Psychology of Love 1

One of the most important human emotions is love.

However, there are many different kinds of love.

Romantic love is certainly one of the most interesting kinds of love.

It can be beautiful, wonderful, and heartbreaking, sometimes all at the same time.

Romantic love can make our lives full and meaningful, but it can also be an escape from loneliness and suffering.

If romantic love has a purpose, neither psychology nor biology has discovered it.

However, throughout history, philosophers have offered opinions about it.

The Greek philosopher, Plato, said love makes us complete.

He relates a comic story in which humans originally had 4 arms, 4 legs and 2 faces.

Then, when they angered the Gods, they were cut in half.

Since then every person has been searching for their soulmate, the other half of his or her self.

Another philosopher believed that love is an illusion.

In his view, people fall in love because they believe the other person can make them happy.

But in fact, this is just an illusion designed to make us have children.

Once we have children, we are right back to where we were, still searching for happiness.

For nature this is a success, because we have children to maintain our species.

But it leaves us still searching for something more.

In Buddhism, romantic love is seen as an attempt to satisfy our desires.

These desires are a defect, something we need to overcome.

The way to free ourselves from suffering is to remove desires.

Once free of desires we can reach a state of peace and wisdom.

This state of being is called nirvana（涅槃）.

Psychology of Love 2

In one of China's greatest classical novels, Dream of the Red Chamber, love is presented as a state of foolishness.

A young man falls in love with a beautiful woman who tricks and makes a fool of him.

This results in conflicting emotions of love and hate which tear him apart.

To cure him, a priest gives him a magic mirror.

The priest tells him to look into the reverse side of the mirror, but never to look in the front side.

When the young man looks into the mirror, he doesn't like what he sees, so he looks into the forbidden side, the front side.

There he sees the lovely image of his love, who invites him into the mirror to be with her.

He does this several times until he is finally dragged away in chains.

He dies while looking into the mirror.

Perhaps the point of the story is that all such attachments should be avoided.

A famous French writer, Simone de Beauvoir has another point of view.

For her, love is the desire to integrate（融合） with another, like in a great friendship.

However, it is important that lovers not become too dependent on the other person.

Becoming dependent on another person can lead to boredom or power games.

Lovers should support each other in discovering themselves and developing their potentials.

In this way, romantic love can enrich the world.

Falling in love can be exciting and frightening.

Maybe we lose ourselves and maybe we find ourselves.

Will you dare to find out?

Describing Situations

Forbidden or prohibited: to be against the rules or not allowed.

Smoking is prohibited on many airplanes.

Athletes are forbidden from taking certain kinds of drugs.

If something is allowed, it isn't forbidden or prohibited.

Access to that part of the factory is forbiddened for security reasons.

Risky: to be a bit dangerous or unsafe.

A risky investment maybe not be a good idea for people who worry too much.

If you make a risky investment, you may lose a lot of money.

What level of risk are you willing to take?

Meeting someone on the Internet can be very risky, so be careful.

Ridiculous: to be foolish or not make any sense.

Their proposal is ridiculous because it requires too much time and money.

Without enough quality practice, it's ridiculous to expect much progress.

He is lazy and the quality of his work is poor, so it's ridiculous for him to expect a bonus.

Innovative: to come up with a new idea or way of doing things.

Innovative people are usually clever and creative.

To innovate means to come up with a new way of doing something.

Innovative thinking can lead to the development of new products and services.

He isn't innovative because he resists change and always wants to do things the same way.

Conservative:to be conservative is to avoid taking risks.

Conservative investors try to make safe investments.

A conservative investor wants to minimize risks.

A conservative approach to management may discourage innovation.

Interacting with Others

To disguise: to change something's appearance so that it can't be recognized.

He wasn't good at disguising himself so we knew who he was right away.

She wore a disguise so I wasn't sure who she was.

She disguised het true intensions so nobody knew what she was planning to do.

To clarify: to explain or make something clear.

We weren't sure what he meant until he clarified his ideas.

Everyone was confused until she clarified what she meant.

We can't agree to your proposal unless you clarify a few points.

There are still many details that need to be clarified.

To confuse: to make things difficult to understand; the opposite of to clarify.

Everyone was confused because her presentation was so disorganized.

He confuses people because he keeps changing his ideas.

The instructions were confusing, so nobody knew what to do.

