夏洛特家和玛娅家离得很近，但走起来却不近。因为，他们两家中间隔着一条小河。这条细细弯弯的小河两岸长满了绿茵茵的树木。树木倒映在小河里，小河的水也就变成了绿茵茵的一片。这条绿色的河上有一座好看的白色小木桥。夏洛特和玛娅的来来往往都要经过这座小白桥。
吃过早饭，夏洛特就带着花花去玛娅家。她们沿着河走了一段，就到了小木桥。过了小木桥，离玛娅家就不远了。
路边的茉莉花开着细细白白的花朵，空气里散发出很淡的香气，有很多蜜蜂在茉莉花上飞来飞去，很忙碌的样子。小河里，有几个年轻人划着划艇经过。船头坐着一个跟夏洛特差不多大的女孩子，她有节奏地敲着鼓，划艇上的人跟着鼓点，一下一下，整齐地划着桨。
夏洛特向他们招招手，船头的女孩子放下鼓槌，也向她招手。整齐划一的划桨节奏突然被打乱了，夏洛特和船上的人们都笑起来。
在茉莉花树丛里，掩藏着一栋红砖小房子。小房子的窗口排列着三个俄罗斯娃娃，它们每一个都像一个储蓄罐那么高，浑身上下圆乎乎的。淡黄色的底彩上，用红红绿绿的色彩，勾出它们三个一模一样乐呵呵的笑脸。
这是俄罗斯很有名的套娃。它们有名的地方不在于那胖胖的笑脸，而在于她肚子里的秘密。它们是一个上下两截的圆木罐子。你把它旋转打开，它们的肚子里还藏着一模一样的一个娃娃。你再把这个娃娃打开来，它的肚子里还有一个一模一样的.娃娃，它又小了一号。它的神秘和惊喜就在于，谁也不知道里面到底还藏着几个娃娃。
这个窗口的窗帘是深红色的，左右两边拉开着。窗子里很暗，这三个俄罗斯娃娃看起来就好像站在一个小小的黑色背景的舞台上面，幕布已经拉开，她们正在等待音乐的奏响。
夏洛特在窗口站了下来，她隔着玻璃窗，仔细地看着这三个木头的演员，想象着她们跳起舞来会是什么样子。就在这个时候，一道柔和的太阳光照射在木头娃娃身上，淡淡的黄色突然变成了一片灿烂的金色。在这一片金色的后面，有一个白发苍苍的老人正在向夏洛特微笑。
屋子里的白发老人，正笑眯眯地在俄罗斯娃娃后面向夏洛特挥手。
夏洛特也向他挥手。
紧接着，门打开了，白发老人出现在门口。
“你是玛娅的朋友？”他很有把握地问。他看上去很和蔼可亲。
夏洛特记起来，这是个独居的老人，叫米勒。他是玛娅家的邻居，玛娅经常给他送蛋糕吃。她点点头，“是的，我叫夏洛特。您好！”
“我知道你叫夏洛特，玛娅跟我说过你。”米勒先生看着她的眼睛，“你心里有烦恼，是吗？”
夏洛特摇摇头，接着又点点头。她没想到自己的烦恼已经写到脸上，让一个陌生人一眼就看出来了。
“你想看我的俄罗斯娃娃吗？”他指指小舞台上的三个娃娃。
夏洛特犹豫了一下，她其实对俄罗斯娃娃没有什么兴趣。这样的娃娃她昨天晚上还从床底下找出来一个。刚才吸引她目光的，是那个小小的，像舞台一样的窗子。
米勒先生好像看进了夏洛特的心里，他说：“我的俄罗斯娃娃跟别人不一样呢，值得你看一看。夏洛特，进来吧！”
屋子里很暗，刚从太阳下面走进去，夏洛特什么也看不见。她把眼睛闭起来。等她再睁开来的时候，她就能看清屋子里的一切了。
这是一间空空荡荡的客厅，里面除了一张木头桌子和两张木头椅子外，最引人注目的就是窗台上的三个俄罗斯娃娃了。
米勒先生请夏洛特坐下，然后进到后面的房间，忙了一会儿，拿着一个绿色的瓷罐和一个绿色的瓷杯走出来。他把瓷罐里的饮料倒进瓷杯，那饮料也是绿色的，上面漂着一片绿色的叶子。
“薄荷茶。是花园里的薄荷。”米勒先生说。
夏洛特喝了一口，很清凉，还有一丝淡淡的甜味。
“喜欢吗？”米勒先生问。
“喜欢，谢谢。”夏洛特又喝了几口。
米勒先生从窗台上拿下一个俄罗斯娃娃，放到夏洛特面前。“你知道俄罗斯娃娃的吗？”
