美丽英文：成功是一种选择(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：冯铃之,陈微微

出版社：现代出版社

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美丽英文：成功是一种选择试读：

前言 成为你梦想的成功者Be the Successful Person You Always Dreamed of

So what does it take to succeed to become a successful person? Success is accomplishing a desired end result or objective. If I asked you if you want to be a successful person, of course you’ll say yes. The first thing to consider is—what is it really you’re trying to be successful at? You have to make that decision—what do you want to achieve in your life? Are you striving to be more organized? To be healthier by losing weight? Or are you trying to pay off those debts? Or how about trying to enjoy your retirement years? Whatever your goals and dreams are, bear in mind that they don’t materialize by wishing on a wishing well or catching a falling star.

You have to make the necessary steps in order to attain your goals and be a successful person. Firstly, you have to be specific—because if you don’t, you may not discern if you’ve already triumphed. To summarize, first decide. what you want, and create a plan of action to get there.

Of course, with success comes happiness. If you enjoy what you’re doing, then you’ll be a successful person. Happiness is a decision—so decide to be happy now. And don’t ever condition your thoughts that you’ll only be really happy if you acquire certain stuff or you’ll only be truly fulfilled if you reached a certain point in your life.

Just tell yourself to enjoy the trip and you’re certainly on your way to be a successful person you always aspired to be. Your delight would be the drive that you got to do what you have to do in order to become a successful person. Okay, I admit that it won’t always be a walk in the park, but you feel good anyway, knowing that whatever you’re experiencing right now is just a process and a journey to your success.

And when the right time comes, your goal would come to its fulfillment and realization. Remember that almost every individual has tasted the bitter sting of failure before they reached the pinnacle of success. Therefore, don’t be afraid to fail, because if you never failed in your life, then you never tried anything at all.

Don’t be petrified of taking that huge leap of faith now—so what if you failed? At least now you know than forever wondering, “what if” or “what might have been”. Setbacks and obstacles are just temporary challenges to test us, but don’t let them make you wave the white flag and surrender.

The successful person is not a quitter and it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, but how you endured the hardships that come your way. Finally, strive not to judge yourself based on what you are now, and especially based on the mistakes you’ve done on the past. Just move on forward and start over with a clean state; do whatever you could within your power to get closer to your dreams and try to celebrate even the smallest triumphs you have.目标决定你将成为什么样的人。——尤里乌斯·欧文

是什么造就了一个人的成功？成功是指达到了期望的最终结果或目的。如果我问你是否想成为成功人士，你当然会说想。但你要考虑的第一件事是，你真正想要在什么方面成功。你必须做出决定——你想在你的人生中实现什么？你是想努力变得更有条理，还是努力减肥变得更健康？你是想努力还清债务，还是享受你的退休时光？无论你的目标和梦想是什么，请记住，只是对许愿池或流星许愿是不会成功的。

为了实现你的目标，成为成功的人，你必须采取必要的行动。首先，明确目标。因为如果你的目标不明确，你可能就无法分辨出自己是否已经成功。简言之，你首先得自己决定你想要的，并且制订达到成功的计划。

当然，成功会带来快乐。如果你享受你正在做的事，那么你就会成为成功人士。快乐是一种决定，所以现在就决定快乐吧。不要用思维定式困扰你的想法，认为你只有获得某样东西才会真正幸福快乐，或只有你达到人生的某一点才会真正地感到满足。

请告诉自己，享受过程吧。你确实在通往你所一直渴求的成功的道路上。你的快乐会是个内驱力，为了让你成为成功的人，它会推动你去做你必须要做的事。是的，我承认这不像在公园散步那样轻松容易，但是请明白，无论你现在正经历什么，这都只是通向成功的过程。

当恰当的时机来临时，你的目标就会实现。请记住，几乎每个人在登上成功之巅以前都品尝过失败的苦涩。因此，不要害怕失败，如果你在人生中从未经历过失败，那么你也不会尝试任何其他的事。

不要对我们现在一百八十度转弯的态度表示惊诧——如果你失败了怎么办？但比起永远的迷茫，至少现在你是清楚的，你知道假使失败了“会怎样”或者“该怎么办”。挫折和障碍只是测试我们的暂时的挑战，但是，不要因它们而举起白旗投降。

你失败了多少次不重要，成功人士并不轻易放弃，然而，在这个过程中你是如何对付困难的，这才是真正重要之事。最后，不要根据你现在是什么样就评判自己，尤其不要根据你以前犯过的错误来评判自己。你要做的只是不断前行，以全新的状态重新开始。在你的能力范围内，做任何你能做的事，靠近你的梦想，甚至即使只是获得了小小的胜利，也要试着为此庆祝。

Chapter 1 唤醒心中的梦想Awaken the dream in your heart

一切由梦想开始It All Starts With a Dream

Dreaming. Do you or don’t you? Do you dream about the future or [1]just have a fantasy dream after a couple of late night tacos?

Dreams get us going. Dreams direct our lives, our focus, our direction.

Many of us have forgotten how to dream or haven’t taken the time to dream in years. We get so busy that we never relax our mind and let it dream. Dare I say day-dream?

When we were all kids, we would dream for hours. We had all the time in the world to dream. We had no limits. We had no fears. Short of the “boogie man”, we had no idea what fear was.

We could lie in the grass, look at the clouds and dream and dream again.

Our friends didn’t tell us our dreams were nonsense but instead dreamed big dreams at our side!

Then what happened? Parents, sport coaches, teachers and sometimes our older friends started to steal pieces of our dreams. We were told we would never make the big league—the pros because we just weren’t good enough. We were told we could never be that famous actor/actress—it would never happen. We were too fat, too short, we couldn’t sing, we couldn’t dance.

These dream stealers started to poke holes in our dreams. Then we started to doubt ourselves. When things didn’t work out the way we dreamed, we put up a wall between daily life and our dreams. Heck, [2]maybe you even just plain gave up but I guarantee that you started to settle. Settle for this. Settle for that! I guess that it’s not that bad. I guess I can get by, etc. Words we all know. Words that start to steal our dreams.

Well it’s time for a change!

It’s time to know and believe in our hearts that dreaming is never [3]optional!

It’s time to dream and then dream again! Dreaming is never optional!

There is a famous philosopher—Mr. Mickey Mouse. Mickey tells us,“Believe your dreams can come true. Never stop dreaming, and remember anything, anything can happen!”

It’s time to find some quiet time and just let it all go and start to dream as kid again.

What do you really want? Forget all about what Mom wanted for you or where you are “stuck” today.

One hour, one day of dreaming is not enough. It will take some time to remember just how to dream. It took years for you to forget how to dream so give yourselves some time to remember how. Regardless, it’s time to start dreaming once again!

“Taking the risk to follow our hearts gives energy to our future and breathes life into our dreams.” —Debbie Ford

Once we know our dreams, goals can be established. Goals that will constantly take you a step closer—even if a small step closer towards your dreams. Goals are a plan to help us realize our dreams. Goals plan the actions that must take place.

Dreams and goals are the planning, the thinking, the blueprint of your life. Action is the how! Action is rolling up your sleeves and going for it!

Accomplishing your dreams require:

*Solid clear goals

*Action

*Pursuit

*Persistence

Persistence is often the key. Persistence, or as my wife calls it with me“stubbornness”. Call it whatever you want but it is the will to keep going, keep pushing over, around, or through obstacles to get what you truly want in life!

Real dreams are what you truly desire deep down. Dreams are worth pursuing. Dreams are worth sacrifice. They are not—I wish! They are not—I want! They are a burning desire to accomplish something or have something.

Your dreams will happen if you have the courage to pursue them!

Protect your dreams and the dreams of your love ones. Protect them because they are one of your most valued possessions. Don’t ever let anyone steal your dreams.

We have established that dreaming is never optional! So what are your dreams? It’s now your turn to dream and dream again!

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”——Thoreau

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by things you didn’t do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”——Mark Twain二十年后，让你觉得更失望的不是你做过的事情，而是你没有做过的事情。——马克·吐温

梦想，你是否拥有？你是否梦想过未来，抑或只是在几个深夜吃完玉米饼后进行过一番幻想？

梦想驱使着我们前进。梦想指引我们的生活、我们的专注点以及前进的方向。

我们很多人已经忘记了如何做梦，或者已经好几年没有时间去做梦。我们如此忙碌，以至于我们从未放松头脑让它做做梦。难道我说的是白日梦？

当我们还是个孩子的时候，我们总是会好几个小时不停地做梦。我们拥有全世界的时间去梦想。我们没有限制，我们无须惧怕。没有吓唬孩子的假怪物，我们也不知道害怕是什么。

我们躺在草地上，望着白云，一遍又一遍地梦想着。我们的好朋友不仅不会说我们的梦想没有意义，反而站在我们这边，一起做着远大的梦想。

但后来发生了什么？父母、体育教练、老师，有时甚至是我们年长的朋友，他们开始盗走我们的梦想。我们被告知，我们不可能组成美国大联盟球队，因为我们不够优秀。他们说我们绝不会成为那样出名的演员——这绝不会发生。我们太胖又太矮，我们不会唱歌、不会跳舞。

这些盗梦者开始在我们的梦想中肆意戳洞，然后我们开始怀疑自己。当事情不是按照我们的想象进行时，我们就会在日常生活和我们的梦想之间筑起一道墙。真见鬼，也许，你甚至刚刚彻底地放弃了，但是我保证你会开始感到满足。满足这个，满足于那个！你开始用我们都知道的话来说服自己：“我想这也不是很差”“我认为我可以对付的”等。而这些话开始盗取我们的梦想。

是的，现在是时候改变了！

是时候真心了解并相信梦想绝不是随意的！

是时候去一遍遍地梦想！梦想绝不是可有可无的！

有一位著名的“哲学家”米奇——米老鼠先生告诉我们：“坚信你会梦想成真。永远不要停止梦想，请记住：一切皆有可能！”

是时候找个时间，静静地任其流逝，开始像个孩子一样去梦想了。

你到底想要什么？忘记所有关于你母亲所希望你要的，或是你今天遇到的困难。

一个小时的梦或一天的梦是不够的。你需要花一段时间，只是去记住如何做梦。因为多年的时间已经让你忘记了该如何做梦，所以给你自己一段时间，去记住如何梦想。无论如何，现在是时候再次梦想了！

黛比·福特说道：“冒险跟随心声，为未来注入能量，将梦想转为现实。”

一旦清楚了我们的梦想，我们就可以设立目标。目标会不断地促使你更加接近你的梦想，即使只是一小步。目标有助于我们实现梦想，有了目标，才能计划出必须采取的行动。

梦想和目标是你生活的计划、思想和蓝图。而行动则是怎么去做！行动即是卷起你的衣袖，然后努力去追寻！

实现你的梦想需要：

*坚定明确的目标

*行动

*追求

*毅力

毅力通常是关键。毅力，或是我妻子用来形容我的“倔强”。无论你想怎么称呼它，它都是继续前行、扫除所有障碍、获得你的生活真正想要的意志和决心！

真实的梦想是你心底真正渴望的。梦想值得追寻。梦想值得你为此牺牲。它们不是“我希望”，它们也不是“我想要”，它们是达到某种程度或拥有某种事物的强烈愿望。

如果你有勇气去追寻梦想，那么你的梦想就会实现！

保护好你自己和你所爱之人的梦想，因为它们是你最珍贵的财富之一。永远不要让任何人偷走你的梦想。

我们已经证实梦想绝不是随意的！所以，你的梦想是什么？现在轮到你开始一遍遍地梦想了！“一个人如果充满信心地向梦想的方向前行，努力实践所想象的生活，他就会迎来平常想不到的成功。”——梭罗“二十年后，让你觉得更失望的不是你做过的事情，而是你没有做过的事情。所以，解开帆索，从安全的港湾扬帆出行吧。乘着信风，去探索，去梦想，去发现！”——马克·吐温美丽语录I succeeded because I willed it; I never hesitated.我成功是因为我有决心，而且我从不踌躇。【注解】[1] fantasy a. 虚幻的[2] guarantee v. 保证；担保[3]c optional a. 可选择的；随意的，任意的

你有梦想吗Do You Have a Dream

Ask any child: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and you will get an array of different answers. There are always the standard answers like, I want to be a fireman, policeman, doctor, or maybe even president. My grand-daughter wants to be a model when she grows up, and I think she will. She loves the camera and is a very beautiful girl. Of course, I’m a little biased in my opinion, but when you look into their eyes, you see this wonder and excitement when they talk of living their dreams. Their eyes are wide as saucers and they talk about them as if there is no doubt in their mind, they are going to happen.

