In the mornings, as I walked from the train station to the office, I planned my day by making a to-do list in my head: the scientific articles I would read, the data sets I would analyze, and most urgent of all — the insights into human nature that it was my job to discover.

Each evening, I went back to the station, again going through my mental checklist but this time sizing up my performance against the expectations I’d set for myself that morning. Time and again, when comparing my to-do list with my got-done list, I felt frustrated because I had fallen short.

But one day, something very strange happened. During my trip home, without any conscious intention, my thoughts began to change. Instead of feeling bad about my weaknesses, I said aloud very softly: I’m a nice person. I’m a nice person. I’m a nice person. By the time I boarded my train, I was done with my little chant until the next day when I walked home. And again, after counting my failures, I found myself saying quietly: I’m a nice person. It turns out that there’s a technical term for this practice: values affirmation (肯定). And what it emphasizes is recognizing and strengthening the personal values.

When you affirm a core personal value, you raise your sense of self-worth. You broaden your outlook: Instead of focusing on your shortfalls, you switch to a wide-angle view that includes your resources and opportunities. And the people who do this are happier, healthier, and more hopeful. Overtime, I made progress in my research and learned a lot about what makes most successful people special, including this: Nobody has passion and determination unless what they do lines up with their values.

Try values affirmation for yourself and teach the practice to your students. Take a moment and think of a value you hold, whether it’s kindness, creativity, or gratitude. Whatever it is, name it. And then say to yourself: Come what may, I know who I am. Your values are your foundation and your compass, too. Trust them, and they will lead you home.

On my first day of high school, going into math class, I was pointed and laughed at by two of my classmates. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was stuck in my teeth. But as I took my seat, I heard one student whisper, “Why is a black boy taking Honors?” So, my fly wasn’t open. An honors level class had simply been taken by a student whose skin was brown.

Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to live in, or expect me to listen to only “black music.” In seventh grade, a group of my classmates fixed their cold stares on my clothes. They called out to me, “Go get your gangsta clothes.” In one of my Spanish classes, the teacher asked me, “Do you like rap music or rock music more?” I replied, “Rock.” The look of shock on my classmates’ faces made me uncomfortable.

Now I still take all Honors courses. I still wear clothes that fit me. My music library covers from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything in between. When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best to work in school in order to reach my goals; and yet, when I look in the mirror, I still see skin of that same brown.

I believe in being myself. I believe that I myself should decide who I am and what actions I take in life. In high school, popularity often depends on your willingness to follow trends. And I’ve been told that it doesn’t get much easier going into adulthood. But the only other option is to sacrifice my personality for the satisfaction and approval of others. This can be appealing, but I’m not going to do that.

My name is Amber and I want to share my story with you because what you've shared about life and positive energy has changed my life.

This past year has been one of the hardest for me.I felt I was stuck in a position that had nothing to do with what I wanted to do with my life.In January，after two years of being together，my boyfriend left me.

I read your blog every Monday morning as I drink my coffee at work，but it wasn't until this March that I told myself “no more negativity (消极)” as you taught readers in your blog.

Since then I've got into new habits at work to keep my energy positive.When people walk in the front door，I'm the first face they see，so I smile big when I say “good morning” to them，especially on Mondays.Instead of waiting for someone to ask me for help，I offer it with an open mind.The CEO noticed my change and offered me the executive assistant position that I wanted.

One of the biggest things I've taken to heart from your blog is changing my perspective (看法) on my job.Yes，it was not an important position，but when I was passionate (热情的) about it，I could make my life fulfilling.

All in all，I have to thank you somehow for having the passion to help others because it truly is inspiring to me.So thank you so much，John.My life has changed because your words pointed me in the right direction.Take care!

Sincerely，

Amber