Image Source: Unsplash 1: Words of Affirmation Did you know that good relationships typically have a And excellent relationships have a 20:1 compliment to criticism ratio! wrong, they're all over you. " This complaint is not just true for the workplace, but also for personal relationships 3: Quality Time When it comes to relationships, it's not how much time we spend with others that matters

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow in Canada, so this article will be about the topic of giving thanks. Image Source: Unsplash During the summer at my school, we had a two week summer camp. One of my camp students made cookies for all the teachers. Or to be more accurate, he made cookies at home, and then his mom suggested that he give some cookies to the teachers. He was a bit reluctant at first because he felt like the cookies would become cold and hard by the time the teachers ate them the next day, but his mom assured him that it's fine, that it's the thought that matters most, and that the cookies will still be delicious.   The next day, this student gave some of the cookies to some teachers that he saw. His mother is also a volunteer helper at our summer camp, so during break, she shared the cookies with other teachers in the staff room. Image Source: Unsplash  When I ate one, I told her, "Oh these cookies are really good!"  She then explained to me how her son was worried that it would become cold and hard and wouldn't taste as good. I said, "Oh he is so thoughtful! But the cookies are indeed still delicious."   A few days later, I heard the mother say to her son, "Why don't you bake some more cookies for the teachers?"  He said, "No,"  and walked away. I was quite surprised. His mother then explained to me, "He doesn't think anyone liked his cookies because no one came up to him later to tell him that his cookies were delicious or that they really appreciated the cookies."   When I heard this, I felt surprised at first, but as I thought about it some more, it made sense. I'm sure when he gave cookies personally to some teachers, they said "Thank you" . The problem is, this "Thank you"  is rather scripted and expected, so it doesn't hold much sincerity and weight. As a result, the student didn't feel assured that the teachers truly appreciated his cookies.   Moreover, although we liked the cookies, none of us thought to go up to him afterwards to tell him that we really liked the cookies. A key word is "afterwards". Again, if we eat the cookie right when he gives it to us, and we say, "Oh this tastes good!" , it's rather scripted; after all, what else would anyone say? No one would be impolite and say it doesn't taste good, so he can't be sure that we truly liked the cookies.   From this experience, I learned that if we truly want others to feel appreciated for giving us something, we should wait until afterwards to give them a very specific thank-you message. If I could go back in time, I would go up to that student after school and tell him, "Thank you for the cookies! I really like how soft they were, and the sweetness was just the right amount." This kind of specific praise after the event conveys true sincerity and appreciation.   I also admire how this student didn't just take it for granted that others should like his cookies, but instead observed everyone's response afterwards to confirm. If nobody went up to him afterwards to tell him how much they liked it, then it probably means that they only liked the cookies a little bit, or perhaps they took the cookies out of politeness, but they didn't really want the cookies. In this case, it's probably not worth it to spend the time to make another batch.   On a related note, I once heard someone say that if a person brings you a gift unexpectedly, don't look for a return gift right away. Wait until later to visit them and bring a gift. It left a deep impression on me because on my street, many people plant a vegetable garden, including my mother. Sometimes, neighbors will bring vegetables to us, and we would often immediately find some vegetables to give back to them from our backyard.   Image Source: Unsplash Now, I'm not saying this is wrong. It's good and natural for us to give something back from our own garden. It's certainly more polite than not giving anything in return. But perhaps an even higher level of etiquette would be to give them a sincere "thank you" with a smile, and then bring our vegetables to their house on a future day, and praise the vegetables that they gave us earlier.   If we look for something to give back to them right away, it almost feels like we don't want to "owe" them a gift, so we want to give them back something as soon as possible. At the core, this is self-centeredness, whereas the core of etiquette is others-centeredness. If we are focused on others' feelings, then we'd happily receive their gift because that's what would make them happy. Then we wait until later to give a return gift and give a specific praise about the past gift they gave us; in this way, they would know for sure that we truly appreciated and liked the gift.   Conclusion When someone does something nice for us, go beyond the scripted "thank-you" to express our appreciation, especially if we'd like them to do more of it. As the giver, don't take it for granted that others should like our gift; be sure to observe their response afterwards. Weekly Wisdom #363

