Tips for Confident Decision Making

    Are you a good decision maker? Do you sit on the fence?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you'd like to be more content and confident with your decision making, then these four tips are just the things you need.

    Do your “homework”

    Make choices based on what is the most important to you.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You may even want to speak to someone else who has been through this before. Then when you are ready, just decide.

    You are in charge.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}By blaming others you give your power away. Just believe you have made the right choice and take responsibility for the result. This will be a real encouragement to your self-confidence.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It's great to stick with your decisions. There are times however when you need to change your mind. Don't worry about making a wrong choice. The good thing about being wrong is that you will know where to correct yourself and when to take action.

    You're going to make it.

    Sometimes it is going to be hard to be persistent(坚持不懈). You know you are doing the right thing and it's just taking so much time, effort, money and energy. After making bold choice, remember you have a reason why.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Say to yourself out loud “No matter how hard it is, I'm going to make it.”

    Decision making takes courage and there are many things you can do to decide more confidently. So don't delay, you can start right now by deciding to make this new habit.

A. The more confident, the better decision.

B. This will mean you have to do a research and look at all theavailable options.

C. Whatever result you get, you can't blame others.

D. Confident decision making is of great significance.

E. Or are you constantly changing your mind?

F. It's OK to change your mind.

G. Remember you are taking yourself to the next level.

What If We Don't Get Along?

    Teachers want to get along with you and enjoy seeing you learn. But teachers and students sometimes have personality clashes（人格冲突）. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you show your teacher that you want to make the situation better, he or she will probably do everything possible to make that happen. Take these steps if the problem seems difficult to solve:

    ⒈Talk to an adult you trust, such as a parent, guidance counselor, or both.

    ⒉{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You may not feel immediately comfortable with your teachers, but that may change as you get to know one another.

    ⒊If you've given it time, talk with your parents about what to do next. Lots of times, a meeting can be set up to discuss the problem. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Everyone's goal should be to create trust and kindness.

    Your relationship with your teachers is often your first chance to develop a “business relationship”. They are different from your family relationships and friendships, which are built on affection and love. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But they don't necessarily need to be good friends or like each other a lot. They simply need to respect one another, be polite, and stay focused on the jobs at hand.

    When you act this way, and remember that you're not the only kid in the class, you are helping your teacher. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Teachers also like it when students follow directions and when they learn and obey the rules of the classroom. For instance, there may be rules about listening when another student is talking, about taking turns, or about raising your hand when you want to say something or ask a question.

A. Give it time.

B. This can happen between any two people.

C. This may clear the air and make things better.

D. Your teacher is likely to notice this and appreciate it.

E. Therefore, those teachers rarely show respect towards their students.

F. A teacher cannot necessarily answer all the questions his students ask.

G. In a business relationship, both parties get something out of the relationship.

    Understanding body language can lead to closer relationships. Noticing the signals that people send out with their body language and being able to effectively read them is a very useful skill.

    Watch for crying. Usually crying is considered a sign of sadness, but crying can also be an expression of happiness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Thus, when judging crying, you'll need to look for other signals to determine the real meaning of the crying.

    Look for signs of anger. Signs of anger include v-shaped eyebrows (眉毛), and wide eyes.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Arms tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Studies have found that when people are engaged in an interesting conversation, their eyes remain focused on their partner's face about 80% of the time.

    Look for expressions of embarrassment. Embarrassment can be signaled by turning the eyes or head away, and forcing smiles. If someone looks down at the floor a lot, they are probably shy, or embarrassed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.

    Notice any sense of pride. People express pride by showing a small smile, moving their head backward, and putting their hands behind their backs.

    As a general rule, people are best at reading facial expressions, and then body movements, and, finally, personal space and touch.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} People are generally better at reading body movements that are pleasant rather than unpleasant. One study finds that individuals are better at accurately interpreting (领会) happiness, and excitement, compared to anger, sadness, and fear.

A. Read interest from eyes.

B. Look for signals of anxiety.

C. However, different body movements have different meanings.

D. Down-turned mouth is also a sign of being angry.

E. People also tend to look down when they are upset.

F. Crying can also come about through laughter and humor.

G. However, not all body movements are equally easy to understand.

    Are you afraid of failure? However, only by overcoming fear of failure can we achieve success in life. Here are some tips on how to remove fear and focus on success:

    Understand that at times you make mistakes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Before any of us learned how to walk, we crawled(爬行). We got up, fell down and got up again. We continued the process until we could walk quite well.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, view it as a stepping stone. Make certain that you learn from failure and then use what you have learned in future situations. Refuse to consider failure a character weakness. Doing so will only prevent you from achieving future success.

    Remember that failure has produced many successes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Albert Einstein's teacher told him to quit school and said, “Einstein, you will never achieve anything!” Beethoven's music teacher said he was hopeless to become a composer(作曲家). Henry Ford's first two car companies failed.

    Appreciate the benefits of failure. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you try, the better you make.” It's hardly possible for someone to achieve success for the first time he tries. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Believe in yourself. Rather than give up when things don't work out, take it as a chance to build perseverance(坚持不懈). Remind yourself how many failures became successful because they wouldn't give up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't take failure personally.

B. Work hard and try to avoid(避免) failure.

C. Realize that you are human and humans make mistakes.

D. Believe that you've got what it takes to work through the difficult times.

E. Making the same mistake again can lead to the failure in your future work.

F. Consider how many people in history had failed before they became successful.

G. In other words, your chances of getting things right on the first try are little.

Should I live in the city or the suburbs?

    There are three different kinds of areas you can live in: urban, suburban, and rural. You can describe living in a rural area as living out in the sticks or the county. This type of living is seen as idyllic (田园生活的) for those seeking reprieve (暂时缓解) from crowds. Rural areas generally have small, self-sustaining populations.

    Urban living is city living: active nightlife, full of noise, sophisticated public transit system and sometimes small and expensive city apartments. Urban areas tend to be densely (密集地) populated and have more intense traffic and pollution as a result.

    For those seeking an intermediary between urban and rural living, the suburbs might be just the thing. Suburbs are large residential areas away from the core of town yet close enough to the city center.

    Can you afford to live in the city?

    Choosing whether to live in the city or the suburbs is often a matter of budget — where can you afford to live? By and large, living in the city is more expensive than living in the suburbs, though that's not always the case. For instance, in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and a few other cities, suburban living is not always better on your wallet.

    Your lifestyle influences your happiness in the city or suburbs.

    For someone who enjoys five-star restaurants, vibrant (充满活力的) nightlife, and fast-paced living, residing in an urban hub is a dream come true. On the other hand, if you find crowds and tons of noise unbearable, then a large city might feel like purgatory (炼狱).

    Your lifestyle is one of the primary considerations in deciding where you ought to live. If you are into fishing, hiking, and spending time outdoors, then realize that you may have to drive several hours to enjoy your hobbies if you choose city living.

Is your career better suited for the city or suburbs?

    Your career should also strongly influence your choice about whether to live in the city or in the suburbs. For example, if your job is in landscape, you might find it difficult to find work in the city because there is not a high demand for landscape artists. The fact of the matter is that most city homes don't have large yards with grass to cut, and competition for landscaping contracts is probably fierce. Similarly, a business executive (主管) may find that the suburbs do not offer the convenience afforded by city living.

    The debate of whether to live in the suburbs or the city is long lasting and never-ending. When it all boils down to it, it is a matter of preference and budget, so go with your gut (决心) and you'll make the right choice.