夏洛特摇摇头。她只知道这是俄罗斯有名的玩具，也叫俄罗斯套娃。它的肚子里还藏着好几个一模一样的娃娃。
“在很久以前，在俄罗斯一个小村子里，有一对小兄妹，他们天天一起出去放羊。”米勒先生慢慢地讲着，“有一天，他们出去放羊的时候，妹妹走丢了。哥哥四处去找妹妹，找了很久，还是没有找到。”
夏洛特很安静地听。跟爸爸在一起，她养成了习惯，当自己还没有明白别人的意思的时候，不随便插嘴。
“后来，哥哥用白桦木刻了一个小小的妹妹带在身边。当他想念妹妹的时候，就把它拿出来，对着妹妹说话。一年过去了，妹妹没有回来。哥哥想，妹妹一定长大了好多。他就刻了一个大一点的妹妹，带在身边。又一年过去了，妹妹还是没有回来。哥哥想，妹妹一定又长大了好多。他又刻了一个更大一点的妹妹，带在身边。时间就这样慢慢地过去了。等哥哥刻到第七个妹妹的时候，他的妹妹真的出现了。”米勒先生停顿了一下，“所以，俄罗斯人相信，如果你想念一个人，就可以把你的思念说给俄罗斯娃娃听。俄罗斯娃娃会帮助你，让你想念的人回到你的身边。”
夏洛特又喝了几口薄荷茶。她还是没有明白米勒先生想要说什么。她看着米勒先生，等着他继续说下去。
米勒先生转动着桌上的俄罗斯娃娃，对夏洛特说：“从表面看上去，这就是我们经常看到的俄罗斯娃娃。”
同意。夏洛特点点头。这是一个笑眯眯的女娃娃，跟她家里的那个长得一样。
米勒先生旋转一下，把它打开来，拿出里面的一个娃娃。
夏洛特笑起来。第二个娃娃不再是个女孩子。淡黄色的底色上，用红红绿绿的彩笔勾出一个成年男人的严肃的脸。这个俄罗斯娃娃确实很特别。
米勒先生把成年男人在桌子上转了几圈，问：“夏洛特，你猜，它肚子里还藏着几个，都是什么样子的？”
夏洛特认真地想了想，认真地摇摇头。她想象不出来。如果笑眯眯的俄罗斯女娃娃能变成一个成年男人，那他一定还能变成更加奇怪的东西。
米勒先生眼睛看着夏洛特，两只手慢慢地把严肃的成年男人旋转打开来，拿出里面的那一个。
夏洛特又一次笑了。这一回，是一个小男孩，红红绿绿的彩笔勾出一双大大的、调皮的眼睛。
米勒先生再接着打开来。小男孩的肚子里藏着一只奔跑的小鹿，小鹿有一双很胆怯的眼睛，很警惕的耳朵。
米勒先生接着笑眯眯地旋开那只小鹿。
里面是一只小小的鸟。它只有夏洛特的小手指那么大。
“这里面藏着一只小鸟，你猜到了吗？”米勒先生把小鸟举起来。淡黄色的底彩上，用黑色的笔画出来的鸟看上去很有力，很逼真，就像真的要飞到天上去一样。
夏洛特还是摇摇头。
米勒先生把小鸟放在桌上：“夏洛特，很少有人会猜到，俄罗斯娃娃的肚子里藏着一只鸟。”然后，他很小心地把小鸟放进小鹿的肚子里，再把小鹿放进小男孩的肚子里，再把小男孩放进成年男人的肚子里，再把成年男人放进女娃娃的肚子里。
现在它又变成了一个普普通通的笑眯眯的俄罗斯娃娃。
“明白了吗？”米勒先生问。
夏洛特还是不明白。女娃娃，男人，男孩子，小鹿，小鸟。她不明白自己到底应该明白什么。
米勒先生往夏洛特绿色瓷杯里加满了薄荷茶：“夏洛特，我们每天会遇到各种各样的人，男人，女人，老人，孩子。他们可能很高兴，也可能很忧伤。可是，你要知道，我们所看到的，其实只是表面的那个人。那个人不一定是他的全部。每个人的心里还藏着很多别的东西。可他们不是俄罗斯娃娃，我们没办法把他们一层一层打开来。这是一个很大的遗憾。不是吗？”
夏洛特很专心地听着。米勒先生说话的方式很有意思，让她联想起跟爸爸的谈话。她的头脑开始活跃起来：“您是想说，其实我们每个人都是俄罗斯娃娃，是打不开的俄罗斯娃娃，是不是？”把爸爸妈妈，还有自己，跟圆圆胖胖的俄罗斯娃娃联想在一起，夏洛特忍不住就想笑起来。