What happens to all those dreams? What happened to your dream? What happened to my dream? Are you living your dreams? Did you have a dream?

I think as we grow older, our dreams may change. [1][2]Circumstances and maturity set in and alter or change the way we look at life and our circumstances. The wide eyed child has matured into an adult and his dreams have also matured with him.

I always wanted to be a baseball player. I loved sports and played hockey as well, but life’s circumstances changed all that and living my dream as a professional athlete disappeared. As I talked with people that have known me awhile and I reveal to them what my childhood dream always was, they kind of look at me a little funny, and say ... Really? They have that, “I don’t believe you,” look on their face. Have you ever had that happen to you?

People laugh at your dreams. I don’t have to tell you that. If you are a dreamer, and entrepreneurs are dreamers or visionaries, you will have more than one dream and you will have more than one occasion where you receive the looks and laughter at your dreams and visions.

There are tons of dreamers, visionaries, entrepreneurs that come to mind, but I would like to bring just a couple to your attention.

1.Leonardo da Vinci

This man was born on April 15, 1452. He was a true dreamer. His drawings included detailed drawings of flight machines. Can you imagine him trying to talk to his friends about putting together a contraption that would take a person into the air?

2.Thomas Edison

Besides giving us light through the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison also gave us the phonograph and accumulated 1,093 U.S patents. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communications and, in particular telecommunications. This guy was always thinking and dreaming of what could be.

3.Charles Babbage

Where would we be without computers today? I remember when I was in high school, computers were in their infancy, and the dream that someday a machine would have such abilities as the computer does today was a very laughable idea. Well, thanks to Charles Babbage, the dream is alive today.

He was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex designs.

What do all these men have in common? They dared to dream. They took the looks, the laughs and the finger pointing, and it didn’t deter them from the visions they had. They weren’t thrown off track by them.

Zig Ziglar says that he has been laughed at and made fun of and been told that he will never make it all of his life. To continue and perseverea under those circumstances is definitely a man on a mission. He did not let that deter him from fulfilling his dreams, and it shouldn’t with you or me either.

Every one of these dreamers and visionaries had failures, bumps in the road, and people in the way yelling their sarcasm and negative slurs. That should only make them the more determined to win. Success has to go through some failure doors first.

When I played sports and certain people from the opposing team would do their intimidating talking on the field, or I would hear the jeers and yelling from the people in the stands, that just made me all the more determined to do my best and gain the victory. Failure is not final.

What are your dreams? Want to open and run a successful business? Want to open a school for inner city kids? What is the vision you have? I know you can see it as if it is already alive and happening. If this is you, I would like to tell you to never, ever stop dreaming, and don’t listen to people come up to you and say, “That will never happen,” “You can’t do that.” You can’t stop them from talking at you, but you don’t have to listen to them.

You are different. Only 3% of the world’s population are dreamers and visionaries. The other 97% live in the box. Don’t let the boxers yell their negative talk at you. Don’t let them knock you off the road you are traveling. Stay the course, hold the line, and always continue moving forward toward the goals you have and live now the future that you envision. Never stop living your dreams.你生而为赢，但是你必须为之筹划、为之准备、为之期待，方能成为赢家。——吉格·金克拉

如果你问任何一个孩子：“长大了你想干什么？”你会得到一大堆不同的答案。但总存在一些标准答案，比如，我想成为消防员、警察、医生甚至是总统。我的孙女长大后想成为一名模特，而且我认为她会梦想成真。她很漂亮，喜欢拍照。当然，我的想法有点偏心，但是，当她谈及实现梦想时，你若注视着她的眼睛，你会从她的眼睛中看到奇迹和兴奋。她的眼睛睁得像茶托一样大，当她谈论梦想时，感觉就像她心中毫不怀疑梦想会实现一样。

所有的这些梦想后来怎么样了呢？你的梦想呢？我的梦想呢？你是否还在追逐你的梦想？你又是否还拥有梦想？

我想，随着我们渐渐成长，我们的梦想也许会改变。不断变化的环境、日渐增加的成熟度，改变了我们看待生活和环境的方式。眼界开阔的孩子已如成人般成熟，他的梦想也会随之成熟。

我一直想成为一名棒球运动员。我热爱运动，也打曲棍球，但是生活环境改变了一切，想成为专业运动员的梦想也消失了。当我和认识我有段时间的人交谈并向他们表露我童年的梦想的时候，他们用那种有点奇怪的眼神看我，然后说：“真的吗？”他们的表情表示“我不相信你”。你是否也遇到过这种情况？

人们嘲笑你的梦想，我不必告诉你这一点。如果你是个梦想家（企业家也是梦想家或理想家），你就不会仅仅只有一个梦想，然而，你也会不止一次地收到别人对你的梦想和憧憬的怪异眼神和嘲笑。

我脑中浮现出很多的梦想家、理想家、企业家，但我只给你们举几个例子。

1.列奥纳多·达·芬奇

他出生于1452年4月15日。他是个真正的梦想家。他的绘画作品包括飞行器的详细图纸。你能想象他试着跟他的朋友谈论搭在一起的精巧装置能把人带上天的场景吗？

2.托马斯·爱迪生

托马斯·爱迪生除了发明白炽灯，给我们带来了光明外，他还发明了留声机，拥有1093项美国专利。他的许多发明对大众通讯具有巨大贡献，尤其是在无线电通信方面。他总是在思考和梦想着一切的可能性。

3.查尔斯·巴贝奇

如果没有计算机，我们今天将会怎样？我记得在我高中时，计算机的发展还处于初级阶段。在当时，梦想着计算机某天会像现在一样拥有如此强大功能的想法一定会很可笑。是的，多亏了查尔斯·巴贝奇，在今天，这个梦想实现了。

他是英国数学家、哲学家、发明家兼机械工程师。他是可编程计算机的发明者。他被认为发明了第一台机械计算机，也由此最终带动了更多复杂的设计。

所有这些人的共同点是什么？他们敢于梦想。他们受过别人异样的目光、嘲笑和指指点点，但这些都不足以使他们放弃梦想，偏离追逐梦想的轨道。

吉格·金克拉表示他被取笑过、被嘲弄过，也被告知过他一生都不会成功。在这种情况下还能继续坚持的人，他定是个身负使命的人。他不会因为这些而停止实现梦想，同样，你和我也都不应该这样。

每个梦想家和理想家在追逐梦想的路上都有过失败和挫折，也都遭受过路人的讽刺和诋毁。但这只会使他们更加决心要获得成功。成功必须首先经历一些失败。

当我在运动时，对方的某些队员会在赛场上进行恐吓，或者我会听到看台上的人发出嘲笑声和嘘声，但这只会让我更加下定决心全力以赴取得胜利。失败并不是终点。

你的梦想是什么？想要生意经营成功？想要为市区的孩子开个学校？你有什么愿望？我知道你能看见它，就好像它已经实现了一样。如果你是这样的，我想告诉你，永远不要停止梦想，不要听信别人对你所说的“这永远不会实现”“你做不到”之类的话。你不能阻止别人对你进行评论，但是你也不必听信他们。

你是与众不同的。这世上只有3%的人是梦想家和理想家，其余的97%都住在盒子里。不要让这些住在盒子里的人对你恶语相加。不要让他们使你偏离追逐梦想的轨道。坚持到底，保持不变，继续朝着你的目标和你所憧憬的未来前进。永远不要停止追逐的脚步。美丽语录Genius only means hard-working all one’s life.天才只意味着终身不懈的努力。【注释】[1] circumstance n. 环境，情况；事件；境遇[2] maturity n. 成熟；到期；完备

生命如同为自己打造的工程Life Is a Do-It-Yourself Project

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his [1]work. He resorted to shoddya workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each [2]day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live in it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says,“Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Who could say it more clearly? Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.实力永远意味着责任和危险。——罗斯福

一位上了年纪的木匠做好了退休的准备。他告诉老板他准备离开建筑行业，与老伴和儿孙们共享天伦之乐，过一种更悠闲自得的生活。虽然他因此而少了份薪水，但他想退休了。至于日子嘛，还能够过得去。

眼看这位优秀的木工就要离去，老板很遗憾。他问木工可否在私下里帮忙建一所房子。木工答应了，可明眼人一眼就看得出来，此时他做事心不在焉，做出的活儿技艺粗糙，用劣质材料来应付。他就这样为自己的建筑生涯画上了句号，真是令人遗憾。

木匠完工后，老板过来查看新房，并交给木工一把前门钥匙。他说：“这房子归你了，算是我送给你的礼物。”

多么让人吃惊，太可惜了！假如他早知道是在为自己造房，他会做得大不一样。现在他不得不住在自己建造的那所粗制滥造的房子里了。

我们又何尝不是如此呢？我们心不在焉地打造自己的生活，不是主动工作，而是被动应付，能省事就省事。重要的时候也没尽心尽力做好工作。蓦然回首，才瞠目结舌地发现我们正住在自己建造的那所房子中，自食苦果。早知如此，何必当初！

把你自己当成那位木工吧。想想你在为自己建房，每天你都要钉钉子、铺木板、砌墙。那么，你就该用心地去建。你的生活只能这样建造。哪怕你只在房子里多生活一天，这一天也应该活得优雅、有尊严。墙上的铭匾写道：“生活正如一项为自己打造的工程。”还有什么比这更清楚的呢？明日的生活之果，孕育于你今日的态度和抉择之树上。美丽语录Waiting to do something until you can be sure of doing it exactly right means waiting for ever.等待有把握时再去做一件事，往往意味着永远的等待。【注解】[1] shoddy a. 劣等的，假冒的[2] erect v. 竖直，竖立，建立

苏珊大妈：鼓舞人心的故事Ms. Susan Boyle: An Inspiring Story

By the time you read this, you probably heard of the inspiringlife story of Susan Boyle. A 47-year-old, unemployed, never been married (and never been kissed) woman from Scotland who elicited lots of praises and compliments not just from the three judges, but also from millions of people across the universe, thanks to Youtube.

