoughts rather than negative, injurious ones, don't you? Life is too short to allow people or situations tha...

I'd like to take this moment to take a poll: What is it that helps you be more productive throughout the day? Here are a few options from which to choose, but feel free to mention not one on this list -- it is by no means exhaustive. Coffee Energy drinks Music Exercise (whether in the morning or afternoon) Taking short breaks to read Walking around Doing something on your phone or computer (playing games, etc.) Aside from the obvious (writing and blogging), I find that music keeps me productive. The work day goes by so much quicker with music! Think about it: Assuming that each song is 3 minutes on average, that means that once you've listened to 20 songs, a whole hour has gone by.  If you really love the songs you're listening to, and assuming you encounter slow periods at work, music can definitely be a blessing. While listening to music, I seem to get more work done, too. I love exercising as well, but only when I can have my iPod at full blast. T...