米勒先生笑眯眯地点点头，说：“夏洛特，你真是个聪明的孩子。”
夏洛特把瓷杯里的薄荷茶一口气喝干，站起来，说：“米勒先生，谢谢您给我看您的俄罗斯娃娃。”
“等一等！”米勒先生把桌上的俄罗斯娃娃拿起来，递到夏洛特面前，“送给你。”
夏洛特有点不好意思。刚见面就拿人家的东西，她不知道是不是合适。
米勒先生说：“我愿意把它送给能听懂我故事的人。夏洛特，你听懂了我的故事，这是一个奖励。”
夏洛特接过俄罗斯娃娃：“谢谢您，米勒先生。”她把俄罗斯娃娃放到自己小小的双肩背包里。
米勒先生把她送到门口，很神秘地伸出一个手指：“我还有一个请求，等你一会儿见了玛娅，一定记着，跟她一起把这个娃娃再打开来看一看。”他挤挤眼睛，补充说：“也许，小鸟还不是最后的那一个。也许……”他很突然地中止了他的话。
米勒先生最后的这句话像个谜一样，夏洛特一时没听明白。但是，没关系。夏洛特想，见了玛娅，她肯定会给她看这个俄罗斯娃娃的。也许，到那个时候，她们也就明白米勒先生的真正意思了。
双语美文欣赏:珍惜自由
Of all the wonderful gifts that we've been given, one of the greatest is freedom.
在众多的我们天生被赋予的美妙礼物中，自由是最伟大的礼物之一。
As much as we may deny it we are free in this life. We are free in what we think, free in what we feel, free in what we say, and free in what we do. Yes, life may give us some very difficult circumstances at times, but we are still free in how we choose to react to them.
就如我们常常会否认这一点，我们有自由掌握自己的生活确实是不争的事实。我们可以自由地思考，自由地感受，发表自由言论，做自己想做的事。是的，有时生活会让我们处境艰难，但我们仍然可以自由选择如何应对困境。
Many people in this life deny their freedom. They sit back in their misery and blame it on their parents, or their childhood, their health, or their financial problems. They never once stand up and take responsibility for their own lives and their own happiness.
有许多人否认他们的自由。他们只是颓废地坐在那里，抱怨他们的父母，或他们的孩子，或他们的身体状况，或他们的经济危机。他们从未勇敢地站起来去为自己的生活及自己的快乐真正地负起责任来。
The truth is that we've been given the power to choose love and joy in our lives no matter what happens to us. No one has ever been or will ever be strong enough to take our freedom away from us.