Her inspiring story spread rapidly like wildfire and inspires [2][3]others(especially underdogs and dark horses like her) to reach for your dreams no matter what. The Britain’s Got Talent contestant (by far the most popular these days), delivered a strong performance backed up with an even appropriate and inspirational song, “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. I like watching that show, in the sense that Britain’s Got Talent is indeed about talent. It’s about talent through and through, despite your looks, and your age. And what I even like most about the inspiring story of Ms. Susan Boyle is that it’s as if she’s the epitome of dreaming and believing in your dreams—and not putting an age limit to your dreams and goals.

What makes this inspiring story so appealing to the masses, is the fact that we have a not-so-young dreamer dreaming to be a professional singer(wants to be as successful as Elaine Paige at that), when generally, dreaming is associated for the young and their promising future. But here, we have Susan Boyle to change the face of dreaming big and giving us her inspiring story.

Truly, she’s not just a living example, but also a living inspiration as well! I know of other singing competitions that imposed age limits on their contestants. It’s good that Britain’s Got Talent never limits their contestants for a certain age bracket only. Why this allure about second chances and underdogs and dark horses? And why not—it just goes to show that all of us, at some moments in our lives, can relate to being underdogs, since we experienced what it feels like being an underdog ourselves.

We want to inspired and strengthened after failure, rejection, and frustration. An inspiring story like Susan Boyle’s is just one strong validation and we felt justified that we can be like her. She’s also a real person (and not just any fictitious character) and she’s like one of us, living an ordinary life but who wants to have a better life.

So, how who can resist this inspiring story? As we live our day to day struggle in our lives, we all need some bits of inspiration to make [4]us smile, enlightened, hopeful and optimistic for our future. And we don’t need pretty faces, toned muscles, almost-perfect hair that light up our TV screens to make us inspired.

On the contrary, it’s those flawed, ordinary-looking individuals which we can relate to that make us more humane and we can say, “If she can do it, I can too.” And I love that smiling aura of Ms. Boyle devoid of any arrogance or self-pity (unemployed, but still looking) when asked what she’s going to do onstage.

She said, “I’m gonna wow the audience.” And boy, she did more than just that—she even received a standing ovation not just from the crowd, but also from the two judges. Everybody’s got an inspiring story—what’s yours?不要问自己收获了多少果实，而是要问自己今天播种了多少种子。——罗伯特·路易斯·斯蒂文森

在你读这篇文章时，你也许已经听过苏珊大妈那鼓舞人心的故事了。她是一位来自苏格兰的47岁失业女性，她从未结过婚（也从没被亲吻过）。由于Youtube视频网站，她获得了来自三位评委和全球成千上万的人们的高度赞美和褒奖。

她那鼓舞人心的故事迅速地传播开来，并且激励着其他人（尤其是像她一样的弱者和黑马）努力追寻自己的梦想，不管这些梦想是什么样的。这位“英国达人秀”的参赛者（目前最受欢迎的选手）通过一首恰如其分且鼓舞人心的歌曲——选自《悲惨世界》中的《我有一个梦想》，为观众呈现了一场精彩的表演。我喜欢看“英国达人秀”，因为就某种意义而言，这实际上是个完完全全关于人才的节目。它无关乎你的相貌、 你的年龄。对于苏珊大妈那激励人心的故事，我最喜欢的一点就是，她就像是你们梦想中追梦和信仰的缩影——不要给你们的梦想和目标设定年龄限制。

这个鼓舞人心的故事如此受到大众的关注，是因为我们知道了一个不那么年轻的梦想家梦想着成为专业歌者（她想像忆莲·佩姬一样成功），而通常来说，梦想是和年轻人以及他们光明的前途联系在一起的。但是现在，苏珊大妈为我们呈现了她那鼓舞人心的故事，改变了我们对追求远大梦想的看法。

事实上，她不仅仅是个活生生的例子，同样也是个鲜活的激励人心的人。我知道其他歌唱比赛对参赛选手有年龄限制。而值得高兴的是，“英国达人秀”从未对它的参赛者限制年龄。为什么它会带来新机会，吸引弱者和黑马呢？为什么不呢？它只是向所有人展示，在生命的某些时刻，我们都可能成为弱者，因为我们都体验过成为弱者是什么滋味。

我们希望在经历过失败、拒绝和沮丧之后，能够备受鼓舞，从而变得更加强大。像苏珊大妈这样的故事只是一个强有力的证明，让我们有理由相信我们也能像她一样。同样，她也是个真实的人（不是什么虚构人物），她和我们一样，过着普通人的生活，只不过，她想追求更好的生活。

因此，人们怎么能抵抗这个鼓舞人心的故事呢？当我们日复一日地为我们的生活拼搏时，我们都需要一些激励来启发自己，让我们微笑，让我们受益匪浅，使我们乐观地、充满希望地面对未来。我们并不需要漂亮的脸蛋、健美的肌肉和几近完美的秀发，不需要用这些来点亮我们的电视荧屏，进而激励我们自己。

相反地，那些与我们差不多的、不完美的、相貌平平的普通人，才会使我们更受鼓舞。因此，我们可以说：“如果她能做得到，那我也能行。”我喜欢苏珊大妈淡然微笑的气质，当被问到她将在台上做什么表演时，她没有表现出任何的自大或自怜（虽说处于失业状态，但她依然在找工作）。

她说：“我将要震惊全场。”朋友，她不仅做到了这点，她甚至使全场观众和两位评委起立鼓掌。每个人都有个鼓舞人心的故事，你的故事又是什么？美丽语录What is a man’s first duty? The answer is brief: To be himself.一个人的首要职责是什么?答案很简单：做自己。【注解】[1]　inspiring a. 鼓舞人心的；启发灵感的[2] underdog n. 劣势者；输家[3]　dark horse 黑马[4] optimistic a. 乐观的；乐观主义的

心中有目标，风雨不折腰If the Dream Is Big Enough, the Facts D on’t Count

I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from my home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all.

I remembered the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could.

I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation. She said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again.

Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory.

One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came to a soft reply. “I’m just too short.” The coach told her that at “5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college.

She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just didn’t understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing—her own attitude. He told her again, “if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”

The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division I, NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.

It’s true: If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.

我过去常常从我家厨房的窗户看她，她强行挤过操场上的一群男孩子，显得那么矮小。学校在我家的街对面，我经常看到孩子们在休息时间打球。尽管有一大群孩子，但对我来说，她是最吸引我注意的一个。

我记得第一次看到她打篮球的情景。当她绕着其他孩子身旁游走的时候，我感到十分惊奇。她设法跳起投篮，球恰好越过他们的头顶飞入篮筐。那些男孩总是试图阻止她，但没有人可以做得到。

其他一些时候，她一个人练球，我开始注意观察她的举动。她一遍遍地练习运球和投篮，有时直到天黑。有一天，我问她为什么这么刻苦地练习，她直视着我的眼睛，毫不犹豫地说：“我想上大学，唯一能让我上大学的就是获得一笔奖学金。因为我喜欢打篮球，所以我决定了，只要我成为一个出色的球员，我就能获得奖学金。我想在大学里打篮球，我想成为最好的。我爸爸告诉我说，如果心中有目标，任何风雨都无法阻挡。”说完她笑了笑，跑向篮球场，又开始了我之前见过的一遍又一遍的练习。

嘿，我真服了她——她是个有决心的人。我看着她这些年从初中升到高中。每个星期，由她带领的学校篮球队都能够获胜。

在她读高中的最后一年，一天，我看见她坐在草地上，头埋在臂弯里。我穿过街道，坐到她身旁清凉的草地上，轻声问她发生了什么事。她轻轻地回答：“哦，没什么，只是我太矮了。”原来篮球教练告诉她，以她5.5英尺的身高，她永远也没有机会到一流的球队去打球，更不用说获得奖学金了，所以她应该放弃上大学的梦想。

她很伤心，我感受到了她的失望，也觉得自己的喉咙开始发紧。我问她是否同她的爸爸谈过这件事。她从臂弯里抬起头来，告诉我，她父亲说那些教练错了，他们没有懂得梦想的力量。他告诉她，如果她真的有心去一所好大学打篮球，如果她真的想获得奖学金，任何东西也不能阻止她，除非她自己没有这个态度。他又一次跟她说：“如果梦想远大，就一定可以克服艰难险阻。”

第二年，当她和她的球队去参加北加利福尼亚州冠军赛时，她被一位大学的招生人员看中了。那所大学真的为她提供了一份全额奖学金，而且，她进入了一个女子甲组篮球队。她将接受到她曾梦想并为之奋斗多年的大学教育。

这句话真对：如果梦想足够大，风雨不折腰。美丽语录No one can degrade us except ourselves; that if we are worthy, no influence can defeat us.除了我们自己以外，没有人能贬低我们。如果我们坚强，就没有什么坏影响能够打败我们。

雷切尔的梦想Rachel’s Dream

June has arrived; the year is moving very quickly. I know that’s pretty silly because there are still 24 hours in a day. But as each day goes by are you getting closer to your dreams?

Have you ever noticed that as children get older, many of their dreams seem to vanish? At age five or six many kids are anxious, excited and eager and have some of the wildest dreams you have ever heard of.

But slowly, over time, as they get older, those dreams just seem to slip away. And when it comes to adults, sadly, many, many of them simply have no dreams. It is all they can to do just get by. But, that is not so concerning the person whose dream I want to share with you.

I’d like you to meet someone. Her name is Rachel. She is almost thirteen years old. She has a dream.

A week ago, our friend Doug was traveling back to California and he spent the evening with us. He had his two daughters and one of their friends with him. One of his daughters is Rachel.

I was sitting out on the patio after dinner talking to Rachel about school. I asked her if she had any plans after high school. I was delighted with her answer. She knows exactly what she wants to do.

She told me she wants to go to culinary chool in either New York or Paris. She said that it will probably be in New York because her aunt Candice lives there. She wants to learn how to do pastries. But her dream doesn’t stop there.

She described what her restaurant/pastry shop would be like. She can envision a special place for family and friends to sit and taste her new creations. She was so excited describing her vision and added that most of her friends have no idea what they want to do.

So, will her dream ever come true? No one can say for sure. But if you ask Rachel, she is absolutely convinced. Time will tell, but that’s not the point.

The point is that she has a dream. And I know that there are those who would say, “Well that’s nice,” seeing it only as a child day dreaming, doubting that it will ever come to pass. But there were things that Rachel didn’t mention to me.

She said nothing about the current economy. She didn’t have any doubts about what the future holds for her. She didn’t mention anything about how the current housing market or stock market might have an effect on her dream.

And again, no one can predicta the future. But this little girl has a big dream. The sad part is that many big girls and big boys have abandoned their dreams for one reason or another. They have accepted what they call “harsh reality” and are doing all that they can to just get by.

That begs the question, “When do you stop dreaming? When do you give up on your dreams? When do you just forget all those dreams and accept life as it is?” I say, “Never.”

One of the biggest reasons people abandon their dreams is that they can’t see any way for them to come to pass. Some feel cheated out of their dreams. Others feel stupid for even having a dream in the first place. But what’s wrong with having dreams and goals?

