Out-positive / Encouragement url
To a friend, both of you considering starting a business together
- This is a golden opportunity to make the most of the situation for the long haul.
- Success is sometimes a long drawn-out process.
- Let’s take one step at a time, and climb one mountain at a time.
- As they say, it’s not the mountain in front of us that makes us hesitate, but the pebble in our shoe.
- At any rate it’s worth a try.
- Now we’re cooking with gas.
- The rest is up to us.
- There’s no harm in trying.
- Let’s put our mind to it, and there’s nothing we can’t do.
- I think we’re onto something.
- This work is tailored to our needs and abilities.
- It will happen before you know it.
To a friend, both of you considering starting a business together
Out-positive / Friendship url
Saying hello-1
- So what else is new?
- So we meet again.
- I’m so glad to see you.
- What’s up Doc?
- Well, isn’t it a small world?
- How goes it?
- Top of the morning to you.
- What a nice surprise!
- How’s everything going?
- What’s up?
- What’s new?
- What a pleasant surprise.
Saying hello-1
In-negative / Disappointment url
Employee feeling unappreciated
- I worked so hard for them, and all I got was a measly pat on the back.
- I feel so un-appreciated.
- I feel like I’m being exploited, but there doesn’t seem to be too much I can do to stop it.
- It’s the same old thing all over again.
- I feel like I’ve really been through the mill.
- I expected more.
- I think I deserve to be treated better.
- I’m not a happy camper.
Employee feeling unappreciated
In-negative / Doubt url
When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest
- Fat chance!
- You’re putting me on.
- You can’t be serious.
- Are you kidding me?
- Now I’ve heard everything.
- Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
- It’s a nice idea, but are you sure you’re up to it.
- Are you sure you’ve got what it takes?
When a friend says he’s going to climb Mt. Everest
Out-neutral / Advice url
Action-2
- Make each moment count.
- A watched pot never boils.
- Put the squeeze on him.
- Just make an appearance.
- Look straight ahead, don’t look back.
- You only live once.
- Take the money and run.
- When you get a chance, take another stab at it, maybe it will be more successful than when you tried the last time.
- Get in on the action.
- Please make up your mind already.
- It’s your best bet.
- The solution is being served to you on a silver platter.
- A word to the wise is sufficient.
- You’ve got to rise to the occasion.
Action-2
Out-neutral / Advice url
Realistic-1
- Try to be realistic, don’t be fooled by wishful thinking.
- You’re kidding yourself.
- You can only go so far.
- Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Life’s not fun and games.
- In my opinion, you’re just fooling yourself.
- I’m just suggesting that you should look at your options again, because in the long run, I think you’re setting yourself up for endless let downs.
- Try to see the situation for what it is, because it’s better if you don’t have to learn that the hard way.
- It’s a question you have to ask yourself.
- You have to be realistic.
- You’re living in a fool’s paradise.
- The reason your ideas are not more successful is that they are all half-baked.
- You’re spending money like it was going out of style.
Realistic-1
In-neutral / Caution url
A publisher given a story that might be libelous
- I just can’t chance it.
- I’m going to treat it with kid gloves.
- It could blow sky high.
- Let’s not rush into things.
- I may be sitting on a time bomb.
- One option is for is for me to just wait it out.
- I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- It’s best if I wait until the whole thing blows over.
- I just don’t feel like bucking the system.
- I’m inclined to just tiptoe around the whole situation.
- I think if I got involved in any way I would be playing with fire.
- My gut feeling is that I should just leave it well enough alone.
- The fact that no one else wants to do it is not a good sign.
- I don't know the person involved from a hole in the wall, and I think I should regard that as a warning signal.
A publisher given a story that might be libelous
In-negative / Disappointment url
Couple discussing ending a relationship
- Talk is cheap.
- We’re drifting farther and farther apart.
- We didn’t hit it off too well.
- I sense that there’s no room in your life for me.
- There’s no point in continuing.
- I’m just not in the mood for putting any more work in it.
- I just don’t see it going anywhere.
- I saw the handwriting on the wall.
- I don’t feel that we’re on the same wavelength.
- I think this is what’s better for both of us in the long run.
- This time I really put my foot in my mouth.
- I think we’ve hit a brick wall.
- You broke my heart.
- I feel that it’s all an exercise in futility.
- Where has all the time gone?
- I realize now that I’ve been barking up the wrong tree.
- It’s outlived its usefulness.
- Ain’t that a crying shame?
Couple discussing ending a relationship
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
- That’s the spirit.
- You’ve got it in the palm of your hand.
- You’ve got what it takes.
- You’ve got to come through, we’re all depending on you.
- We’re all rooting for you.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- You can do it.
- The ball is in your court.
- Give it your best shot.
- Give it the old college try.
- We’re all counting on you.
- It’s all up to you.
- Get a move on it, and strike the iron while it’s hot.
- It’s shaping up to be a moment of truth.
- This is your big chance, don’t blow it.
For a friend who’s tied in a final set of a tennis match
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Choosing an item from the menu
- It’s six of one or half a dozen of the other.
- I guess I just can’t have it both ways.
- At one point I have to bite the bullet.
- At one point you just have to fish or cut bait.
Choosing an item from the menu
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Not catching a fish
- Kiss this one goodbye.
- It’s not like I have much of a choice.
- I’ll be darned if I can help it.
- That’s the way it is.
- It’s not that bad.
- There’s not much I can do about it now.
- I’m going to let bygones be bygones.
Not catching a fish
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Raining on the day of the picnic
- Life has its ups and downs.
- It was a chance we had to take.
- It’s just one of those things.
- Life is full of surprises.
- Whatever happens it will be for the best.
- What does that matter?
- There’s not much we can do about it.
- Perhaps it’s really a blessing in disguise.
Raining on the day of the picnic