. If you’re always looking down or away, the guy might think you’re not interested. Look him in the eye, especially when you’re carrying on a conversation. Smile a lot and laugh at his jokes to let him know you’re enjoying his company. . Guys are often afraid of rejection or unsure if you would appreciate a kiss. Try to make him feel comfortable and confident. Flirt with him and compliment him. If you put him at ease and let him know you are interested, he'll usually find the courage to try to kiss you.  For example, you could say, “I was at the last gig your band played. You are an amazing drummer! When did you start playing?” Alternatively, say something like, “Wanna watch the new Stephen King film? I heard it’s terrifying. Will you hold my hand during the scary parts?” . If he hasn’t broken the touch barrier yet, you don’t need to wait -- do it yourself! Touch him lightly on the arm or shoulder when you're talking. Just make it a quick, innocent touch and don't make a big deal out of it. Holding hands is also a good way to break the touch barrier. The simple act of touching can strengthen the intimacy between you two. When you're alone with a guy and want to be kissed, make eye contact and then move your gaze briefly down to his lips. Then move your eyes back up to meet his and smile demurely. You don't have to be really obvious about it—just a quick glance down at his lips is better than staring at them for more than a few seconds. If he's dropping you off after a date, linger for a moment. If you're in the car, don't get out right away. Instead, sit next to him and wait for a few seconds. Unbuckle your seatbelt and look at him expectantly. If he walks you to your door, fiddle with your keys for a couple of seconds. This is a universal sign that you're asking for an after-date kiss. Look up once or twice to give him a chance to lean in. Shiver and rub your hands over your arms, or comment on the freezing temperatures. Your guy will likely jump at the chance to get closer to you. If he puts his arms around you or helps you into his jacket, stay close. Make eye contact and say, “Thanks.” Smile at him, and he may just move in for a kiss. Gently run your fingers across your lips periodically to draw his attention in. You can also playfully bite your bottom lip or gently wet your lips with your tongue. In moderation, these are good ways to signal to your partner that you'd like a kiss. However, overdoing it will make it look unnatural and can be a huge turn off.

Summary: Make eye contact Be inviting Break the touch barrier Look at his lips. Linger when saying goodbye. Pretend you're cold. Draw attention to your own lips.


The last thing you want is to add to your friend’s negativity by being too critical or hostile. If you would like to tell your friend that you think he is seeing a situation more negatively than necessary, think about the best way to say this. Use "I"-statements rather than "you"-statements. For example, “Quit being so negative” is going to have less of a positive effect than “I feel like there’s more to the situation than you’re seeing.” "I"-statements sound less judgmental, which can make the other person more open to hearing what you have to say. What you say isn’t the only important factor. Tone and nonverbal cues are just as important. Yelling or throwing your hands up in defeat are going to increase negativity in the room rather than work to fight the fire effectively.  Gentle eye contact and nodding along to what your friend is saying, if you agree, are great ways to create a positive interaction. Maintain an even tone of voice. Staying calm when your friend blows up may help her realize that there's more than one way to respond to a problem. Research shows that speaking slowly causes people to perceive you as “more caring and sympathetic.” In order to communicate with a negative friend in a way that promotes positivity and keeps you from falling into the same negativity, pay attention to how fast you are speaking. You want to be compassionate and positive in your approach, but that’s not the same thing as allowing yourself to be stepped on. Sometimes a negative friend may try to override your opinions. Maintain a firm stance when it comes to your freedom to express yourself and have a differing point of view. Assertiveness is about meeting the needs of everyone involved, not just one person.  Clearly express your desires, wants, and needs. Use direct language that can’t be contradicted. For example, say “The way that you’re acting right now makes me uncomfortable. I’m going to leave, but we can talk later if you want.” Include empathy. For example, “I understand that you want to keep talking about this, but I’m not comfortable with this conversation, so I’m going to leave.” Set limits. For example, "I am happy to listen to your complaints for five minutes, but then I would like us to change the subject so we don't get too bogged down in negative feelings." If a friend is negatively ruminating on something, change the subject to something you know will cheer him up. Injecting positivity into a situation can be a lot easier and more effective than trying to fight negativity. For example, if your friend is complaining about a bad day at work, ask him if he wants to go bowling or see a movie. Offer to pay for his ticket.

Summary: Think about your words. Be careful about delivery. Watch your pace. Assert yourself. Change the direction of the conversation.


Use your past mistakes as teaching moments for the future. Show your boss your ability to improve by documenting the mistake and any insights you learned as a result. This is helpful for you in terms of preventing similar errors to come, and also helps demonstrate progress when you come up for evaluation at work. Many times an error paves the way for innovation. Share an idea with your boss about a way you intend on changing your approach, so these types of errors don’t happen again. Any major changes will usually require agreement from your boss. However, brainstorming new approaches at least shows initiative. Take special care to manage your tasks. This way, you have the time to focus on completing them one at time so you are not risking making needless mistakes. Take this mistake as a chance to look at other things you may need to change about your work habits. You might need to clean up your desk to avoid losing important papers or find a better way to manage emails to avoid using the wrong email list. Getting clarification can save you time in the long run since you won’t need to re-do things later. Don’t feel like you are bothering someone by asking for help. If you are polite and considerate in your requests, others are likely to enjoy offering a helping hand. Pay attention and learn from those around you.  Ask for specific and hands-on instruction so you can figure out what you were missing before and move on. Often, it is one step you have missed in the process or something small that makes a big difference. Show your appreciation for the help and be sure to implement the strategies you’ve learned. Actually putting new skills into play shows that you have gratitude and makes others more likely to help if you should need to ask again. If you feel like you never have enough time in the day while at work, imagine how much worse it could be if you need to fix another big mess. Start a to-do list and learn to manage your time better so you are not rushing through tasks and overlooking important steps. Beating yourself up can actually make the problem worse. Everyone makes mistakes—even your boss, at some point. Practice self-forgiveness and be sure that you learned from the issue so that it doesn’t happen again. Your boss will appreciate the fact that you consciously made an effort to improve yourself after a mistake.
Summary: Document lessons learned. Avoid multi-tasking. Ask for help when you don’t know how to do something. Slow down. Don’t be hard on yourself.