#i was legit praying to just think back to steven like i dont know how to handle this genuinely ahjdfksafhsfsa | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

survivor-switzerland · 7 years

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EPISODE 2: I LIED ABOUT MY MOM BEING IN THE HOSPITAL - ZACK

king of my vote being the one to kick stevens ass out of here despite not having made a single confessional this episode

So Steven left unanimously which was kinda boring. I was hoping to see some wild throw away votes that would've caused drama but oh well, a unified tribe is a strong tribe right? wrong.

If anything this tribal has left me worried, because it's left no indication as to who could be the next target, which is distressing. I do have an alliance with Daisy, Luke, Zack and Ci'ere now though so hopefully that is gonna be a major advantage for this part of the game!

Wow how ruthless can the other tribe be. I always knew that they wouldn't go after Abel but not even letting Steven survive even one tribal was really savage of them.

Why do I keep forgetting Logan wants to be addressed as HIM.

Casanova huh, Renee won that immunity in bora bora so I now our tribe needs to step this one up.

I can't believe Steven got voted out... I feel kinda bad now? That makes it twice in one night that he got eliminated, from both Second Chances and Taveuni (I was gonna promote that season but it'll be over by the time confessionals release lol). And it was rocks in Taveuni. RIP Steven. Hope he doesn't take this personally.

rip I feel so bad voting out steven 10 minutes after he was rocked out.... when he was rocked out first tribal in India... to be fair, I didn't know any of this before. and there's no way I could've known he would be rocked out of Taveuni when we targeted him.

anyways so previously i made an alliance with zack and luke which turned out pretty well. we had the intentions of adding abel and renee which is why we wanted to keep abel and vote out steven instead since he did the least in the challenge (after abel).now, ci'ere and jev have added the 3 of us to an alliance so i'm wondering if maybe it would've been better to just get out abel because even though we controlled the vote really easily, it seems like people were confused about why it was steven but didn't wanna be in a minority. and in the future, i would like to get out renee, just bc she seems like a liability. she barely talks to me (and i assume most people) and i dont think she's said one word in the tribe chat. being aligned with someone like that can be risky. she could be an easy next vote if she keeps this up, although it might be difficult to convince zack because i think they're friends. hopefully he won't let that screw up his game.

also apparently people have been like, telling other people they like me? which is kinda good and kinda bad. on one hand, it's good to be liked by people. on the other hand, you don't want people to know that you're liked by everyone. that could make me a target. maybe not immediately, but the closer we get to merge the more people will be looking at that stuff.

i'm also really scared about a swap. i think that's what screwed me in solomon, and in some other games too. hopefully it's not soon and that i get put on a tribe with at last either zack or luke. ci'ere and jev would be good too, but i'm more confident that zack or luke wouldn't flip on me.

also i'm laughably bad at this game so hopefully we either have some comp beasts on this tribe or we have a few people who flop even worse than me.

i don't even know were to start ctfu.

okay so.. steven went home (yay)

better tea: i got an idol clue.. what do i need to do in order to get the idol though? basically throw immunity and risk someone from my tribe/ me going home. i need to come in 7th place in this challenge and then.. the idol is mine.

LISTEN. i have no problem fucking my tribe over. i just need to come up with an excuse as of why i sucked so bad in the challenge because i already told them i can easily get 1m in this game klsdfhg.

looks like i'mma need to come up with something drastic as of why i flopped huh. i also need to try to get everyones scores so i can do my math.. time to act like i actually care about them and want to see there scores and act like a coach for them huh.

good luck.. the next time you talk to me i'll probably either have an idol or i won't!

I'm still clueless about the whole Steven Snell vote, but I feel horrible because I told him to vote for Abel and he did. 😭😭 In other news, giraffes are so cute and I'm praying that Matterhorn will slay Casanova. I already broke a million and Zack said that 5 million is a good score, so that's my goal. I'm also pumped to be apart of the new Girl Hi alliance and I'm feeling slightly better about my position within the tribe.

