DEAR HARRIETTE: I have had a couple of financially good years recently. At the same time, I know that a couple of my closest friends have been suffering. I do my best to be supportive. For example, we used to go out to eat a lot. Now, I invite them over for drinks or dinner at least once a month so we can hang without adding burdensome expenses to anyone. Everybody seems to have a nice time, and sometimes they will bring a dish or a bottle of wine or something. My worry is that the power dynamic is subtly changing because I’m the one doing well right now. My career has gone up and down for years. I know this may be fleeting, but I don't want my friendships to suffer. How can I keep close to my friends as our financial realities change? -- In Limbo

DEAR IN LIMBO: Continue being yourself with your friends. Don’t apologize for your success nor brag about it. Life has many twists and turns, and you are smart to realize that this moment will pass. Perhaps some of your friends will also become successful; perhaps not. Each of us has our own path to follow. You cannot create or walk anyone else’s path.

Sadly, socioeconomic differences are often the hardest for people to navigate, sometimes more difficult than race, gender or politics -- not to diminish the challenges people face in those arenas. You have the opportunity to continue your friendships despite the economic differences that are emerging. By remaining sensitive to their identities and needs as you also pay attention to yours, you have a chance to defy the odds and sustain the love between you, despite your differences. Trust that it will not always be easy. Pay attention to your loved ones. Listen to their stories as you also tell your own. Find your points of connection and keep them strong.

DEAR HARRIETTE: The process of job hunting has been emotionally and mentally exhausting. With all of the rejection, it’s hard to keep my spirits up and feel confident in myself. It feels like I’m never going to get the job I want. It can be disheartening to send out countless applications only to receive silence or polite rejections in return. How can I remain motivated while unemployed? -- Discouraged

DEAR DISCOURAGED: Rejection is tough. It can feel like a gut punch, over and over again. You need to do something to counterbalance it in order to keep your spirits up. Consider doing something physical. Create a daily exercise routine of some kind for yourself. Walk briskly for a half hour. Do some kind of aerobic exercise regularly to get your juices flowing. You don’t need to spend a penny. You just need to commit to movement. Studies have shown that getting your blood flowing can change your mood.

Next, make a plan. Write down your dreams -- especially the biggest ones you have. Don’t give up on them. Think about steps that can get you to manifesting your dreams. The littlest goals can help you to stay on course. Look outside of your comfort zone for employment. Where are the needs in your community? Figure that out and offer to help in those areas. Don’t give up. Get creative and keep going for it every day!

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions toaskharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am in the onboarding process for a new project, and one of the principals is worrying me. There is a lot of tension in leadership. I have the ear of one of the leaders, and right now all I’m hearing is moaning and groaning about internal feuding. It’s making me worry that the work cannot get done due to the bickering. I want to be a confidant to this woman, my contact, but I’m tired of hearing the blow-by-blow of internal drama. And I’m worried that I won’t be effective after I join the team if they can’t get past the fighting. How can I help get them back on track? -- Eyes on the Prize

DEAR EYES ON THE PRIZE: When you talk to your contact, focus on the goals of the project and how to execute them. Agree to listen to the internal conflict for a few minutes, but gently pivot the conversation to the work at hand. Offer to help keep the goals on track. If you sense that the blow-by-blow is consuming too much oxygen, ask her to refocus on the project. Come to your meetings with a list of objectives, timelines and other prompts that can help keep discussions on track. Before you sign any paperwork, make it known that you want to work on this project and that you are concerned about how time-consuming and distracting the in-fighting has become. Offer to help keep the project focused, but make it clear that leadership has to work through their turmoil -- and fast.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband's father has always expected us to give him money whenever he needs it. This expectation is unreasonable and causes us a lot of stress and financial burden. I understand that he may need some help at times, but always expecting us to provide for him without any compromise or consideration for our own financial situation is not fair. I don't know what to do about this situation. It has been going on for quite some time now, and my husband refuses to confront his father about it. What can we do to break free from this unfair demand while still showing compassion toward his father? -- Stop Asking

DEAR STOP ASKING: Sit down with your husband and make a budget. Review all of your financial needs and goals. Talk about what your plans are for your family, what you want to save for, etc. Include some support for your father-in-law and potentially any other family members who may need help. Elder care is a real concern for millions of families in our country. In order to have control over your life, you have to figure out and be clear about what you can contribute to your father-in-law.

Once you have established what you are comfortable contributing to your father-in-law, agree to tell him. This may require that you step up to deliver the news if your husband doesn’t feel capable. You two need to decide how you will handle it. Will you give him a monthly allowance? Will you create an emergency fund for when he calls, but limit the amount? Whatever you decide, move forward together with that understanding, and let your father-in-law know that there are boundaries around his monetary requests now. Period.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: From out of nowhere, I had a dream that was extremely provocative. Next thing you know, I was having a spontaneous orgasm, even though nobody touched me -- including myself. It was amazing and highly unusual. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. Meanwhile, I woke my husband up with the squirming that apparently was going on. I swear I don’t know if I said anything or what happened. I don’t remember the details of the dream either. I woke up to that feeling in my body, and I was like, “Whoa!”

Now my husband is accusing me of having an affair, or at least of wanting to, because he could tell that whatever was happening in my dream was sexual. I told him everything that happened, but he’s not satisfied because I don’t remember the details. What do I do now? That was such an amazing experience, but it has caused me a world of trouble. My husband and I haven’t been intimate in a long time, so now he thinks I have a lover on the side. I truly don’t! -- Dream Lover

DEAR DREAM LOVER: Rather than getting in a fight with your husband, ask him if he is willing to dream out loud with you. Take him on a fantasy journey by describing to him whatever you recall from your dream. Add provocative twists and turns. Ask him to play along and add his own ideas. Turn this moment that you enjoyed so much into something the two of you can have fun with, rather than a point of accusation. Make your own dream together!

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband is always harping at me about my eating habits and how I need to lose weight, which is true, but he needs to as well. He snacks all day long on trail mix and dried fruits. He claims that these are healthy, and I tell him “only in moderation.” When he consumes Costco-size bags of these things every week, I know that’s not good for him. But he just shoos me away when I say anything. Meanwhile, he has gained quite a bit of weight in recent months. The only thing I can see that he’s doing in excess is eating these salty and sweet “healthy” snacks. How can I get him to slow down on his consumption? -- Only in Moderation

DEAR ONLY IN MODERATION: Take a look at the labels of the snacks he is eating. Look closely at the ingredients and nutritional content. Specifically look for sodium and sugar content. Then compare those percentages to the daily recommended percentages of sodium and sugar. Currently, the American Heart Association recommends that people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, with 1,500 milligrams being optimal. For women, the AHA recommends no more than six teaspoons of added sugar and nine for men.

Believe it or not, based on the snacks that people eat, it is easy to consume more than the daily recommendation in just one sitting. My research suggests that as far as snacks go, dried fruits are among the healthier choices. There are plenty of health benefits to be gained from dried fruits, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but it is also true that dried fruits have concentrated amounts of sugar in them and should be eaten in moderation. Show your husband the percentages of sugar and salt in the snacks he is eating, and recommend healthy amounts for him. Bag up healthy portion sizes for him so that he can eat responsibly. He may appreciate your turning his jumbo-size bag into bite-size treats.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)