When you’re filled with the energy and exhilaration and euphoria of youth, the prospect of turning 30 might fill you with dread. Even thinking about the first gray hair, the first wrinkle, or the first mischievous little bulge of flab suddenly sprouting around your midsection is enough to send chills down your spine.

We are all flawed creatures, but there are psychological risks in admitting this to ourselves. God gave us just so we can protect ourselves from the knowledge that sometimes we are far less than we pretend to be. It’s our way of using an Instagram filter on our egos. It’s like putting makeup on our…

Make no mistake—success and failure are both hugely dependent on the decisions we make. Most of the time, success requires sweat, plotting, organizing, intuition, and ruthless discipline. If you do all these things, you increase the odds that you will be successful.

Although it’s never happened to me personally, I’d assume there’s probably nothing quirkier and more spontaneous than being kidnapped by aliens and whisked away to another dimension. And when I say “kidnapped,” I mean more in the sense of “swept away and taken to another, more exciting dimension.” This theoretical kidnapping would be respectful and…

You only need one piece to complete the puzzle. Here it is, based on your star sign. Aries: alone time You are a fire sign ruled by the warrior planet Mars, so you are as sociable and gregarious as they come. On any given day you’re out there like a politician on the campaign trail—shaking…

1. LIBRA Many see her as a pushover or a doormat; she just sees herself as nice. She has trouble making decisions and would rather you make them. She is so openminded that some would see her as gullible. If you say you hate Chipotle, she will say she hates it, too—even though she secretly…

January They’ll grow bored when you allow them to make all the decisions without ever mentioning what would make you happy or contributing ideas. February They’ll grow bored when you’re too focused on work to pay attention to them and prioritize the relationship. March They’ll grow bored when they never have a say in what…

1. VIRGO You are so obsessively clean, it borders on germophobia. Germs shake in terror when you enter the room—it could be said that germs have a case of you-o-phobia. With you, everything gets the white-glove treatment—twice! Not only can you eat off your floors, you can perform surgery on them. Damn you for making…

Just like life, success in the game of solitaire is based on a combination of luck and skill. But unlike most of the things we do in life, solitaire is played alone. The game’s name is based on the Latin word solitarius, which means “alone or isolated.” People who enjoy playing solitaire—rather than, say, a…

There are two types of people in this world: Those who want to be left alone and those who won’t leave you alone. But even most people who want to be left alone hesitate being direct about it, because telling someone to leave you alone is understandably taken as an insult. When another person’s feelings…

1. PISCES The power of the universe flows in and through you. You can see the things that can’t be seen and can hear the things that can’t be heard. You don’t care about superficial appearances, only the deeper meaning. You are tuned in to the internal and the eternal rather than the external and…

It often requires more courage to suffer in silence than to rebel, more courage not to strike back than to retaliate, more courage to be silent than to speak. Booker T. Washington To suffer without complaining is his highest virtue. Erich Fromm Some people—we all know them, and although I’m not going to name any…