Certain things confident people simply don't do.

They don't make excuses.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}That's why you won't hear them blaming traffic for making them late. They don't make excuses, because they believe they're in control of their own lives.

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    Confident people don't give up the first time something goes wrong. They will figure out why it went wrong and how they can prevent it the next time.

They won't wait for permission to act.

    Confident people don't need somebody to tell them what to do or when to do it. Whether it's running a meeting or going the extra mile to solve a customer's problem, it doesn't even occur to them to wait for somebody else to take care of it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

They don't need constant praise.

    Have you ever been around somebody who constantly needs to hear how great he or she is? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . They don't think that their success is dependent on other people's approval, and they understand that no matter how well they perform, there's always criticism.

They won't put things off.

    Why do people postpone(拖延)? Sometimes it's simply because they're lazy. A lot of times, though, it's because they're afraid of change, failure, or maybe even success. Confident people don't sit around waiting for the right time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If they think it's not the right time, they make it the right time.

A. They don't quit.

B. They won't lose heart

C. Confident people don't do that.

D. They are not afraid of failure at all.

E. They see what needs to be done, and they do it.

F. They know that today is the only time that matters.

G. Confident people believe that they can make things happen.

    Since the day of its birth, the United Nations has been the subject of much debate.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Others think that it is too weak. We can better understand this debate if we learn more about the U.N. and its history.

    The U.N. was started for two reasons. First, when the idea was born, people all over the world were tired of war. They felt that there must be peaceful answers to the world's problems.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The second reason was that modern science had developed new bombs and airplanes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}National borders were beginning to lose their meaning. Science would develop even more dangerous weapons in the future. Only an international organization would be able to control modern science.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President at the time, believed that the Allies (联盟) should plan for peace before the war ended. On December 1, 1943, Roosevelt, Britain's Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from Soviet Union agreed to start an organization for world peace.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    During the next year and a half, the idea of such an organization was debated around the world. Then came the big day. On April 11, 1945, the first international meeting of the United Nations took place in San Francisco. The goal of the meeting was to write the U.N. Charter (宪章). All of the fifty-one nations at the meeting had their own ideas to offer for the Charter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Every nation present voted for the Charter. No one voted against it.

A. After a long debate, a final Charter was agreed upon.

B. The U.N. Charter is a beautiful piece of writing.

C. They asked all countries, large and small, to join the organization.

D. Even the smallest country on earth can have its voice heard.

E. They also felt that only an international organization could keep world peace.

F. These weapons made it almost impossible for a country to defend itself.

G. Some people attack the organization because they think it is too powerful.

The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

    If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. And to be honest, I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.

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    It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn't write it down?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I'm away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

    It helps you review all the lessons you've learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you've learned and the ideas you've gotten.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can use the ideas to propel (鞭策) yourself forward.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you've gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.

    It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A. I often experienced that myself.

B. It trains you to express your thoughts.

C. It allows you to see your progress over time.

D. Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E. Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

F. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

G. Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

The Four-step Approaches to Managing Anger

    If something happens that makes you feel angry, try these following steps. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Maybe it will help you prevent angry feelings from building up inside.

Identify the problem. Start by noticing what you're angry about and why. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask yourself: What's got you angry? What's your feeling and why? You can do this either in your mind or out loud, but it needs to be clear and specific.

    Think of potential solutions. This is where you stop for a minute to give yourself time to manage your anger. It's also where you start thinking of how you might react—but without reacting yet. Ask yourself: What can you do? Think of at least three things. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is where you think about what is likely to result from each of the different reactions you came up with. Ask yourself: What will happen for each one of these options?

    Make a decision. This is where you take action by choosing one of the three things you could do.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ask yourself: What's your best choice? Once you choose your solution, then it's time to act.

    Check your progress.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Ask yourself: How did you do? Did things work out as you expected? If not, why not? Are you satisfied with the choice you made? Taking some time to reflect on how things worked out after it's all over is a very important step. It helps you learn about yourself and it allows you to test which problem-solving approaches work best in different situations.

A. Learn to receive the fact.

B. They help you cool down when you feel like your anger might explode.

C. Put into words what's making you upset so you can act rather than react.

D. Look at the list and pick the one that is likely to be the most effective.

E. It's called a problem-solving approach.

F. After you've acted and the situation is over, spend some time thinking about how it went.

G. After that you should consider the consequences of each solution.

    Building the thinking habit is important because it helps you live with a purpose. How can we build the thinking habit? Here are some tips.

    Be curious

    Curiosity is powerful. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It also helps you recognize the ideas when they come. Curiosity is an important attitude to have in building the thinking habit.

    Read widely

    If you want to come up with good ideas, you need to feed your mind with good ideas. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}This will give you fresh, new ideas. Don't just read from the fields you are familiar with. Read from other fields as well.

    Read actively

    Not only should you read widely, but also you should read actively. Find some ideas and think about how you can use them. My favorite way to do this is by highlighting the book I read. I will then put the actionable ideas in my idea journal (笔记). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Keep an idea journal

    When you find a good idea, don't just keep it in your mind. Instead, write it down to catch the idea. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Keeping an idea journal makes you more sensitive to new ideas. You will quickly recognize them because you already have the habit of catching ideas.

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    Of course, it doesn't do you much good if you just write down ideas. Take time to read these ideas every now and then. In my case, I mark the ideas that I consider important and review them regularly. This often opens the way to new ideas.

A. Design your own ideas

B. Go over your ideas

C. In this way, others can also benefit from your ideas.

D. One way to do that is to read.

E. Otherwise, the idea might be gone forever.

F. It makes you like finding new ideas.

G. This helps me get the most out of the book.

A Few Universal Truths to Transform Your Life

    Life is growth. If you are not reaching the kind of success, the following Universal Truths are just the ones that help to change your life for the better, regardless of where you are, where you've been, or what challenges you are facing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The best way to achieve your desires is to set a goal. Sometimes we find ourselves "spinning our wheel", struggling through a day-to-day routine that isn't getting us anywhere because we don't know where we want to go. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whatever the case is, figuring out what your goals are and whether your current actions are helping to achieve them is important.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Setting goals is important but isn't enough to drive you to the finishing line; it's important, too, to be able to imagine yourself as the achiever of your goals. How will you feel? Why is it worthwhile to follow these goals and not some other ones? If goals are the final result of a journey, your vision(愿景) is the fuel to get you there.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Whether you regard yourself as a towering tree or a blade of grass, or whether you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own reason of existence. If you truly admire yourself, you'll be courageous.

    There is no better time to begin than now. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But the truth is that your time is now. No matter what dream or desire you have, you are likely not to have more time in your life to make it happen.

A. Having a vision is undoubtedly necessary.

B. Self-appreciation gets you to be positive to move you towards success.

C. Try to understand and let it be the guide to your life as follows.

D. Be sure that you are more powerful than you know.

E. Read and allow them to change your life in beautiful ways.

F. Sometimes we simply do what is expected of us without considering what we want to achieve.

G. You can make a bunch of excuses that you'll start when more experienced or richer.