Problem: Article: After you have given yourself a vacation from your original set of perceptions, drag out the list and go through it point by point. Ask yourself if each point has any validity to it and spend the time carefully going through the list one by one. With each perception or statement you made, ask yourself: "Is it really true?" "Can I prove it to be completely true? Can I prove it to be false?" "How do I react, physically and emotionally, to this thought or idea?" "Are there positive attributes associated with this negative quality?" / "Are there negative attributes associated with this positive quality?" Check your perceptions by forcing yourself to become a beginner again at something new. During times of uncertainty, one's strengths and weaknesses are more likely to show through. Pay close attention to your own reactions during the experience to get a better idea of what your own positive and negative attributes really are. The trick is to find something you know nothing about and to force yourself into learning about it. If you know nothing about cooking, for example, then learn how to cook. You need to pay special attention to your responses and reactions during this time. This process also needs to be completed on your own. Do not rely on others to get you through it. People hate being wrong, but nobody is perfect. Instead of trying to deny your failings and faults, stop making excuses for yourself and be honest about the things that are wrong. This include the things you already believed to be wrong and those you may have previously denied. Understand that accepting your failings is a necessary part of seeing yourself as you really are. Aside from that, only in acknowledging and accepting your failings can you hope to eventually improve upon them. You need to do away with excuses, as well. For instance, if you procrastinate habitually, do not try to justify it by saying that you get the work done anyway and so it doesn't really matter. Instead, simply admit to yourself that you procrastinate. When faced with trouble, look internally for a cause. It can be tremendously easy to push the blame on someone else, but to avoid boosting your ego unfairly, you need to seriously ask yourself if you had any fault in the current situation, as well. Similarly, you should project inwardly whenever you feel tempted to complain about other people. When this happens, stop and ask yourself if there might be other people making the same complaints about you. Think about your goals, ideas, and desires. You might be able to justify and rationalize each one in your own head, but ask yourself how you would view these attributes if viewing them in someone else instead of yourself. If the expected reaction varies, determine why this is the case. For example, if you crave a relationship with a certain person and feel justified in your desire, think about what an outside, uninvolved individual might see. If an objective view would consider you to be naive or reckless, you should try to accept that trait of yours for what it is. Write about your new discoveries and doubts throughout the entire process of renewing your self-image. You can write about your feelings, frustrations, or anything else related to this topic. The important thing is simply to write consistently and honestly. Every time you sit down to write in your journal, you should keep writing until you reach some sort of understanding or state of heightened emotion. Make sure that you take the time to write in your journal when you can focus on the task without distraction. While you need to be honest about your own failings, you also need to accept yourself for who you are and learn to be honest about your positives, as well. Having an overly poor self-image can be just as harmful as having an overly inflated self-image, if not more so. You need to emphasize to yourself that you are valuable, even with all your faults and failings When you sense your perceptions swinging in an unfairly negative direction, challenge the unwarranted guilt. If something goes wrong and you tell yourself, "I can't do anything right," quickly correct yourself by listing off examples of things you have done right. Consider who you have come to see yourself as and ask yourself who it is that you eventually want to be. Maybe the person you want to be is similar to the person you once thought you actually were. Figure out what you need to do in order to transform yourself and make this wish a reality.
Summary: Analyze each perception you originally had. Break out of your comfort zone. Accept your failings. Project inwardly. Look in from the outside. Keep a journal. Think about yourself in healthy ways. Ask yourself who you want to be.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Performance appraisals of this type are typically subjective, rather than objective. They are most valuable when objective criteria such as as production rate, cycle time, cost, and error rate are used. Each department should have its own quantifiable measurements so work can be compared to pre-determined standards, group norms, trends, and employee-to-employee. Collect the data systematically, and determine if the guidelines being used to conduct business are adequate. For example, you might track the amount of time a customer waits in line. Regularly document the number of items or reports an employee can produce in an hour. Be sure to clearly communicate performance measures and expected performance to employees before measurement begins. Training in this areas might be required. When the data collection begins, set plans and goals for job performance. Once the data has been collected, measure it to see if your goals were achieved. If not, a baseline can be established and used to set goals for improvement throughout the organization. If customers typically wait in line for 3 minutes before being addressed, strive to lower the customer response time. Conflict resolution through customer support can be a daunting task. Once you know the amount of time a typical call takes, it can help your company streamline the process by identifying which calls take longer. Use percentage-based quantitative improvement goals. If the company sold $500,000 worth of product last quarter, attempt to increase sales by 1%. Progress must be measured and acted upon. If a performance measurement is lacking, periodic measurement needs to occur to ensure progress is being made. The measurements also serve to determine whether or not the plan of action is working. Utilize exemplary programs to serve as a guide for those that are lacking. Do not hesitate to change a plan if measurement shows no progress is being made.

SUMMARY: Use quantitative measurements. Compare quantitative plans, goals, and results. Use measurements to create a plan of action.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: If the dog cannot be deterred, you may have to defend yourself. Make sure you enact a strong defensive stance and prepare yourself to fight. Keep one arm down and use it as a blocker against the dog. If the dog is going to bite you, it's best to receive the bite on your arm so you can still control the dog. Put your other arm behind your back. This will signal the dog to get down and behave. Mace/pepper spray will stop an attacking animal in its tracks, but you may not have tools like this on hand. If you have any liquids at all that can be sprayed or splashed at the dog, it might be worth trying. Citronella spray is an effective animal deterrent. Mace/pepper spray can also be useful at repelling aggressive dogs. In a pinch, spraying water from a water bottle may stop a dog from attacking. Shoving something towards the dog will act as a shield. The dog will bite your object instead of biting you. Anything you have on hand can be used as a shield: a purse or backpack, a sweatshirt, or even a shoe. If you need to fight, make sure you stay on your feet. Getting pinned on the ground will make it much easier for the dog to hurt you. If you need to strike the dog, try to kick it instead of punching it, as your shoes will provide some protection to your feet. If you fall or get knocked down, protect yourself. Cover your face, chest, throat, and neck. Curl into a ball to protect your vital organs. Keep your hands in fists. If you have loose fingers sticking out the dog could latch onto them and do serious damage.
Summary:
Enter a defensive stance. Use chemical repellent if you have it. Shove an object at the dog. Fight the dog.