Well I'm gonna be like the only one not over a million score but oh well at least I'm trying here's to flopping it's my best score ever

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZemPI9jlFXo#

I'm currently hiding the fact that I have a higher score rn so when results so (hopefully we win) my tribe would be all shocked. :P

Well I didn't get the reaction I was expecting but YAY MONTE ROSA WON! That score wasn't really high if you compare it to the ones on Generations.

Thank god Renee didn't beat her high score in Bora Bora, whew

I'm really glad we keep winning tbh, cause so far I've legit done like nothing for this tribe and I know if we go to tribal I'm leaving. Would probably help if I were like, talking to people but oh well.

SOO.

in order to get the idol i had to get 7th place in cassanova and did i? i sure DID.

i had to come up with an excuse tho as of why i flopped... so i just told the tribe at like 3pm that my moms in the hospital and i wont be home to play it online so i have to download the app and the app sucks ctfu. (sorry mom oo0o0ops.)

but not only did i get pity messages? i got an idol bitches. i'm ready to slice and dice some hoes.

daisy wants to vote out jev.... i'm not having this.

Lmao my tribe sucks. Koror we are not. Keegan does okay in challenges I guess but I barely know him so I kinda wanna vote him out? Idk I don't want to vote anyone out I'm sad ://

Oh boy. Are we in a situation. For the second time in a row, we have aligned ourselves with the flop of the challenge. First, Abel, who we managed to save but not without raising suspicion. And now, we're in an alliance with Ci'ere and Jev, and Jev just got a strike for not submitting.

So the first assumption is that we have to steer the vote away from Jev. We're aligned with him, it's kind of obvious. But then we realize that there are only two people we're not aligned with in one way or another, and that's Trent and Keegan. Zack tells us it should be Keegan because he was more suspicious of voting Steven last round, whereas Trent was just compliant.

But then I start to think ahead a bit. If we lose again next round, Trent is the only one we're not aligned with and he could become suspicious and possibly try to flip the numbers on us. He could likely convince Renee and Abel that they're on the bottom, maybe even Jev and Ci'ere too. Plus, voting out anyone other than Jev could expose a dominating alliance to the other tribe. And in the event of a swap, we could be in trouble.

So now it comes down to - do we vote out Jev or Keegan. At this point, the most important thing is that whoever goes home it was the decision of us 3. And I'm kinda leaning toward voting out Jev. This keeps our alliance underwraps and makes sure that no one knows we have control. It lowers the possibility of the tribe flipping on us. The only problem is, if Ci'ere isn't into this plan, we could be making an enemy out of him (and potentially others, if he can convince people that we're unloyal and evil, especially in a swap situation that would be dangerous).

But we don't even know if Ci'ere and Jev are a strong duo, and at this point in the game the obvious vote might be the best choice, in order to stop people from knowing what's really going on.

Sometimes the best move you can make is no move at all. People think you have to always be making huge moves in order to do well in this game, but sometimes it's better to sit back and let the game take course.

18 people are gonna be keft after this next tribal. I believe..... there's gonna be..... a tribe swap into 3 tribes.....then reward challenge will start to happen and fuck my entire life i just realized i forgot to check up the god damn mountain

Matterhorn is going to tribal council once again and I think it's because some people just aren't putting enough effort into the challenges. I feel the need to reiterate that this is a second chance season and there are people who weren't given this opportunity to play again that would have put their hearts into that frickin' challenge. STEP YOUR PUSSES UP Y'ALL. Ironically, all of the other members of Hi Girl scored the lowest lmao. I'm glad that we decided to keep Abel around because he proved that he can do well in challenges, plus it seems like he trusts me. I scored 2 million in Casanova which was the second best submission on this tribe and I hope that they'll see me as an asset moving forward.

