Summarize the following:
You start a French braid by braiding the first 3 sections you separated. Take the strand you're holding in your right hand. Cross this over the middle strand. The right strand is now your new middle strand. The middle strand is now the right strand. Take the strand you're holding in your left hand. Cross this strand over the middle strand. Be sure to cross your left strand over the middle strand that was once the right strand. Do not cross the left strand over the former middle strand. Pull on your strands to bring your braid together. This should tighten the knot-like structure you just created. This will help keep your braid in place as you continue to French braid. If you’re new to French braiding, the braid might be loose or a little messy. Don’t worry, though! You’ll be able to create tight, neat braids with a little bit of practice. Use your fingers to keep your hair separated into 3 different strands. Carefully transfer all 3 strands to your left hand. Make sure to keep them separate using your fingers even while holding them with 1 hand.

summary: Cross the right-most strand over the middle strand. Cross the left-most strand over the middle strand. Pull the braid tight to secure. Transfer the braided hair to your left hand.


Summarize the following:
When looking for a life plan, it makes sense to prioritize some areas of your life. List all the things that you value in your life. You might list your family, friends, a certain hobby, nature, or career. Take the time to think deeply about the things without which you could not imagine living. For example, while you might like playing basketball, is this one of the most important things in your life? Perhaps it is. If not, it is likely a hobby. You have your own moral compass, which guides you through life. What are the values you want your life to reflect? Do you strive to be honest? Perhaps you want to be caring and considerate towards others. Maybe you have a strong sense of social justice. Defining your values will help you determine your future actions.  For example, if you prize honesty, there are some careers that might not be the best for you. CIA agents, for example, cannot disclose to others what they really do. On the other hand, if you care passionately about social justice, perhaps you could consider studying social work. For additional tips, see Live Life to the Fullest. Every person has his or her own talents and strengths. Aim to live your life in reflection of your unique calling. Finding your calling does not mean following someone else’s path. Instead, seek to define what you do well and how you can live a life that incorporates your strength and perhaps helps other people as well.  For example, you might be a talented teacher and musician. Perhaps your calling is to teach children piano lessons. On the other hand, you might be a great listener and care about helping others. You might be well-suited to be a psychologist. If dinosaur bones excite you to no end, perhaps your calling is paleontology and spreading knowledge about dinosaurs and environmental change to a new generation. By making goals for life, we can live with a purpose. Do know that at any given time, your goals might change. You can adapt your goals as you move through life. If you have some structure, however, your life likely will be a bit easier.  For example, you might want to become a physician. Your mini goals could be attending college, gaining entrance to medical school, graduating, and beginning to practice medicine. Each of these goals will have sub-goals. If your goal, on the other hand, is to have children, first you should think about how you want to have them. Do you want a partner with whom you can raise them? Do you prefer to adopt? What are the different strategies you can pursue to fulfill this goal? After you have ascertained the people who matter to you, your values, and your goals, create priorities. At different points in life, you might prioritize different aspects. For example, while in school, your studies might take precedence. Later, your relationship or children might take more of your focus. By keeping your priorities in mind, you can better schedule your life. See Prioritize for additional tips.

summary: Make a list of what people or things matter to you. Determine your core values. Find your calling. Name your goals. Prioritize.


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It's important to concentrate on the great qualities that extroverts have: they generally make friends easily, are comfortable in front of and with crowds, and can keep a party going. While it is true that both extroverts and introverts have downsides (some extroverts talk too much and sometimes interrupt others, which can be inappropriate at times), focus on the good.  It is easy to think of extroverts in a negative light -- people think they speak before they think and that they are overly concerned with the superficial. It is not true! Extroverts are just as intuitive and thoughtful as introverts. If you want to become an extrovert, you will have to associate it with positive attributes -- and there are many. The definition of an extrovert is someone that recharges when they're around people. That is all. They are totally capable of deep thought and being good listeners. They generally have good social skills (...generally) and can be quite the go-getters. It's true: some extroverts come off as fake and phony. Think of a car salesman that pressures people into buying their product -- that's the kind of extrovert you don't want to be. And you don't have to be. You can be whatever kind of extrovert you want. Some extroverts are even shy!  What are the qualities of your ideal extrovert? Maybe they feel at ease in groups, maybe they speak up more, maybe they get the party started. Whatever it is, these are things you can accomplish. It's simple habit. Think of a few things and write them down. "Being more extroverted" is a tough goal to hit; "speaking up more" is something a lot more doable. Heads up: research says most of us are ambiverts. It's your standard bell curve. Some people are on one end (introverts), some people are on the opposite end (extroverts), but the vast majority of us lie somewhere in the middle. Even if you're mostly introverted, you have at least a few extroverted characteristics. Even Jung (the famed psychologist) said that no one is only one or the other -- if they were, they'd be in an insane asylum. All you have to do is draw out your extroverted tendencies. They're hiding somewhere. Though there is an argument that the studies are a little biased, some research has shown that when introverts act more extroverted, they're happier. Experts aren't super sure why, but the idea behind it is that in general, you receive a more positive response. That positive reinforcement from others can be very, very powerful. It does seem to be true that introverts underestimate what they'll enjoy. Even for some extroverts, there are parties you just dread going to, but then you end up having a good time. Whether it's because you're proud of yourself for breaking out of your box, you experienced something new, or Mohammed did a spit-take onto the chocolate fountain, we are not the best predictors of what we enjoy. Sure, the brain is plastic, but you can't teach a dog to be a ferret. If you're extremely introverted, being an extrovert will be incredibly draining. Heck, even some extroverts find too much social stimuli draining at a point. This could be a hurdle that takes years to cross. If you border on agoraphobic, don't force anything. Instead, consider this: Western cultures highly value extroversion -- Eastern ones don't as much. Is it possible this desire to be extroverted is not an innate desire and rather it is one that is taught to you? Consider accepting your introversion -- introverts are just as necessary to society as extroverts are!
summary: Value extroversion. Envision yourself as the right kind of extrovert. Know that it's a spectrum. Know that you may feel better than you felt when you were an introvert. Realize that it may be very difficult.