A good leader can make decisions even when the situation is confusing.

After the explosion, people were confused and unsure about where to go.

To ignore: to try not to notice or deal with something; to act as if something isn't there.

We tried to ignore her, but she finally stood up and told everyone to shut up.

People don't respect or like her, so they ignore her in the office.

He is an ignorant old fool, so should just ignore him.

We are ignorant because we are ignoring the facts.

To confirm: to indicate that something is correct or completed as expected.

We weren't sure if he was going to accept our offer until he called and confirmed it.

We can't start the project without a written confirmation that we agree on the details.

He denied that he was at the meeting, but we have confirmed that he was there.

Can you confirm that the payment has been received?

The Teenage Years

A: What's so funny? What are you writing about?

B: I'm writing about something I saw earlier this morning.

A: Really? Do you keep a journal?

B: Yes, I do. Every weekend I write about things that happened during the week.

A: How long you've been doing it?

B: I've been doing it fairly regularly since high school.

A: Are you going to turn it into a book?

B: I don't know. Maybe I will someday, but for now it's just for me.

A: So what was so interesting about what you saw this morning?

B: I was in the same coffee shop I usually go to and a group of teenagers came in. I couldn't help watching them and trying to hear some of their conversation.

A: That must have been interesting.

B: Yes, it was. The more I watched them, the more I realized how glad I am that I don't have to go through that stage of life again.

A: So it brought back some memorizes?

B: Yes, it did. It was so clear how uncomfortable some of them were, yet they were pretending to have a good time. At least, that's how it seemed to me.

A: Why do you think they were pretending?

B: It was just the way they smiled and laughed. It seemed unnatural and overdone, as if they were bad actors.

B: A couple of the boys were really awkward around the girls, and two of the girls were wearing too much makeup. I had to stop myself laughing.

A: Yes, I can imagine it. I can remember wanting to be popular when I was in high school. Now that you mention it, it wasn't a great time, though I had some fun too.

B: I guess it wasn't so bad at the time, except when I was preparing for my university entrance examinations.

A: Yes, that was awful. My parents put tons of pressure on me, so I thought I was going to go crazy.

A: What about girls? Did you have any girlfriends?

B: There was one girl I had a crush on, but I thought she was interested in somebody else. I didn't find out until much later that she was interested in me too. It was a lost opportunity, one of many.

A: Really? You should become a writer or make a movie. You have a great imagination.

B: To be honest, it's much easier to image things than actually do things.

A: You can say that again.

1. I can remember wanting to be popular when I was in high school.

2. I didn't find out until much later that she was interested in me too.

3. I'm writing about something I sawearlierthis morning.

4. My parents put tons of pressure on me, so I thought I was going to go crazy.

5. There was one girl I had a crush on, but I thought she wasinterested insomebody else.

Light and Color

People have wondered about the nature of light and color since ancient times.

Some people thought that light came from the eye rather than coming into the eye.

To see, light was projected from our eyes to illuminate things as we look at them.

Now we know that what we see is mostly reflected light, like the light from the moon which is reflected sunlight.

Light comes from a light source, such as the Sun, and either enters our eyes directly or after it has reflected off something.

In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton showed that when light passes through a prism, it separates into all the other colors.

This clearly demonstrated that light is composed of many different colors.

The difference between colors is due to their wavelength.

A prism separates light into different colors because each color has a different wavelength.

The angle at which a color bends in a prism depends on its wavelength.

Colors with shorter wavelengths bend more than colors with longer wavelengths.

This explains why red light bends less than yellow light.

The reason is because its wavelength is longer.

Of the visible colors, violet light has the shortest wavelength, so it bends the most.

1. A prism separates light into its component colors.

2. Each color is a single wavelength of light.

If you have ever painted, you know that different colors can be combined to create new colors.

For example, if you add white to a color, you lighten it.

However, the three primary colors, red, blue and yellow cannot be made by mixing other colors.

It isn't possible to mix any combination of colors to create red, blue or yellow.

Mixing two primary colors creates a secondary color such as purple, which is made by mixing blue and red.

Mixing three primary colors creates a tertiary([ˈtɜːrʃieri]) color such as brown or gray.

Color’s Effect

Color are wonderful to look at, but they also affect people in ways besides sight.

They have a powerful effect on how people feel and behave.

