INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If changing your attitude isn't something you want to (or can) do on your own, surround yourself with people that can help you on your path. Call or email a friend that always cheers you up, especially one you haven't spoken to in a long time. Pick up the phone right now and invite your friends out. Do something that you know will make you laugh: go bowling, see a movie, get pizza, go shopping, throw a sleepover, play a sport, or just hang out! Or, find a friend in need and share safe feelings and thoughts. People in similar situations are better at listening to and sympathizing with one another. If being around fair-weather friends or trying to maintain a relationship with an ex keeps pulling you back into bad habits, allow yourself to let go and move on. The drain on you just isn't worth it. Behavioral studies have shown that although removing a habit trigger for long enough will cause the habit patterns in the brain to disappear, reintroducing it will cause them to reappear effortlessly as though nothing had changed. This means that a single slip-up can cause that habit you've been working so hard to kick to come rushing back to you. This goes for things and people! Now that you know people can be bad habits, make sure to surround yourself with those that lift you up. After all, you are the 5 people you spend the most time with, or so they say. And the great part about this is that you'll know quickly who these people are. That fuzzy, warm feeling is pretty hard to ignore. You don't need loads. Find 2 or 3 that can pick up everyone else's slack. Just having a couple of people to bring you back to that content feeling will do the trick. There is no pleasing everyone. There will be people that don't care for you and there will be times when you find out about it. For every time this happens, though, there are probably 10 times where people are reinforcing how great you are. Don't let the one bad apple ruin the bunch. It's human nature to hear 10, "You're awesome!"s and one "Meh. That was fine," and concentrate on the not-so-stellar one. That's just how we work. And it's great to hear it and try to improve yourself, but getting caught up in it is ridiculous. It's the opinion of one person. This one person has no power -- so don't get them any! Even if you can't put your finger on the problem at hand, it'll feel amazing to get it out in the open with someone you trust. Talk to a friend about what you're going through and be as honest as possible. A huge weight will be lifted off your shoulders. Sometimes problems seem huge in our heads until we say them out loud to someone else. Saying it to someone may make you realize how petty you sound, it was just your brain that couldn't see it by itself. You'll automatically take in the other person's point of view, taking a you little further outside your box. And it could be eye-opening. So maybe this isn't exactly an altruistic act (after all, the title of this article isn't How to Make Others Feel Better), but it's full of good intentions. Lifting someone else's spirits will make you feel good when you see how good they feel. You'll be surprised how easy it is. Flowers on Valentine's Day are pretty par for the course. But flowers for no reason? That's touching. Now think of "flowers" as any nice deed. If you can surprise someone for no good reason with something so small as a cup of coffee, their day will be made -- and hopefully so will yours.

SUMMARY: Put effort into a couple meaningful relationships. Identify and avoid people who bring you down. Surround yourself with friends that make you feel good. Don't tune into the negative. Practice emotional vulnerability. Lift someone's spirits.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you are nervous about asking him out, try preparing what you want to say ahead of time. This will help you get your thoughts in order before you are in front of him. This will make it easier to know what to say to him in the moment. If you think he likes you, then you might find preparing yourself a bit easier. For example, you could just say something like, "It seems like you like me and I like you. Wanna go out sometime?" If you are unsure about whether or not he likes you, then you might plan on saying something like, "I'm not sure how you feel about me, but I like spending time with you. Would you like to go out sometime?" . When you are asking out your guy friend, you want to seem confident about your request. Confidence is an attractive quality and will show that you truly mean that you want to go out with him. Confidence will also make you feel less nervous and shy, which will help the process overall. Try using confident body language, such as: Standing tall and straight with your hands at your sides. Making direct eye contact and smiling when you are talking to him. Using your hands and arms to gesture when you talk. When you ask him out, you need to be direct about your intentions. Asking him to go out may be misconstrued as just hanging out since you both have done so in the past. When you ask him, make sure you specifically mention you want it to be a date. This way, it won't be awkward if he misunderstands your intentions in the moment. Try already having a type of date planned before you ask him out. Say something like, "Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow to play bowling?" This will take some of the pressure off of him and you to decide what to do later. However, don't go overboard. You want it to sound casual and romantic, not already too involved and crazy about dating him. There is no right time to ask someone out. However, make sure you aren't in a public place with a bunch of your other friends. This would make it awkward for him and you, which is the opposite effect you want. Instead, ask him when you are both alone. You can do it after you've been joking around a little bit. You can also ask him for a serious moment for your question. You just want him to know that you are serious about the question. If you want to make sure that you can remain friends after you ask him out, give him a chance to say no. You don't want to ruin what you have if he just happens to not be interested in dating you. This will make it less awkward afterwards if he says no. Say something along the lines of, "Would you be interested in going on a date with me? However, it's okay if you just want to stay friends. I am open to that as well." Just know it may be somewhat awkward right after you ask if he says no. But if you are strong enough friends, the awkwardness will pass.

SUMMARY:
Prepare what you want to say ahead of time. Exude confidence Get your point across. Do it at the right time. Give him the option to say no.