而事实是我们天生就被赋予了选择爱与欢乐的力量，不管我们的生活中发生任何事。没有任何人（以前没有，将来也不会）有足够强大的力量可以将我们的自由掠走。
You're listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I'm Faith. Don't deny your freedom, rejoice in it, cherish it, and use it every day of your life! Remember, you are free to create the type of life you have always wanted, the choice is up to you…
您正在收听的是Faith轻松电台，我是Faith。请不要拒绝你的自由，和自由一起欢悦吧，珍惜自由，每天都去充分地利用你的自由! 记住：你有自由创造你一直憧憬着的生活，选择权就在你手里……
美文欣赏:你可以选择自己想过的生活
Occasionally, life can be undeniably, impossibly difficult. We are faced with challenges and events that can seem overwhelming, life-destroying to the point where it may be hard to decide whether to keep going. But you always have a choice. Jessica Heslop shares her powerful, inspiring journey from the worst times in her life to the new life she has created for herself:
生活有时候困难得难以置信，但又不容置疑。我们面临的挑战与困境似乎无法抵御，试图毁灭我们生活，甚至使你犹疑是否继续走下去。但是你总有选择的余地。从人生低谷走向新生活的杰西卡·赫斯乐普，在这里与我们分享她启迪心灵、充满震撼力的生活之旅。
In 2012 I had the worst year of my life.
2012年是我生活中最艰难的一年。
I worked in a finance job that I hated and I lived in a concrete jungle city with little greenery. I occupied my time with meaningless relationships and spent copious quantities of money on superficialities. I was searching for happiness and had no idea where to find it.
我做着讨厌的财务工作，住在难寻绿色的高楼林立的城市。我忙于无意义的交往，在一些肤浅表面的东西上大笔开销。我寻找快乐，却又不知道它在哪里。
Then I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became virtually bed bound. I had to quit my job and subsequently was left with no income. I lived with my boyfriend of then only 3 months who financially supported me and our relationship was put under great pressure. I eventually regained my physical health, but not long after that I got a call from my family at home to say that my father’s cancer had fiercely progressed and that he had been admitted to a hospice.
然后我患上了慢性疲劳综合症，几乎到了卧床不起的地步。我不得不辞掉工作，同时也就断了财源。我和那时仅相处了3个月的男友住在一起，经济上完全依赖于他，我们的关系承受着巨大压力。终于我恢复健康，但不久，我接到家里的电话，父亲的癌症急剧恶化，已经住进了临终关怀中心。
I left the city and I went home to be with him.
我离开了城市，回家陪父亲。
He died 6 months later.
6个月之后，他去世了。
My father was a complete inspiration to me. He was always so strong that, for a minute after he drew his last breath, I honestly thought he would come back to life. I couldn’t believe I would never again cuddle into his big warm chest and feel safe no matter what.
父亲的事让我彻底清醒。他一直很强壮，在他咽气之后一分钟里，我真的认为，他会活过来。我不能相信，我再也不能依偎在他温暖的怀抱里，享受他宽大的胸怀带给我的安全感。
The grief that followed was intense for all of us 5 children and our mother, but we had each other.
母亲和我们5个兄弟姐妹极为难过，但至少我们还拥有彼此。
But my oldest sister at that time complained of a bad back. It got so bad after 2 months that she too was admitted to hospital.
但是，那时我大姐开始抱怨着背痛，2个月后，因疼痛加剧也住进了医院。
They discovered that she had highly advanced cancer in her bones and that there was nothing that they could do.
医生们检查发现，她已是骨癌晚期，对此他们已无能为力。
She died 1 month later.
1个月之后，她也走了。
I could never put into words the loss of my sister in my life.
大姐的逝去让我陷入难以形容的痛苦之中。
She was a walking, talking angel and my favourite person in the whole world. If someone could have asked me the worst thing that could ever happen, it would have been losing her.
在这个世界上，她是一个能走路、会说话的天使，我最喜欢的人。如果有人问我，世界上发生的最坏的事情是什么，那就是失去她。
She was my soul-mate and I never thought I would journey this lifetime without her.