Last week, we looked at a story of how Yanzi made his ruler look good . Yanzi has such high cultivation, and history has recorded many of his stories, so I can't help but want to study him more. This week, we'll look at how Yanzi was able to graciously refuse his ruler. Saying no is an important ability because we can't say yes to everything, but saying no in a way that doesn't create awkwardness or conflict is a tough thing, and we can learn from Yanzi.   Once, Yanzi was having his meal when an envoy sent by his ruler, Duke Jing of the State of Qi arrived. Yanzi immediately rose to greet him and invited him to join the meal. Yanzi divided his own food in half to share with the envoy. As a result, neither the envoy nor Yanzi ate to satisfaction.   When the envoy returned, he reported this matter to Duke Jing. Image Source: ChaptGPT The Duke was astonished and sighed: “I never imagined that my own chancellor lives in such poverty. This is my failure as a ruler!”   At once, Duke Jing sent to Yanzi one thousand taels of gold, along with tax revenues collected from the marketplace, so that Yanzi could use them to receive and entertain guests.   (Pause! If you were Yanzi, what would you do? Would you accept the Duke's gifts?)   However, Yanzi firmly refused. The Duke persisted and sent gifts three times, but Yanzi rejected them each time.   When the Duke asked why, Yanzi explained: “I am not poor. With Your Grace’s salary, I already receive blessings enough to support my family, entertain friends, and even help the poor. What you provide me is already more than sufficient.   Moreover, I have heard this: If a minister accepts the ruler’s wealth and then gives it to the people, that is stealing the ruler’s kindness to win the people’s favor. A faithful minister would never do this. If a minister accepts the ruler’s wealth but does not share it with the people, that is hoarding the ruler’s kindness for private gain. A man of righteousness would never do this. If a minister relies on pleasing the ruler to rise in rank, only to be demoted for offending the scholars, and dies leaving his wealth to be seized by others—that is merely guarding treasure for someone else. A wise man would never do this.   At home, I already have enough cloth and grain for daily use. Why would I need to accept so much extra compensation?”   Duke Jing then asked: “But in the past, our former lord Duke Huan granted his minister Guan Zhong five hundred households of land, and Guan Zhong accepted it without refusal. Why then do you decline my gifts again and again?”   (Note: Guan Zhong is a famous and respected minister in history who helped Duke Huan conquer other states and rise to great power)   (Pause! If you were Yanzi, how would you respond?)   Yanzi bowed respectfully and replied: “I have heard: even the wise, when they ponder a thousand times, may sometimes be mistaken; and even the foolish, when they ponder a thousand times, may sometimes be correct. I think that though Guan Zhong was a wise man, there were times when his judgment was not perfect. And though I am dull, perhaps there are times when I can be correct. Perhaps when Guan Zhong accepted such gifts, it was one of his rare errors; and when I refuse them, it may be one of my rare moments of right. That is why I repeatedly decline, and dare not accept.”   Image Source: ChatGPT Hearing this, Duke Jing nodded in understanding. ( Story Source )   Commentary When I first heard this story, the first question that came to my mind was, "If Yanzi has enough wealth, then why didn't he give the envoy more food so that the envoy wouldn't think he's poor and report it to the Duke?"   I'm not Yanzi, so I can't know for sure, but knowing Yanzi to be the sage that he is, I'm sure he has good reasons. My guess is that he wanted to show a frugal example to the envoy. After all, Yanzi holds a very high leadership position in the country, so his role modeling has a wide influence.   If Yanzi lives extravagantly, the people below him would have an excuse to do the same, which means the government would be wasting tax dollars, and the citizens would become unhappy. If Yanzi lives conservatively, then when other people of lower rank hear of the news, they would feel ashamed if they live extravagantly. It's also possible that he wanted to indirectly hint at the Duke to live more conservatively.   