Marc and Angel Hack Life

An Open Letter to Everyone Who’s Trying to Make the Best of a Bad Situation

08.25.2026 by Angel Chernoff // 20 Comments

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.”
— Iain Thomas

This short article was inspired by an email we received today from a reader of the blog:

Dear Marc and Angel,

There’s so much meaning and value I want to foster in my present life, and yet a tragic past continues to drag me down. I feel like I have weights tied to my ankles. It’s the heaviness of grief that still sneaks up on me. Truly, I’ve been through a lot — the toughest and most heartbreaking of which was losing my husband in a car accident when he was only 35-years-old. And right now, seven years later, I’m at a point where I’m trying to make the best of a bad situation, but I wake up on some mornings and just can’t seem to let go of the way things were “supposed to be” in my life.

Anyway, I know you can’t solve all my problems, but I was hoping you could shine some light on my situation. I could use a little extra perspective today. Do you have any words you could share with me?

Sincerely,
A Struggling Reader

Our reply (an open reply to everyone who’s trying to make the best of a bad situation):

Dear Struggling Reader,

Marc and I just finished reading your email together, and we sincerely wish we could start by giving you two of the biggest, longest hugs imaginable. But since that’s not possible at this very moment, let me tell you about an unexpected phone call I received in the middle of the night last night.

My phone rang just before midnight. I didn’t answer. Then it rang again a minute later. I rolled over, grabbed it off the nightstand, and [Read more…]

7 Toxic Relationship Habits Often Responsible for 97 Percent of Our Collective Drama

08.25.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 14 Comments

In a relationship, selfishness and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.

This morning I saw a middle-aged woman slam the car door in her husband’s face and storm off into a grocery store. Then an hour later I couldn’t help but notice two 20-something friends sitting next to me at a local coffee shop, the man staring down at his phone the entire time his friend shared with him her concerns about some seemingly complicated family matters. And just now I came across someone’s rant on social media about their significant other that concluded with, “ALL MEN are exactly the same!”

Most of us have likely done similar things at some point too, because relationships aren’t easy, and sometimes we get distracted or upset and then we make mistakes. In fact, let’s be honest, we’ve all acted in toxic, damaging ways at [Read more…]

7 Essential Choices to Start Making for Your Own Happiness and Personal Growth

08.24.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 15 Comments

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
— Maya Angelou

First and foremost, environment is everything. You can’t heal yourself in the same exact environment where you got sick. You need to surround yourself with settings, situations, and people that push you to heal and grow.

Less drama, less mess.

More peace, more potential.

Which means you need to make yourself a priority. Because you won’t always be a priority to others, or to society’s agendas at large, and that’s why you need to be a priority to yourself. Learn to respect yourself, take care of yourself, and become a reliable part of your own support system…

Don’t wait on others to choose you.

Choose yourself, today!

Choose to live your life today not as a bystander, not as a prisoner to the old ways that haven’t been working, but as an active participant engaged in the real possibilities in front of you.

That is your choice today. Your choice!

You are choosing right now… [Read more…]

10 Essential Things to Remember About Toxic Family Members

08.23.2026 by Angel Chernoff // 22 Comments

Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Sometimes, however, it’s the place where we find the deepest heartache.

Letting go of a toxic friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend is one thing, and there’s plenty of advice out there for doing so. But what about letting go of a toxic family member?

Most of us are not in a position to just walk away, nor do we feel that we want to. And it might not be the right thing to do either. So what can we do when a family member is literally spoiling our lives with their toxicity? How do we deal with our feelings of obligation, confusion, betrayal, and heartache?

First and foremost, you must accept the fact that not everyone’s family is healthy or available for them to lean on, to call on, or to go home to. Not every family tie is built on the premise of mutual respect, love, and support. Sometimes “family” simply means that you share a bloodline. That’s all. Some family members build us up, and some break us down. So just because someone is blood-related to you, doesn’t automatically make them the healthiest influence in your life.

Second, you must understand that a toxic family member may [Read more…]

7 Smart and Effective Ways to Handle Difficult People

08.22.2026 by Marc Chernoff // 20 Comments

Many moons ago, after I was ruthlessly bullied by a couple kids in elementary school, my grandma found me in tears on my bedroom floor. She sat down next to me, gave me a hug, and let me vent to her. Then, after there was silence between us for a prolonged period, she said, “Those bullies just want to make you feel bad all day long. That’s their goal. And if you continue to feel bad about their foolish antics, they win. However, if you let go of their foolish antics, and instead focus on feeling good and helping other people feel good, you win. There’s always a winner in these situations. And it’s always your choice.” I hugged my grandma again and said, “Thank you.”

Regardless of our age or social status, there will always be some difficult people out there who want nothing more than to bully and belittle us. Sometimes they’re colleagues at work, sometimes they’re people in our neighborhoods, sometimes they’re the mean kids at school…

And just as difficult people will always exist in the world, so too will our power to [Read more…]

« Previous Page
1
…
4
5
6
7
8
…
214
Next Page »