她是我的灵魂伴侣，我从来没有想过，我会走过没有她陪伴的生命旅程。
The Moment Of Deliberate Choice
抉择时刻
The shock and extreme heart break brought me to my knees. The pain was so great and my world just looked desolate. I had no real home, no money, no job, and no friends that cared. Not one person had even sent me a sympathy card for my loss.
我被打击和极度的心痛击挎了。强烈的痛苦使世界在我眼中变得如此凄凉。我没有真正意义上的家，没有钱，没有工作，也没有关心我的朋友。没有一个人因我失去亲人而寄给我慰问卡。
I made an attempt of my own life and I ended up in hospital.
我尝试着活下去，结果住进了医院。
I remember lying in the hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling and seeing my sister’s beautiful face. She stayed with me all night long.
我记得，躺在病床上，看着天花板，看到姐姐美丽的面庞。她整夜守候着我。
I realised during that night that I had a choice. I could choose to end my life or I could choose to live it.
那天晚上，我意识到我可以选择。要么结束生命，要么活下去。
I looked in my sister’s eyes and I made a decision not to go with her just yet. That I would stay and complete my journey here.
望着姐姐的`眼睛，我决定不跟她走。我要留下来，走完我的生命旅程。
I also made the decision that, I wouldn’t just live any life. I would live the life that I absolutely LOVE and nothing less.
同时，我还决定，不只为生活而生活，我要完全以自己想要的方式生活。
In that moment, the clarity that descended around me was like a light shining in a dark room for the first time. As if the earth’s plates had shifted under my feet and everything suddenly looked real for the first time.
在那一刻，这一想法第一次清晰得如同一盏在黑暗闪烁的明灯。好像脚下的地球版块变换了，每一样东西在我眼前都真实得前所未有。
美文赏析:打开心门拥抱生活
We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen in our lives; instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to deflect the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this all we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves. We need to learn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the world soften us.
生活发生不幸时，我们常常会关上心门；世界不仅没能慰藉我们，反倒使我们更加消沉。我们假装一切仿佛都不曾发生，以此试图忘却伤痛，可就算隐藏得再好，最终也还是骗不了自己。既然如此，何不尝试打开心门，拥抱生活中的各种可能，让世界感化我们呢？
Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. The items listed below are six ways you can open your heart more fully and completely.
当恐惧与焦虑来袭时，我们应该退后一步，重新反思自己的言行。下面六个方法有助于你更完满透彻地敞开心扉。
1. Breathe into pain
直面痛苦
Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or trying to mask the hurt. When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. When we run away from sadness that’s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real. We take an emotion that’s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.
当生活中出现痛苦的事情时，别再逃跑或隐藏痛苦，试着拥抱它吧；当悲伤来袭时，试着深呼吸，然后直面它。如果我们一味逃避生活中的悲伤，悲伤只会变得更强烈更真实——悲伤原本只是稍纵即逝的情绪，我们却固执地耿耿于怀。
By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences. If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, but when we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom.
深呼吸能减缓我们的感受。屏住呼吸，生活停滞；呼出呼吸，更多新奇与经历又将拉开序幕。
2. Embrace the uncomfortable
拥抱不安
We all know what that twinge of anxiety feels like. We know how fear feels in our bodies: the tension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc. We can practice leaning into these feelings of discomfort and let them show us where we need to go.
我们都经历过焦灼的煎熬感，也都感受过恐惧造成的生理反应：脖子僵硬、胃酸翻腾。其实，我们有能力面对这些痛苦的感受，从中领悟到出路。
The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them. When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most. The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean into the feeling. Act in spite of the fear.
我们的第一反应总是逃避——以为否认不安情绪的存在就能万事大吉，可这也恰好妨碍了我们经历最需要的生活体验。下次感到不安时，不管有多害怕，也请试着勇敢面对吧。
3. Ask your heart what it wants
倾听内心
We’re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed and our brains are sore. Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part of ourselves that isn’t usually involved in the decision making process?
我们常对未来犹疑不定，反复考虑利弊直到身心俱疲。与其一味顾虑重重，不如从局外人的角度看待决策之事。
I know we’ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses: when asked, we can’t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had to get done. This instinct is the part of ourselves we’re approaching for answers.