Another factor is that the envoy came without prior notice. If Yanzi knew that the envoy was coming, he probably would've prepared enough food for both of them. Since the envoy arrived while he was in the middle of eating his meal, all he could do was invite the envoy to share his meal. If he didn't invite the envoy to stay for the meal, it would be rude. But if he invited the envoy to stay and wait while he prepared more food, that might take too much time, and perhaps the envoy didn't want to trouble Yanzi or stay so long.   Also, the envoy might not have had the intention to say that Yanzi is too poor, he might've just made an off-hand remark to the Duke, but the Duke interpreted his words as "Yanzi is too poor" . Thus, we can see the difficulty of communication and why miscommunication is common.   The First Pause In the first pause, when the Duke sent all those gifts and extra compensation to Yanzi, if I were in Yanzi's shoes, I would feel very grateful to have a ruler that cares so much for me, and of course, I need to do my duty to support him in governing the country and making the people happy. Therefore, I need to set a frugal example, hence why I would refuse the gifts.   But Yanzi's considerations were even more thorough. He explained three situations that may occur if he accepts the money, which would lead to him being either unfaithful, unrighteous, or unwise. I don't know if Yanzi had this intention, but it was a very opportunistic educational moment to help the Duke learn these three standards and use them to judge all his ministers. When the Duke heard Yanzi's response, he could see that Yanzi wasn't being selfish or trying to maintain a "pristine image", but that Yanzi was truly thinking for the benefit of the Duke and the whole country.   The Second Pause In the second pause, when Duke Jing still insisted on giving the gifts, and even brought up a past hero, Guan Zhong, as an example, I was at a loss for how to respond to the Duke. If I say "Guan Zhong has many good points, but perhaps extravagance was one of his not-so-good points,"  it seems like I'm arrogant for criticizing a hero like Guan Zhong, and that might create opposition with those that admire him. Also, the fact that Duke Jing would bring up Guan Zhong's example makes me think that he also believes it's fine for a ruler and high ministers to live a bit more extravagantly, which means I have a duty to help him correct that improper view. But the big question is, how?   Yanzi's response was very admirable. He affirmed that Guan Zhong was a wise man, and he lowered himself by saying that he's a dull person, and that this is a rare instance where the wise man might be wrong and the dull person might be right. In this way, no one would slander Yanzi for being arrogant and thinking he's better than Guan Zhong, and no one would oppose Yanzi or feel pressured to live more frugally because Yanzi said he's a dull person.   Moreover, Duke Huan isn't trying to force Yanzi to accept his gifts. He wants Yanzi to accept it willingly. But hearing Yanzi's words, his innate conscience knew that Yanzi is morally right, and so he'd naturally yield, and he'd probably try to be a bit more frugal in his life too.   I think Yanzi's tactic here is one that we can all use in our lives if someone insists on something and brings up a respected person as an example. If we know it's not appropriate for us, we can say, "There's no doubt that they are wise and admirable, and I am dull, but there's a saying that even the wise, when they ponder a thousand times, might still be mistaken sometimes, and even the dull, when they ponder a thousand times, might be correct sometimes."   Reflecting on myself, recently, I was invited to do volunteer teaching on Sundays. I replied, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm currently too busy."  Looking back, I could've replied more humbly by saying, "I really appreciate the offer and your trust in me, and I truly respect the organization and all the volunteer teachers. I think the work you do is very important and meaningful. Unfortunately, I lack the ability to handle all my current responsibilities well, so I'm really not eligible to think about taking on new responsibilities. But if in the future, I have all my responsibilities under control, and you still want me as a volunteer teacher, I'd be happy to join."   Conclusion We will all encounter situations where others urge us to do something, but we feel it's not appropriate for us. When this happens, can we decline their good intentions graciously? From Yanzi's example, we can see that selflessness (having other people's best intentions in mind) and humility are two keys to a gracious decline. Weekly Wisdom #358