Artists know this and so do business people who want to influence how people feel about their products and advertisements.

For example, research has shown that people can be more productive if they are working in a blue room.

The color purple is often linked to wealth and royalty and is seen as a mysterious, spiritual color.

Some colors have even been associated with changes in blood pressure.

Though color can influence how we feel and act, these effects may depend on personal and cultural factors.

Therefore, it's important not to believe everything you hear about the effects of color.

Though there are differences between cultures, there is a general agreement about some colors.

The color red, for example, is a warm color, associated with energy and excitement in many cultures.

In China, red is associated with fire, energy and good fortune.

On the other hand, one experiment showed that exposing students to red before taking a test can have a negative effect.

In fact, of all the colors, research shows that red has the most powerful effect on human behavior.

Certainly, it's interesting and important to better understand the psychological effects of light and color.

To gain a better understanding of these effects, more research is needed.

Verbs for Business 1

To promote: to move someone up in an organization, usually because she has done a good job.

We're going to promote her to manager.

If we don't promote him, he'll probably be upset.

The opposite of promote is demote.

We shouldn't promote anyone unless they really deserve it, which means they have to prove themselves.

To transfer: to move someone or something from one place to another.

The company is going to transfer him to Shanghai next month.

She doesn't want to be transferred because her husband is against moving to another city.

He likes working for us, but he wants to be transferred to a different place within the company.

She won`t agree to be transferred unless we give her a promotion and a salary increase.

To motivate: to get someone interested and excited about doing something.

She's really good at motivating her employees.

One way to motivate someone is to encourage them by giving constructive feedback.

He's no fool, so giving him an award without an increase in salary won't motivate him.

We need to motivate people more and not demotivate them by reducing benefits.

To postpone: to delay or put off something until a later date.

We had to postpone the presentation, because she wasn't ready to give it.

We can't continue to postpone the meeting or they will cancel it completely.

We can't postpone launching the product, so everyone will have to work harder to meet the deadline.

We have no choice but to postpone the test, because the weather conditions aren`t right.

To evade([ɪˈveɪd]逃避): to escape or avoid something.

They are trying to evade taking responsibility for their failure.

He was arrested for tax evasion.

They can`t evade paying the import tax or they will lose their license to do business in that country.

Verbs for Business 2

To assign: to give someone a task to do.

His boss assigned him to increase sales by fifty percent .

Her company assigned her to find out more about the competition.

His department was the one which was assigned to complete the project, so our department wasn't involved.

To penalize（[ˈpiːnəlaɪz]惩罚）: to fine or punish someone for doing something wrong.

They were penalized for breaking the rules.

You will be penalized if you are late.

They were all penalized, so they had to work even harder to complete the project on time.

She was penalized for not submitting her application on time, so she had to pay an extra fee.

To lay off: to fire or sack a worker because business is bad.

The company was failing, so he was laid off.

Our company had to lay off 50% of our employees.

A company may have to lay off workers when business is bad.

He was dong a good job, but the company had to lay him off because they were losing money.

He lost his job because his company had to lay off most of its employees.

To recruit: to look for new employees to hire.

They are expanding their business and recruiting new employees.

She joined the company after she was recruited at a job fair.

He left his job because he was recruited by another company and offered a much higher salary.

She was recruited to work for a recruiting company, but now she is being laid off.

To resign: to voluntarily quit one's job.

His boss didn't like him, so he was asked to resign.

She resigned from her job because of health reasons.

He wanted to resign, but he needed to stay on for another year to complete the project.

Introducing the Iceman

One of the most interesting people in history is probably someone you have never heard of.

We will call him "Iceman" because his body was frozen in ice for several thousand years.

His body was discovered in 1991 by two hikers in the mountains near the border of Austria and Italy.

The lower part of his body was still frozen in ice, but the upper part was uncovered and visible.

Once the body was extracted from the ice, it was taken in for examination.

Upon examination, scientists determined that the Iceman lived around 5,300 (fifty-three hundred) years ago.

This was at the end of the Stone Age, nearly 1,000 years before the great pyramids were built.

This made him the oldest mummy ever found.

Iceman's body was in good condition when it was found.

People believed that the body was one of many hikers who had been lost in recent years.

Nobody suspected that the body was as old as it was.

It had been preserved by the ice for thousands of years.

