No Class
Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 18, 2002 The manager of a very posh store in New York City has this weird habit of touching her employees' lunches. She has picked up sandwiches and taken bites out of them without permission. She...

A Pickup Line
Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 11, 2002 I just started a wonderful new job. The atmosphere is laid-back, and the people alone make the place fantastic. The best of them all is my boss. She is 29, a month my elder, and very...

Neither A Borrower…
Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 4, 2002 I moved from Los Angeles to Europe with my husband and children. My sister's husband left her with three children. She sent an e-mail today asking me to "give" her $1000 so her lawyer will...

A Plan Of Attack
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 28, 2002 I feel I am at the breaking point. I work at a small school and run the office. I do all the financials, secretarial work, and reception duties. While staffing has increased in the...

Playing With Fire
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 21, 2002 I am a stay-at-home mom, 24, married to my husband, 26, for six years. He has a problem chatting with young girls online. I have "caught" him numerous times, and it's always the same thing. ...

Maternal Instincts
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 14, 2002 I am a woman in her mid-60s whose husband passed away, and I do not want to enter into a relationship with another man. I have no family in town other than my daughter. I always counted on...

Community After Tragedy
One Friday in November, I began a journey from New Jersey to downtown New York City to visit old work friends. It was my first visit since the tragic September 11th attack. Although I've traveled this same route--the commuter train to the Hoboken...

Wake-Up Call
Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 7, 2002 In the first half of May, I went through two remarkable changes. One was physical and the other involved emotional recall. The physical one was what I thought was flu and a heavy dose of it. ...

Either Tame The Bull, Or, You'll Eat The Crow!
A man can stand a lot… as long as he can stand himself. Success is never Final and Failure is never fatal. Only failure to get back up is. The bull is lying to you and leading you down the trail of the pied-piper. If you want to achieve anything...

Hey CyberJunkie, Clean that Booger off Your Nose!
Well....., I got some good news and I got some bad news. It's come to my attention that some of you want to be cyberjunkies. Which do you want first? I’ll give you the good news first. YOU can!! It’s very simple. The bad news is: It’s not easy and...

Top Ten methods for never achieving your Goals
Top Ten methods to never achieve your goals: 1. Be really vague about it. Do not get specific about what you want to achieve. 2. Keep it a secret. Never tell a soul about your dreams for the future - not even yourself. 3. Hang around people who also...

Single During the Holidays
Mistletoe. Holiday parties. New Years kiss at midnight. This time of year can be challenging for singles. With such an emphasis on family togetherness and couples exchanging heart-felt gifts, it’s hard not to hear the message – the holidays are not...

Breaking Your Relationship Pattern, Part 4
Finally, after all of the hard work you have done completing your past, here is a way to break your relationship pattern. Relationship choices are often based on patterns created in our childhood. These patterns are automatic and subliminal. We...

Reclaiming Our Resilient Spirit
Our spirits are taking a beating. The daily barrage of bad news, violence, shrinking resources, global warming, and economic slowdown can put us in a state of frustration and paralysis. Some days, getting out of bed can be a challenge. Within...

The Need for a Belief System ... a system of organization for your exp..
I've spoken with many people who, over time, have felt inundated by their lives. It seems as though they've accumulated all of these memories and experiences, but the information seems jumbled and overwhelming. This pile of 'mind junk' keeps...

Affirm-Actions ... Stop lying to your soul and make it real!
I hear of so many people using affirmations as the universal remedy for everything that ails them. They wake up in the morning and verbalize their affirmations. They go through their days verbalizing positive statements about situations and their...

Discovering Opportunity in Times of Challenge
You may be facing a type of disappointment, frustration, loss, or general sadness. It is in these times you can immediately begin to search for the counterbalancing positive to it. This is a flawless universal law: An opposite condition must...

The Importance of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year. Oh, sure, Christmas is grand, and I know it has many, many fans. I'm not knocking Christmas, but Thanksgiving is more important. And Easter has its fans, too. Rebirth is a wonderful thing,...

It Only Takes a Spark ... Pass It On
Great inspiring people have influenced people in every area of life throughout centuries. Henry David Thoreau, the great 19th century transcendentalist writer, was influenced by the great Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau was the impetus for Ghandi's and...

Mitigating Factors
Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 30, 2002 I am writing for advice on a personal dilemma of the most personal nature. I am male, mid-40s, married 20 years. After all these years, I still long to make love to my wife two or three...

Impaired Judgment
Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 23, 2002 My husband has a twofold addiction problem, drinking and drugs. In the six years we have been married, he has had periods of sobriety, but they don't ever last. I feel he has not...

Reality Check
Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 16, 2002 Two years ago I made the greatest mistake of my life. I started dating a coworker. She is this beautiful young girl that totally captivated my world when I met her. As time went by I...

8 Steps to Oranizing Your Life & Business
Your life is a mess! Your business is going nowhere! Your house looks like a tornado hit it! Does this sound familiar? Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel like your life and business are out of control and going nowhere? Well, if you do, you are not...

Are You A Victim Of FABS? Part 2
When you have a case of FABS, it may be hard to eradicate, but it is far from impossible. Fear, Anger, Blame and Shame may be different emotions, but they can all be gotten rid of in the same ways: First and foremost, it is very important to learn...

Are You A Victim Of FABS? Part One
Have you heard of the FABS? The FABS are quadruplets; they are not identical but they are very, very similar! The FABS are: Fear, Anger, Blame and Shame. This quartet love to arrive, uninvited, at people's houses and literally stay forever. ...