Recently I was talking to a friend who was having some difficulty getting her mom to listen to her. When I listened to her story, I had a thought: "One of the major differences between cultivators and non-cultivators is that cultivators see beyond the level of the matter and into the level of psychology."   By "cultivators", I mean people who cultivate their character and virtues, such as wisdom, kindness, humility, etc. By "psychology", I mean the way people think, their thoughts, and their intentions.   Icon Sources: 1 , 2 In interpersonal conflicts, a lot of people get stuck at the level of the matter. For example, my friend's mother was overworked and biting off more than she could chew. She was working a lot, taking care of elderly parents, and moving houses. My friend wants to help her mother with the moving, but she's studying abroad, so she urged her mother to hire a moving company to make things easier, but her mother refused. This is the matter.   But we have to go beyond the matter and really understand why they are so stubborn about their view. In order to understand others, we have to stop opposing them and judging them, and instead believe that they must have a legitimate reason for believing that they believe. After all, no one purposely tries to be stupid or illogical, so we mustn't judge others to be that way.   At the same time, sometimes people aren't fully aware of why they are so insistent on something, so they cannot articulate themselves clearly. We also have to be understanding here rather than judgmental or demanding. People need time to work out their thoughts, and we can use our own observation abilities to make educated guesses.   So back to my friend and her mom. I asked my friend, "Why do you think your mother is so stubborn about doing everything herself and not hiring a moving company?"   She replied, "I think it's because it's like a taboo in my family to ask for help, so my mom wants to be superwoman and do everything herself, and she doesn't want to show weakness."   I said,  "It's great that you can understand your mother's psychology! Indeed, pretty much everyone has an ego, and the ego wants to look good and capable in front of others. Now that you are aware of her psychology and intention here, you're still going to urge her to hire a moving company, but how might you frame your request differently?"   She thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe I could say that my friend is starting a moving company, and it would be very helpful if she could support my friend's business and be one of their early customers? But it's kind of hard because I don't actually know a friend who's starting a moving business."   I said, "You're going in the right direction! We call this tact. When you truly have the best intentions for someone, and your mind is very peaceful and calm, you'll eventually think of a genius idea. Maybe it's when you're in the shower, or when you first wake up, or after meditation. Tact is key to helping others.   There isn't one correct answer here, but I'll offer one idea. Basically, instead of making it seem like you are helping them, make it seem like they are helping you. It's the nature of the ego to like to be the 'hero' or 'the good guy' and to dislike being 'the one who needs help.'   You could say to your mom, 'I feel really guilty that I can't be there to help you move in this hectic time. I know you can probably handle it, but can you please let me contribute a little bit by hiring a moving company for the family? It'll make me feel a lot better and help me concentrate on my studies."   My friend replied, "Oh I think my mother would be much more willing to take my advice if I framed it that way!"   My friend also talked about how she's worried about the health of many family members, including their diet, lack of exercise, and overconfidence in western medicine. Again, we need to look beyond the level of the matter and into the level of psychology.   Firstly, we have to correct our own intentions. We mustn't have an attitude of opposition, as if we need to "win this debate" or that "they are wrong and I am right". Instead, we should hold intentions of care, respect, and patience. We are advising them because we care about them, but at the same time, we respect their authority over their own lives, and we can patiently advise them over a long-period of time. After all, change requires time. Usually, people don't change after one conversation (unless you threaten them, in which case the change won't last long). It takes consistent care over a long period of time to inspire others to change.   Next, we can try to understand their psychology by putting ourselves in their shoes. Under what conditions would we reject or accept other people's advice? If we think they understand us and know what they're talking about, we'll probably listen to them. So building trust is key.   In order to build trust, we have to let others feel understood, and our own attitude is the root of the problem. If we oppose them, there's no way they'll feel understood. We'll say things like "You have problems with your diet and lifestyle,"  and then they'll get defensive and say, "Who are you to judge my life? Mind your own business."   To correct our own attitude, we have to remember that everyone is doing what they think is right, or if they know it's not right, they can't help it. For example, people eat what they think is healthy, and if they eat something that they know is unhealthy, it's because they think it's a reasonable amount, or because they can't control their cravings. Regardless, we should be understanding rather than judgmental. With this kind of attitude, we might say, " I know you try hard to take care of your health, and it's really difficult to always make the best choices given your busy schedule and food options."   As for the actual health and lifestyle advice, it's better if it comes from a credible expert and if we've tried this advice and got good results. We might say, "My doctor recommended me to watch this health documentary, and I was wondering if you'd like to watch it with me? No pressure though."  Or "I'm feeling great recently, and I think it's because I followed some health advice from XYZ book/expert. I wish I had known this earlier!"  There isn't one correct method or thing to say, and as long as we sincerely care for them and have a correct attitude, we'll definitely find a way.   Conclusion What is a matter that you've been caught up in? How can you see beyond the matter? Weekly Wisdom #350

