How to Improve Your Confidence

    Confidence is something that everyone admires. At some point in your life you may question your level of confidence and wish it to be higher{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you believe the theory that we attract into our lives who we are, then creating and keeping high levels of confidence is vital to your well-being.

    Watch your intake{#blank#}2{#/blank#}So reduce the amount of hours of soaps and reality TV each day. Read a book or magazine about a topic you are interested in. Listen to a different radio station you have not listened to before. In this way, you challenge the beliefs you hold and raise your awareness of new things.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Spend an allocated period of time being quiet and just reflecting on your life. Remove yourself away from others and focus on the power of silence and improve your levels of concentration.

    Believe in yourself. One of the key steps in raising your level of confidence is to believe it for yourself. You need to believe, accept and be in no doubt that you are a confident person{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Meanwhile, value the time that you spend doing this process.

    Take a look around for people you admire. It can be helpful to have someone in your circle that you admire for their skills or achievements. Observe the way they face new challenges and communicate with people. You also should attend a club or a group associated with a topic you're interested in{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Spend some time being quiet.

B. In this way, your attitude is changed.

C. Spend time imagining you at your absolute best.

D. What you read, watch and listen to affects your mindset.

E. Your level of confidence affects the decisions you make in your life.

F. You'll meet new people different from your present circle of friends.

G. These are the kind of people that can help you to grow in confidence.

    When you're feeling anxious or stressed, the strategies (策略) listed below can help you deal with it.

    Eating and sleeping well.

    Living a healthy lifestyle is important. From sleep to nutrition, the healthier your body is, the better it works, and the better it works, the less you'll experience anxiety. These aren't anxiety cures. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Simply sleeping more isn't going to magically take it away. However, they'll greatly reduce the symptoms, which should help you deal with anxiety much more easily.

    Yoga.

    Yoga is a type of exercise that has great benefits to reducing anxiety.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Those with anxiety need an opportunity to slow their lives down so that it feels more manageable.

    Relaxation Strategies.

    Many relaxation strategies exist that help you deal with anxiety. Flying your imagination is a great one.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Creating memories is another great one. You can go to the museum or try a new cuisine. These strategies give your mind an opportunity to be calmer so that you can cope with stress naturally.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Your thoughts tend to be your enemy when you suffer from anxiety. So stop focusing on those thoughts and give yourself a break to simply calm down. Talking on the phone with someone you like about positive things can be more powerful than you realize.

    Journaling.

    Writing thoughts down in a journal may seem like something you only did as a child.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It not only gives you a chance to let out your thoughts, but tells your brain that it doesn't have to focus on remembering them as much as it did previously.

A. Distracting yourself.

B. Actively face your fears.

C. The key is to reduce their severity.

D. However* it's a powerful healing tool.

E. It is a slower form of exercise that is not challenging.

F. Simply imagine yourself and your five senses in a more relaxing place.

G. Anxiety is more of a mental health disorder developed through years of experiences.

Are You a Prisoner of Perfection?

    Do you struggle for a goal that is beyond your reach?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Are you setting yourself up for failure and shame when you can't achieve the unachievable? Understanding what drives perfectionism is the first step toward releasing this self-created anchor that keeps us stuck.

    Shame and fear are often the hidden drivers of perfectionism. We believe that if we can fashion a perfectly polished personality, flash our intelligence, and perfect our humour, then no one can hurt us with criticism and we'll win respect and approval.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Politicians who display a desperate need to be right and refuse to acknowledge mistakes or uncertainty are often driven by a secret shame. They fear that showing vulnerability(弱点) will expose them to the accusation that they're weak. They stick to a desire to be right, perfect, and polished, even when it's obvious that the emperor has no clothes.

    Perfectionism keeps us leaning toward the future. We're constantly evaluating ourselves in order to do better.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, if we can't relax and enjoy lighter moments, then we become prisoners of our perfectionism. We get painfully self-conscious and take ourselves too seriously. Sadly, we deprive(剥夺) ourselves of the simple pleasure of enjoying the moment and being ourselves.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}We realize that failing at any enterprise doesn't mean that we are a failure. Without failures, we'll never learn from our mistakes; we'll never move forward in our lives. Those who succeed have made countless mistakes. The important thing is to learn from our error, forgive ourselves and move on.

    Being human, perfection is impossible.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Releasing ourselves from the desire to protect our image, we're freed to sail gracefully through our successes and failures—and enjoy our precious life.

