“Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.”—Robert Fulghum Carrie, a full-time caregiver to her ailing 70-year-old husband, felt lonely. She said: “I’ve been in a dark hole for quite a while. Sometimes, I believe everyone around me would be better off if I were dead. My friends can no longer visit; my few remaining relatives don’t seem to care. I often feel dead inside. “I can’t help it. I know I sound selfish, but I’ve spent more than twenty years with caregiving duties for one relative after another, and now my husband. When will it end? “I can’t…

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”—Stephen Covey In this age of technology, your employer, workmates, or clients might expect you to be available 24-7, making it difficult to achieve what is known as work-life balance or symmetry. Symmetry is a reasonable separation and prioritizing between your job and other aspects of life, such as family and pleasure. Meet Elizabeth: “Well, it’s a new year, and I’m going to try very hard to better myself and be a better wife, mother, and supervisor this year. Throughout my career, with its demands and juggling family responsibilities, I have lost myself. I want myself…

“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”—Rosalyn Carter Meet Rita: “I am so f*****g stressed out and sick of my pathetic life. Sam is having a bad day, and I have been trying to get ahold of my son and daughter, but of course, no one answers my plea for help. I got his oxygen back up to ninety-seven. It was eighty this morning, and he was coherent. I really need a break—a few hours for just me, but that will never happen. This is…

“A rainbow is a prism that sends shards of multicolored light in various directions. It lifts our spirit and makes us think of what is possible. Hope is the same—a personal rainbow of the mind.”—Charles Richard Snyder What Is Hope? Hope is not merely an emotion. Hope does not mean having a pollyannish approach to situations in life. Oxford English Dictionary defines hope: as “a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen.” But hope is also more than mere desire and better than mere expectation. Hope is directly related to our sense of possibilities. Hope is indispensable if you want to endure difficult circumstances without giving up or…

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”—Mahatma Gandhi Are you happy? Oxford English Dictionary defines happiness as: “feeling or showing pleasure; fortunate and convenient.” In line with this definition, other sources say happiness is an “emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment.” If you accept the above descriptions, what principles or qualities of life would you say characterize the way to find such happiness? What rules do happy people live by? How do happy people behave? Unlocking the Code Many people experience a measure of happiness when they reach a specific goal or obtain a new item,…