Do you ever get the idea that you were created as an example of how wrong a life can be? No matter how hard you try, how much education you earn, how good you are to others, your life will always be a struggle. Even praying doesn't change your plight.

What brings you out of this belief? We hear stories like "The Secret," and think that following that advice will change our lives. Here's a clue: If you're brought up in an orphanage, and have no parents who gave a crap about you, you won't make the connections you need to to make a decent life for yourself.

It takes others to open doors. Doors to the promotion, to publication, to many important life's transitions. Most of us will remain rungs and stepping stones; that is our purpose. I suppose the sooner we accept that the better off we'll be.