Just as no one can predict if Rachel’s dream will come true, no one can predict that your dream won’t come true. Well, no one except you. When you give up on your dream then it is certain that it will not happen.

But why not keep your dreams alive and even add new ones, even if they never happen. Instead of looking at where life is today, why not look forward to where life can be tomorrow. Many people have a hard time doing that because they are afraid of failing. I would rather fail at trying, then never try at all.越是在艰难困苦的时候，我们越是要看到希望。——亚里士多德·奥纳西思

6月已经到来了，今年过得特别快。我知道这样说很愚蠢，因为每天依旧都是24个小时。但是，随着日子一天天流逝，你离你的梦想是否更近了呢？

你是否注意到，随着年龄的增长，孩子们的很多梦想似乎也消失了。在五六岁的时候，很多孩子对梦想充满了兴奋感和热切的渴望，他们拥有的梦想是你所听过的最疯狂的梦。

然而，慢慢地，随着时间慢慢流逝，他们的年龄逐渐增长，那些梦想似乎也悄悄溜走了。至于成年人，悲哀的是，他们当中的很多人根本没有梦想。他们所做的只是得过且过。但是，这与我要跟你说的那个人没有那么大的关系，我要跟你分享她的梦想。

我想让你认识一个人，她叫雷切尔。她差不多13岁了。她有一个梦想。

一周以前，我们的朋友道格回到了加利福尼亚。那个晚上，他和我们在一起。跟他一起的还有他的两个女儿和一个他女儿的朋友。他的一个女儿叫作雷切尔。

在晚餐后，我坐在外面的露台和雷切尔谈论起学校来。我问她在中学毕业后是否有什么计划。我对她的回答感到很欣慰，因为她完全知道自己想要做什么。

她告诉我说，她想去纽约或者巴黎的烹饪学校学习。但是因为她的坎蒂斯阿姨住在纽约，所以她表示她很可能会去那儿。她想学习做甜点。然而，她的梦想不只是这样。

她描述了以后的餐厅或面包点心店的样子。她想象会有个特殊的位置给她的家人和朋友，让他们坐在那儿品尝她的新“杰作”。在描述自己的愿望时，她是如此兴奋。她还补充道，她的多数朋友都还不知道自己要做什么。

所以，她的梦想会实现吗？没有人知道。但是，如果你问雷切尔，她绝对确信这一点。时间会证明一切，但这不是重点。

重点是她有梦想。我知道会有人说：“哦，这很好。”然后只把这当作是孩子在做白日梦，并对梦想的实现深感怀疑。然而，有些事雷切尔并没有跟我提起。

她对目前的经济状况只字未提，因为她对她的未来毫不怀疑。至于现在的房地产市场或股票市场对她的梦想可能造成的影响，她一点儿也没提到。

同样，没有人能预测未来。这个小女孩拥有一个大大的梦想，然而可悲的是，很多大女孩和大男孩因为某个或其他原因而放弃了他们的梦想。他们已经接受了所谓的“残酷现实”，并且做着得过且过的事。

这指出了一个问题：“你什么时候会停止梦想，什么时候会放弃你的梦想，又会什么时候忘记所有的梦想而接受现有的生活？”我的答案是：“永远不会。”

人们放弃梦想最主要的原因之一，就是他们不知道如何实现梦想。有些人感觉自己被梦想欺骗了，而另一些人觉得自己起初拥有的梦想很愚蠢。但是，拥有梦想和目标又怎么了呢？

就像没有人可以预测雷切尔的梦想是否会实现一样，没有人能预测你的梦想能否实现。是的，除了你自己，没有人可以。如果你放弃了你的梦想，那么可以肯定，它就不会实现了。

但是，即使它们不会实现，你为什么不保持你的梦想，甚至新增一些梦想呢？为什么不能期盼你未来的生活，而不只是关注现在的生活呢？很多人很难做到这一点，因为他们害怕失败。但我宁可尝试过后失败了，也不愿意永远不尝试。美丽语录A man can fail many times,but he isn’t a failure until he blame somebody else.一个人可以失败很多次，但是只要他没有开始责怪别人，他还不是一个失败者。

生活、理论半对半The 50-Percent Theory of Life

I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they are worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future.

Let’s benchmark the parameters: Yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale.

Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos.

But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory.

One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone those neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutal—the worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioner died, the well went dry, the marriage ended, the job lost, the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tune—music I loathed. Only a surging Kansas City Royals team, bound for their first World Series, buoyed my spirits.

Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn’t last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. They reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that I can thrive. The 50-percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals’ recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest.

Oh, yeah, the corn crop? For that one blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with corn—fat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tip—while my neighbors’ fields yielded only brown, empty husks.

Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.改变你的思想，你就能改变自己的命运。——诺曼·文森特·皮尔

我信奉对半理论。生活时而无比顺畅，时而倒霉透顶，好坏参半。我相信生活就像来回晃动的钟摆。读懂生活的常态需要时间和阅历，也正是这样才练就了我面对未来宠辱不惊的生活态度。

让我们掂量这些点点滴滴：是的，我注定会死去。我已经经历了双亲的去世、一位友人的亡故、一位敬爱的老板的离世，还有心爱的宠物的死亡。其中一些变故突如其来，直击于我眼前；有些却长期折磨我，让我痛苦不堪。这些都是糟糕的事，让它们驻留谷底。

当然生活也不乏光彩熠熠：坠入爱河缔结良缘；身为人父，训练儿子的棒球队，当他和狗在水中嬉戏时，摇桨划船前瞻后顾，感受他如此强烈的同情心——即使对蜗牛也善待有加，发现他如此丰富的想象力——即使零散的积木也能堆出宇宙飞船。

但在它们发生期间有一片宽广的草坪，在那儿上演的各种好事坏事像耍杂技一样翻新。这就是让我信服对半理论的原因。

有一年春天，我在一片容易被淹的低洼地过早地种下了玉米，邻居们都为此嘲笑我。一番心血付诸东流让我懊恼不已。接着我生命中最难熬的酷暑来临了——夏天热浪袭人，酿成旱灾。空调失灵，水井枯竭，婚姻破裂，惨遭失业，积蓄挥空。我正经历某个乡村调频台播放的歌曲所描绘的境况，我憎恨这种音乐。只有一支人气攀升的堪萨斯皇家棒球队的小组，他们第一次出征世界大赛，这使我精神振奋。

回想那个可怕的夏天，我很快就明白了，所有的好事坏事不过是正负抵消，更糟糕的境遇不会延宕过久。宁静的时光是我应得的，我要尽情享受。它们给我新的活力以应对突如其来的险境，并确保我能茁壮成长、再度辉煌。对半理论甚至帮我在我喜爱的皇家棒球队最近的低潮中看到希望——这是一块艰难行进的新手们耕耘的土地，播种了，假以时日，我们就可以收获十月的金秋。

哦，对了，玉米收成？对于那个炎热的夏天，庄稼地的湿度恰到好处，过早的种植使授粉避开酷热在顶梢干枯前完成，雨水稀少使地里长着的玉米免遭水灾。那年冬天，我的粮仓里堆满了玉米——饱满结实的玉米每株秆儿上结三个，每个玉米从底到顶端长满了玉米粒——而我的邻居们地里长出来的只是暗沉干瘪的外壳。

尽管过去播种的收获没有达到50%的期望，而且将来也可能是这样，我仍然要为经历旱季依然丰收的玉米而坚守阵地。美丽语录Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.电视并不是真实的生活。在现实生活中人们不得不离开咖啡店去工作。

决心的力量：格伦·坎宁安的故事The Power of Determination: Glenn Cunningham’s Story

The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived.

One morning they arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in [1]flames. They dragged the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.

From his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son would surely die—which was for the best, really—for the terrible fire had devastated the lower half of his body.

But the brave boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that he would survive. Somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. When the mortal danger was past, he again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs.

Once more the brave boy made up his mind. He would not be a cripple. He would walk. But unfortunately from the waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, all but lifeless.

Ultimately he was released from the hospital. Every day his mother would massage his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet his determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.

When he wasn’t in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him.[2]

He worked his way to the white picket fencebordering their lot. With great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. Then, stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk. He started to do this every day until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in those legs.

Ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk haltingly, then to walk by himself—and then—to run.

He began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run for the sheer joy of running. Later in college he made the track team.

Still later in Madison Square Garden this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run—this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile!

一台形状鼓鼓的老式煤炉使这座乡村小校舍变得温暖。有个小男孩，他有一个任务，就是每天在老师和其他同学到来之前，就早早地到学校生火，使教室变得温暖起来。

一天早上，他们来到学校后，发现整个校舍被浓烟包围。他们精疲力竭地从着火的大楼中拖出昏迷的小男孩。男孩的下半身有大面积烧伤，他被送往附近的乡村医院。

躺在床上，极度烧伤、处于半昏迷中的小男孩隐约听到了医生与他妈妈的对话。医生告诉他妈妈，这场可怕的大火烧毁了男孩的下半身，她的儿子必死无疑，这实在出乎人们意料。

然而，这个勇敢的男孩不想死，他下定决心要活下来。不知为什么，他确实活过来了，这令医生很吃惊。当度过了致命的危险期后，他又听到医生小声地对他妈妈说：“因为大火烧毁了他下半身太多面积，他的下肢没有任何用了，他注定要一辈子残废，这样还不如死了好。”

勇敢的男孩再次下定决心，他不愿残废，他要走路。但是，不幸的是，他的腰部以下失去了任何运动能力；他那瘦弱的腿只是悬挂在那里，毫无知觉。

最终，他从医院出院了。他的妈妈每天给他的腿部做按摩，但是他的腿依旧没有任何感觉和控制力。然而，他要行走的决心依旧强烈。

他不是躺在床上，就是坐在轮椅上。一个晴天，他妈妈推着他坐着轮椅来到院子里呼吸新鲜空气。但是这天，他没有坐在那儿，而是从轮椅上支撑起来，他拖着腿，拽着自己穿过草地。

他走到了院子边界处的白色尖桩篱栅栏旁。费了很大的劲，他将身体撑在栅栏上。然后，他拖着自己沿着栅栏一个桩一个桩地走，这样他就可以行走了。他开始每天都这样做，直到他可以沿着整个院子里的栅栏平稳地行走。他想做的事就只是让他的腿发挥生命的价值。

通过每天的按摩，以及他钢铁般的毅力和他坚定的决心，终于，他从站起来到蹒跚地走路，再到独立行走，最后可以跑步了。

他开始走路上学，然后跑着去上学，跑步能给他带来绝对的快乐。后来，在大学里，他加入了田径队。

再后来，在麦迪逊广场花园，这个被认为不可能存活、不能再行走、更不可能奢望跑步，然而却有决心的年轻人——格伦·坎宁安，跑出了世界上最快的速度。美丽语录Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the freedom to choose his attitude in any given set of circumstances.我可以拿走人的任何东西，但有一样东西不行，这就是在特定环境下选择自己的生活态度的自由。【注解】[1] unconscious a. 无意识的；失去知觉的；不省人事的[2] fence n. 栅栏；围墙

画出你的梦想蓝图Picture Your Dreams

I met a lady recently who I think is in her sixties, although I certainly wasn’t going to ask her. She is living a dream she had for a very long time. She told me that she was blessed by God to be living where she is living today.

