Out-positive / Concern url
To a friend who hopes to solve their money problems by going to a Casino
- I think you’ve gone just a little bit too far this time.
- What are you doing in a place like this?
- You’re digging a hole for yourself.
- You better watch out.
- This can only spell trouble.
- No good can come from this.
- Maybe I better warn you.
- I wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you!
- You’re just avoiding/delaying the inevitable.
- You’ve boxed youself into a corner.
To a friend who hopes to solve their money problems by going to a Casino
In-negative / Doubt url
After wife suggests to husband that he run for Mayor
- How am I going to pull that off?
- That’s easier said than done.
- I’m not so sure.
- It sounds like it’s nothing more than a pipe-dream.
- Hey, you never know.
- What are we waiting for?
- I’m having second thoughts about it.
- I think you have more confidence in me than I have in myself.
- I don’t even know if it’s worth the effort.
- It’s a nice idea, but what are the odds of it succeeding?
- I don’t know if I’m up for it.
- What do you think the odds are of it succeeding?
- I appreciate your vote of confidence, but do you think it’s worth a try?
- We have to be realistic about it.
- I have my doubts.
- Should I give your suggestion the benefit of the doubt?
- Are you pulling my leg?
After wife suggests to husband that he run for Mayor
Out-neutral / Negotiating url
Try to negotiate correctly & fairly-3
- Don’t go back on your word.
- Let’s get back to basics.
- Give me a fair shake.
- I think you’re just trying to soften me up.
- Don’t jump to conclusions.
- Don’t put me on the spot.
- Be up front with me, and don’t go behind my back.
- I wouldn’t be too sure of yourself if I were you.
- You’d better be on the level.
- Don’t whittle away at me.
- It seems like everything I say falls on deaf ears.
- I’m a man of principle, and I’m not going to compromise my principles or standards to stoop and do something like that.
- I’m not made of money.
Try to negotiate correctly & fairly-3
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
Out-neutral / Advice url
Restraint-1
- Don’t get carried away.
- Hold your tongue.
- Just cool it.
- Just sit tight Pause for a moment.
- Keep your cool.
- Don’t make waves.
- It’s best to bite your tongue.
- Silence is golden.
- Bite your tongue.
- Somethings are better left unsaid.
- Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Restraint-1
In-negative / Desperation url
Can’t pay the mortgage
- Things have gotten totally out of hand.
- I’m having trouble making ends meet.
- What am I going to do?
- Sometimes I feel that it's all going to be downhill from here.
- I hope I haven’t blown it.
- Nowadays, it’s hard to make ends meet.
- I’m hanging by a thread.
- If this goes on I’m going to lose my mind.
- I was up all night worrying about it.
- I feel down and out.
- Sometimes I tell myself, ‘Don’t even bother’.
- When I hope that things will get better, I realize: don’t hold your breath.
- I feel like I’m beating a dead horse.
Can’t pay the mortgage
In-positive / Confidence url
Talking to parents after getting accepted in a top school
- I’m going to make you proud.
- You only get out of life what you put into it.
- When I want something I go for it.
- When I put my mind to it I can do anything!
- I’m going to make big bucks.
- I’m proud of myself.
- I'm way ahead of the game.
Talking to parents after getting accepted in a top school
In-negative / Explaining url
After investing in worthless land
- I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
- I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
- I should have known.
- It seemed like the right to do thing at the time.
- It took me totally by surprise.
- I was talked into it.
- The thought that this would be such a bad decision never crossed my mind.
- There’s not a whole lot I can do about it at this point.
- That never would have dawned on me.
- I didn’t see it coming.
- In theory that was how it was supposed to play out, but in actuality that’s not what happened.
- How was I supposed to know that?
- It beats me how that could have happened.
- It was an honest mistake.
- It could happen to anyone.
- I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way I expected them to.
- I found out the hard way.
- The thought never even crossed my mind.
- That was something I wasn’t even aware of.
- Frankly, it’s just not something I could have anticipated.
- That’s something I just didn’t count on.
- They really took me to the cleaners.
- I must admit, from the beginning the whole thing wasn’t clear to me, and went way over my head.
- I was a sitting duck.
- I was being penny wise and pound foolish.
After investing in worthless land
In-negative / Disappointment url
Dropping out of Law School
- I didn’t accomplish as much as I thought I would.
- So far I haven’t seen much progress.
- I’m batting zero.
- It’s nobody’s fault but my own.
- It’s not going anywhere, so why continue?
- I’m dropping out before it gets any worse.
- With my track record, I don’t think I have much of a choice.
- I’m a bit disappointed in my performance.
- I fully expected that I could have done better than I did.
- I just wasn’t good enough.
- It was just beyond my reach.
- It’s been an unmitigated disaster.
Dropping out of Law School
In-positive / Confidence url
Preparing for a test
- I can do it with my eyes shut.
- I know it like the back of my hand.
- I’ve got it under control.
- I think I’ll be able to muddle through for a while.
- I made a lot of progress.
- I can cope with it.
- It will be a breeze.
- I'm holding my own.
- My head is still above water.
- So far so good.
- Every few hours I just run out of steam and need to rest awhile until I get my energy back.
- I’m holding my own.
Preparing for a test
Out-positive / Encouragement url
For a friend who didn’t get the promotion he wanted
- You’ll be ok.
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
- You put up a good front.
- You’ve done all you can.
- It’s not the end of the line.
- You gave it your best shot.
- It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
- Don’t take it personally.
- I’m sure that thing’s will work out in the long run.
- Apparently it just wasn’t meant to be.
- The race doesn’t always go to the swift, but to those who keep on running.
- These things happen to the best of us.
- It happened through no fault of your own.
For a friend who didn’t get the promotion he wanted
In-neutral / Acceptance url
Losing an election
- I guess I had it coming to me.
- It’s just wasn’t in the cards.
- You win some, you loose some.
- I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with it.
- I think I got the picture.
- That’s about the size of it.
- He was bound and determined to do it.
- He won, hands down.
- He’s a better man than I am.
- It’s was a forgone conclusion.
- The show’s over.
- That’s just the way it is.
- It was a missed opportunity.
- I had a feeling that would happen.
Losing an election