Let’s play two truths and a lie.  Here we go:  I was told by my first-grade teacher that I would never be a good reader.   I was told by a superior that I had a lazy tongue and should reconsider my career.   I was told by one of my high-school teachers that I was the worst speller he had ever seen.   So, which one is the lie? Okay, I lied. All three are true (one I proved mistaken, but the other two were significantly on target—but you will have to guess which is which). Okay, new game. After learning about what these people said to me, which one comment do you and I have in common? Does it concern poor reading, poor speaking, or poor spelling? Okay, I lied. It was a trick question. We don’t have any of these specific criticisms in common. What we do have in common is that someone is routinely saying negative