Over the years I have written a number of articles about dreams, goals and possibilities. I think life was meant to be lived to its fullest. Part of living your full potential is being a possibility thinker.

Many methods and programs can help one realize their dreams and goals. I have in the past written about some of them. But I also know that methods and programs are just that; they are simply methods and programs. What works for one person may not work for someone else. And, you really can’t say that a specific method or program was the only reason someone realized their goal or dream.

That being said, the lady I met recently who is living her dream, did something a long time ago. She drew a picture. She told me that she was born and raised in a house in Pennsylvania right in the middle [1]of an apple orchard. It was her dream to someday live again in a house in the middle of an apple orchard.

So, she drew a simple picture of a house in the middle of an apple orchard. She drew that picture many, many years ago.

There were some things in her life that didn’t go as well as she had hoped for. Then, after a number of years, she was living alone. She lived alone for nearly twenty years until she met a widower about seven years ago. After a time of courtship, the couple got married and she moved into his house, which is now their home.[2]

As I talked to her in the driveway of her new home of seven years, she was relating some of these things to me. She was so happy and truly thankful to God to be living in a house in California, right in the middle of a large apple orchard.

“What are the odds,” she told me, “that I would meet someone who owned an apple orchard and that he would want to marry me?” She thankfully added, “Isn’t God so good to me?”

Have you ever considered drawing a picture of your dream or goal? Not an artist, you say? Neither is she. That’s not the point. The point is, can you see your dream? Can you describe it? Why not draw a little picture of it?

I remember reading a book a number of years ago and one of the incidents in the book was about a picture from a magazine. A man cut out a picture of a beautiful house from a magazine and kept the picture in his office. After moving a few times, the picture ended up in a box.

Years later he purchased his dream house. And, then while unpacking; he discovered the old picture from the magazine. It was not a picture that was similar to his new home; it was his new home! He stared at the picture that he had cut out of a magazine many years before. He stood there holding a picture of the house he now owned.

Can you picture your dreams? Why not draw a picture of your dream? Or, cut out a picture from a magazine of your dream. Or, download a picture of your dream and put it on your desktop computer. Put it on your cell phone.

Our minds remember images. Scientists say that images that have emotions attached to them are very powerful. Perhaps this is a method you may want to explore in reaching your dreams and goals.

No matter what method you use, do something to keep your dreams and goals alive. And never stop picturing them vividly, in great detail, in your mind. See yourself where you want to be, not where you are today. Regardless of the odds, regardless of what others say, your dreams are important because they are your dreams. Refuse to let go of your picture; work towards it until you get it.拿起笔，写下你的梦想，你的人生就从此刻起航！——乔伊斯·迈尔斯

最近我遇到一位女士，虽然我没有亲口问她，但我猜她有60岁了。她正在实现她多年以来的梦想。她告诉我，她因上帝的祝福而拥有现在的生活。

多年来，我写过大量关于梦想、目标和可能性的文章。我认为，人生注定要实现全部的可能。实现这一切的其中一步就是，成为一位“可能性论者”。

有很多方法和步骤可以帮助人们实现梦想和目标。我已经在过去写过一些了。但是我也知道，方法步骤归方法步骤，它们仅仅只是方法和步骤。有些方法对一些人有效，并不代表对其他人也有效。而且，你也不能说，一个人实现他们的目标和梦想，完全就是因为某种特定的方法或步骤。

我最近遇到的那位实现梦想的女士，据说在很久以前就已经有所行动了。她画了一幅画。她告诉我说，她是在宾夕法尼亚州的一个苹果园林正中央的房子里出生和长大的。她的梦想就是，某天可以再住在苹果园林中央的房子里。

所以，她简单地画了一所处于苹果园林中央的房子。这幅画她是在很多年前画的。

在她的生命中，很多事情都不如她所愿。多年后，她一直单独生活。直到7年前她遇到一位鳏夫，她已经独自生活了将近20年时间。在一段时间的求婚之后，他们俩结婚了。她搬进了他的房子，也就是他们现在的家。

在我和她前往她已经住了7年的新家路上时，她跟我讲了一些事。她很开心能住在加利福尼亚这所大苹果园正中央的房子里，她真心地感谢上帝。

她告诉我：“谁会想到，我能遇到个拥有苹果园的人，而且他还想跟我结婚？”她充满感激地补充道：“上帝是不是对我很好？”

你是否曾想过画下你的梦想或目标？你会说你不是个画家？但她也不是。这不重要，重要的是，你能看见你的梦想吗？你能描述它吗？那为什么不画下它呢？

我记得，很多年前我读过一本书，书中讲到的一件事就是关于杂志中的一幅图。一位男士从某本杂志中剪下了一幅漂亮房子的图片，并把它保管在他的办公室里。几次搬迁之后，这张图躺在一个盒子里被遗忘了。

几年后，他买到了他梦想中的房子。在他打开行李的时候，发现了那张从杂志中剪下来的旧图片。不能说图片上的房子和他的新家相似，因为那简直就是他的新家！他盯着多年前从杂志上剪下来的图片，站在那里，手上拿着他现在拥有的房子的图片。

你能画下你的梦想吗？为什么不画出你的梦想呢？或者，从杂志上剪下你所梦想的图片吧。又或者，下载你梦想的图片，并把它设置成电脑桌面，或把它存在你的手机里。

我们的大脑会记住图像。科学家表示，富有情感的图像具有强大的能力。也许，这正是你要探索的实现梦想和目标的方法。

无论你用什么方法，都要做些事去保持你的梦想和目标。永远不要停止在你的脑中生动、具体地画出它们。看看你想要的生活，而不是你的现状。不管概率有多大，也不管别人说什么，你的梦想很重要，因为它们是你的梦想。不要让承载梦想的图片溜走，朝着它前行，直到你实现一切。美丽语录In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.为了成功，你对成功的欲望必须超过你对失败的恐惧。【注解】[1] orchard n. 果园；果树林[2] driveway n. 车道

梦想终会实现Dreams Will Come True Someday

Everyone has his own dream, in order to make your dream come true, you have to pay a lot, some people may give up his dream when [1]they met some setbacks and some people will still stick to, always try their best towards to the dreams. There is a player in order to make his dream come true still insist and never give up.

Beijing time on June 16, 2011 North American Hockey League final game came to an end. Boston Bruins VS Vancouver Canucks was 4-0 and won the Stanley Cup of the 4-3 aggregate score. This also is Boston Bruins for the first time won the Cup since 1972 all the players wore their cheap jerseys played on the field and for the [2]goalkeeper Thomas for the first time in his career winning the MVP.

The goalkeeper Thomas, who is 37 years old, was elected as the most valuable player because he successfully got the ball in the final game for 37 times. As a veteran, Thomas career is actually not smooth, until 28 years old he got the first opportunities to play in the hockey professional league in Europe. In 2005, Thomas became a member of Boston Bruins after six seasons; he and his teammates got the champion throne, their cheap authentic jerseys are welcomed among the fans.

A year ago, suffered from hip injury, he became the bench player from the top goalkeeper. Although all tried their best, they couldn’t redeem the lost in the second round of Stanley Cups. Compared to this period, Thomas thought that the years when he just came to North America hockey league soccer were more difficult. “At that time my career was in rising period, but there is not too much chance to play in the game. For many other people, sitting on bench for a long time will choose to give up, but this is not my character, I just want to try to make me more powerful, finally obtained the approval from others, whether internal and external conditions how bad.”

Talking about the last game, Thomas said: “We did our best in the whole game and finally made return, played at the last moment, the whole team without reservation, adhere to the body to fight strategy, this might be the different places to the last few games.” “If you can [3]insist on in your post long enough, you will eventually can reap your ideal and goal.” This motto encourages Thomas never give up, for him, the path to success is really long and bumpy, but today, he finally realized the dream and success.

As long as you are unremitting, the dreams will come true one day, Thomas is such a living example.

每个人都有梦想，为了实现梦想，你必须付出很多。有些人遇到一点挫折就放弃梦想，而有些人则会继续坚持，尽其所能地朝着梦想前行。为了实现梦想，有位运动员依然坚持到底，永不放弃。

北京时间2011年6月16日，北美冰球联赛总决赛进入尾声。在最后一轮比赛中，波士顿棕熊队以4∶0赢了温哥华加人队，并以总分4∶3赢得了斯坦利杯。这也是自1972年后波士顿棕熊队首次赢得斯坦利杯。在1972年的那场比赛中，所有的队员在球场上穿着他们便宜的运动衫，也正是在那次比赛中，守门员托马斯在他的职业生涯中首次获得“最具价值球员”称号。

37岁的守门员托马斯被评为“最具价值球员”，因为他在决赛中成功地接住37次球。作为一名老运动员，托马斯的职业生涯并不顺利。

直到28岁，他才第一次有机会参加欧洲的冰球职业联赛。2005年，在6个赛季之后，托马斯成了波士顿棕熊队的一员。他和他的队员们摘得桂冠，他们廉价但货真价实的运动衫在粉丝中大受欢迎。

一年前，由于臀部受伤，他从顶尖守门员转为一名替补球员。尽管所有的队员都竭尽全力，但还是不能弥补在比赛第二轮中的失误。与这段时期相比，托马斯认为刚参加北美冰球联赛的时候更艰难。“那个时候我正处于事业上升期，但是我没有很多上场比赛的机会。很多长期担任替补队员的队员选择了放弃，但这不是我的性格。不管内部或外部条件有多恶劣，我只是想试着让自己变得更厉害。最终我获得了其他人的肯定。”

谈到最后一场比赛时，托马斯说道：“整场比赛我们都竭尽全力，最终我们也成功了。直到比赛的最后一刻，整个团队也都毫无保留地尽力去拼，坚持用身体进行战斗，也许这就是与上几场比赛的不同之处。”“如果你能在你的岗位上坚持足够长时间，那么你最终会收获你的理想和目标。”这句座右铭鼓励着托马斯永不放弃。对于他来说，通向成功的道路真是漫长而崎岖。但是今天，他终于实现了他的梦想，获得了成功。

只要你坚持不懈，梦想终会实现，托马斯就是个活生生的例子。美丽语录Ideal is the beacon. Without ideal, there is no secure direction; without direction, there is no life.理想是指明灯。没有理想，就没有坚定的方向；没有方向，就没有生活。【注解】[1] setback n. 挫折；退步；逆流[2] goalkeeper n. 守门员[3] reap v. 收获；收割；获得

Chapter 2 有方法，才有希望Methods to Getting Chance

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

梦想家能发现用月光铺就的道路，惩罚是他比所有人提前看到曙光。

打破常规，开始新生活Renew Your Life, Change Up the Routine

Abraham Joshua Herschel was one of the leading American Rabbis, theologians, and social activists of the 20th century. He said something that I’ll never forget and that has stayed with me since the moment I heard it. In his book God in Search of Man, he wrote, “Life is routine and routine is resistance to wonder.”

There’s a true story of a man I have worked with who has spent his entire life believing that his ears were not symmetrical and therefore sunglasses always looked crooked on his face. He came to accept this over time, until he came in touch with mindfulness practice.

One day as he was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom he chose to take a moment to come down from his busy mind, become present, and really look at himself. What he noticed was astonishing.