Given its good condition, studying it was like opening a window in time.

Scientists could learn a lot about how people lived 5,000 years ago.

The Iceman lived at the end of the Stone Age, a time of great change in human history.

Hunting was still a major source of food, but people were beginning to farm.

People were settling down and forming communities.

These communities were claiming territory and setting up boundaries.

As a result, sometimes they had to fight to defend their territory from outsiders.

The village where the Iceman lived was probably not far from where he died.

Perhaps he was killed in a battle with outsiders.

Death of the Iceman

Iceman was about 45 years old when he died.

He was 1.60 meters tall and weighed about 50 kilograms when he was alive.

Along with the body were some other objects.

These included some weapons, including a bow and arrow（ [ˈæroʊ]  矢，箭） a knife and an ax.

He was still wearing one of his shoes and he had a backpack with a wooden frame.

He also had some plants that may have been used for medical purposes.

Further examination of the body showed that he was well fed, with a diet of meat, bread and fruit.

In fact, he had eaten several meals within a few hours of his death.

From all the evidence, he probably had a good life.

Perhaps he was hunting for food when he was caught in a sudden storm.

For several years after the discovery of the body, scientists believed that he died from the cold.

Weather is unpredictable in the area where he was found, so perhaps he was caught in an unexpected storm.

However, ten years after his body was found, new evidence pointed to a new cause of death.

In 2001, examiners x-rayed the body and found an arrowhead deep in the Iceman's chest.

Further analysis revealed that the Iceman had been shot from behind.

The arrow had cut through an artery and had caused severe bleeding.

Clearly, it was a case of murder, the oldest case of murder ever discovered.

Regulations in Company

To sue: to take someone to court in a legal disagreement.

They broke our contract and didn't pay, so we sued them and won.

She sued her employer for firing her, but she lost because they had the right to fire her.

We couldn't agree to her plan to avoid paying taxes, which was illegal, so she threatened to sue us.

We had to be very careful when we talked to her because we did not want to be sued.

To restrict: to put limits on something.

This is a restricted area, so stay away.

We need to restrict them from talking to anyone about our project.

We can't trust him, so we will have to restrict his activities until we know him better.

The government tried to restrict people from going there because it was too dangerous, but some people insisted on going.

 If something is confidential, you should restrict access to it.

To negotiate: to deal with or bargain with others to reach an agreement.

Instead of starting a war, we should negotiate and find a way to compromise.

We are trying to negotiate a better deal, but it isn't easy.

He never wants to negotiate, so he has lost several important customers.

If we agree to buy more, then we can negotiate  for a volume discount.

Responsible for or responsible to: to be responsible for something means to have the job of getting it done or taking care of.

If you are responsible to someone, it means that you are working under their control.

He is responsible to the CEO, so he can't sign the contract without her final approval.

Oversee or supervise: to control or direct a process or project.

One of his responsibilities was to supervise the rescue operations and keep things under control.

As product manager, she oversees the work of several departments.

Their new project is behind schedule because nobody oversees how the departments work together.

Business Terms

To merge: to combine or come together.

Those two companies used to be competitors, but now they have merged into one company.

When the two companies merged, many people were laid off.

When two companies merge, there are often many problems, including layoffs.

They plan to merge with a much larger company, so they will lose their identity.

To acquire: to buy or take possession.

Some big companies grow by acquiring other companies.

One way to protect your business is to acquire your competitors.

We need to acquire new technology as soon as possible because we are out-of-date.

The best way to acquire a new skill is to find a great teacher or program and practice every day.

An agenda: a plan or list of items to be discussed at a meeting.

The agenda for the meeting is still unclear.

What are the main points on the agenda for the meeting?

There are too many items on the agenda, so we need to cut it down and focus on fewer things.

He may have a hidden agenda that hides his real plans, so let us be careful what we say at the meeting.

We don't know what's on his agenda, so we need to be careful what we say.

A contract: a written document that defines the rules in a relationship.

A contract isn't usually useful until things begin to go badly in a relationship.

According to our contract, their first payment is due next week.

It took a long time to agree on a contract because their lawyers kept finding issues that kept us apart.

The contract was too much in their favor, so we did not sign it.

Assets and liabilities: assets are what you own and liabilities are what you owe.

Knowing the assets and liabilities of a company helps determine a company's value.