For example, what’s the relationship like between the high level leader and the middle manager? I then asked my mentor, “So what if the asker further replied, ‘The top leader doesn’t have a close relationship

Mirabel has a strained relationship with Isabella because she feels Isabella is cocky, while Isabella

Recently, I finished teaching a two-month English course aimed at helping some students pass their IELTS test. Most of them are beginner level, but they need to pass the lower-intermediate or intermediate level. In other words, it's no small feat.   Throughout these two months, I realized that the hardest thing isn't teaching English or IELTS tactics. The hardest thing is helping the students maintain a good emotional state. Because they have strong pressure to achieve a high result in a short time frame, which is very difficult, they understandably get anxious and stressed a lot.   Every week, there are a couple students who get emotionally unstable. The IELTS test is one source of their stress, but there are other factors too, like conflict with classmates, or body discomfort, or bad sleep. Fortunately, there are always some students who have a good emotional state, and they'll help to comfort the students in a bad emotional state.   I teach them every day, and outside of class, I continue to tutor them. Sometimes, I feel like it's a contest between my calm and positive energy against their stress and negative energy. Sometimes my energy can overcome theirs, and other times, their energy overpowers mine.   Every day, I repeat the same things to them: "You can do it. You have to believe in yourself. Focus on the process. Don't be impatient for quick results. Don't get disheartened at failure or mistakes, it's part of the learning process. You have to accumulate mistakes to succeed. You have to practice staying calm. Be focused when you study and practice. Take care of your health. Notice your own improvement and encourage yourself. Be your own cheerleader. If you encounter difficulties, communicate with me promptly and we can solve it together."   Image Source: ChaptGPT At the end of the two months, many of them told me that their biggest gain from my class isn't English, but rather an improvement in their attitude. Two months isn't that long, but it also isn't that short either, and I noticed that most of them improved their sense of confidence and emotional stability as compared to the beginning.   From this experience, I realized that we really shouldn't expect people to change after we give them advice once or twice. If we're serious about helping others to change, we have to accompany them for a long period of time, and throughout this time period, we need to set a good example and use a good attitude to give frequent reminders and encouragement.   It's easy to give advice. It's much harder to role model that advice and repeatedly give the same advice every day without getting impatient. But only when we can do this would they have faith in us and be willing to listen to us; if we get impatient, they will think we don't really care about them, and they'd lose motivation to change. The reason we'd get frustrated is because we aren't empathetic enough. I'm sure my students all want to remain calm and have faith in themselves, but they can't control their emotions sometimes. They're not purposely ignoring my advice, it's just that changing habits takes time.   When I see things from this perspective, I gain more patience. My job is precisely to remind and encourage them when they revert to their old habits, and each time they will improve a bit. Although the improvement might not be noticeable day to day, with enough accumulation, they will eventually have noticeable change.   As Epictetus said, “Nothing important comes into being overnight; even grapes and figs need time to ripen. If you say that you want a fig now, I will tell you to be patient. First, you must allow the tree to flower, then put forth fruit; then you have to wait until the fruit is ripe."   Is there anyone you've been trying to change? Do you patiently focus on the process, or have you become impatient at the lack of results? Weekly Wisdom #343

judgmental towards her, thinking that all she cares about is her grades and that she doesn’t value her relationships responsibility, and then I reminded her that aside from her studies, it's really important to build good relationships is not dependent on how good our grades were in school, but rather on our interpersonal skills and relationships Moreover, having good relationships with classmates will make us happier, and we can all help each other belief, we will view others in a better light, and we will have better, more harmonious and happier relationships

first Additionally, I should value relationship harmony more than convenience and efficiency. Next time, I should tell myself, " Relationship harmony is more important than convenience. The key to a happy life is happy relationships, not convenience or efficiency. " Icon Source If I had Moreover, if I had remembered that relationships with loved ones should be my priority, then despite After all, the key to a happy life is good relationships, not convenience.

It is rude and damages relationships. Examples of hurtful criticism: "What's wrong with you! How many times we try again depends on the relationship. But if the relationship is not that close, such as with friends or colleagues, then we could try three Depending on the relationship, we may need to admonish many times.   The art of criticism is deep and complex, but if we can do it well, our relationships will be much better

But if we want to steer relationships towards a better direction, then we need to role model making respectful