He suddenly realized that he had not been standing straight and that one shoulder was slightly lower than the other. In that moment, he chose to stand up straight and low and behold his eyeglasses were no longer crooked on his face. All this time he thought his face was lopsided in some way when in effect, it was his posture.

This story is just a metaphor for the rest of us in our lives. Over time, what do we just get used to and learn to accept that keeps us limited in how we see things? What in our lives has become routine to a point that we have lost our sense of wonder in this world?

When dealing with a myriad of mental health conditions (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression, or addiction), we get stuck in routine ways of reacting to things. A challenge may arise and the automatic reaction is, “Who cares, I’ll never succeed anyway.” As we become accustomed to this, it can be likened to unknowingly walking around with crooked posture. Once we become aware of it, we can begin the process of straightening ourselves out.

It’s a worthy question to explore: What do you notice in your life that’s routine?

Do you watch TV every night? Do you take the same route to work every day? If you are in a relationship, do you sleep on the same side of the bed night after night or does only one of you cook the meals or clean? Do you often shoot down new ideas? Do you react to stress or pain with routine avoidance? Is this routine taking away the wonder in everyday life?

To do: Pick one thing from your “routine list” and choose to begin becoming aware of it and switching it up.

亚伯拉罕·约书亚·赫施尔是美国拉比的领军人、神学家、20世纪的社会活动家之一。他说的一句话我永远也不会忘记，从第一次听到，那句话就在我的脑海中留下了深深的烙印。在《觅人的上帝》里，他写道：“生活就是习以为常；而习以为常，就是拒绝求知。”

告诉你一个真实的故事。我有一个同事，他一直坚信自己的耳朵长得不对称，造成自己戴墨镜总是歪的。长年累月，他习惯了这种思想。直到有一天，在仔细观察下，才发现情况并非如此。

那天，他站在浴室的镜子前，什么也不想，只是静下心来，沉浸在此刻。他仔仔细细地打量着镜子里的自己。然后，他惊呆了。

他突然发现，自己一直佝偻着身子站立，因此两侧肩膀一边高一边低。在那一刻，他决定挺直腰板来，当他这么做的时候，脸上的眼镜也随之戴正了。他一直以为长歪的是自己的脸，却没想到，真正的问题出在自己的姿势上。

这个故事不也暗喻了我们其他人的生活吗？随着时间的流逝，我们习惯了什么？接受了什么？——那些东西是否局限了我们的视角？我们是否对某些东西太习以为常，以至于麻木了感官，不再对这个世界充满好奇？

当我们处理无数有关心理健康的问题时（如压力、焦虑、抑郁或者上瘾），我们就会陷入惯常的反应中来应对。当我们遇上挑战，也常常不由自主地告诉自己：“管它呢，反正我不可能成功。”我们对自己的反应习以为常，就像我的同事蜷曲着走路却毫不自知一样。然而，一旦我们意识到这个问题，我们便可以自我矫正，重新开始。

这是一个值得探讨的问题：你的生活中有哪些习以为常的习惯？

你是否每天看电视？是否每天选择同一条路线去上班？当你恋爱时，是否总是睡在床的同一侧？你和你的恋人，是否总是固定一个人做饭洗碗？你是否习惯毙掉新的观点？是否习惯了逃避痛苦和压力？你是否因为自己的习以为常，而正在丧失生活的乐趣？

快行动吧：从你的“常规清单”中选择一项，意识到问题，然后改变。美丽语录Never underestimate your power to change yourself!永远不要低估你改变自我的能力！

善待机会Opportunity

The air we breathe is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use the air to sustain them while they sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy it provides to make a magnificent life for them.

Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere. Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create success. Opportunity must be seized and acted upon in order to have value. So many people are so anxious to “get in” on a “ground floor opportunity”, as if the opportunity will do all the work. That’s impossible.

Just as you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity. That’s not up to the opportunity. That’s up to you. It doesn’t matter what “floor” the opportunity is on. What matters is what you do with it.

空气到处都有，我们是如此容易得到它，以至于我们常将此视为理所当然。然而，一旦失去它，我们就只能活上几分钟。基本上，谁都能呼吸到空气，谁也都需要空气。有的人呼吸空气只为了碌碌无为地活着，或是在懊悔中度过余生。有的人呼吸空气并利用它提供的能量，让自己的生活丰富多彩。

机会也是如此。机会无处不在，机会如此易得，以至于我们将此视为理所应当。然而机会本身并不能创造成功。必须抓住机会，见机行事，创造价值。许多人都渴望能夺得先机，似乎只要夺得先机就能万事大吉。这是不可能的。

正如你需要呼吸空气一样，你需要机会才能成功。然而成功靠的并不仅仅是唾手可得的机会。你必须利用机会。成功并不取决于机会，而是取决于你自己。重要的并不是你在哪一个阶段遇到机会，而是面对机会时你做了什么。美丽语录The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but what they miss.生活的悲剧不在于人们受到多少苦，而在于人们错过了什么。

成功动力——自我激励的六种技巧Self Motivation—How to Motivate Yourself

1.Have a cause

I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause you care about. Such cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.

While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.

2.Have a dream. A big dream“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”~ Karen

Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream. Imagine how the world will be in the future. Imagine how people will live and work.

Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Just think about people who play basketball. Will they be motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I don’t think so. They need a goal. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.

But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.

3.Be hungry“‘Wanting’ something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.”~ Les Brown

To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger and not just desire. Having mere desire won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.

How can you have hunger? Your cause and your dream play a big role here. If you have a cause you care about and a big dream related to it, you should have the hunger inside of you. If you think that you are losing hunger, all you need to do is to connect again to your cause and dream. Let them inspire you and bring the hunger back.

4.Run your own race“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. ”~ Mikhail Baryshnikov

Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others.

Don’t let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can you compare one with the other?

The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you. Have you become the best you can be?

5.Take one more step“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”~ Winston Churchill

When you meet obstacles along the way, there could be the tendency to quit. You may think that it’s too difficult to move on. You may think that your dream is impossible to achieve. But this is where you can see the difference between winners and losers. Though both of them face the same difficulties, there is one thing that makes the winners different: the courage to continue.

In difficult situations, just focus on taking one more step forward. Don’t think about how to complete the race. Don’t think about how many more obstacles are waiting for you. Just focus on taking the next step.

6.Let go of the past“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders.

The good news is it’s a burden you don’t have to carry. Take it off your shoulders and leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what you did. But it’s over. It’s already in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you.

1.找到一个理由

在激励里，没什么原动力比理由更为强大了。这些理由能在困难当前时把你激发起来。它能让你去做一些看似不可能的事。

尽管也有其他一些理由能暂时激发你，与你休戚相关的那些目标能无限期地激发你。这是一口永不干涸的激励泉水。当你觉得自己没动力了，就去找找自己的目标以获得新的动力泉水。

2.有一个梦想。一个够大的梦想“能摸多高我就长多高，能探多远我就走多远，能看多深我就看多深，能做多少梦我就做多少梦。”——凯伦

你的目标动力对于激励来说是个强大的来源，但还是太抽象，你得把它具体化成一个梦想。想象一下未来的世界会怎样，想象一下人们怎么生活工作。

如果你无的放矢，根本没法激励自己，所以有一个梦想还是很重要的。想想那些打篮球的人。如果根本没有篮筐去投，他们还会有动力吗？我看就没有了。他们需要目标。你也是。不然你的梦想拿来做什么用？

但光有一个梦想还不够。这个梦想必须足够高远，那才能激励你。它必须切合实际，又得具有挑战性。它还得能迫使你离开安逸的环境去大展身手。

3.要有饥渴感“‘想要’什么那还不够，你一定要对它充满渴望。你的动力必须绝对引人注目，那才能跨过总是出现在路上的障碍。”——莱斯·布朗

要想真正得到激励，你不仅仅是“想要”，还要是“渴望要”。仅仅是普通的愿望没法帮你度过艰难的时刻，因为你又不是非要不可。在很多情况下，有没有饥渴感就是将军和士兵的差别。

怎样才能有饥渴感？你的目标和梦想会在这里扮演一个很重要的角色。如果你有关心的目标，又有与之相关的梦想，你就该有一种饥渴感才对。如果你认为自己正在丧失这种饥渴感，你所要做的就是再一次联结起目标和梦想，让它们继续激发你，并给你带来饥渴感。

4.别管别人“我不想比别人跳舞跳得好，我只想着跳得比自己好而已。”——米凯亚·巴瑞辛尼科夫

要想灰心丧气，拿自己跟别人比较可谓立竿见影。即使一开始你豪气冲天，一和别人比较，你马上就缴械投降。

千万别这么做。你跑自己的，管别人呢！拿自己和别人比，就像让一个游泳运动员和一个跑步运动员用同一时间标准来斗快。他们是不一样的，天晓得你怎么比较出来。

自己才是自己的唯一敌人，也是你唯一要战胜的对手。你做到最好了吗？

5.再多走一步“成功不是结局，失败并非毁灭；重要的是要有勇气继续前进。”——温斯顿·丘吉尔

当你半路遇到困难，你可能想过要溜掉。你可能觉得难于上青天。你可能觉得自己的梦做得太离谱。但就在这里，成功者和失败者的区别就凸显出来了。尽管他们面临同样的麻烦，有一点使成功者与众不同：继续向前的勇气。

困境里，你应该集中精神向前多迈一步。别想着怎样才能跑完。别想着前面还有多少障碍等着你。只想着你的下一步。

6.让往事如烟飘走“搞定每一天，你就能做任何能做的事。”——拉尔夫·瓦尔多·爱默生

信不信由你，你的过去在扰乱军心上可谓极具杀伤力。你还没意识到，就被它扯了后腿。它给你背上了一个沉重的负担。

不过，好消息是这些负担你根本不必去背。从肩膀上拿下来，扔掉它吧。过去你可能犯了错，可能因为自己的所作所为让人大失所望。但都过去了，再怎么样你都没法弥补了。

今天是新的一天，你又有机会重新来过。不管过去你多么不走运，你仍然前程似锦。别让那些过去的负担束缚了你。美丽语录Tough-minded optimists approach problems with a can-do philosophy and emerge stronger from tragedies.意志坚强的乐观主义者用“世上无难事”的人生观来思考问题，越是遭受悲剧打击，越是表现得坚强。

年轻人必须知道的十五件事15 Things You Should Know When You Are Young

1.Most of it doesn’t matter. So much of what I got excited about, anxious about, or wasted my time and energy on, turned out not to matter. There are only a few things that truly count for a happy life. I wish I had known to concentrate on those and ignore the rest.

2.The greatest source of misery and hatred in this world is clinging to past hurts. Look at all the terrorists and militant groups that hark back to some events long gone, or base their justification for killing on claims of some supposed historical right to a bit of land, or redress for a wrong done hundreds of years ago.

3.Waiting to do something until you can be sure of doing it exactly right means waiting for ever. One of the greatest advantages anyone can have is the willingness to make a fool of themselves publicly and often. There’s no better way to learn and develop. Heck, it’s fun too.

4.Following the latest fashion, in work or in life, is spiritual and intellectual suicide. You can be a cheap imitation of the ideal of the moment;or you can be a unique individual. The choice is yours. Religion isn’t the opiate of the masses, fashion is.