A. Do you hold an idealized vision that is impossible to realize?

B. A cure to perfectionism is to make room for our human shortcomings.

C. Do you fear that others will be horrified by what you judge about yourself?

D. The addiction to staying perfect protects us from any sign of being imperfect.

E. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do our best and self-correcting along the way.

F. People who are addicted to perfection are often isolated, even if they seem outgoing and popular.

G. By accepting ourselves as we are and doing our best, we begin to rid the shame that drives perfectionism.

    Color is fundamental in home design——something you'll always have in every room. A grasp of how to manage color in your spaces is one of the first steps to creating rooms you'll love to live in. Do you want a room that's full of life？Professional？Or are you just looking for a place to relax after a long day？{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, color is the key to making a room feel the way you want it to feel.

    Over the years, there have been a number of different techniques to help designers approach this important point. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, they can get a little complex. But good news is that there are really only three kinds of decisions you need to make about color in your home: the small ones, the medium ones, and the large ones.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. They're the little spots of color like throw pillows, mirrors and baskets that most of us use to add visual interest to our rooms. Less tiring than painting your walls and less expensive than buying a colorful sofa, small color choices bring with them the significant benefit of being easily changeable.

    Medium color choices are generally furniture pieces such as sofas, dinner tables or bookshelves{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They require a bigger commitment than smaller ones, and they have a more powerful effect on the feeling of a space.

    The large color decisions in your rooms concern the walls, ceilings, and floors. Whether you're looking at wallpaper or paint, the time, effort and relative expense put into it are significant. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. While all of them are useful

B. If you're experimenting with a color

C. Whatever you're looking for

D. Small color choices are the ones we're most familiar with

E. It's not really a good idea to use too many small color pieces

F. Color choices in this range are a step up from the small ones in two major ways

G. So it pays to be sure, because you want to get it right the first time

    Failure is a word that no one wants to hear. It is human beings' biggest fear yet it is faced by every human being. Sometimes, people's fear of it is their biggest barrier to success. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some tips which can help you get on the positive side of life.

    Never give up. Before starting anything that you think will give you success, promise yourself that you will never give up. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Remember that it is never too late to do so.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is the opportunity that you should not let go of. Suppose you are on a football ground. You strike the ball for 9 times in a row and fail. But at the tenth attempt, you succeed. The tenth attempt proves that you have somehow learnt from your mistakes.

    Never think that you've got only one plan. The worst thing you can do after failing in some project is thinking that it was the only plan you could ever think of. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If Plan A fails, turn to Plan B or Plan C. If you are into achieving something, no one or nothing in this world can stop you.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This is the most important thing that you need to live a happy life. Always think positive. Never let yourself down. Positivity is all we need to grow and establish ourselves in this world

A. Keep on trying.

B. Keep a positive attitude.

C. Learn from your mistakes.

D. There is always another way.

E. Therefore, you need to learn how to deal with failure.

F. Just as the saying goes, failure is the mother of success.

G. This promise helps make your mind ready for both failure and success.

Resolving (解决) Conflict in Friendships Conflict is surely a common problem in life and friendships. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That's because there isn't enough depth to guarantee all the trouble it takes to smooth over the disagreement. Unfortunately, even when the friendship reaches a deeper level, conflict continues to happen and can break apart a relationship. Here are some resolutions. 

Resolve it the day it happens. One rule my parents follow in their marriage is that they don't go to bed angry with each other. They always attempt to resolve things the day it happens so that in the morning, it's a fresh start with no past grudge (怨恨). I've found I need a short cool down period so that I don't act in anger. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whatever you do, don't let things ride for too long. 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sometimes if you sit down and talk things over, you begin to see where the other person is coming from. Realize that everyone has been created differently with various talents, abilities, and personality traits. For example, you might be a leader while your friend is more of a follower. You may be frustrated with him or her for not being very decisive. Yet it is important to understand that each person is unique and needs to be appreciated. 

Initiate resolution. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even when you think the other person is wrong，it's not a bad thing to say "I'm sorry if I offended you in that way." If you're honest and genuine in delivering your words, there's a good chance your friend will respond positively. 

Most importantly, be loving in what you do. Try to focus on peacefully resolving the disagreement. It is not a most pleasant task to resolve conflict in any friendship. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't expect too much. 

B. Try to see the other person's perspective. 

C. Be the first person in a fight to say sorry for your part. 

D. Many shallow friendships end up being ruined after an argument. 

E. To say sorry bravely when a conflict breaks out is a better resolution. 

F. However, it is worth the efforts because it results in a deeper friendship. 

G. For some, counting to one hundred before saying anything may be an option.