INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Taking responsibility for your actions cuts both ways: don't be modest about your accomplishments (though don't showboat, either), but you also need to take responsibility for your mistakes. Don't try to pass the blame, and don't be overly defensive about your mistakes. Simply accept that a mistake was made, acknowledge what you should have done differently, and use the incident as a learning experience. Trying to blame others for your mistakes may make you feel slightly better about yourself in the moment, but your coworkers or employees will resent you for passing the blame, and your supervisors/managers may lose respect for you if they're privy to what you're doing. While it's important to take responsibility for your errors, it's also important that you don't beat yourself up over them. Try to find the lesson of what you can do different next time, and move on. In the professional world, no one will likely be there to help you budget your time or offer motivation on a project you've been dreading. You need to summon the strength and responsibility to be your own motivator. That means taking calculated and informed risks, coming up with new ideas, and keeping on schedule at all times. Don't wait for work to be assigned to you. If you're finished with a project, let your boss know and ask for more work. It will show initiative and strong work ethic. Manage your time. Plan backwards from the anticipated deadline and know in advance what portions of your project need to be completed by what date(s). That way you'll be able to stay on schedule (or even finish early), and you'll make a strong impression on both your colleagues and your managers. Whether you're asking for help, asking for clarification, or asking for a promotion, you've got to be willing and able to ask. Opportunities rarely come without any effort, and the same is true of professional opportunities. If you're unclear on a manager's instructions for a project, ask for clarification. If you need help with a project, ask someone whose work you trust if they can take a look at the plans with you. If you want a promotion or a raise, you've got to work up the nerve to ask for it. There's seldom any harm in asking. If you work with reasonable people, you'll probably get a reasonable response. Asking for things, including asking for more responsibility or additional projects, will not only boost your reputationit can also make you feel more fulfilled by your work. Goals are important to better yourself, both in your personal life and your professional life. They give you something to work toward and they help fill your work and your life with greater purpose. But it's important that you make goals that are both beneficial and attainable. That's where it may be helpful to create and strive for S.M.A.R.T. goals, an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound. Specific goals: be simple and clear with what it is you hope to accomplish. For example, instead of vaguely wanting to do better at work, have a clear goal in mind, like getting a raise or a promotion. Measurable goals: as you create your goals, be sure that they can be measured. That way you will have a clear idea of whether or not you've accomplished your goal. For example, if your goal is work-related, you may want to measure your goal by whether or not your salary or responsibilities have increased. Achievable goals: make sure your goals are realistic and relevant to your career. A good achievable goal should push you just enough to test your abilities, but ultimately be defined clearly enough that you can accomplish your end goal. For example, instead of hoping to become the CEO of your company, work for a promotion into a position that you are actually qualified for. You can always aim to move upward from there, but start with a position that is realistic and achievable at this point in time. Results-focused goals: create goals that measure the outcomes of your effort, not your activities. For example, create a goal with a clear objective that will produce some type of unambiguous result (like a better position at work or a higher salary, to continue with the previous examples). Time-bound goals: set up a timeframe that is close enough to create a sense of urgency that will spur you to action, but distant enough that you can actually accomplish your goal. For example, don't try to get promoted by the end of the week. A better timeframe might be to work hard over the next six to eight months, prove your worth to your boss and coworkers, and then approach your boss to ask about a raise or a promotion in six months to a year.

SUMMARY: Take responsibility for your actions. Be self-motivated. Learn to ask. Make SMART goals.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Even if you don't feel like it to begin with, these actions can help you endure a fast. These will help you get through the day, and (if you're fasting) keep your mind off the hunger. During the 40 hours it's possible you won't feel especially hungry. You may, however, feel tired or lethargic. In this case, limit yourself to quiet, fairly stationary activities. Try to sleep long hours, particularly on the second night. This is a good way to help the time go by. Meet up with your friends for meals (if appropriate), a sporting event or a shopping trip. The more you take your mind off the challenge, the easier it is. reading, drawing, studying or homework. Carpet is preferable to something harder. Decide for yourself whether pillows and blankets count as furniture.

SUMMARY: Drink water frequently and eat some hard candy every few hours. Watch some movies. Conserve energy if you're fasting. Sleep. Go out. Don't talk about it. Do some indoor activities: Find a good place to sleep if you've given up furniture.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Jills are typically pregnant for about 42 days. When your jill gives birth, give her time alone with her babies ('kits') for at least a week. Jills may eat their kits when feeling scared or threatenedyou definitely don't want your jill to do this! You will need to feed her during this private time. Being as stealthy as you can, slip food and water in her cage when she is distracted. Jills can develop mastitis (mammary gland inflammation) and some of the kits may die after birth, so you should take a quick look at the mom and her babies when you put the food and water in the cage. Call your veterinarian if the jill doesn't look well, or if you see dead kits that should be removed. Now that your jill is nursing, she will need just as much energy as when she was about to give birth. Continue to feed her two to three times her normal intake. Be mindful that if she has a large litter (more than 10 kits), she will lose weight no matter how much you feed her. With such a large litter, the caloric and energy demands will always outweigh how much she can eat. Undoubtedly, your jill's cage will become smelly after she gives birth. However, you should change the bedding only to check for neglected or abandoned kits. Just like when you put food and water in the cage, be stealthy when you change the bedding. If you have the cage in an enclosed room, the smell could become unbearable. Increase the air circulation in the room by keeping a door open.

SUMMARY:
Give the jill her privacy. Feed your jill as you did when she was pregnant. Minimize bedding changes.