其实很多决定或行动都是我们一念之间的结果：要是追问原因的话，恐怕我们自己也道不清说不明，只是感到直觉如此罢了。而这种直觉恰好是我们探索结果的潜在自我。
To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?”
开始前先做几次深呼吸，问自己：“内心认为该做什么样的决定呢？觉得采取哪个方案最恰当？”
See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome.
看看自己的内心反应如何，然后全力以赴、静待结果吧。
美文赏析:生活中你错过了什么？
In this life, what did you miss?
在生活中，你错过了什么？
The wife asked the husband when she was 25. Despondently, the husband replied: 'I missed a new job opportunity.'
妻子25岁的时候这样问丈夫。丈夫沮丧地回答：“我错过了一个新的工作机会。”
When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus.
35岁时，丈夫生气地说他错过了公交车。
At 45, the husband sadly said: 'I missed the oppotunity seeing my closed relative before his last breath.'
45岁时，丈夫悲伤地说：“我错过了见至亲最后一面的机会。”
At 55, the husband said disappointingly: 'I missed a good chance to retire.'
55岁时，丈夫失望地说：“我错过了一个退休的好机会。”
At 65, the husband hurriedly replied: 'I missed a dental appointment.'
65岁时，丈夫匆匆地回答：“我错过了和牙医的预约。”
At 75, the wife did not ask the husband anymore, the husband was kneeling in front of the very sick wife. Remembering the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and peaceful look, replied: 'In this life, I did not miss having you!'
75岁，妻子不再问丈夫同样的问题，丈夫跪在病重的妻子面前，想起以前妻子常常问起的那个问题，这次他也问了妻子同样的问题，妻子笑了笑，一脸平静地说：“我这一生，没有错过你！”
The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always busy with work and trifles. So much so he had never been thoughtful to his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said: 'Over 50 years, how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me.'
丈夫满眼泪水，他总是认为可以和妻子白头到老，于是总是忙于工作和琐事，从没在意过妻子。他紧紧地抱住妻子说：“这50多年来，我怎么能允许自己错过了你对我的爱呢。”
In the busy city life, there are many people who are always busy with work. These people revolve their lives around their jobs, these people sacrifice all their times and health to meet the social expectations. They are unwilling to spend times on health care. They miss the opportunity to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect the loved ones who care for them, and also their health.
在繁忙的城市生活中，有人总是忙于工作。他们整天围着工作转，甚至为了达到社会的标准，牺牲了自己的健康。他们不愿花时间来关注自己的健康，在孩子成长的过程中错失了与之共享天伦之乐的机会。他们忽视了那些关心他们的人，以及他们的健康。
Nobody knows what is going to happen one year from now.
没有人知道一年后会发生什么事情。
Life is not permanent, so always live in the now. Express your gratitude to your loved ones in words. Show your care with actions. Treat everyday as the last episode of life. In this way, when you are gone, you loved ones would have nothing to feel sorry about.
生命不是永恒的，所以活在当下吧。把你对爱人的感谢说出来，用行动证明你关心他们。把每一天当作人生的最后一个篇章，只有这样，当你离开时，你爱的人们才会没有遗憾。
美文赏析:去经历去体验 做最好最真实的自己
Truly happy and successful people get that way by becoming the best, most genuine version of themselves they can be. Not on the outside--on the inside. It's not about a brand, a reputation, a persona. It's about reality. Who you really are.
真正快乐成功的人会长成最好最真实的自己——从内心而非外表上。重要的不是品牌、名誉或者外表形象，而是真实的自我。
Sounds simple, I know. It is a simple concept. The problem is, it's very hard to do, it takes a lot of work, and it can take a lifetime to figure it out.
道理很简单，讲出来也很容易。但问题是，做起来就不简单了：这需要付诸很多努力，甚或一辈子才能实现。
Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy. If you want to do great work, it's going to take a lot of hard work to do it. And you're going to have to break out of your comfort zone and take some chances that will scare the crap out of you.