5.If people complain that you’re too fond of going your own way and aren’t fitting in, you must be on the right track. Who wants to live life as a herd animal? The guys in power don’t want you to fit in for your own sake; they want you to stop causing them problems and follow their orders. You can’t have the freedom to be yourself and meekly fit in at the same time.

6.If you make your work equate your life, you’re making your life into hard work. Like most people, I confused myself by looking at people like artists and musicians whose life’s “work” fills their time. That isn’t work. It’s who they are. Unless you have some overwhelming passion that also happens to allow you to earn a living doing it, always remember that work should be a means to an end: living an enjoyable life. Spend as little time on the means as possible consistent with achieving the end. Only idiots live to work.

7.The quickest and simplest way to wreck any relationship is to listen to gossip. The worst way to spend your time is spreading more. People who spread gossip are the plague-carriers of our day. Cockroaches are clean, kindly creatures in comparison.

8.Trying to please other people is largely a futile activity. Everyone will be mad at you sometime. Most of the people you deal with will dislike, disparage, belittle, or ignore what you say or do most of the time. Besides, you can never really know what others do want, so a good deal of whatever you do in that regard will go to waste. Be comforted. Those who love you will probably love you regardless, and they are the ones whose opinions are worth caring about. The rest aren’t worth five minutes of thought between them.

9.Every winner is destined to be a loser in due course. It’s great to be up on the winner’s podium. Just don’t imagine you can stay there for ever. Worst of all is being determined to do so, by any means available.

10.You can rarely, if ever, please, placate, change, or mollify an asshole. The best thing you can do is stay away from every one you encounter. Being an asshole is a contagious disease. The more time you spend around one, the more likely you are to catch it and become one too.

11.Everything takes twice as long as you plan for and produces results about half as good as you hoped. There’s no reason to be downhearted about this. Just allow for it and move on.

12.People are oddly consistent. Liars usually tell lies. Cheaters cheat whenever it suits them. A person who confides in you has usually confided in several others first—but not got the response he wanted. A loyal friend will stay loyal under enormous amounts of thoughtless abuse.

13.However hard you try, you can’t avoid being yourself. Who else could you be? You can act and pretend, but the person acting and pretending is still you. And if you won’t accept yourself—and do the best you can with what you have, who then has any obligation to accept you?

14.When it comes to blatant lies, there are none more egregious than budget figures. Time spent agonizing over them is time wasted. Even if(miracle of miracles!) yours are honest and accurate, no one else will have been so foolish.

15.The loudest noise in the world is the sound of people whining. Don’t add to it.

1.拥有一颗平常心。太多的事情曾经让我为之兴奋、为之焦虑，浪费我的时间和精力，最后却被证明是无关紧要的。它们只是幸福生活里极其微小的一部分。我多么希望早点知道这些，以便能把精力都投入到这些关乎幸福的事，而不是其他。

2.这个世界上痛苦与仇恨最大的源泉是对过去的执迷。看看那些恐怖组织和激进分子，他们总是抓住过去的事情不放，或把一小片土地的历史归属问题作为他们进行杀戮的理由，甚至为了纠正几百年前的所谓的“历史错误”而去犯错。

3.等待有把握时再去做一件事，往往意味着永远的等待。一个人能做的最大的冒险，就是乐意在公共场合经常暴露自己的愚昧。没有什么能比这样学得更快。哎呀，这也是一种乐趣。

4.盲目追赶潮流是对精神和智力的扼杀。你可以成为一个低级廉价的时尚木偶，也可以成为个性独特的你，这些都在于你自己的选择。信仰不是群众的鸦片，流行才是。

5.如果有人抱怨你太特立独行，恭喜你，你正走在正确的路上。谁愿意像动物一样活着？那些强有力的家伙不希望你按照自己的意愿去做，他们希望你停止给他们制造麻烦，并听从他们的命令。但你得知道，你无法做到在卑躬屈膝的同时又能活出自我、拥有自由。

6.如果你将工作等同于生活，那么你将为工作而生活。像大多数人一样，当看到那些艺术家和音乐家的工作几乎是全部的生活，我感到很困惑。其实那不是工作，那是他们的自我。除非你有无法抵挡的激情，恰巧也能让你从中得以谋生，否则请永远记住，工作只是一种手段，而不是目的，我们的最终目的是享受生活。在实现目的的同时，尽可能地少花时间在手段上。只有白痴才为工作而活着。

7.破坏关系最快捷、最简单的方法就是听信谣言。浪费时间最糟糕的方式就是传播这些谣言。传播流言的人好比瘟疫的携带者，相比之下，蟑螂都比他们干净和善良。

8.试图取悦别人是徒劳无益的做法。总有些人会在某个事件上对你发飙。很多你接触的人，在很多时候也会不喜欢、蔑视、忽略或轻视你。另外，你永远也无法知道别人真正的需要，因此你为此所做的所有努力都会付诸东流。放松些吧，爱你的人终究会包容你的过失，不管怎样，他们才是值得我们在乎的人。其他那些人，他们甚至都不值得花5分钟去考虑。

9.没有永久的胜利者。登上冠军宝座是件好事情，但不要梦想着可以永久占据这个位置。最糟糕的是，你正坚定地要为了达到此目的而不择手段。

10.你很难（几乎不可能）取悦、安抚、改变或平息一个混蛋。你能做的最好方式，是对他敬而远之。混蛋是有传染性的疾病，你和他们待的时间越长，你也越有可能染上混蛋的习气，或者成为其中一员。

11.努力加倍，期望减半。一切都是花掉你计划的两倍时间，最后却只换来你一半的期望结果。没什么理由要为此沮丧的，让它去吧，只是你要继续前行。

12.人是奇怪的偏执狂。撒谎者总是撒谎，无论你怎么斥责他们，骗子总要行骗。一个人对你倾诉的时候，通常已在其他人面前倾诉过，只是可能没有得到他想要的答复。一位忠诚的朋友，无论遭受多大的冤屈，依旧保持忠诚。

13.接纳自己。不管你怎么努力，你都无法逃避做你自己。除了自己，你还能成为谁呢？你可以扮演和假装，但演戏和假装的人还是你自己。如果你都无法接纳自己，没有努力挖掘自己已有的东西，谁还有义务接纳你呢？

14.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的了。把时间折腾在这上面，是浪费时间。即使（奇迹中的奇迹！）你是实事求是并且准确的，其他人也不会那么愚蠢。

15.世界上最大的噪声是人们的抱怨。不要再增加了。美丽语录Everyone has potential energy, which is easily concealed by habits, blurred by time, by laziness.每个人都有潜在的能量，只是很容易被习惯所掩盖，被时间所迷离，被惰性所消磨。

成功实现人生目标的八大准则Eight Tips for Achieving Your Goals

1.Set only one goal at a time

When you try take on too much at once, you can become overwhelmed

quickly. Instead of trying to tackle three or four goals try to [1]prioritize them. Create a list and take one goal at a time. Once you achieve that goal, back to your list mark it off, and move to the next one. The act of marking off the goals and achieving them individually will give you a greater sense of accomplishment. You can even break the one goal done into smaller parts. This gives you motivation and success more often than waiting for days or months to achieve a larger goal.

For example, let us say you want to lose 30 pounds in 45 days. Break the goal down weekly to losing about 5 pounds a week. You can make up a calendar and mark off the week as you achieve your weekly goal. If you did not achieve your goal that week, adjust the other weeks according and still give yourself credit for what you did achieve.

2.Evaluate your desire and motivation

People often think they know what they want. The good news is that if you set a goal and work hard, you are likely to achieve it. The bad news is that it might not really be what you want.

Suppose you want to date a girl at the gym. You overheard her say that she likes men with large muscular arms. You set the goal of working extra everyday to achieve bigger than life biceps and triceps. You reach your goal after grueling hours of sweat and pain. In the meantime, she met a guy half the size as you, and who was available because he was not in the gym 12 hours a day.

You reached your goal of large arms, but set the wrong goal of trying to get a date with a particular girl. Make sure you are really reaching for what you really want in life. You can achieve what you sought and still feel empty inside.

3.Find inspiration for accomplishing your goal

The reason that personal trainers are so popular is that they can help you achieve things that alone you may not. It has nothing to do with your desire to achieve your goals; it is because we need inspiration to continue on our road to success. As humans, we can talk ourselves and make excuses why we do not achieve of goals everyday. Having someone that has walked down the same path and has reached the end is a great inspiration that can help motivate you to continue on your path everyday. They can inspire you to go beyond what you thought that you were capable and hold a hand out to you in order assist you on your way.

4.Make a public commitment to accomplishing your goal

There is a power in stating our goal to others. It is a public commitment that you will achieve what you have stated that you will. It takes it out of your head and puts it out into the world. This creates a sense of responsibility on our part because we do not wish to disappoint others. It should be in the form of a definitive statement. Instead of “I am trying to reduce my waist down two sizes”, try instead “I will lose two waist sizes in the next two weeks”. This sends the message of a definitive rather than a wish. There is little room for doubt in a definitive statement.

5.Seek for support

People are social creatures that do better in groups than they do alone. People try to lose weight for years find greater success in a peer group trying to lose weight than they do alone. Find others with similar goals or try to join an already established support group. This can inspire and push you along when you begin to doubt ourselves.

6.Think thoughts conducive to success

There is only one constant in the universe and that is change. [2]People are often resistant to change. Their resistance is often fueled by fear. This can be the fear of failure or maybe even fear of the unknown. You must face that fear and tell yourself everyday that change is good and change is what is needed to achieve what you want out of life. Self-talk in front of a mirror daily can help you achieve this. Remember to keep your talk positive. Instead of saying, “I will try not to be afraid of that new Pilates class because it looks hard.” Say instead “I will enjoy the Pilates class and get the rock hard abs I have always wanted.” This shift in thought can create wonders in your life.

7.Keep a success journal

Earlier I mentioned keeping a calendar to mark your successes. A step beyond this is a success journal. In it, you can write down your achievements and successes. You can include pictures or whatever [4]else is inspiring to you. This success journal is not only a testament that you achieved what you told others you would, but it also provides an instrument in which you can look back to when you are achieving new goals to help inspire you. It is a message to yourself that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and the journal is proof of it.

8.Keep before you, at all times, the benefits of attaining your goal

Sometimes we can be so caught up in the process of achieving a goal that we can forget what the goal is. When you set out on a trip, you may have a map. On that map are two important items, where you started, and where you are going. Create your own map of your goal. Keep it where you can see it daily so that you do not forget where you are going or forget how far you have come.