FUCK YES WE WON AGAIN IM SO HAPPY! Whew I really didn't think we had a chance in that immunity tbh, flash games are always hard to gauge. Anyway, Logan found an immunity idol clue which is hot, but he had to get 7th in the immunity competition which is actually the ugliest task ever. He didn't think it'd be smart to go for it so we just continued as usual with trying to win immunity. We tried to monitor who else could have had a clue because some people were obviously trying to find out who scored what... basically i just hid in the corner and didnt tell anybody my score. It looked like Tyler and maybe Brett had a clue as well, Max ended up getting 7th, but wasnt on the radar for having a clue. Logan is leaning towards getting out Tyler if we go to tribal because of possible connections they have on the other side... but i dont plan on seeing tribal any time soon. I think there may be a swap coming up soon, just because our tribe is kick ass and all good things must come to an end :/

Another win??? If this was glee I'd burst into song!! I feel like we need a dance break so here's what I feel like doing -

So our tribe lost the immunity challenge again which sucks because it would be nice to have a round off and actually just get to talk normally to some of these people but it's been straight strategy since the beginning due to our losses but it's definitely eventful. I'm in an alliance with Zack and Daisy (with Renee and Abel on the side) and I like that alliance, I think we could do pretty well if we stay together and we have control on this tribe with right now. On the flip side I'm also in an alliance with Zack, Daisy, Jev and Ci'ere but with Jev getting a strike, we were thinking of voting him out because of it. I don't really know if this is the best thing for us right now because I think Jev would trust me down the line and I'd feel bad about betraying his trust but this is my second chance and I'm not holding back. Hopefully I survive this tribal and we can pull out a win next round otherwise it is not looking good for the Matterhorn tribe.

EPISODE 2

The next challenge was posted and fuck me sideways-- a flash game. I was really hoping there'd be not too many of these this season because flash games are the devil and I'm not a 17 year-old virgin anymore who has the time and lack of responsibility to perfect the art of giraffe smooching anymore. I knew opting to be the first sit out wouldn't be a great idea, but with Benjamin and Dom both volunteering, I felt okay with participating in the challenge even though it's not my prowess. Silver lining: I managed to find a SECOND idol clue. I'm 2/2 now. This one required me to sacrifice my high score (HAHAHAH!!!) in order to place 7th out of the 9 players participating in my tribe. So really, I just had to be better than two people. I was really banking on Ashley Sarah and Dom being worse than me, but both of them pulled through and I placed dead last doing my absolute best in the game. Shocker! I'm really curious as to what would have happened if I managed to succeed in placing 7th in my tribe--would a second hidden immunity idol have materialized? Would it have been a notification that my tribe's idol had already been found (by me)? I'm so sad that I didn't manage it! Fortunately, we did win the challenge by 5 million points--4 of Matterhorn's 9 competitors scored below me, so while weakest on my tribe, at least they have me and not Luke, Zack, Daisy, or Jevvon.

Honestly, not much happened in terms of strategy this episode in terms of strategy because we had our challenge and we won again, but I can tell you this much. Tyler asked for who we could possibly ally ourselves with. I pitched Ashley Sarah primarily because she's a functioning adult and seems rather trustworthy. I also threw Ian's name out there because Ian is really genuine and I feel like his status as a Runner-Up will draw more attention to him than a quitter and someone who didn't make the Top 10. I also listed Benjamin as an alternate--he comes off as rather kindhearted and pure. I have already put feelers out to Ashley Sarah and she's been receptive, but also I've discussed with Nick the possibility of looking out for one another as well. Nick is a very fun personality and very mature for 17. I feel like we are very similar and even if he really is in a contingent with Dom and Logan, I'd much rather the 3 of them like me and put me lower on their hit list in the event that they manage to succeed in gaining traction with a majority. Ideally, I'd like to win the next immunity challenge to further bury Matterhorn, but if we don't...it looks like it's time for war. And I have a hidden immunity idol, two functioning adults, and a fuckton of teenagers to contend with. Until next time!

[5/17/17, 10:52:18 AM] jev !!: So I have your vote to stay??