The company had more liabilities than assets so we decided not to invest.

They have to pay a huge tax penalty, so they have lost value due to the increase in their liabilities.

Quitting a Job

M: Good morning, Lisa. What was it you wanted to see me about?

L: Eh, good morning. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, I know it's a busy time for you.

M: That's okay, Lisa. I can see that you're upset about something. Is there something wrong?

L: Yes, actually there is, and I've been thinking about it a lot. To make it short, I've decided to leave the company.

M: You are going to leave?

L: Yes, I think it's best, I'm really not happy here anymore.

M: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Have you found another job?

L: No, it isn't that. My husband and I have just decided that I really don't need to work.

M: Well, I'm sorry to hear that you want to leave. But I really want you to reconsider. You've only been here for a year. That isn't very long, and it won't help your resume if you decide to look for a job in the future.

L: Yes, that may be true, but staying here is really stressful. You may not be aware of it, but I have real problems with my supervisor , Bill.

M: Oh, what kind of problems?

L: He takes on projects and assigns them to me with no regard from my other responsibilities. It's just too much. Then he takes all the credit for my work. Maybe I'm just too sensitive.

M: Yes, I know he can't act that way and I have told him it's an area he needs to improve. Anyway, there are people like that in every organization.

M: I know it's difficult, but you need to learn how to deal with people like him.

L: Well, I don't know. It's really stressful. It isn't easy for me that talk to him.

M: Listen, Lisa. You have great potential and I don't want to lose you. If you already had a job offer, I wouldn't stand in your way. But since you don't, I really want you to stay.

L: I appreciate your saying that. It means a lot.

M: So will you please reconsider your decision?

L: Yes, I'll talk to my husband.

M: As for Bill, please try to work with him for a bit longer. This is a part of your learning experience.

L: Thanks, I really appreciate your advice. You are a great sales person. I'm feeling better already.

M: You are welcome, Lisa. I need you to stay. Please give it at least another year.

World's Oldest Murder 1

When the body of the Iceman was discovered, nobody realized that he had been murdered.

It was first believed that he got lost in a storm and had died in the cold weather.

However, when the discovery of an arrowhead in his body, it was clear that the Iceman was murdered.

Analysis showed that the arrow had entered his body and cut through an artery in his chest.

This would have caused severe bleeding and weakened him.

With the loss of blood, he couldn't have survived for very long after being shot.

Further examinations revealed something more about how he may have died.

Using a CT scan, scientists found blood in his brain.

This indicated that he was struck on the head before he died.

Either he was hit on the head or he fell and struck his head on a rock.

This probably happened when he was in a weakened condition after being shot by the arrow.

Additional evidence showed that the arrow itself had been pulled out of the body.

It had been pulled out with force, leaving just the arrowhead inside.

Even more interesting was what was left behind, the copper ax.

The technology needed to make such a weapon was new at the time.

As a result, scientists believe it was a sign of great wealth and position.

This suggests that the Iceman may have been an important leader.

It also raises the question of why the killer didn't take it with him.

World's Oldest Murder 2

If the Iceman was important, he may have been the leader of his community.

One leading theory about his death is that he was assassinated[əˈsæsɪneɪtɪd]暗杀.

In ancient times, to take power, you often had to kill the leader.

Perhaps the Iceman was the target of an assassination.

The murderer may have followed the Iceman and killed him from behind.

Then, to protect his identity, he pulled out the arrow and covered the body.

He left the copper ax behind so that he couldn't be identified.

According to this theory, the Iceman was killed by a member of his own community.

Therefore, the murderer was probably someone he knew.

 Another theory is that the Iceman was killed after a battle with outsiders.

Since his community was located along an important trade route, it may have been attacked.

The Iceman may have been a military leader fighting to defend his village.

Perhaps he was in a battle with the attackers on the day that he died.

According to this theory, he was fleeing from the battle and was caught from behind in an isolated area.

However, from an analysis of his stomach, it is unlikely that he was running from anyone.

There was a half-pound of food in his stomach when he died.

Since food only remains in the stomach for about an hour, he must have eaten a large meal shortly before his death.

Someone who is in a hurry would never take the time to stop and eat such a large meal.

And if he was killed by outsiders, why didn't they take the copper ax?

So the question remains about what happened on that final day of his life.

The truth is that nobody will ever know what really happened.

