1 . Simple Ways to Give Great Praise to Motivate Everyone on Your Team

*Recognize a project hero.

Did someone on your team go the extra mile on a recent project? Is there anyone who was critical to their success?     1     A simple note thanking them can be all the fuel they need to want to keep working that hard for the team. Remember: Those going unrecognized are three times more likely to quit.

*Notice your unsung（被埋没的）heroes.

The best way to have high performance at all levels of your team is to, “Create heroes in every role. Don't forget your unsung heroes. Make sure every role performed at a level of excellence is treated as a respected profession.” Maybe they are the lowest paid, or the ones that do the most repetitive work.     2    

*     3    

As your team grows, it becomes harder and harder to keep a close eye on the work of everyone on your team. What you see can be very different from the things they actually do behind the scenes.

It’s easy to catch a problem in someone’s project. Unfortunately, if you only focus on what’s wrong, you can discourage your team.     4     You’d better make an effort to find things you like and praise.

*Praise any improvement in the work.

When you’re trying to turn around an underperformer, or just coach up someone’s weakness, praise can make all the difference. It takes hard work and focus to improve at something you're struggling with.

Think about when you were a kid trying to learn to ride a bike, throw a ball, or learn to read.     5     And what helped you keep trying? It must be the encouragement from a friend, a family member, or a parent.

2 . I didn’t expect parenting a teenager to be this hard. Lately, my son and I disagree at every corner. About schoolwork. His attitude. Screen time. On and on. _________ I say is met with an eye roll. My fuse (导火线) is admittedly shorter than normal right now, due to some unrelated _________ and illness.

On a recent _________ home, after picking up. my teen from school, we made a quick detour (绕行) for a grocery _________. As soon as the food was _________, my child snatched from the trunk a box of individually wrapped and processed snack cakes I’d unwillingly allowed.

As he oohed and aahed through mouthfuls of yellow cake and frosted coating, I silently questioned my decision to _________ him to do so.

But before we’d even _________ the parking lot (停车场), he asked me to _________. I just wanted this errand (差事) to be done. But then my son _________ me: He asked if he could share a few of his treasured treats with a homeless man, who stood coatless outside the store.

Of course, I stopped the car.

Actually, I hadn’t even considered the homeless in my rush to get home, __________ my car was packed with food. Without hesitation, my teenage son __________ the stranger a few little cakes. The man __________ us, and we continued on our way. Actually, my kid seemed __________: “What if he doesn’t like them?” he said. And a few seconds later, my son __________, “Mom! He’s already eating one!”

Throughout our journey home, we frankly discussed how difficult it must be for people experiencing __________. It was a __________ conversation with no quarrel or negotiations. __________ a time to reflect and count how much we have to be thankful for.

When we eventually turned into our garage, that same teenager expressing __________ for my recent illness—announced “You’re not unloading any of these bags. I got this, Mom.”

Yes, parenting a teen is harder than I __________. But it’s also __________: And, in that moment, you realize you’ve actually raised a pretty awesome human being.

3 . Last week I wrote about how giving to others can and does lift your life and brings more happiness, contentment, and even better health and a longer life. It must have _________ me to practice what I was preaching (宣扬) because later I _________ myself in my car driving to the high school that all my kids attended and going _________ to the office where I made a pretty sizable donation.

As I walked out of the building, I felt so good and happy in the _________ of my heart and brain that I _________ another school. I made a couple more _________ that day and felt like I was on top of the _________. It’s very _________ that when I make donations, including all those $2 bills that I _________ give to kids, I always feel that I __________ much more out of it than the recipient (接受者). What a great __________ it gives me! As science has proved, there is a great __________ between the brain and the __________. This allows us humans to help and __________ our entire physical being by what we run through our heads. __________ is one of those things that can set off a lot of good __________ feelings in our bodies.

Most of us, when we talk about giving, tend to think __________ in terms of giving money. But there are so many other ways and things to give. With very little __________, I came up with this list of things we can give to others that can be a __________ help to those people and, at the same time, can give a __________ to our brains, souls, and bodies.

4 . How to Be a Good Upstairs Neighbor

One must remember to be polite when living in an apartment building. You may unintentionally bother your neighbors with actions that you think to be harmless.     1     Living upstairs, you must always be aware that everything you do may be heard by those who live below. This doesn’t mean that you have to completely change your lifestyle, though.

    2     This will greatly reduce the sound of your footsteps, thus limiting the sound your downstairs neighbor will hear. You should always remember to change your shoes when entering your apartment to ensure that your downstairs neighbor doesn’t hear you walking around.

Place carpets in your apartment if you have hardwood floors. Doing so is another way to decrease the sound of steps coming from an upstairs apartment. You can also put your furniture on these carpets.     3    

Close your windows when you can. A floor is usually about three meters high, so it’s quite easy to hear your conversations.     4     Therefore, whenever you are watching TV or listening to a radio, try to keep your windows closed as much as possible.

Do your cleaning on weekend afternoons.     5     Doing such housework at 3:00 pm on a Saturday is much better than doing so at 9:30 on a Tuesday night.

5 . Developing strong study skills as a high school student not only allows you to earn better grades in high school, but also to prepare you for college. The sooner you start to build your study skills, the more good habits you’ll create for your future study.     1     Here are several study skills you should know.

1. Boost brain power

    2     Healthy, brain-fueling food and adequate rest is a foundation（基础）for all the other study skills. It will help you be more focused and productive the next day. It will also help to give you the energy you need to complete tasks you may think you are not capable of.

2. Develop concentration

Set focused study time for nothing but school work. Create a quiet study zone that includes a phone-free environment for studying.     3     That way you will keep highly focused and not be distracted（分心）by other things not related to study.

3. Develop organizational skills

Find a convenient location for putting all your school learning papers, books, and homework assignments in place. That way you’ll be better prepared for the coming lectures and thus better follow the teachers.     4    

4.     5    

Be sure to effeciently write down what you listen to in class. You don’t need to write down everything said, just the important points. You may have to take down keywords, dates, names and fill in the details later if you are having trouble getting down enough. Learning to organize and denote（表示）things in a clear visual way is also very helpful in taking good notes.

6 . Ways to Show Gratitude (感激)

COVID-19 has a way of making people feel like their world was turned upside down overnight. They struggle with feeling frightened and feeling like everyone is overreacting (反应过度).     1    

Give thanks for everyday things

    2     In fact, being grateful for something as small as a fresh cup of coffee, a sunny day, or a perfect parking spot can give you a better mood and train your brain to see the good rather than the bad.

    3    

One way to make gratitude a regular part of your day is to make it a habit to think of three things you are thankful for each day. It doesn’t really matter whether you perform this exercise first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed. The important thing is that you’re taking time and reflecting on what you are grateful for.

Keep track of everything you’re grateful for

Using a phone app like Gratitude Plus, you can record the things you’re grateful for. Another option is to use social media or even post-it notes to express your gratitude.     4     This way, when you’re feeling down, you can reflect on the things that previously (以前) brought a smile to your face.

Reflect on past negative experiences

Look back on the worst moments in your life.     5     Consider not only what you suffered, but also what you learned through the experiences. When you find the positive in negative experiences, you have turned them into something positive that does you good in the end.