Summarize the following:
Practicing gratitude helps you to practically and systematically recognize what is good or going right in your life. Gratitude can be defined as identifying what is important and creates purpose for you. Being intentionally grateful can help you put greater emphasis on what you have, rather than what you do not have that is causing you to be envious. Cultivating feelings of gratitude has been shown to produce feelings of connectedness to those around you, to a higher power, and connectedness to a deeper meaning or larger perspective of your situation and feelings.  Furthermore, research has found that cultivating feelings of gratitude increases self-esteem, reduces stress, and increases feelings of empathy.  Practice gratitude by writing or saying daily what you are thankful for in your life. Focus on positive life events, relationships, or the small everyday occurrences that enhance positive feelings. For example, you could adopt the practice of writing down three things you were grateful for during that day: “I am grateful for the opportunity to catch up with old friends at lunch today,” “I am thankful that we did not have any rain today,” and “How fortunate for me to find such close parking!” Because the basis of envy starts with comparing yourself to others, you can prevent envy by focusing on yourself and avoiding judging yourself based on comparisons with others. It is a normal phenomenon to evaluate yourself in comparison to those who are similar to ourselves in terms of status, skills, and ability.  Social comparison theory hypothesizes that there are several reasons for this type of comparison: gaining information about a person or group of people, a motivator to improve one’s own skills or abilities (when compared to someone who has superior skills), or as an ego-boost (when compared to someone who has inferior skills).  So because self-comparison is a normal process with many different and valid reasons, the problem becomes evident in that envy is produced after making a value judgment about yourself after a social comparison. This means that comparing yourself to another person is not inherently bad. But the judgment and value you place on your judgment is what can lead to envy. Instead of comparing yourself to others and competing with others, focus on yourself. Stop competing. The only person you should ever compete with is the person you were yesterday. Learn from that person and strive to be better, stronger and smarter today, learning from yesterday's lessons. Focus your energy not on what was, but on what you're becoming. It's called learning. Some people might tell you that you’re bound to fail. Don’t let that deter you. They’re just stating the obvious that everyone fails now and then. The difference between you and them is that you learn from the experience and get on with trying again, while they simply criticize and do little else. Notice that you are different and unique. Having these differences is neither bad nor good – they just are. When you label the outcomes of your comparisons as good or bad, or as inferior or superior, you are making your self-worth contingent on someone else. You are a unique person who deserves your attention and confidence. Catch yourself placing more value on another’s abilities and devaluing your own, and correct your false assumption that one is better or more valuable than another.  For example, a judgement thought might be: “I’m not noticed as much in the group now that Justin has been hanging out with us. I used to be ‘the funny one’ and now everyone pays more attention to him. Sometimes I wish he’d have an off day and say something stupid.” Corrected thought: “I know that I am feeling left out or undervalued by my friends, but that doesn’t mean that Justin is funnier. We are just different. We even have different types of humor, and that is okay.”

summary: Practice gratitude. Stop judging yourself based on others’ experiences. Focus on moving forward. Accept that you'll make mistakes in life. Embrace your uniqueness. Correct thoughts that devalue yourself.


Summarize the following:
As noted above, you're looking to simply combine these ingredients loosely in a large bowl — lots of stirring isn't necessary. Make a "well" with your dry ingredients in the center of your bowl and pour the cider in. Fold the dry ingredients over the wet center portion just until the entire mixture is moist. Add the apple pieces all at once and fold the dough several times to incorporate. If you'd like walnuts in your biscuits, add them now, folding the dough several times to incorporate just as you did with the apple pieces. As above, each spoonful should use about one well-rounded tablespoon of dough, though there is no "correct" size. Keep a close eye on your biscuits and be willing to adjust your baking time as needed until you get a crisp texture — these will usually take slightly longer to cook than the other recipes in this article. Transfer baked biscuits from cookie sheet to a cooling rack. Biscuits should be ready to eat after about five minutes or when they are cool enough to handle. For an extra hint of sweetness, sprinkle your biscuits with a pinch or two of sugar before serving.

summary: Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). Stir together Bisquick, sugar, and spices. Add apple pieces and cider/juice. If desired, add walnuts. Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.


Summarize the following:
Though you may have a lot to do, it’s nice to greet and welcome each arriving guest into your home yourself, rather than having another guest let them in.  This is their first impression of your new home, and greeting them yourself sets the best tone for the party. When each guest arrives, offer him a drink.  Give an overview of the options and offer to pour a drink for him.  If he declines initially, show him where the drinks are and encourage him to help himself whenever he is ready. You may want to wait until a small group has arrived so that you don’t have to give as many individual tours.  Guests love to see all of the rooms of your new home, including closets and pantries.  If you have any unfinished rooms, ask guests if they have any suggestions for how to use or organize the space.  This will take the focus off of the fact that you’re not unpacked yet and give guests an opportunity to feel helpful. Feel free to tell guests that they cannot go into certain rooms.  It is your home, after all, and you do not have to show everyone every room in the house. You may want to put all the food out at once, but you can also put food out in waves.  You could start with 2 or 3 food trays, then add to them or provide new things as the evening progresses.  Encourage your guests to eat and ask them about any dietary restrictions or allergies as you direct them towards the different food options.  Consider keeping the food and drink areas separate to avoid crowding. Providing two or more locations for food can also prevent crowding. Try not to spend too much time with any one party guest, but circulate around and speak with everyone.  Be sure all your guests know each other, and if you are introducing two people who have never met, try to point out something that you think they may have in common. Remember that people may have different styles and visions for homes, and that some of your guests may not have the privilege of owning a nice home.  Always be gracious and be genuinely grateful that your guests have come to see and celebrate your new home with you. If you plan to serve a sit-down meal, try to serve it at the appropriate time.  Most of your guests should have arrived, but no one should have been there long enough that they feel ready to leave. Towards the end of the night, consider serving your guests coffee and dessert (if you did not have dessert trays out already).  This will be a signal to your guests that the party is winding down, and providing coffee before guests drive home is a nice way to help keep them safe.  Be sure to thank guests for coming before they leave.
summary: Greet each guest who arrives yourself. Offer each guest a drink. Offer guests a tour of your home. Put the finger food out on tables. Mingle with everyone. Accept compliments about your new home graciously. Serve dinner when you feel the time is right. Serve coffee and dessert.