[5/17/17, 10:52:29 AM] jev !!: Blessed

AHH. ok so, i have NO idea where this tribe is at and i literally haven't talked to anyone that much and I'm so nervous that my name is gonna come up in tribal tonight. I did the best for the immunity challenge, which could be seen as a threat but i hope for now they just see it as like an asset to the tribe. so far i like zack and luke. luke seems pretty straight forward and for now seems to be shooting straight with me so he's cool. every time i try to talk to daisy she's super like short with me and doesn't really give me anything to help continue the conversation, then goes and complains to other people that I'm not messaging her, which is so annoying zzz. other than that i don't really know about anyone on the tribe but i hope theres a name thrown out besides mine, and i can survive this vote even with my terrible social game!

I hate that there's probably a big ass alliance that I'm not apart of

WHY THE FUCK DOES DOM THINK HE CAN GO AROUND THROWING OUT PEOPLES NAMES WHEN WE HAVENT EVEN GONE TO A TRIBAL OR LOST AN IMMUNITY???????????????

i'm.... STRESSSSSSING.

abel just found the same idol clue that i did (7th place in cass) and he's like "omg i'm gonna send it to daisy and luke to gain trust!" and in my head i'm just like... fuckfuckFUCK. if these hoes do the math and see i got 7th place.. i mean put the pieces together, i'm EXPOSED. and then they'll figure out i lied about my mom being in the hospital dlksjfdkslf.

and now nobody is talking to me... i sure am probably going home now HUH.

i was literally fighting so hard for abel to stay and now that he has that hint... i literally wanna vote him out...

when zack is having a meltdown.. zack snaps and fights people for no reason.. so zack is really tryna hold back right now..

Okay so this vote is the complete polar opposite to last tribal's, my alliance can't seem to decide on one person to vote for, and the one person that Zack suggested (Keegan) got shot down by Daisy, which is shady as hell.

I like Keegan a lot, but honestly it's much easier to go with majority so if I have to write his name down then it's what I'm going to do. Plus it'll probably make an iconic blindside since he has no idea about any vote (or at least that's what he said to me) Hop

Hopefully I don't end up on the wrong side of the vote!

CAN WE HAVE AN OCTUPLE TRIBAL BECAUSE MY WHOLE TRIBE SUCKS AND IS EITHER BORING OR LYING AND BORING THIS IS SECOND CHANCES AND THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T DESERVE A 0TH CHANCE LIKE EVERYWHERE I TURN I'M BEING STOPPED BY "lmao idk what to do i like everyone :3" JEV BITCH WHAT HAPPENED TO #STRIKESOLIDARITY WHY CHASE THE MAJORITY WHEN WE CAN MAKE THE MAJORITY STUPID ASS BITCH LUKE IS BEING SO PASSIVE RN DAISY IS THE MOST INSUFFERABLE PERSON TO TALK GAME WITH, KEEGAN AND TRENT FLOP FOR BEING THEMSELVES. I feel like I'm getting voted out but there's still no reason to ignore me because i can't do anything about it and it would be a shitty move especially when I literally have a reputation of being a goat in every game i play qqjhdbhjkdkw. I want this tribe to get pagonged.

I don't really care for the alliance that I'm in right now since I'm not in a position where I could help make decisions and it's seriously annoying me because this will be the second tribal in a row where I have no say in who goes. My opinion doesn't matter. If I say the wrong thing or stray away from what they want, they could easily drop me as an ally in favor of someone they deem blindly loyal. I have to work with this alliance to survive the next couple of upcoming rounds and I'm glad that they decided to take me in. Jev is pushing the vote on Keegan, but Keegan told me that he really likes Jev so that worries me a bit. I've been bonding with Keegan the past few days and I don't want him to go. It's still too early to be captain save-a-hoe though, but I'm gonna try to save Keegan by pushing for Abel. At this point I just feel helpless and frustrated about this mess.

ugh. so we talked about voting out abel, because he's pissed some people off and we figure we could pass it off as "fixing our mistake" from last tribal. i figured that would be the best option since abel pretty much only works w us and voting him out won't piss anyone off and will push suspicion off us. but zack really wanted keegan to go for some reason, and i guess luke thinks that abel is really loyal to us (or just him, i guess, and us by affiliation) so he wants to keep him. i'm pissed because i think this is a short term band aid solution.

