The Secret to finding your Soulmate

Ah the age old search for the mysterious "Soulmate".  Well my friends, search no more! I have found a way for all of you to find your true Soulmate. Read on to learn more..
Do you get frustrated with the people around? Are you sick of hearing your friends go on and on about their smelly neighbor or the what happened last night on the bachelorette? Do you sometimes confide in others looking for comfort but end up feeling more confused than before?
I have quite a few close friends who I really do enjoy speaking with and spending time with but it is rare or perhaps impossible to find someone that will NEVER annoy you.  But alas my readers (if you do exist) there is one person out there where this does hold true.  This person will tell you exactly what you want to hear, they can make you laugh and know exactly what to say to encourage you.  They will always understand what you are trying to say and never betray you.
Yes EVERYONE has that person, and that person is - wait for it -  YOURSELF! Ok, ok, I know that last sentence sounded cheesier than a large pizza, but hear me out.  How many have you really tried to be best friends with yourself?
When you get home from a long day at work, to you ever pat yourself on the back and say "you did a great job today?" Do you ever look in the mirror and say "daaayum you are fineee" Do you ever make hilarious jokes and chuckle to yourself, saying "good one!"
Well, my dear reader you should! Because sorry to break it to you, that perfect person/soulmate is not out there - its in you.  Its about time we all started spending more time with ourselves and really appreciating how great we are.  In our lives we will meet some great people who will inspire us and bring us joy.  But these relationships will change over time and can disappear at any moment. If you start to treat yourself like a king/queen you wont need to take as much emotionally from others leaving space for you to give more back. Also, if you are ever stuck on a deserted island you will already have a best friend with you! So go ahead, give it a try!

Are Congratulations in order?

There comes a point in ones life when people start getting engaged, married and having children.  During this time it seems like life is full of selfies, lavish celebrations and endless congratulations.  Although these are definitely happy times, its seems that our generation is placing more and more emphasis on these milestones.  Thousands of dollars spent on rings, dresses, wedding reception etc, not to mention the countless photo ops and the sacrifices expected to be made by ones close friends and family.
For some people, their wedding day represents the most important event of their lives.  But if it were me, I would be pretty disappointed if that ended up being true.  Can you imagine your most proudest moment being when someone else decides to propose you? Does that validate you as a human being? How come we don't celebrate with such vigor and enthusiasm when people make successful leaps in their career? Lose 50 lbs? Become the master of their craft? Provide resources to areas of need? Those seem to be things that involve hard work and dedication, so congratulations would definitely be in order.  With respect to relationships, those who deserve congratulations should be the ones that have remained married for 10+ years and have had a supportive and honest union.  But we rarely see older couples celebrating their success or receiving recognition. Maybe if you only got to have a wedding celebration after you had a successful marriage for 10 years it might motivate people to work on their relationship for the reward at the end.  Let's be real, anyone can slap on a ring and squeeze on a dress, but not everyone can make it through the ups and downs of marriage and remain respectful and loving to their partner. 
I believe that if we celebrated the people trying to change the world, improve themselves, or work hard towards a worthwhile goals to the same extent, it might influence others to also strive to make progress in these areas.  This would have a more positive influence on the younger generation and perhaps make a significant change to society as a whole. Just food for though.