Article: Learning to lose gracefully is an important step in being less self-centered. The world won't come to an end, and that's a lesson you need to learn.  When self-centered people lose, they go into disaster mode. Let yourself lose some contest, the smaller, the better. Then act like an adult afterwards. Congratulate the winner, even if they're being big-headed. Shake their hand and look them in the eye. Say "Good game." If you have trouble feeling gratitude, fake it until you feel it. Make yourself say "thank you" when someone helps you out. If you train yourself to say "thank you" when you recognize someone making the effort to help, you'll make yourself less self-centered, practically by accident.  When you ride the bus, say thank you to the bus driver. When the server at a restaurant fills your water glass, make eye contact and say thank you. When your mother drops you off at school, say thank you. Look for excuses to give thanks. Even if you think you deserve more, or that the efforts of others come up short, thank them anyway. However you're feeling, an easy way to demonstrate respect is to make good eye contact. Even if you don't like what someone is saying, even if you think you don't need to listen to it, be respectful and make eye contact. Practice basic listening skills along with eye contact. Nod your head to show that you're listening. Summarize what someone has said after they say it, before you respond. Show that you're listening. If you're looking around the room and eavesdropping on other conversations while your friend is talking, you'll seem bored and self-centered. When you're with someone, give them your attention. Focus. Listen to what other people say, and put the focus more on them in your conversations. Ask questions and demonstrate an interest in what someone is saying. Follow up on something that they've said, like "How did that make you feel?" or even "What happened next?" A recent study found that people who enjoy reading fiction can more easily empathize with others.  Reading a good book can help you to understand and recognize the emotions of others, so it's an easy way to work on yourself if you're feeling self-centered. All you need is a library card. Of course, reading one book won't automatically make you a more selfless person. But learning to invest in the lives of others can help you get started.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Play a game that you'll be sure to lose. Thank someone for something small. Make eye contact when someone is talking. Listen when people are talking. Read a novel.
Article: Some characters have "nuclear" powers, which means that they've come in contact with some kind of substance that has given them super-human powers. This was especially popular during the 1940s in the "Golden Age" of comics when nuclear technology was on the rise. Daredevil, Spiderman, Hulk, Flash, and Dr. Manhattan are good examples of these kinds of powers. Some characters have "alien" powers. Here, objects or abilities have been given to your hero from other worlds. These stories and powers tend to be expansive and intergalactic, giving your hero the ability to fly between worlds and do things that break all the rules of being a human. Sometimes these heroes will even look like aliens, or be transformed in some way. Superman, Silver Surfer, and Green Lantern are examples of this kind of hero. Some superhero characters have superpowers that arose from other "natural" circumstances which resulted in powers that are beyond those of regular humans. Genetic manipulation, evolution, and other factors might play into these kinds of powers. Magic might also be an important part of these abilities. All of the X-Men, Captain America, John Constantine (Hellblazer), and Aquaman are good examples of this kind of character, who gained or learned their powers biologically. In some comic books, the heroes might not have any superpowers at all. Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Batman are characters with no actual superpowers, other than their smarts and sweet gear. While these characters are often independently wealthy enough to pay for all the sweet armor and gadgets they use, it adds a unique humanity to the characters. Most of the traditional superpowers have all been divided up already. Start thinking of unique, creative worlds in which strange things might be considered superpowers. Who says your Superhero's power can't be that they have a key for an arm and live in a world that is a hallway of locked doors? In general, new superheroes are rarely people who fly around with capes and have a name that ends in "man."
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Think about accidental or "nuclear" superpowers. Think about powers from other worlds. Think about mutation abilities. Consider giving your hero no powers. Think outside the box.
Article: If your fingernails are a little too long, pressing these reflexes can be quite uncomfortable, so you can use a pinching motion instead. Be sure to press and squeeze the sides of each toe as well as the front and back.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Use the tip of your thumb to press, one at a time, on the tip of your big toe and the tips of your second and third toes. Massage each of your first three toes on both feet from the base of the toes to the tips.