Time: The present does not change the past. The present influences, but does not determine, the future. Specificity: Being lousy at one thing does not make us lousy at unrelated things. Being lousy at something now doesn’t mean we will always be lousy at it. People: If one person doesn’t like us it doesn’t mean that everyone doesn’t like us. Even a person who doesn’t like us usually likes some things about us. And people’s views of us can change over time.
