INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you feel your heart thudding faster and faster, pay attention to how you are breathing. Remember: the quicker you breathe, the less air your lungs get. That means your heart is speeding up to pump the little oxygen you have to the rest of your body. So make a point of taking deep breaths to calm your body and mind. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine that your lungs are down in your abs. Think about filling your abs with air instead of your chest. This will help you draw longer breaths. Keep your focus on what is happening outside of you, rather than inside. Focus all of your attention entirely on him. Empty your mind of everything else. Ignore your own internal reactions, worries, and concerns. Just pay attention to what he says and does and react to that. Obviously, you're a human being hoping to have a conversation here, so you can't really empty your mind of everything. The goal is to quiet any thoughts that don't have anything to do with the immediate conversation. Just think about what you're going to say in response to what he says, not how you feel inside. For example: If he asks for your opinion on something (like your taste in music), speak from the gut and tell the truth, regardless of what his opinion may be. Keep the conversation going instead of stalling it by trying to second-guess yourself about what he will think of your answer. If he says something you disagree with, say so. Don't start yourself worrying about how he might react. It's better to deal with his reaction, whatever it may be, than worry over a hundred different scenarios that probably won't happen anyway. If you have music handy and it seems natural to play it, great! Play something relaxing and keep an ear tuned to that. If not, just play a song that usually calms you down in the back of your head. The key is to play something calming. Your breathing, heart rate, and other body rhythms will naturally fall in sync with the music's rhythm. This is also a great ice breaker to get the conversation rolling and find out his interests. Depending on where you are, subtle ways to go about this could be fiddling with a car radio, switching between music channels on TV, starting your iPod or other device before you engage him, or asking him if he wants to check out that jukebox in the corner. With one hand, form an "O" by bringing the tip of your index finger and the tip of your thumb together. Leave your other three fingers straight, but relaxed. Sounds weird, but this is actually a yoga trick known as the Gyan Mudra. Instead of focusing on all the thoughts and feelings building up inside you, just concentrate on keeping the tips of your thumb and index together together. If you think this will look weird, just hold your hands behind your back, or use whatever you're holding (like a textbook) to hide it from view. Release your stress by moving around. Get your blood flowing and get rid of the tension building up inside you. Full-out dancing is a proven way to lower your anxiety, but even though it would probably be too weird if you broke out into a jig for no reason, moving around just a little bit will still help. A simple solution is to just get the conversation mobile by suggesting a walk-and-talk! If you're already playing music, let yourself move to the rhythm. Slowly stepping off and on a curb or stair step also be a way to burn off nervous energy without looking too odd.

SUMMARY: Breathe! Concentrate on him. Calm yourself with music. Make an "okay" sign with your fingers. Move your feet.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Think about the ideals, values, and moral attributes that are important to you. These might include being a good friend or being healthy. Values and ideals are the ideas about life that you think you need to excel. They are different from goals in that goals are more concrete actions that can be completed. The first step is to figure out what excelling at life means to you, as well as for your values and the kind of life you want to have. It may take time to sort through all of these questions and to decide what excelling at life truly means for you. Try to create the broadest possible definition of excelling in life: short-term, long-term, big dreams and small successes. Get a journal or notebook that you dedicate solely to your new vision of your life and how you want to see yourself succeed. Start by making a list of all the ways you could excel at life, whether they are realistic or not. Write down your highest aspirations all the way down to simple things like doing the dishes every day. You may find that your definition of excelling at life can start with making small changes every day, whether it has to do with your personal health, finances, career goals, family, romance, personality traits such as being more kind, or nurturing your friendships. Look at your list of the ways you can excel. Then look at your list of values and ideals. Begin to figure out how they match up. Which goals accentuate your views about life and the kind of person you want to be? Start to group the ways you want to excel into similar categories, such as career goals, hobby goals, health goals, family and friendship goals. Then group these into long-term and short-term goals. You might have a health goal of being able to weight-lift 300 pounds, or you might have a career goal of becoming a journalist, or you might want to wash the dishes every night. Now that you have started to get clear on what excelling means for you, start prioritizing your goals. Which ones are long-term goals that will make you feel like you are excelling at life? Which goals can you practice on a daily basis in order to feel like you are living your life in a positive direction? Excelling at life can be as simple as interacting with people with kindness, being a more organized person, investigating bigger life changes like a career change, or making an effort to spend more time with your family and friends. The most important part of defining what excelling at life is for you is that it resonates with who you are as an authentic person and what kind of life you want to live. Your journal will become your personal source for focus and inspiration. Perhaps you have people in your life who inspire you because of their attitudes, strength, and perseverance. Find a picture of them or something that reminds you of them, and paste it in your journal. Use your role models to inspire you and remind you of what you aspire to be. You can also consider famous people, such as musicians or athletes, who inspire you because of their life, their actions, or that you can look up to and admire. For example, the Dalai Lama has been a symbol of peace for decades, even under great adversity. You don't have to become the Dalai Lama to remind yourself of his strength and attitude. This reminder can help you stay focused on the kind of person you want to be and the life you want to live. Think of these people as inspirational tools.

SUMMARY:
Make a list of your ideals and values. Make a list of all the ways you can excel in life. Make a list of your goals. Prioritize your goals. Find role models.