Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn't mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or the other, you'll have to stand up and say - problem, I don't want you in my life.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Problems with friends, parents, girlfriends, husbands, and children - the list goes on. Apart from these, the inner conflicts within ourselves work, too. These keep adding to our problems. Problems come in different shapes and colors and feelings.

    But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.

    Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Talking helps you move on and let go.

    Write your problems.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you write down your problems, you are setting free all the tension from your system. You can try throwing away the paper on which you wrote your problems. By doing this, imagine yourself throwing away the problems from your life. Don't lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don't lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family… you should still have faith.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Your problems aren't the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there're another one million people whose problems are huger than yours,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your problems might just seem big and worse, but in reality they can be removed.

    Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.

A. But the truth is that when you talk about it, you're setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you.

B. When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it?

C. Tell yourself: when they can deal with them, why can't I?

D. Of course, we've been fighting troubles ever since we were born.

E. We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack.

F. Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don t want a real person to talk with.

G. With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose.

    Thomas Edison was one of the most successful inventors the world has ever seen.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    But people found that although Edison was good at inventing new things, he was a poor fisherman. He used to spend an hour almost every day sitting at the side of a river and fish. He always fished all alone by himself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

People asked Edison, “Why are you so crazy about fishing when you are so bad at it?” His answer was, “I really never caught ant fish because I have never used any bait (诱饵).” Another question followed, “Why would you fish without bait?” Edison answered, “Because when you fish without bait, people don't disturb you and neither do the fish{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    Sometimes the world's best inventor was the world's worst fisherman. In fact, because Edison was the world's worst fisherman, he could become the world's greatest inventor.

    Are you setting aside some time for yourself to think?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Here are some ideas for you:

    Slowing down and taking long showers is a good idea.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Long walks are good too.

    Afternoon naps have been proved to improve creativity.

A. But he never caught any fish.

B. It provides me my best time to think.

C. So is listening to some soft classical music.

D. In all, Edison has thousands of inventions.

E. He was asked the reason behind him being a fisherman.

F. To make your brain work better, you need to take a rest.

G. Set aside 15-20 minutes per day so that you can do nothing.

Brainstorming for Ideas

    Try blind writing. When trying to get past a writing block or a brainstorming lag, take at least ten minutes to sit down and write. Force yourself to write for the full ten minutes, no matter what comes of it. The act of putting pen to paper will stimulate the part of your mind that generates ideas.

    Make a mind map. Mind mapping is a brainstorming strategy that allows you to map out different tangents of thought to stimulate new ideas. Get a piece of paper, poster board, or whiteboard and write your goal in the center. Write subtopics and related thoughts around the goal, and continue branching out from them to develop your train of thought. For example, a mind map about the environmental goal “Going Green” could branch into subtopics such as “Reducing Waste”, “Eco-travel”, and “Global Warming”.

    Attempt “rolestorming”. For a fresh perspective on a topic，attempt “rolestorming”. Picture yourself as someone else (e.g. a parent, friend, colleague, or partner) and imagine how you would approach a scenario as them. You can extend this brainstorming technique to famous people or historical figures (e.g. Albert Einstein, Bill Gates).

    Try meditation. To open your mind to new ideas, try meditation. Find a peaceful place to sit quietly and focus on the question at hand (e.g. “How can I promote my new business on my limited budget?”). Bring a pen and paper to jot down ideas, and meditate for about 30 minutes, or until a good idea comes to you. To avoid worrying about the time, set an alarm on your phone to signal the 30 minute mark.

    Remove limitations. Remove the limitations that may be hindering your brainstorming progress by approaching the subject as if there were no obstacles. While this process may not yield feasible solutions right away, it will open your mind to possibilities you would not look at otherwise. For instance, when planning a surprise party, you might overlook certain venues because of financial constraints, such as an expensive French restaurant that your friend would love to try. By allowing your mind to go there during brainstorming, you might get the idea to simulate the restaurant and meal for a house party.

    Discuss things in a group. Group brainstorming sessions can allow you to develop your thoughts by feeding off of the ideas of others. If you are working on a group project or collaboration, schedule brainstorming time in a quiet location with no disturbance. If you are working on your own project, ask friends or colleagues if you can bounce ideas off of them and get their input.

How Arts Promote Our Economy

    When most people think of the arts, they imagine the end product, the beautiful painting, a wonderful piece of music, or an award-winning performance in the theater. But arts groups bring broader value to our communities. The economic impact of the arts is often overlooked and badly judged.

    The arts create jobs that help develop the economy. Any given performance takes a tour bus full of artists, technical experts, managers, musicians, or writers to create an appealing piece of art. These people earn a living wage for their professional knowledge and skills.

    Another group of folks is needed to help market the event. "If you build it they will come" is a misleading belief. Painters, digital media experts, photographers, booking agents and promoters are hired to sell tickets and promote the event. According to the Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition, arts agencies employ more than 10,000 people as full-or part-time employees or independent contractors.