after this vote trent will realize he's on the bottom and he'll try to flip some of the others on us (which may not be that hard considering it's pretty much just me, luke, and zack making the decisions). voting out abel will keep suspicion off us within our tribe and the other one, which is good in a possible swap situation and even if we don't swap.

but at this point it's not a good idea to piss of zack or luke. and im usually the biggest player, the one making the decisions, thus the biggest target. so if letting them make decisions means less blood on my hands and less suspicion on me, then so be it.

i think after this tribal ill message trent and be like "i don't know why he was voted out, that makes no sense to me, i just had to be in the majority" to hopefully get him on my side so that if he flips i'll know and we can fix this.

It seems like tonights vote is heading towards Abel. At least I hope it is. I've heard from quite a few people it's going to be him.

Honestly, the way this game has been going is quite strange. Losing the first two immunity challenges is horrible and I hate it. But voting out Steven first was a surprise. He participated in the challenge and seemed pretty friendly. Apparently not. And now we're (hopefully) voting out Abel, who did nothing in the first challenge and among the top scores in this second one.

I don't know who's controlling these votes but in a way I'm glad it's not me. I've put a solid foundation of a relationship with Ci'ere, Trent and Jevvon. I've had some awesome conversations with Luke and Zack. And Daisy and I are getting along and passing information. Abel I've never spoken with and I've only had a short conversation with Renee, but overall I think I've got a good position moving forward. Not to mention I've been doing well in the challenges.

Part of me is hoping for a tribe swap soon though because I honestly don't think this current tribe will ever win a challenge. But if that happens there's a good chance I could get swap fucked and no one wants that.

Honestly this round has me stressed to the max. Zack, Ci'ere, Luke, Daisy and Renee have all said they're voting for Keegan but for some reason I have a bad feeling that I'm gonna be shook and blindsided. I hope it's just a case of #Jevanoia !

I found the hidden immunity idol clue, but it turns that I was a little too late to the party. :< The clue said that you'd have to come in 7th place in the Casanova challenge in order to receive the idol. Zack scored 7th which would explain why he was telling everyone to share their scores and that he couldn't score as high because his mom was in the hospital (whether that was true or not). ☕️🐸 INSPECTOR KEISHA IS ON THAT A$$! 🕵️‍♀️ You're not slick henny. Zack is the mastermind of Matterhorn and Jev is his little sidekick. He's in control right now and he has the power to do whatever he wants. Nobody can touch him, but I might be able to. I'm gonna keep this info to myself until I can use it to my advantage.

I should probably end my purple edit at some point.....

I'm straight up pissed. I wanted to fly under the radar but these idiots have given me no other choice. Abel could have been SUCH AN EASY VOTE but now Luke is telling me everyone's saying Keegan..... WHAT? i'm sorry no. Abel is mean and rude, Keegan has done nothing wrong in this game and shouldn't be leaving over someone who has been nothing but a piece of shit for our morale. So clearly there's a group dominating the vote because everyone was telling me Abel, yet a select few are coming to me with the Keegan info.

Also lowkey Daisy's been a bit of a bitch, but she's one of my only hopes for allies at this point so pray for me!!

#ihopeiseeyounever #confessionals

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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Dr. Keith Ablow: Seventeen ways to improve your life in 2017

FILE — (AP)

Last year, as 2016 debuted, I published, 16 ways to improve your life. The year before that, I published 15 ways to improve your life. You get the idea. The tradition continues this year, with the addition of number 17. Ive also added bits and pieces to some of the 16 items from last year, just to keep you on your toes.

New Years resolutions often lose their power so quickly and completely that they have become cliché. But there are real, easily achieved ways to positively impact your life beginning January 1.

Heres your cheat sheet of 17 for 2017. They arent in any particular order, so you can pick any one to start with.

If you complete just five, youll notice a demonstrable improvement in your existence. But if you get through nine of them, you could remake your life.

