Get Up from Under Peer Pressure

With gasoline at $4.00 a gallon these days, the pressure to make ends meet is enough to deal with day in and day out for most of us.

The day to day pressures of managing work, careers, family can be consuming. But, dealing with peer pressure is an unnecessary burden that most adults could do without.

When we think of peer pressure we often think of it as a childhood into adolescent issue. Few of us like to think of grown up selves as still dealing with peer pressure.

The pressure to consume unneeded goods, the pressure to vote a certain way, the pressure to go against your better instincts to go along to get along -- these are adult pressures that can really wear you down and drain energy you could be using on more productive areas of living your life to the fullest.

Relieving yourself from the unhealthy pressure of peer relationships can be the best adult decision you'll ever make for yourself.

No pressure, but the choice is yours.

Life Turns On A Dime

A penny saved is a penny earned.
- Benjamin Franklin


Each morning, it gets a little harder to turn on the morning news to hear more about our worsening economy. A gallon of gas is now over $4.00 in San Francisco, and more people are getting laid off from work. The economy is in the tank, and it just doesn't seem to be anywhere near a rebound anytime soon.


Few of us are Rockefellers when it comes to making and growing money. Aside from our relationships to those we've loved and/or lost along the way, many of life's regrets are about money -- money making opportunities missed, money ill invested, money lost, or money wasted.

Life events can turn on a dime. Learning to save money for not only a rainy day, but for a brighter future takes planning, and a change of mindset. Many of us wrestle with our mindsets and habits about making money, investing money, and saving money for the better parts of our adult lives. I know I do.

In hard times and good times, that penny saved earns you so much more than interest: it earns you peace of mind.

And, peace of mind is truly priceless.

Getting into the Perfect Swing of Things

Every Tiger has his day...or not.

Today wasn't Mr. Woods' day. He missed the Masters Title by three strokes. Oh, say it isn't so, Joe.

That's okay. We know he'll get his stroke back soon enough. Afterall, he is Tiger Woods!


So, what about you, tiger? Do you have a little Tiger Woods in you? How's that perfect stroke coming along?

Okay, so not everyone is keen on golf. It might not be your thing. But you gotta at least appreciate the meditative power of golf. Mastering that perfect swing to get that tiny ball into a tiny hole 50 yards away takes a hypnotic concentration of mind and body that few truly master.

I dare you - just pick up a club, and start swinging. Just know that once you do, there might not be any turning back. So, swing out sister!

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty

Hubba, hubba, hubba!

Global warming has somewhat fouled up our internal seasonal clock, but we do know that since Spring is here, Summer will soon be around the corner. This is about the time we start getting more self-conscious about how we plan to look in those new pair of $200 jeans we bought a few months ago as an 'incentive', and are still working off those Thanksgiving through New Year's feasts to have them fit like a glove.

We all want to -- and dare I say need to --- feel attractive. I personally believe it is a human right to feel attractive. That's what great hair cuts and cool sunglasses are for.

Feeling attractive is integral to our sense of greater esteem, and adds to our greater sense of life. With so many media and celebrity images that suggest the perfect face, the perfect body, etc. it's hard for some of us to ever feel that we'll ever look as attractive as the face on a magazine. So what to do? First of all, stop looking at those magazines! Most of those images are doctored up anyway to make nearly perfectly looking models look impossibly perfect. So, put the magazine down, and back away.

Look, attractiveness is more than about feeling 'physically' attractive to your species. It's about the whole package -- feeling good about who you are, your values, your goals, your achievements, your potential. Some of the less than physically ideal people I know are some of the more attractive people I've ever met simply because they beam with confidence and assuredness about themselves -- their inner beauty literally shines through.

Attractiveness is not about perfection. It's about feeling good about the best of who you are now.

Start feeling attractive NOW. Stop waiting for those extra pounds to drop, or to have your teeth whitened 10 shades, or whatever. Stop waiting to finally be 'perfect' enough to feel attractive.

You're more attractive than you think.