需要穷尽毕生精力的事情必定不容易。成大事者必先苦其心志。因此，你必须走出舒适区，去经历、去体验那些会让你害怕的机会。
But you know, I can't think of a better way to spend your life. I mean, what's life for if not finding yourself and trying to become the best, most genuine version of you that you can be?
况且，人这一辈子，若到头来都认不清自己、未能长成最好最真实的自己，还有什么意义呢？
That's what Steve Jobs meant when he said this at a Stanford University commencement speech:
正如史蒂夫-乔布斯在斯坦福大学的毕业典礼上所言：
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.
时间宝贵，不要虚掷光阴过着他人的生活。不要让周遭的聒噪言论蒙蔽你内心的声音。
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
你要相信，生活中的偶然冥冥中也能指引未来。你要心怀信念——相信你的直觉、命运、生活抑或因缘。这个方法一直给我力量，促使我过得卓然不同。
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.
成大事的唯一途径就是做自己喜欢的事情。若你还没找到，那就继续追寻吧，不要停下来。
Now, let's for a moment be realistic about this. Insightful as that advice may be, it sounds a little too amorphous and challenging to resonate with today's quick-fix culture. These days, if you can't tell people exactly what to do and how to do it, it falls on deaf ears.
现在我们来实际一点：建议或许很深刻，但听完却让人无从着手，难以运用到当今的快节奏文化中。现如今，如果一个建议讲不清具体做什么、该怎么做的话，那么说了也等于白说。
Not only that, but what Jobs was talking about, what I'm talking about, requires focus and discipline, two things that are very hard to come by these days. Why? Because, focus and discipline are hard. It's so much easier to give in to distraction and instant gratification. Easy and addictive.
不仅如此，乔布斯的讲话和我要说的话都需要集中和自制——这两个品质在当今社会非常难能可贵。何以见得？因为集中和自制都不容易做到。人们很容易分散注意力、寻求即时快感——舒服且容易上瘾。
To give you a little incentive to take on the challenge, to embark on the road to self-discovery, here are three huge benefits from working to become the best, most genuine version of yourself.
为激励你迎接挑战、踏上寻求自我的旅途，我列出了成为最好最真实自己后的三大益处：
It will make you happy. Getting to know yourself will make you feel more comfortable in your own skin. It will reduce your stress and anxiety. It will make you a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend. It will make you a better person. Those are all pretty good reasons, if you ask me.
你会感到快乐。了解自己后会让你更愉悦地接受自己，减轻你的压力和焦虑，使你成为更好的伴侣、父母、朋友，让你成为一个更美好的人。这些益处难道不够说服你为之努力吗？
Besides, you really won't achieve anything significant in life until you know the real you. Not your brand, your LinkedIn profile, how you come across, or what anyone thinks of you. The genuine you. There's one simple reason why you shouldn't try to be something you're not, and it's that you can't. The real you will come out anyway. So forget your personal brand and start spending time on figuring out who you really are and trying to become the best version of that you can be.
而且，只有了解真实的自己方能成就大事。你需要了解那个真实的你，而不是你的品牌、名誉、LinkedlIn
美文赏析:爱情不是商品
Love Is Not Like Merchandise
爱情不是商品
A reader in Florida, apparently bruised by some personal experience, writes in to complain, "If I steal a nickel's worth of merchandise, I am a thief and punished; but if I steal the love of another's wife, I am free."
佛罗里达州的一位读者显然是在个人经历上受过创伤, 他写信来抱怨道: “如果我偷走了五分钱的商品, 我就是个贼, 要受到惩罚, 但是如果我偷走了他人妻子的爱情, 我没事儿。”
This is a prevalent misconception in many people's minds---that love, like merchandise, can be "stolen". Numerous states, in fact, have enacted laws allowing damages for "alienation of affections".