1. Try to recall one dream you had as a kid whether it was being a poet or a rock drummer or a multimillionaire stock trader and take just a single step in that direction. So often, the ideas we had as children were good ones, and we abandoned them out of fear. The step in the direction of your childhood dream can be very modest signing up for a symposium on poetry, scheduling a single drum lesson, buying a DVD on stock trading. Even just telling two people about your quiet dream can move it forward. Frozen dreams have a way of thawing out rapidly when you warm them just a tiny bit.

2. Think of your life story, going all the way back to infancy, as an autobiographical book that you can hold in your hands. Now, imagine which page or paragraph you are tempted to tear out and remove from the story. That page or paragraph might be the one that makes you feel profoundly sad or powerless or guilty or ashamed. Next, share it with someone who knows you well but has never heard about that event or phase in your life. Being willing to disclose the events in life we want to turn a blind eye to takes away the power those events have over us.

3. Give a meaningful gift to a friend of yours on a random day not his birthday or her anniversary or Christmas. Giving gifts on those days is fine, but that isnt the same as an unexpected, unscheduled gift. Those are the ones that feel riskier to give and have more power to bond you to others who receive them. And thats because theyre real and independent expressions of friendship, affection, admiration or love.

4. Send handwritten notes to three people you admire most in the world, no matter how powerful or famous, tell them sincerely exactly why you admire them and ask to meet for 10 minutes. Theres a real chance one of them will take you up on the offer. And that one meeting could change you, because great energy is contagious and being in the company of it can stay with you.

5. Give some amount (no matter how small) to the charity you care most about. Giving is a miracle, because it helps others while also telling your unconscious mind that yours is a life of abundance, not scarcity. And that invites more treasures into your existence. Heres one I just gave to, which I happen to know is completely legit and does great work: kulturecity.org.

6. Stop telling yourself you love people just because you grew up with them. This is a big one, but a really important one. Did your parents and siblings earn your love by unconditionally loving you as a child? If so, great. But if youve been wishing that had been the case and have felt unwilling to let the dream of having had unconditionally loving parents or siblings slip away, then loosen your grip. If the people you grew up with werent focused on helping you stay true to yourself, then admit it to yourself. You might stop unconsciously recruiting people just like them into your life.

7. Schedule an initial psychotherapy session. Psychotherapy is the gold standard way to begin to get to know yourself more deeply. In a world of distractions and depersonalization, it remains the technique most reliably focused on restoring your connection to your true self. Hopefully, that first session will convince you of the power of psychotherapy to change your life, and youll schedule more. No one with the financial ability to be in psychotherapy should deny himself or herself that transformational opportunity.

8. Get angry about something unfair, say so out loud and dont stand for it. Anger gets a really bad rap in our culture; its accused of everything from destroying people spiritually to causing heart attacks. But suppressed anger can be more toxic. When youre offended by something you hear about in the news or you see unfolding in your personal life, try saying so, in no uncertain terms, when youre asked about it or maybe even if you arent. For those of you who have been living lives of quiet frustration, letting yourselves be very direct and very mad about something that sincerely outrages you can start to crack the shell that has your most powerful self inside it.

9. Take two minutes to think about life as a labyrinth. Mazes are built to frustrate people and get them lost. Theyre full of dead ends designed to make people give up and call for helicopters to pluck them out. Not so with labyrinths. Labyrinths may wind this way and that way. They may take you far from where you thought you were heading. But they always, always lead to the center. And thats what life is like. Keep walking, keep your faith and life will take you where you are supposed to go. The turn toward the center could be just a few steps away, when you least expect it.

10. Try praying, at least once. If you havent prayed ever or havent prayed lately, youll discover that the act of praying for what you care deeply about has the effect of reminding you what that thing or those things really are. It also has the effect of reminding you that there is a great power in the universe that you are a part of. Theres something interesting about praying; even people who say they dont believe in God are loathe to pray for the opposite of what they really want. How come? Is it because that, underneath all that cynicism, they actually do believe?

