In-positive / Determination url
Therapist with patient
- Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
- This is an opportunity of a lifetime.
- I’m going to tell it to you straight, even if it means bursting your balloon.
- Rome wasn’t built in a day.
- There’s nothing that we can’t do if we put our minds to it.
- Let’s not give up before we start.
- There are so many false starts, but it’s important that we don’t give up hope.
- There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
- It doesn’t have to be that way.
- Unfortunately we often have to learn the hard way.
- Let’s start tying up loose ends.
- All beginnings are hard.
- Often just when we think it will be clear sailing from here on in, POW – something unexpected comes from out of the blue to blow our well laid plans to smithereens, and suddenly it’s back to the drawing board, forcing us to rethink the whole thing through from start to finish, from soup to nuts.
Therapist with patient
Out-neutral / Advice url
Calm down
- You’re too up tight.
- Loosen up.
- Don’t get hot under the collar.
- Don’t take leave of your senses.
- Don’t let your imagination run away with itself.
- Get a handle on it.
- Don’t blow your cool.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself.
- Don’t worry, you’ll get over it.
- Stop feeling sorry for yourself!
- Don’t mope around.
- Try and catch your breath.
- You shouldn’t go around like a chicken with its head cut off.
- Don’t worry about it, it was a freak occurrence, and chances are it’ll never happen again.
- Take a deep breath, and try to pull yourself together.
Calm down
Out-positive / Concern url
After a friend just found out he’s been fired from his job
- My heart goes out to you.
- Tomorrow is another day.
- There’s always hope.
- Things are tough all over.
- I’m sorry to hear that.
- That’s a crying shame.
- I know what this means to you.
- I’m sure you’ll recover from this, slowly but surely.
- Who knows, perhaps in the long run this could be the best thing that ever happened to you.
- You look down in the dumps.
- I don’t envy you.
After a friend just found out he’s been fired from his job
Out-positive / Concern url
Meeting a friend who’s been up all night studying for a test.
- Perhaps you waited too long to take care of it.
- Have you’ve been burning the midnight oil?
- Next time try not to wait until the last minute.
- You’re working yourself to the bone.
- Perhaps you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
- You should try to pace yourself better.
- Don’t worry about it, just do your best, and I'm sure that will be good enough.
- You shouldn’t save everything for the last minute.
- You’re burning the candle at both ends.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Meeting a friend who’s been up all night studying for a test.
In-neutral / Caution url
Remembering being lost in the woods
- The memory makes my skin crawl.
- That was a hair raising experience.
- For a while it was touch and go.
- It all came down to the wire.
- I was in trouble up to my ears.
- It was the moment of truth.
- It kind of snuck up on me.
- Just the memory sends a chill up and down my spine.
- There’s a big difference between what I expected and what actually happened.
- There was no easy way out.
- It seemed like an eternity.
- I wasn't counting on it happening the way it did.
- The way it turned out was totally unexpected.
Remembering being lost in the woods
In-negative / Explaining url
Trying to fix work-mate’s computer
- I found the problem, but I just need time to fix it.
- I’m a little rusty.
- I’m working on it.
- I've hit a brick wall.
- I tried my best, but I guess that just wasn’t good enough.
- It doesn’t look like I’m making much headway.
- Oh well, it was worth a try.
- It may look simple, but it's really complicated.
- You can’t blame a fellow for trying.
- I’m sorry that it just didn’t work out.
- Back to the drawing board.
- I got more than I bargained for.
- That’s easier said than done.
- It was a shot in the dark.
- That’s what I could do.
- I’m sure you were expecting more from me.
- I’m trying my best.
- That’s the only thing I can think of.
Trying to fix work-mate’s computer
In-positive / Confidence url
Suggesting a new sales strategy at work
- You bet your bottom dollar.
- I’m going to hit it out of the ballpark.
- I know what’s at stake.
- You can count on it.
- The sky’s the limit.
- There’s plenty more where that came from.
- It’s working like a charm.
- There’s no question about it.
- It’s going to knock your socks off.
- Take it from me.
- With any luck at all we’ll be able to get to the next level.
- I’m going to knock it out of the park.
- When you look at my plan you'll see that it all adds up.
- I knew it right off the bat.
- I’m firing on all cylinders.
- Things are really starting to click.
Suggesting a new sales strategy at work
In-neutral / Caution url
Invited to a party the night before an exam
- I’m dead set against it.
- Am I making a big mistake?
- I have a funny feeling that I’ve been through this before.
- All that glitters is not gold.
- I don’t know if I’ll should do this on such short notice.
- I can easily see where this is heading.
- It’s a waste of time.
- I should know better than that.
- Have I taken leave of my senses?
- Is it worth it?
- I’ve learned my lesson before, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t repeat that mistake again.
- That's not for now.
Invited to a party the night before an exam
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Asking someone for a date, and being told no
- I’m hearing the message loud and clear.
- All’s fair in love and war.
- Time heals all wounds.
- I could have guessed as much.
- I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.
- It doesn’t matter to me in the least.
- I get the drift.
- That’s just the way people are.
- I don’t really mind.
- Love makes the world go around.
- Your wish is my command.
- You can’t say I didn’t try.
Asking someone for a date, and being told no
Out-negative / Anger url
You will regret this
- You’ll be sorry.
- You can dish it out but you can’t take it.
- You’ll pay for this.
- You can’t get away with that.
- You had it coming to you.
- You deserve everything you get.
You will regret this
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Losing a bet at the casino
- Them’s the breaks.
- I’ll make the best of it.
- Eventually I’m going to have to face the music.
- I’ve learned my lesson.
- That just goes to show you.
- I should have seen that coming a mile away.
Losing a bet at the casino
In-negative / Confusion url
Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year
- I can’t explain it.
- I’m not so sure.
- I don’t know what to say about it.
- I’m not sure exactly.
- I haven’t the slightest idea.
- I can’t put my finger on it.
- I don’t have a clue.
- I don’t remember off the top of my head.
- Your guess is a good as mine.
- That’s the thing I don’t understand.
- How can I be sure?
Trying to remember why you made a certain decision last year