【推荐1】Many of us have a dream that we would love to achieve. Having dreams is fine, but realizing those dreams is even better.     1    . We will need to work hard and not be afraid to fail. Self-motivation(自我激励)requires effort, and here are tips to help us stay motivated.

Set goals

The first step to achieving a dream is to turn it into a series of goals.     2    . Short-term and medium-term goals will be the stages on the road to the final goal.

Have self-belief

    3    . Remember that you have already overcome other difficulties. Believe in yourself and your abilities. You know you can solve the problem facing you because you have done it before.

Mistakes are not failures

Every mistake should be a lesson, and we should not see it as a bad thing. It enables us to learn, and by learning, we can do the work better another time.

    4    

You will already have drawn up your plan of action and the timetable for carrying it out. Keep this in mind at all times, and you will continue to be motivated. Your plan itself is a source of self-motivation.

At last, it is important not to worry about losing motivation.     5    .

【推荐2】Ways to save the Earth as a family

These days the news about the planet can be overwhelming for kids and their parents. Actually, personal actions can make a difference.

UNPLUG

Don't worry—we don't mean taking a break from your phone. We’re talking about the charger. Chargers that remain plugged into the wall can suck energy even when the device is turned off. Ask your kids to remind you to unplug chargers when they’re not in use, as well as switch off power plugs for TVs and lamps.

FRESH FRUIT

Buying seasonal, local food cuts down on the energy needed to grow and transport it. Before taking your children to the grocery store, ask them to look for fruits and vegetables in season.

SAFE SOUVENIRS

Avoid souvenirs or other things made from animal parts like scales, teeth, feathers, seashells, and so on. Instead, take your kids to local markets where you can meet the artists and search for something made of materials like used cans, or magazine paper.

KID SCIENTISTS

Instantly transform your kids into scientists by signing up for a citizen science project that identifies animals. Just taking a photo of an animal and uploading it to a site like iNaturalist can help biologists learn how the animal is adapting to a changing world.

It's true that sweeping collective action is needed to control climate change, but small adjustments by people help too. Plus, by taking action to protect the planet, you can help your children feel empowered in the face of these global problems. Start with these tips to get the whole family involved in protecting the Earth.

【推荐1】How to Get Along With Friends

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and happiness, but it’s not always easy to develop friendships. The following are some tips for you.

Be positive

    1    . If you’re someone who likes to discuss hopeless-sounding situations, that’s OK, but remember to talk about more cheerful topics, too. Discussing books or sharing funny stories are better for your friendships. Of course, if something bad happens, it’s OK to ask your friends for support. You’re not expected to be positive all the time.

    2    

Listening helps you learn about your friends and support them when they need it. Give your friends your full attention, and make mental notes about the important things in their lives—like the names of their loved ones, things they like and major things that have happened or are happening in their lives.     3    , don’t immediately share your experiences or advice. Instead, ask them, “How are you feeling about it?” or “What do you plan to do about that?”

Make time for each other

Spending time with your friends has a huge impact, whether it’s for a few minutes or for several hours.     4    . If you can’t easily see your friends in person, try texting each other or having video calls. It certainly doesn’t replace an in-person hangout, but it’s a good way to keep in touch.

Calmly discuss problems one-on-one

If your friends are doing something that’s bothering you, it doesn’t help to give them the silent treatment or leave them out. Instead, talk to them one-on-one about what’s bothering you, and calmly share how you feel about it. For example, if your friends have given you an embarrassing (令人尴尬的) nickname, pull them aside and say, “I know you’re trying to be funny, but when you call me that, I get really embarrassed.     5    .”

【推荐2】“I’ve had my heart broken more badly by friends, than I have by lovers,” says a friend. “Yet people dismiss the end of a friendship so easily, as if it doesn’t matter as much and isn’t as painful as the break-up of a relationship.”

It was her use of the word “heartbroken” that hit me so hard. Two of the most harmful phrases in the English language are “I am so disappointed in you” and “You broke my heart”. Both, in their own way, are unbearable, emotional daggers (匕首) that are not easily removed.

Friends are the foundation that support our lives, the comfort of long continuity, shared emotional confidences, a shoulder to weep on, a hand to hold, a safe and peaceful place during the breakdown of a relationship or marriage. When those friendships end, our hearts are broken. We will lose all those assurances that we too often take for granted.

And too often, we are even not allowed to mourn (哀悼) it. We all believe friendships fade like the mist as we go our separate ways. We might feel a lingering affection, or a faint sense of loss, but they leave no empty spaces in our lives. I once talked to a woman who mourns the loss of her friends. Years later, the space they had left was still harmful in its loneliness. “But when I try to talk about it, people think I’m being ridiculous. You can always make more friends.”

It is not true and, at heart, we all know it. Friendships require history, layer upon layer of intimacy (亲密) and memory. We might not see friends for months, or even years, but the moment we are back in contact it’s as if time stood still.

I lost a good friend recently. I know, it sounds so careless, but it was, truly, nobody’s fault; simply a set of emotional circumstances that meant we both had to step away. It seemed so sensible, and still does, but what I hadn’t expected was the fierceness of the pain. The phone still rings with calls from other friends but within it there is a weird and unsettling silence because she is not there. My heart is broken, even if I wouldn’t have thought of phrasing it in so dramatic, or perhaps bitter, a way. I know the pain will fade eventually. We might, even, at some time in the future be friends again, but not in the same way. Something has been broken and however skillful the mending, the cracks will still be faintly visible. It is a sharp reminder of how much we should cherish our friendships because it is all too easy to take them for granted and forget how much it means to us when they are lost.