Journey to Joy

“Sir, it is surprising how many people will go to a distance for what they may have at home.” — Samuel Johnson Whenever I see advertisements in the Sunday newspaper for my favorite department stores, I suddenly feel the need to shop. (Apparently, I’m an advertiser’s dream.) As I flip through the pages, I suddenly…

My favorite Oprah quote is: “When people show you who they are, believe them.” This one sentence can change your world. You can spare yourself grief and aggravation. You can save time. And you can dramatically improve (or even save) your life. I learned Oprah’s quote the tough way. I was dating a guy exclusively…

I was adopted and grew up with very little information about my background. I knew I was born at a Catholic hospital in Syracuse, New York. I knew a foster family took care of me until I was adopted at six weeks. My (adoptive) parents thought my birthmother was young, but they weren’t sure. I…

Before the days of working for myself, I was a few cubicles down from a guy who was chronically grumpy. Unlike some curmudgeons, he carried it off with half a smile on his face. It was his shtick. He was snarky and always complaining about something, yet it was part of his charm. One of…

Denial is a tricky thing. Someone told me once that denial is the reason you see overweight women wearing tight white spandex in the mall. Now I know it’s the reason really bad singers are surprised when they get booted off American Idol. It’s Paula Deen claiming she didn’t get diabetes from eating her own…

In my twenties, I saw a psychologist for depression. A defining moment in our talk therapy came from a George Bernard Shaw quote he shared with me. “Nothing is as good as it appears, and it’s never better.” It took me awhile to fully grasp the quote and how it was impacting my life, but…

Watch every word you type in the social media world or face total ruin. If you read any article about your social media brand, you may become downright paranoid. To post or not to post is the question. “It will be out there, forever” people warn. “You could lose a job, a significant other, a…

Too many women give up their power. I know because I used to be one of them. You want to meet THE ONE. You secretly want your life to emulate a romance movie—minus the drama. You want the ideal relationship so much, you see dream man when he isn’t really there. Or you wait for…

I love this time of year. Today, as I write this, there are 12 days left in the year. I have a little less than two weeks to get things on the board for 2011 … and 12 days left to plan 2012. And so do you. As we transition from this year to next,…

It amazes me when I go shopping or walk through an airport and see how unhappy people look. Granted, I am not expecting people to be walking by smiling ear to ear. But can’t people look a little bit happy? Content? Present? We wear our moods on our faces, and the news isn’t good people….