by: Zachary Lee

When you think of all of the different stressors, distractions and images of perfection that social-media posts provide today, it’s easier than ever to get sucked into the world of comparing yourselves to others. You see people with better jobs, more money, nicer cars, better bodies, and the list goes on and on. Their lives and their accomplishments seem perfect. Because they’re snapshots. 

The question I have for you is how do you begin to push out feelings of being ungrateful and less-than? How can you begin to fill yourself back up so that you squeeze out those negative thoughts? 

My answer - become your own hero. 

What Would Your Older, More Successful Self Tell You

When Matthew McConaughey won his Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club in 2015 his speech was inspiring. He first thanked his mother for teaching him to respect himself so that he could then go out and respect others. He thanked his wife for her unwavering support and love that she showed him every day and w...

In the city that I live a very popular chain restaurant just closed. Apparently, it was the lowest performing restaurant in the state and so they decided to shut it down. When I first heard about this I was really shocked. Five years ago if anyone would have told me that this chain would be closing stores, rather than expanding in 2018 I would have bet against you. But the fact remains that times change, tastes change and that nothing is guaranteed. Like the beginning of so many things, opening a new store, starting a new job, and entering into a new relationship the beginning is often filled with excitement, joy, and hope towards a bright future. But, all too often I think we all experience seeing things fail, diminish and not meet the future expectations that we had set in the beginning.

Today, I wanted to get you thinking about the relationships that you currently hold near-and-dear to your heart. Most likely, these relationships that you’re thinking about are family members, a spo...

Could you imagine what would happen if we got rid of driver's education (ed.) courses for teenagers? Instead of having teenagers prepare for their license we just said, "Here you go" and "Good luck" when they got behind the wheel. It would be a disaster. My son is about two months away from starting driver's ed. and I'm terrified of all the what if's. He's a super responsible and accountable young man and that helps relieve a little bit of the fear, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that you can't always protect him. 

In order to prepare for behind the wheel my son will go through 50 hours of training. I think it's awesome. I wish the requirement were double. 

Now think about your life, your career, your spouse or significant other, your kids, etc. What lessons have you sat down to take in order to prepare yourself for these responsibilities?

If you're like most, you haven't prepared very much. You have shot from the hip and reacted more in your life than you have...