    A successful arts neighborhoods creates a ripple effect（连锁反应）throughout a community. In 2005, when the Bishop Arts Theatre was donated to our town, the location was considered a poor area of town. After investing more than $1 million in reconstructing the building, we began producing a full season of theater performances, jazz concerts, and year-round arts education programs in 2008. Nearly 40 percent of jazz lovers live outside of the Dallas city limits and drive or fly in to enjoy an evening in the Bishop Arts District.

    No doubt the theater has contributed to the area's development and economic growth. Today, there are galleries, studios, restaurants and newly built work spaces where neighbors share experiences, where there is renewed life and energy. In this way, arts and culture also serve as a public good.

    Teco Theatrical Productions Inc. made use of Bloomberg's investment of $35,000 to get nearly $400,000 in public and private sector support during the two-year period. Further, Dallas arts and arts-based businesses produce $298 for every dollar the city spends on arts programming and facilities. In Philadelphia, a metro area smaller than Dallas, the arts have an economic impact of almost $3 million and support 44,000 jobs, 80 percent of which actually lie outside the arts industry, including accountants, marketers, construction workers, hotel managers, printers, and other kinds of art workers.

    The arts are efficient economic drivers and when they are supported, the entire small-business community benefits.

    It is wrong to assume arts groups cannot make a profit. But in order to stay in business, arts groups must produce returns. If you are a student studying the arts, chances are you have been ill-advised to have a plan B. But those who truly understand the economic impact and can work to change the patterns can create a wide range of career possibilities.

    All company leaders will face major business decisions throughout their time as the heads of their organizations. Difficult decisions related to activities such as M&A, leadership changes, restructuring, and massive growth plans will directly impact the company's employees.

    If you've already established trust with your workforce, you can significantly minimize potential negative impacts and make sure your employees will buy into your decisions, even if they don't necessarily agree with them. But earning their faith takes time. As a leader, you are trusted only to the degree that people believe in your ability, consistency, and commitment to deliver. The good news is that there do exist some strategies to help you earn confidence.

    Instill trust through an employee engagement program

    By encouraging consistent feedback and establishing an honest environment, employees will trust the direction and information you give them. Create a highly engaged culture by prioritizing real-time recognition, continuous feedback, and ongoing goal-setting.

    Change and react with meaningful conversations. You've likely had to adjust your business plan in the middle of the year. Real-time, continuous communication helps you keep employees in the loop and adjust to expectations as your organization's needs change.

    Giving timely feedback is the most effective way to communicate expectations. Not only that, but saving your big praise until the end of the year isn't just ineffective—it makes it more difficult to deliver.

    Ongoing goal-setting can help people understand where their contributions fit within the organization and where they need to aim. Better yet, these can be transparent across the organization so everyone is held accountable for the outcomes and behaviors that drive your business and cultural success.

    Gather and measure sentiment (情感) during times of change

    Part of the difficulty in making tough business decisions is that leaders don't want to surprise or disappoint employees. Think about the last time you made a major company-wide announcement. Did you know if employees were happy? Were they shocked? Or even worse, did you have no insight into their reactions at all? If you regularly measure employee sentiment through real-time pulse surveys—especially during times of change—you can more accurately pinpoint reactions and cope with issues immediately. The results of these pulse surveys empower your leadership team to be more forthcoming, moving forward, earning the trust of employees and strengthening a transparent company culture.

    If there is a strong link between employees and managers to the goals of the organization, the vision and values of the company will be embraced by all.

    At the end of the day, the mindset shouldn't be about how you can make tough decisions easier, but how you can make those decisions in a way that won't negatively impact your employees or your organization's objectives. Create a cooperative feedback culture, and when the time comes to make difficult decisions, you know that with your team's insights in mind and trust in the leadership, the decision will be accepted willingly.

    Can just one person make a difference? You bet! In a community every person counts, and getting involved is not difficult. Take stock of your own talents and interests. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't wait for someone else to act first. Take the initiative! Once you see what you can accomplish, you'll want to keep going.

    Here are just a few ways to make a difference in your community. How many more ways can you come up with?

    Clean up the community. People often throw litter in places where there is already litter. And the problem only becomes worse until someone gets fed up and does something. Could your neighborhood use a cleanup? Neighborhood cleanups are often sponsored by local businesses or schools. But if your community doesn't have a cleanup program, get together with friends to organize one. You could pick up garbage in a larger area twice a year, or you could clean a smaller area every few months. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Include the isolated. Do you know anyone who is housebound? Almost all neighborhoods have a few people who have to stay at their homes. These people are often elderly and unable to leave their homes to perform simple tasks. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} By letting them "borrow" your legs and eyes, you can make them feel included. You can run errands for them like shopping or paying bills. They might like you to read to them if their eyesight is failing. Governments provide some of the services these people need, but programs cannot give them friendship; that's what communities are for!

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Reading clubs are popular all over Europe and North America. Members might read at home to prepare for discussion, or they might read aloud to each other and talk about what they just read. Either way, a book or article can spark lively discussion and this often challenges people to take action.

A. Cleaning your community will have a positive effect on others in society.

B. They find a need or an issue you really care about.

C. But they belong to the community, too.

D. Living in a clean neighborhood will be its own reward.

E. Don't hesitate to take part in the community's activity.

F. Round up some readers.