Marc and Angel Hack Life

9 Warning Signs You’re in the Presence of Bad Company

08.15.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 12 Comments

It is better to be alone than in bad company.

A big part of who you become in life has to do with who you choose to surround yourself with. Sometimes luck controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let stay, who you pursue, and who you let walk back out.

Ultimately, you should surround yourself with people who make you a better person and set boundaries with those who don’t. Here are some general warning signs you’re in the presence of the latter:

1. They want you to be someone else.

Spend time with people who see you just the way you are. Spend even more time with those who truly know about you, and who love and respect you anyway. And if someone expects you to be someone you’re not, take a step back…

Remember, it’s wiser to lose relationships over being who you are, than to keep them intact by acting like someone you’re not. Because it’s easier to nurse a little heartache and meet someone new, than it is to piece together your own shattered identity. It’s easier to fill an empty space within your life where someone else used to be, than it is to fill the empty space within yourself where YOU used to [Read more…]

20 “Notes to Self” We Should All Read to Ourselves More Often

08.15.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 16 Comments

Let’s cut to the chase today. What you ultimately do in life comes out of who you believe you are. You have to practice believing in yourself and ignoring the naysayers. Because while you may not be able to control the impolite things some people say and do, or the unfair things that sometimes happen in life, you can press forward and decide not to be endlessly derailed by them.

Of course I know that’s much easier said than done, especially during transitional periods of growth and change, but you must remind yourself that it can be done!

How?

Start by memorizing some helpful “notes to self.” After all, it’s not what others say about you, and it’s not what you broadcast to everyone else that determines the trajectory of your life. It’s what you whisper to yourself behind [Read more…]

2 Short Stories for Everyone Who Gossips, Bypasses, or Judges People Too Quickly

08.14.2026 by Angel Chernoff // 12 Comments

Today, during a group Zoom call on the topic of toxic relationship habits, I shared two short stories with ten coaching clients.

“I truly appreciate the perspective today, and the invitation to change how I treat the people around me. I’ve been gossiping, bypassing, and judging people too quickly for far too long,” one person replied. And almost everyone else on the call nodded their heads in support and added their two cents about how they struggle in similar ways.

So, I figured I’d re-share these stories with you here in hopes that you find value in them too. Perhaps they will inspire you to change how you show up in your interactions with others in the days ahead…

Story #1 — True, Good, and Useful

A couple thousand [Read more…]

4 Hard but Necessary Life Lessons We All Learn by Letting Things Go

08.14.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 17 Comments

If someone is working on themselves and changing for the better, it’s unnecessary to keep bringing up their past. People can change and grow. You know that’s true. But have you given yourself a fair chance to change and grow, too?

Have you loosened your grip on what’s behind you?

If you’re shaking your head, you aren’t alone. At times we all fall victim to our attachments. We simply don’t realize how often we block our own present blessings by holding on to everything so tightly.

Thus, it’s time for a quick true story about life and letting things go…

When Our Old Stories Hold Us Back

She rarely makes eye contact. Instead, she looks down at the ground. Because the ground is safer. Because unlike people, it [Read more…]

7 Ways to Change Your Attitude When You Can’t Change Anything or Anyone Else

08.13.2026 by Angel Chernoff // 13 Comments

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Sometimes changing your circumstances isn’t possible, or simply not possible soon enough. You can’t get to a new job in an instant. You can’t make someone else change against his or her will. And you certainly can’t erase the past. So what options do you have left?

Change your perception, belief or opinion about your circumstances. Doing so will help you change your attitude and ultimately allow you to grow beyond the struggles you can’t control.

The Greek philosopher Epictetus said it perfectly more than 2,000 years ago: “People are disturbed, not by [Read more…]