It’s healthy to listen to some people’s opinions. There are people in our lives who we can trust to tell us like it is if we tell them our plans, hopes, and dreams. But we often listen to what other random people think as much or more than those trusted advisors.

If you’ve ever heard something like:

• “There’s no money in that.”
• “Why not get a steady job and retire with a nice pension?”
• “You can’t leave him. We all have to put up with (abuse, negativity, laziness, cheating). At least he pays the bills.”

…when you need to read on to learn the benefits of ignoring all the naysayers and doing what you believe is right for you! Continue reading →

Social media can be fun. And, it’s not evil. However, spending a great deal of time on social media can cause people to fall into the habit of needing more validation from outside sources than from within themselves.

We have a built-in need to fit in. Social scientists call this innate response Social Comparison Theory. Basically, this theory states that we determine our self-worth by comparing ourselves to others.

Even though this is a natural response, when counting on validation from others or focusing solely on how we stack up to everyone else, we can become trapped in dissatisfaction.

So, social comparison is nothing new—social media did not create it. It does, however, open up our world and we now have lots more people to compare ourselves to. Continue reading →