这是许多人心目中普遍存在的一种错误观念——爱情, 像商品一样, 可以 “偷走”。实际上，许多州都颁布法令，允许索取“情感转让”赔偿金。
But love is not a commodity; the real thing cannot be bought, sold, traded or stolen. It is an act of the will, a turning of the emotions, a change in the climate of the personality.
但是爱情并不是商品；真情实意不可能买到，卖掉，交换，或者偷走。爱情是志愿的行动，是感情的转向，是个性发挥上的变化。
When a husband or wife is "stolen" by another person, that husband or wife was already ripe for the stealing, was already predisposed toward a new partner. The "love bandit" was only taking what was waiting to be taken, what wanted to be taken.
当丈夫或妻子被另一个人“偷走”时，那个丈夫或妻子就已经具备了被偷走的条件，事先已经准备接受新的伴侣了。这位“爱匪”不过是取走等人取走、盼人取走的东西。
We tend to treat persons like goods. We even speak of the children "belonging" to their parents. But nobody "belongs" to anyone else. Each person belongs to himself, and to God. Children are entrusted to their parents, and if their parents do not treat them properly, the state has a right to remove them from their parents' trusteeship.
我们往往待人如物。我们甚至说孩子“属于”父母。但是谁也不“属于”谁。人都属于自己和上帝。孩子是托付给父母的，如果父母不善待他们，州政府就有权取消父母对他们的托管身份。
Most of us, when young, had the experience of a sweetheart being taken from us by somebody more attractive and more appealing. At the time, we may have resented this intruder---but as we grew older, we recognized that the sweetheart had never been ours to begin with. It was not the intruder that "caused" the break, but the lack of a real relationship.
我们多数人年轻时都有过恋人被某个更有诱惑力、更有吸引力的人夺去的经历。在当时，我们兴许怨恨这位不速之客---但是后来长大了，也就认识到了心上人本来就不属于我们。并不是不速之客“导致了”决裂，而是缺乏真实的关系。
On the surface, many marriages seem to break up because of a "third party". This is, however, a psychological illusion. The other woman or the other man merely serves as a pretext for dissolving a marriage that had already lost its essential integrity.
从表面上看，许多婚姻似乎是因为有了“第三者”才破裂的。然而这是一种心理上的幻觉。另外那个女人，或者另外那个男人，无非是作为借口，用来解除早就不是完好无损的婚姻罢了。
Nothing is more futile and more self-defeating than the bitterness of spurned love, the vengeful feeling that someone else has "come between" oneself and a beloved. This is always a distortion of reality, for people are not the captives or victims of others---they are free agents, working out their own destinies for good or for ill.
因失恋而痛苦，因别人“插足”于自己与心上人之间而图报复，是最没有出息、最自作自受的乐。这种事总是歪曲了事实真相，因为谁都不是给别人当俘虏或牺牲品——人都是自由行事的，不论命运是好是坏，都由自己来作主。
But the rejected lover or mate cannot afford to believe that his beloved has freely turned away from him--- and so he ascribes sinister or magical properties to the interloper. He calls him a hypnotist or a thief or a home-breaker. In the vast majority of cases, however, when a home is broken, the breaking has begun long before any "third party" has appeared on the scene.
但是，遭离弃的情人或配偶无法相信她的心上人是自由地背离他的——因而他归咎于插足者心术不正或迷人有招。他把他叫做催眠师、窃贼或破坏家庭的人。然而，从大多数事例看，一个家的破裂，是早在什么“第三者”出现之前就开始了的。
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
当我还是一个年轻人时，我梦想去改变世界。但是当我发现这很难实现时，我就试图去改变我的国家。
When I found I couldn’t change my nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
当我发现我不能去改变我的国家时，我开始把注意力放在我居住的.城镇上。当我逐渐变老而又无力去改变我住的城镇时，我就试着去改变我的家庭。
Now as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family and I could have made an impact on the town.
如今，我已经是一个老人了。我意识到我唯一能改变的就是我自己。并且突然见我领悟到：如果很久以前我改变了我自己，我就可能对我的家庭，乃至使我住的城镇发生影响。
Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
这种影响持续下去就能够改变我的国家，进而改变整个世界。