11. Read “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger, “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, Self Creation by the great psychologist George Weinberg (used copies available online), “Blue Dog” by George Rodrigue, or “Fear God and Take Your Own Part,” by Theodore Roosevelt (or, even better, all five). These five volumes have the power to transform people, and I keep handing them out to patients and friends (along with please forgive the narcissism my book, “Living the Truth”). If youre really short on time or intention, just read the Afterword to a later edition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig.

12. Buy one piece of original art. It doesnt need to be expensive. It just needs to appeal to you. Why? Because art is the antidote to our sometimes sterile, technologically driven culture. It makes humanity go viral in a way that YouTube cant. It also confirms your connection to things that cant be measured like your personal vision of beauty. A good alternative is to create a piece of art. Just be sure to buy yourself the proper brushes or paints or glue or wood to create it. That will be a signal to yourself that you value what you are manifesting.

13. Watch the movie “Miracle,” with Kurt Russell. This film about the 1980 U.S. Olympic mens hockey team defeating Russias team is so good, it can convince you to take on the next great challenge in your life. I dont know anyone who has watched it and been unaffected by it. Also watch the closing argument by Paul Newman at the end of the film “The Verdict,” the scene of Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire on the beach in “Rocky III,” the monologue by Al Pacino toward the end of the film “The Scent of a Woman” and any performance of God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood. They can help make you a better person. No kidding.

14. Tell your romantic partner one thing you would find exciting that you have not yet told that person. In my experience as a therapist, Ive found that people can remain strangers to one another, in terms of passion, even after 10 or 20 years of marriage. We keep sexual secrets. Let one out. You can write it down and pass it to your partner as a note, like we did back in grade school, before cell phones. You can text it using a confidential messaging app like Wickr. See what happens. Take the risk.

15. Stand up for someone else. Youll have the opportunity in 2017. I promise. Maybe in your home. Maybe in your neighborhood. Maybe at work. Maybe online. Defending someone will reassure that person and empower you.

16. Take 17 minutes to pretend that you are speaking to yourself, from the heart, as though you are your own ideal parent. You can do this out loud, if you have the stage presence, or silently. An ideal parent is empathetic, but honest in assessing his child and giving that child advice. Sit yourself down, get very quiet and, then, tell yourselfwith the same care you would summon for a son or daughtertwo things you really admire about yourself and one very limiting, very disappointing thing about yourself you really wish you would try to change, because it could limit the whole rest of your life. That one thing should be so searingly on-target and so necessary that it has the power to make you angry, make you anxious, bring you to tears or bring you to your knees. Focusing about twice as long (say, 10 minutes) on the admirable qualities is something youd do for your kid, to take the sting out of the next 7 minutes, so do that for yourself. And keep in mind that 17 minutes is a long time. Youll be tempted to avoid it or shorten it. But, you shouldnt.

17. If you are a parent, resolve to mimic a habit I stumbled upon, when my kids were younger. It really helps me stay balanced during times that might, otherwise, cause me lots of stress. Here it is: Whenever I get a phone call or an email or a text from someone telling me a project of mine or a goal or a relationship has hit a rough patch, I tell myself, silently, Yeah, well this isnt like a pediatrician calling me. What I mean is that, short of bad news about a child of mine, coming from a pediatrician (or, if your kids are older, like mine, an internal medicine doctor), nothing can really rock me. Because all of us parents know exactly how much time we would have for what seem like the big problems of our day or our week, if the phone rang, and a doctor on the other end said something like, Can I ask where you are? Because Ive seen your son, and I have something serious to talk with you about. Id like you to come in. Id have no time for all my other so-called problems, and neither would you. So, things are actually better than we actually realize, most all of the time.

So, there are your 17 keys to making 2017 a transformational year. I give them to you with the certain knowledge that you still have, inside you, all the wonderful potential you did the very first day you were born. You havent lost one bit of it. Its all there, just waiting for you to discover it.

Dont delay. Start on the list January 1, and by this time next year, God willing, youll be ready for the 18 steps for 2018. Life is like that: a never-ending process of self-improvement.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team.