Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Don't be too hard on yourself for lying. Keep your lie simple. Blame your family. Say you already have plans. Pretend you're not feeling well. Pretend you have too much work to do. Set up your lie ahead of time. Keep track of your lie.

Answer: Studies show that lying is a regular part of daily life even for people we'd otherwise consider moral, upstanding individuals. When people lie to ease social tensions, rather than to serve their own purposes, a white lie might be a better option than the truth. Lie as little as possible, without elaboration. An elaborate story about why you can't attend a party will seem suspicious, and will also be more difficult to keep track of if someone asks you about it later. Everyone understands that familial obligations always trump parties. Tell your friends that you have to babysit a sibling, or that your parents are forcing you to have dinner at your uncle's house that night. An iron-clad excuse is that you're grounded; everyone will understand that there's no way you can come to a party. Only the most overbearing friend would try to guilt you into canceling plans you've already made with someone else to come to their party. But make sure that you don't use a friend who's attending the part as your alibi. Say you have plans with a friend from a different school, or even with an imaginary friend. On the day of the party, text your friend saying that you think you ate something bad, and that you have food poisoning. Nobody wants someone throwing up at their party. Plus, food poisoning passes very quickly, so nobody can be suspicious when you feel fine again the next day. Whether you're a student or an adult with a job, everyone knows and understands that sometimes we fall behind and have to catch up on our work. If the host still tries to pressure you into coming, say that your parents or your boss are upset with you, and you have to make it up to them. If the party is two weeks away, and you know the whole time that you don't want to attend the party, don't wait until the last second to get out of it! Set up your lie ahead of time to deflect suspicion. Some things you might consider are: Telling the host at the time of invitation that you have a previous engagement on that day. Telling the host a day or two before the party that you think you're coming down with an illness. This is the most thing about lying. Even if the lie is just a little white lie, you don't want to hurt anyone's feeling by getting caught. Keep track of exactly what you tell people, and of who you tell it to. If you post the lie on social media to make it more believable, make sure nobody else catches you doing anything else on that night! If you tell the host you're feeling sick, don't let anyone tag you in pictures from a different part that night.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Be honest with yourself, always. Be Happy. Avoid trying to be popular. Develop your interests. Have an opinion.

Answer: Awkward situations are always uncomfortable. Don't try to be someone that you aren't. If you meet some new people don't worry about not having anything in common with them, just make light conversation, be friendly, and ask questions. For example, say you're at a party that you came to because you wanted to make friends. Say you're talking to someone you really don't enjoy talking to. Just be polite and end the conversation! You don't have to be fake. Try to always look on the bright side, be positive and smile. No one can resist a happy person. This doesn't mean be fake or feel you have to hide your feelings. If something's really bothering you, never feel you have to fake a smile. Just make sure you try to see the best in things and show people that you're a happy person. Avoid comparing yourself to other people. Comparison can be linked to depression and will only bring you down. If it looks like everything you do is with the goal of getting other people to like you...well, you're not going to try to come off very well. The most important thing is developing a dependable group of friends who you care about and who care about you. Don't rush into having lots of friends just for the sake of numbers. Choose the people that you really enjoy hanging out with. If that ends up being a lot of people, great! If it's only three people, that's fine too. One essential part of having a good personality is having interesting things to talk about. That doesn't mean you need to study astrophysics you just need to have interests. If you are excited about something you probably will be able to tell other people about it in an interesting way. It really doesn't matter what you like to do! Try to read something every day. Watch movies. Look for new hobbies. Just try to experience what the world has to offer! This is similar to developing your interests. When you talk to people you want to have things that matter to you that you can talk about. Develop an opinion on politics or sports or animals or parenting or anything like that you are interested in. Don't worry about agreeing with the other person as long as you can converse civilly. People will appreciate the personality of someone who is able to express their opinions about things. Having an opinion will help you talk to people and make your conversations more interesting. If you meet someone and they say something you don't agree with, don't be afraid to respectfully state your opinion. They probably will think you are more interesting than if you just agree over and over again. Write down specific traits you admire in others that you want to add to your personality.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Visualize your success. Express curiosity about everything you face. Surround yourself with other people who are successful. Adjust your expectations for a realistic outcome.

Answer:
The more vividly and accurately you imagine your success, the easier it will be for you to follow through. When you face failure or setbacks, remind yourself that you can achieve your dreams after all. Dedicate a few minutes every day to imagining your success. Imagine yourself in a movie in which you are successful. What are you doing in the movie? What is your success like? Savor the feeling of your success, and use it as motivation to stoke your fire. Make a vision board of what success means to you. Use images and motivational quotes found in magazines or websites to help you create the board. Put it somewhere you will see it often, such as your office or kitchen. Cultivate a healthy motivation when imagining your success. Successful people all believe in themselves and their missions. Many successful people have an insatiable curiosity. If they don't understand how something works or don't know the answer to a question, they find out. Often, this takes them on a quest of self-discovery, one in which the journey is just as important as the destination. Ask questions about everything you encounter. For example, ask the vet about what makes your dog different from a human or chat with your neighbor about their garden. If you encounter something new, try looking it up or researching more about it. What can you learn from it? Talk to other people about their experiences and successes. You might learn something new about someone you have known for a long time. Curiosity helps you find wonder and joy in everything. It can help you enjoy the journey of discovery rather than just working towards an end goal. When you're surrounded with people who are highly-driven, it's encouraging. You can bounce ideas off people, and they can even connect you with other people. They can also motivate you and support you through the process. Study famous people through their books, lectures, and biographies. Model some of your approaches around theirs, if possible. Knowledge is as free as it is powerful. Look around in your own life. Do you know someone who has the success that you envision for yourself? What are they doing? How do they approach life? Ask them for advice. Avoid people who discourage you or prevent you from reaching your goals. They will only hold you back on your way to success. It's a truism in business that you need to have high self-confidence to get things done, but make sure that your expectations are manageable and are realistic. If your expectations are too high, it will be harder to achieve your goals or overcome failure. Allow there to be some flexibility in your expectations. For example, instead of expecting guaranteed success at your new job, you might think, "Well, it might take me a while to get established. If it doesn't work out, I can find a different job." Remember that there will always be variables you can't control. You can control, however, how you react to situations. For example, if an unexpected expense comes up, tell yourself that it is only a temporary setback. Pay attention to feedback. Even if it is hard to handle sometimes, constructive criticism can help you identify areas where you can improve. Learn to expect failure. It is impossible to achieve success without stumbling at some point along the way.