1.一次一个目标

当你试着一次做太多的事情，你会很快变得手忙脚乱。不要试图一次完成三个或者四个目标，要将它们优先化。制作一份目标清单，一次取其中一个目标。一旦成功实现后，从你的清单上把它划掉，继续下一个。这种“划”目标、逐个实现的办法会给你更多的成就感，甚至你还能把一个目标分化成数个“小目标”。这比等上数天或数月实现一个“大”目标能获得更多的动力和成就感。

比如：你想用45天减去30磅，将这一目标划分为每周减大约5磅。你可以创建一份日历，每周实现了目标，就将这一周划去。如果没按周实现目标，那么可以调整到其他周，这样，仍会获得成绩。

2.评估你的意愿和动力

人们总是认为自己知道想要什么。好的方面是：如果你设定了一个目标，并且为之努力，你就可能实现。坏的方面是：它也许不是你真正想要的。

假设你想和一位健身房的女孩约会。你偷听到她说她喜欢手臂肌肉强健的男性，于是你设定了每天额外运动来获得更大肌肉的目标。在不知流了多少汗、吃了多少苦后，你实现了目标。而在此期间，她却看上了比你小一半的男人，那个人有时间，因为他不会一天泡12个小时在健身房。

你是达到了让手臂肌肉发达的目标，但是，对于争取要和某个女孩约会来说，这个目标设错了。你一定要为生活中真正想要的东西努力。你可能会达到了追求的目标而仍感到内心空虚。

3.找到激励

私人教练如此受欢迎的原因，是他们能帮你实现你独自实现不了的事情。这和你要实现的愿望无关，而是因为我们需要在通往成功的道路上不断获得激励。人们常常会为没能达到目标而找借口。如果有一个过来人，一个已经达到目标的人，能每天帮助你朝目标不断前进，这是一个很大的激励。他们能激励你超越自我，在前进的路上助你一臂之力。

4.把目标“说”出来

把你的目标告诉别人，这就带来一股力量。因为告诉别人就是一种公众承诺，表示你将实现你的话。这样就把目标从你的脑子放到现实世界里。这会让人们产生一种责任感，因为他们不愿意让别人失望。告诉别人你的目标要用确定性的语气。不要说“我要试试把腰围减2个尺码”，要说“我要在2周后把我的腰围减2个尺码”。这就传达了一种明确的决心，而不是仅仅一个愿望。明确表示了决心，就没有迟疑的余地了。

5.寻求支持

人是群居动物，一群人做某件事比仅凭一己之力要做得更好。那些想减肥的人和其他有同样目标的人一起努力，比独自行动会取得更好的效果。找到和你有类似目标的人，或者加入一个现成的小组，这可以在你自我怀疑的时候激励你、督促你。

6.做有益的思考

宇宙中唯一不变的就是变化。人们常会对变化抵制，这样的抵制往往来源于恐惧。可能是对失败的恐惧，甚至是对未知的恐惧。你必须面对恐惧，并每天提醒自己变化是好的，变化是你实现目标所必需的。每天对着镜子自言自语能帮助你克服恐惧。记住要对自己讲积极[3]的话。不要说：“我会试着不去害怕普拉提课，因为它看起来太难了。”而要说：“我要去享受普拉提，来获得我孜孜以求的坚硬腹肌。”这种思想上的转变能在你的生活中创造奇迹。

7.写“功劳簿”

前面提到了用日历来记录成功。进一步的做法是做一本“功劳簿”。在里面，你可以写下取得的各种成就。你可以附上照片，或者任何能激励你的东西。它不仅是个人成就的证明，而且当你想要实现其他目标时，能给你激励和启发。这本“功劳簿”会给你一个信息，即你只要用心，什么都可能实现。“功劳簿”就是证明。

8.不要忘记目标

有时我们会太过沉迷于实现目标的过程，而忘记了目标是什么。如果你出行，你也许会有张地图。在地图上有两样重要的东西：出发点和目的地。为自己的目标制作一张地图，放在一个每天都能看到的地方，这样你就不会忘记你要去往何处，或者自己走了多远。美丽语录The chinese word for crisis is divided into two characters, one meaning danger and the other meaning opportunity.中文的“危机”分为两个字，一个意味着危险，另一个意味着机会。【注解】[1] prioritize v. 按优先顺序处理；给予……优先权[2] fuel v. 激起，刺激；给……加燃料[3] 普拉提（Pilates），一种舒缓肌肉及提高人体躯干控制能力的瑜伽类课程，取名于其创始人约瑟夫·普拉提（Josepn H.pilates）。[4] testament n. 证明，证据

如何培养工作中的耐心Learning the Virtue of Being Patient

Patience is a virtue, as they say, but many of us (myself included—sometimes) struggle with being patient—or should I say, the lack of it. And some negative things follow when you lack patience. Like say, when a certain person really pisses you off, or even the thought of a particular situation about something, then you feel bad, or you can’t focus your attention to what you’re doing or what you are about to do. [1]Not to mention that you tend to compromiseyour relationships with people—just because you lack the value of being patient.

Okay, just like with anything, it may take time to be patient—perhaps that’s why it’s quite a rare virtue. Especially in these times of almost all things instant—IM, chats, text messaging, instant noodles, instant coffee, the works.

For instance, let’s say you’re a newbie and you got your very first job ever—in an office. Obviously, you have no idea what it feels like working with a bunch of professionals in this kind of working environment. At first,it can be quite new to you how to jibe along with your colleagues, not to mention learning new things like your tasks or projects which needs to master. If you are not patient enough, you can get easily frustrated if you don’t master it fast enough or you make some mistakes along the way. However, over time, you can get the hang of things and it does take time to master a certain task.

As for making mistakes, it will also help you learn to be more [2]patient if you ask questions or clarifications from your supervisor or your workmates about your work.

So that any errors you have or confusion, it will already be rectified or corrected early on before you have many errors, or else, it will delay the productivity of your organization, or you won’t give a hard time for your office mates (especially if your work involves stages wherein various tasks are via stages, and handled by different staff).

At times, it can be quite disturbing not to mention uncomfortable if you argues with someone at work. Don’t think that you can simply be [3]overruled just because that employee has already been there with the company longer and you’re just a newbie.

Nevertheless, over time with experience, hopefully you’ll get to learn how to draft your arguments, so that you can present your case or opinions objectively and briefly. Bear in mind that certain corporate settings can indeed be aggressive or can even be cutthroat. The more exposed and patient you will be, the better you will be in trying to cope with that kind of environment. It’s comforting to realize that the things you learn through experience will eventually help you to give the patience you need even in the day to day dealings with others, which can be crucial also.

俗话说，耐心是种美德，但是我们很多人（有时也包括我自己）时常与耐心斗争——或者说我们缺乏耐心。如果你缺乏耐心，就会出现一些负面影响。比如，当某人或者某些事确实惹怒了你，你就会感觉很不好，或者你不能集中注意力做你正在做或将要去做的事。不要说你不想破坏与别人的关系，这只是因为你缺乏耐心。

当然，像做任何其他事一样，变得有耐心也需要花时间——也许这就是为什么耐心是如此少有的美德的原因吧！尤其是当几乎所有的事情都很紧迫的时候——即时通讯、聊天、发信息、速食面、速溶咖啡和工作。

例如，假定你是个职场新手，你得到了人生中的第一份工作——在一个办公室里。很显然，你对自己在这样的工作环境中、与一群专业人员一起工作是什么感觉毫无概念。首先，你没有经验，不知如何与你的同事一起说笑，更不用说学习你需要掌握的工作和项目之类的新事物。如果你没有足够的耐心，又没有很快掌握与同事的相处之道，或者在这 过程中你犯了些错误，你就会很容易感到沮丧。然而，随着时间的推移，你会得知这些事的窍门，掌握一件事确实需要时间。

至于犯错误，如果你向你的主管或者同事询问关于你工作的问题，这也会促使你变得更有耐心。

所以，在你犯很多错误前，你有的所有错误或困惑都会在早期被矫正或改正，否则，这会耽误你组织的生产力，或者你也不会因此给你的同事带来很多麻烦（尤其当你的工作涉及分工合作时，各种工作都会被你不同的同事接手）。

有时，在你和同事争吵时，你不能提到自己不愉快，这确实是件憋屈的事。但不要仅仅因为别人在公司待的时间比你长，而你只是个新手，就认为你要被控制和欺负。

然而，随着时间的流逝，你的经验不断增加，你就很有希望学习到如何组织你的论点，从而客观简洁地呈现你的工作或观点。请记住，公司设置确实充满着争强好斗，或者说残酷。你越有耐心，你就会在这种环境中把事物处理得越好。令人欣慰的是，即使你每天都是在与别人打交道、处理人际关系中度过的，你从中学到的经验最终也会帮助你培养出需要的耐心，这一点同样很重要。美丽语录The more you fight something, the more anxious you become—the more you’re involved in a bad pattern, the more difficult it is to escape.你越是为了解决问题而拼斗，你就越变得急躁——在错误的思路中陷得越深，也就越难摆脱痛苦。【注解】[1] compromise v. 妥协；让步[2] clarification n. 澄清，说明；净化[3] coverrule v. 否决；统治；对……施加影响

用自我肯定来改掉坏习惯Break Bad Habits Now With Affirmations

Affirmations can be really helpful to break bad habits if you are [1]persistent about it.

In order for you to really break bad habits you must: a) be aware [2]that the unconscious mind exists; b) learn how to manipulate its existence.

And affirmations are great and powerful techniques in which, if used effectively, could bring out and address directly to your unconscious being.

By uttering simple positive statements of the way you wish to live your life, then reiterating them out loud daily, you teach your unconscious thoughts in order to guide you to a better path to be reflected by your whole senses.

You can use:

1.Situational statements:one of a kind affirmations which provide a definite aim in your life. Some examples are:

a) “My heart and lungs are healthy.”

b) “I am very happy to be earning $120, 000 per year.”

2.Timeless affirmations. These are statements which can be made use at any point in your life.

a) “My body is healthy and strong.”

b) “I am so happy in every aspect of my life.”

In speaking these words over and over daily, they penetrate into our subconscious mind till it becomes our reality.

Moreover, the positive language of these “feel-good” affirming sentences blocks off negative thought processes, and in effect, fosters positive attitude.

To fortify this belief, each day, every morning, when you get ready for the day, you can try to spare at least ten minutes of your time in uttering these affirmations out loud. Simply listen to your own voice as you speak these and try to be detached and unemotional as you can.

And lastly, it is very important that you must try to obstruct any negativity and concentrate 100% of your language and attention to the affirmations that you are saying out loud.相信自己，你也就成功了一半。——西奥多·罗斯福

如果你能坚持，自我肯定对改掉坏习惯确实很有帮助。

为了让你能真正地摆脱坏习惯，你必须：a) 意识到潜意识的存在；b)学习如何操控它的存在。

自我肯定是个强大而有效的方法，如果你能有效运用的话，它可以直接显示出你的潜意识。

把你希望的生活方式用简单积极的话讲出来，然后每天大声地读。为了指引你有个更好的习惯，你要“教育”你的潜意识。

你可以用以下方法：

1.情形讲述。这是自我肯定的一种方式，它会给你的人生提供一个明确的目标。比如：

a)“我的心脏和肺都很健康。”

b)“我非常开心每年能赚到12万美元。”

2.永远的肯定。这些话语能在你人生的任何时期发挥作用。

a)“我的身体很健康，很强壮。”

b)“我对自己生活的各个方面都很满意。”

每天说这些话的时候，它们会渗透到我们的潜意识里，直到它变成现实。

而且，这些“感觉良好”的积极肯定的语言会阻止我们生成消极的想法，并且实际上还会培养积极态度。

为了加强这种信念，每天清晨，当你准备好度过这一天时，你可以试着花至少10分钟时间大声讲出这些自我肯定的话。当你讲这些

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