The Iceman's murder will remain a mystery forever.

Interactions

To interfere[ˌɪntərˈfɪr]干涉 : to slow something down or make worse by getting in the way.

Having too many meetings is interfering with our work.

I told her to leave us alone and not to interfere in our problems.

We can't finish the project on time if she continues to interfere by asking too many questions.

To reflect: to think about or consider something, or to throw back an image, as from a mirror.

Before I make a decision, I'd like some time to reflect.

When you look into a mirror, your image is reflected back to you.

When I reflect on something, I look at it again and again in my mind and try to see all sides of it.

After finishing the project, he looked back and reflected on what might have been done to make it better.

To influence: to have an effect on something.

I think she can help us influence the others.

I don't think we can influence the final result.

They don't care what we think, so it will be difficult to influence their decision.

There's nothing we can do to influence the result because they don't care anything except money.

With his powerful support, maybe we can influence their decision to postpone the project.

 I'm afraid this terrible news may influence their decision to support us .

To focus: to bring attention to something and make it clear.

If we don't focus on something, we won't get anything done.

We aren't sure what to focus on, so everyone is confused.

It's important to focus, but you have to be careful not to get lost in details.

He focused on too many details and didnot see the overall shape, so the product was a failure.

To exaggerate: to describe something as larger or more important than it really is.

It's difficult to believe what he says because he always exaggerates.

She said she could sell anything, but of course that was an exaggeration.

In my opinion, it is better to exaggerate your skills a bit in an interview rather than be too modest.

Features of Information

To be persuasive: able to cause people to do something by asking or giving reasons.

She is good at selling things, because she is very persuasive.

You can be more persuasive if you have facts to support you.

He isn't very persuasive because people don't trust him.

To be convincing: to provide powerful support for a believe and to overcome doubts.

The evidence that he was murdered was convincing.

I couldn't convince them that I was telling the truth, so they arrested me.

They weren't convinced that the date was useful, because it was too disorganized.

They tried to convince me that he was a liar, but I did not believe them because they had no evidence.

To be misleading: to lead away from the truth, to give a false idea.

Their advertisements are misleading, so be careful not to be fooled.

He tried to mislead me into buying it by exaggerating the benefits.

The claims made by that company mislead me into buying something that didn't work.

I was really disappointed when the product arrived, because the advertisement was misleading.

To be unique: to be highly unusual or different from others.

I like that design, because it's unique and attractive.

She has a unique personality that some people don't like.

They try too hard to be unique, but they should focus more on quality and better service.

To be ordinary: to be just like others, not different from any other.

Their products are ordinary with nothing except a low price to recommend them.

The food at that restaurant was expensive, but the taste was ordinary.

There is nothing ordinary about her, so we should give her a promotion.

Improving Personal Image

M: Did you see the beautiful sunset tonight? It was gorgeous.

W: No I didn't, but I'm surprised you even noticed such things.

M: Really? Why are you surprised?

W: You're so focused on your work. I didn't imagine you had room in your mind for nature.

M: Really? Well, I just don't show it. I make a point of it to notice such things as often as I can.

W: You know, I think you should try to show that side of yourself more often. It will improve your image.

M: So you think my image needs improving?

W: Well, it wouldn't hurt to be a little less formal and to smile once in a while. You might also improve the way you dress, maybe with a few more warm colors?

M: I'm afraid I don't know much about fashion design and warm colors.

W: Do you really think the way we dress influences people?

W: You must be kidding. The first impression you give is based on your appearance and clothes. Don't you ever notice the kind of shoes someone is wearing?

M: No, I hardly notice.

W: Well then, that explains why your shoes are always the same. How old the shoes you are wearing now?

M: These? I don't know, probably a year or so.

W: And I bet you've been wearing them almost everyday. They look like it.

M: That's right. These shoes are comfortable and they weren't expensive. I'll bet yours were expensive.

W: Well, they weren't cheap. I think it's important to dress right, to dress for the occasion and make a good impression.

M: OK, why don't we go shopping together this weekend? You can be my fashion adviser.

W: What's it for me?

M: If I like your advice, I'll buy you another pair of shoes. How's that?

W: OK, but they won't be cheap. You understand that, right?

M: Of course, but it'll be worth it if you think my new look will improve my image.

W: I guarantee it. With me as an adviser, you can't go wrong.