You may not be able to control the economy or every aspect of your own finances, but you can take control of your attitude and find a great deal of power within your own mentality, integrity, and emotional intelligence.

When we fail to identify and separate from this inner critic, we allow it to impact our behavior and shape the direction of our lives. So how can we challenge this inner voice?

New Year's tends to be a time of looking forward. Yet, in our effort to set goals for the future, it's meaningful to reflect on the past year and make sense of what our experiences have meant to us. What can they teach us?

Taking a positive and proactive approach to our goals gives us the best chance of achieving lasting change. As we take on resolutions that will help us to become our best selves, we must treat ourselves with compassion, sensitivity, and respect.

Ultimately, it is always in our own self-interest to be open and vulnerable rather than to be nasty or write people off. The only person we can control is ourselves. When we get cynical, we are the ones who suffer.

To be able to recognize and separate from destructive voices, we must first recognize that many thoughts we regard as our own point of view may not really be representative of our true self.

The physical strain athletes undergo is well-documented and commonly discussed. Yet what about the mental struggles athletes face, not just at the Olympic level but at all levels?

Temperatures are rising, while self-esteem dips to new lows. The sad truth is that, in peeling off the layers of our wintry wardrobes, we expose ourselves to a whole new world of self-critical thoughts.

When we aren't mindful of the voices that are influencing us to relive old patterns, we tend to select people who fit in with our old identity, and we relate to them in ways that recreate a comfortable negativity from our past.