Have ever encountered an awkward conflict and not know what to do? That happened to me this past week, and I saw my mentor handle it really smoothly. Image Source: Wix AI Every week, I attend an online Chinese philosophy discussion class with a small group of people. Usually, one person shares a problem they are facing and what they've done to try to solve it, and then the MC guides everyone to discuss the problem together. At the end, our teacher and mentor gives feedback to all our discussed ideas.   This past week was supposed to be my turn to share. That day, I was really tired because I had another presentation as well, and I even had a headache. But I decided I can't pull out last minute, as that'd be too little notice, so I endured my headache and went. To my surprise, there was a new person, and the MC recognized this person. The MC said, "Oh today we have a special guest! We've worked together 3 years ago. It's been such a long time! Let's have him speak a few words."   The MC just wanted him to introduce himself, but he misinterpreted the MC's meaning to mean share about his entire situation and any problems he's facing in life, so he was rather nervous and said, "Seriously? Can you give me some time to prepare?"   The MC said, "Sure,"  and then she talked a bit about other things. Then she invited the guest again. When the guest started speaking, I realized that he thinks he needs to do a full sharing that would take up the time I was supposed to have. I messaged the MC asking, "Am I still sharing today…?"  She replied, "I think he misunderstood my meaning…"   I messaged, "It's OK. It's a rare opportunity for him to get guidance from our mentor. I'll let him have this opportunity today." This worked out to be quite a serendipity because I also had a headache that day, so I was thankful that he unintentionally took my place.   After he shared his story and problems, he said he hopes to get to know everyone and learn from us. The MC asked us if we had any thoughts on what he had shared. No one raised their hand. The MC then asked us to all introduce ourselves to him. Clearly, she was off her game that night; after all, it's rather strange that everyone should introduce themselves to this one new person, but our teacher didn't say anything.   After our self-introductions, the MC then asked the guest to talk more about his job. He replied, "Seriously? We haven't seen each other in three years, and this is how you treat me?"   The MC replied, "It's precisely because I haven't seen you in so long that I want to hear you share more."   At this point, the awkwardness and tension had reached its peak. I had no idea how we could dissolve the tension. Then our teacher stepped in and said, "I think maybe I should speak a few words now. I'm actually pretty happy that they are so excited to see each other again. It's like when you haven't seen a family member for a long time, and then you finally see them again, and you're so excited that you forget how to MC. This is the family culture that we often advocate in Chinese philosophy. I hope everyone feels at home here. And even though each of you may leave here temporarily for personal reasons, know that we'll always welcome you back just like family. As for whether or not you'll be asked to share the first day you're back, that'll depend on the MC."   After my mentor said that, everyone laughed, and the tension was gone. My mentor then added,  "We all need to inspect ourselves frequently: am I living consciously or habitually? In the past, our discussion class was always the same routine. Today, that routine was broken, and our MC struggled to adapt. So we need to all practice living more consciously, which would then allow us to adapt to new situations better. I also think today's discussion is more interesting. Having some unexpected challenge adds spice and excitement, don't you think?"   The rest of the discussion then continued pretty smoothly. After the class was over, I thought the MC might feel really embarrassed about her mess up and keep replaying it in her mind, so I messaged her saying, "Just in case you feel embarrassed about today’s MCing, I am actually quite thankful for it because I got to see how our mentor saves an awkward situation. Also, if I were in your situation, I’d be the same, if not worse. And everyone’s busy thinking about other stuff now, so hope you don’t keep worrying about it."   She replied, "Thanks. This was a good test for my cultivation. Obviously I still need to improve my ability to remain calm in the face of surprises and my adaptability."   Post-Reflection Afterwards, I contemplated why my mentor was able to save that awkward situation. What do you think? I think it's because he always tries to interpret other people's intentions positively. Indeed, the MC didn't have any negative intentions, she was just nervous. By explaining her actions with positive intentions to the audience, people suddenly viewed her in better light.   This principle is widely applicable to daily life. Just this past week, I encountered two classmates slightly arguing about something and then being unhappy. I could've said something like, "Oh you guys really care about each other's opinions so that's why you would try so hard to communicate. Communication is not easy, and taking a break is helpful."   Another time, after a classmate delivered a presentation, I said, "Nice job!"  She said, "No it was mediocre."  I said, "Well no matter how hard we try, we'll always have some mistakes. We need to judge ourselves based on our effort, not the result."  She replied, "But despite my effort, the result is still mediocre."   At this point, I didn't know what to say, so I just didn't say anything. Looking back, the reason I was at a loss for words is because I didn't try to interpret her intentions positively. If I had, I would've said, "Well, I admire how strict you are with yourself, and I'm sure you'll learn and improve from this experience."   Concluding Thoughts When you encounter awkward situations or conflicts, do you try to interpret others' intentions positively? Are you living consciously more or habitually more?