Problem: Article: If you're already shy, talking to your crush right away can be scary. Luckily, you can try to ease some of your social anxiety by reaching out to others first. Socializing more in general will help you feel comfortable eventually approaching your crush.  Start small. Try to make small talk whenever possible. For example, talk to classmates between classes or chat up a barista at a coffee shop. Think about joining clubs or doing volunteer work. This is a great way to meet people and push yourself out of your comfort zone by making yourself engage more. Relax if it feels stressful at first. Eventually, talking to other will be easy. It can be hard to deal with the anxiety associated with having a crush. A great way to sort through your feelings is reaching out to others. Talk to a trusted friend or adult about the feelings you're having and ask them for advice on how to deal. Sometimes, just venting about how you feel can make you feel more confident. Another person can also help you figure whether you want to tell your crush how you feel and the best means to do so. Be careful who you tell, however. Pick someone who's good at keeping secrets and who you trust not to tell anyone. It can be embarrassing to have your crush revealed by someone other than yourself. If you already like this person, getting to know them should be fun. The better you know your crush, the more confident you'll feel. Take small steps to get to know your crush better over time.  Make conversation with your crush whenever you can. For example, if you are on the school newspaper together, talk to them before and after meetings. Try to get to know your crush as a friend. Invite them out with your group of friends for a group activity, like seeing a movie. It may seem like a small thing, but confidence can actually help a lot with shyness. If you're feeling shy, try changing the way you dress. Splurge on some new clothes that make you feel great about yourself. Wear them to places where you know you'll encounter your crush. If you're dressed up in a way you enjoy, this may make you feel a little bolder around your crush.
Summary: Ease your shyness by engaging with others. Talk to someone you trust. Take steps to get to know your crush better. Dress to feel confident.

Problem: Article: Philanthropy and helping other people is incredibly important to continued success, because you're creating a chain of community and fostering a system of aid. This will help you, too, in the long run. Not only does philanthropy contribute greatly to your own life, by bolstering your health and your self-esteem, but it makes your community a healthier place as well.  Even if you are poor, you can help others. You could give $5 to a local project that you support. You can give your time and your skill for local enterprises and nonprofits that need help. You can simply do helpful and nice things for the people in your own life. You can buy the coffee of the person behind you in line. You can offer to babysit your sister's kids for free. You could give your parents a hand cleaning the house each week. The effects of your generosity will ripple out into your community. Building connections is incredibly important to succeed in life. This means not only networking with people who can help further your goals. It also means connecting with people like friends and family who help make our lives more bearable and ease potential loneliness.  Of course, you should try to network with people who can help you further your goals. There is nothing wrong with this. It can be something as simply as asking for advice from a person in your field that you admire, or it could be requesting a letter of recommendation, or even a job. Networking means talking to people. So do things like go up to the lecturer after the lecture and tell them how much you enjoyed it and introduce yourself and your interests in a polite way. Build community whenever you can. Participate in your own community. Go to events, help out with philanthropic projects, talk to the people around you and show them that they are important (this can mean something as simple as asking how someone is and really listening when they talk). Strong communities help individuals succeed, because they back them and they pick them up when they fall. Don't burn bridges. Of course you should get rid of toxic people from your life, but dumping people instead of keeping them, even at arm's length, can have negative effects for you. People talk to one another and the world is much smaller than you realize. You can tell someone when they have hurt you in a manner that doesn't mean there is no possibility for future dialogue. This also means owning up to your own mistakes. You won't be able to succeed in life if you're so focused on your goals that you forget to have a life and to take care of yourself. Your health will suffer and your quality of life will suffer. People are often so focused on staying alive and "succeeding" that they forget to actually live. Success is when you feel happy, content, and enjoy life. It isn't about money or fame or attracting the "right" partner.  Exercise is a great way to help regulate your system and keep you healthy. It releases chemicals like endorphins that help your mental health and getting the blood pumping helps your heart and the rest of your body. Try for 30 minutes of exercise each day, like yoga, a brisk walk, going for a run, dancing.  Eat right. This doesn't mean you give up all your favorite foods. It simply means that you do your best to get lots of fruits and veggies, that you try for the good carbohydrates (like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, oats) and that you eat more proteins like salmon, nuts, and beans which help support the immune system and better regulate your blood sugar. Get enough sleep. Sleep is something that is particularly problematic in the Western world. Sleep helps regulate stress levels, helps make health problems better, and allows us to be alert and energetic. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Shut off all electronics 30 minutes before bedtime and try to go to sleep before midnight. Drink lots of water. Your body is made up of a huge percentage of water. When you get dehydrated you don't function as well, you feel foggy and fatigued, and it can lead to serious health problems. Go for at least 8 glasses of water a day and try to avoid dehydrators like coffee. In the end, figuring out your priorities and making goals and setting up schedules and networking isn't going to make you succeed in your life unless you're happy. To do that you need to make sure that you aren't overcommitting.  Learn to say "no." Only you can set your own boundaries. Philanthropy is great and giving time is great, but only if you first make sure that you are giving time to yourself, as well. If you don't want to go to that party, if you need time to recuperate and can't help with that fundraiser, then say politely say "no." Do something fun. Do something that pampers you. Take a long, hot bubble bath and read a book. Go to the beach for a weekend by yourself and revel in having no one's needs to care for but your own. You know what makes you happy. Remember to take time to have those moments for yourself.
Summary:
Help others. Make connections. Take care of yourself. Avoid burnout.