书城外语人生要耐得住寂寞
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第22章 Has Unbearable Chill In High Places(2)

The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade.Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner.If I persist,if I continue to try,if I continue to charge forward,I will succeed.

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat,nor does failure course in my veins.I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd.I am a lion and I refuse to talk,to walk,to sleep with the sheep.I will hear not those who weep and complain,for their disease is contagious.Let them join the sheep.The slaughter house of failure is not my destiny.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey,not near the beginning;and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step,yet success hides behind the next bend in the road.Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.Always will I take another step.If that is of no avail I will take another,and yet another.In truth,one step at a time is not too difficult.

Henceforth,I will consider each day’s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak.The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood,nor the second,nor the third.Each blow,of itself,may be trifling,and seem of no consequence.Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble.So it will be with my efforts of today.I will be likened to the rain drop which washes away the mountain;the ant who devours a tiger;the star which brightens the earth;the slave who builds a pyramid.I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts,repeated,will complete any undertaking.

I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit,cannot,unable,impossible,out of the question,improbable,failure,unworkable,hopeless,and retreat;for they are the words of fools.I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair.I will toil and I will endure.I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head,for I know that where dry desert ends,green grass grows.

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good.I will persist with knowledge that each failure will increase my chance for success at the next attempt.Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea.Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come.Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed oftomorrow’s good luck.I must have the night to appreciate the day.I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will try,and try,and try again.Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession.I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his,by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

I will not allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency,for this is the great foundation of failure.I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone,whether they were good or bad,and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.So long as there is breath in me,that long will I persist.For now I know one of the greatest principles of success;if I persist long enough I will win.

I will persist.I will win.

再长的路,一步步也能走完,再短的路,不迈开双脚也无法到达……

参考翻译(李定纹)

小公牛在奥瑞特竞技场上,通过传统的特殊方式进行搏斗考验。每头小公牛都被带到圈内,并任由它们被拿着长矛的斗牛士攻击。然后,每头小公牛的勇猛度将根据它们所表现出的愿意冲刺的次数慎重进行评定,而非被刺的次数。当我得知此事后,我意识到每天我都会以类似的方式接受生活的考验。如果我努力坚持、继续尝试、不顾一切向前冲的话,我就会成功。

我来到这个世界上并非败笔,在我的血管里也并没有失败的必然因素。我不是一只等待牧羊人赶着走的羊。我是一只狮子,我拒绝与羊说话、走路、睡觉。我不愿听到那些人哭泣抱怨,因为他们这些“疾病”是会传染的。让他们与羊群为伍吧,失败的屠宰场绝非我的命运。

生命的恩赐都在每段旅途的结尾,而不是出现在起始的地方;我并不知道需要迈出多少步才能实现我的目标。也许在走到第一千步时,我依然会遇到失败,然而成功就正躲在这条路的下一个拐角处。如果我不试着去拐角处转弯,我就永远不会知道成功离我有多近。所以我一定会一步接一步一路坚持走下去。事实上,每次走一步并不太困难。

今后,我每天都要加倍努力。就像是要砍断一棵参天大树,砍第一斧绝对不会让它颤动,甚至第二斧、第三斧都不会。每一斧,它的力量或许是微不足道的,也看不到什么效果。但是,累积起来,大树终会被砍断。这也是我每天付出努力所希望得到的结果。我会把这种努力看作洗刷高山的雨滴,吞噬老虎的蚂蚁,照亮地球的星星,修建金字塔的奴役。我要一块砖一块砖的堆积,建造属于自己的城堡,因为我知道,只要我不懈的努力,最终一定可以达成任何目标。

我不会承认失败。我要把诸如“放弃”、“没有办法”、“没有可能”、“不可能”、“毫无可能”、“不会发生的”、“失败”、“没有用的”、“绝望”和“撤退”这样的词汇从我的词典里去掉。因为这些都是愚蠢之人才会用到的词汇。我会尽量避免绝望,但如果这种心理疾病影响到我,我也会在绝望中继续努力。我会苦干、会忍耐。我会忽略脚下的障碍,把眼光放在前方的目标上,因为我知道戈壁的尽头就是绿洲。

我会谨记远古的概率法则,并用它来激励自己。我相信每次失败都会为我下一次的尝试增加成功的几率。我得到的每一次否决都会拉近我跟赞许的距离。我的每次皱眉都是为了迎接下一个要到来的微笑。我遇到的每一个逆境都是在酝酿明天的好运。经过黑夜才能看到光明,所以我一定要不怕失败才能够获得成功。

我会尝试,尝试,再尝试。每一次遇到障碍,我都会认为这仅仅是达到目的之前的一段小插曲,对信仰的一次小挑战。我会坚持,就像水手们那样锻炼自己,承受住每一次暴风雨的咆哮,让自己变得更强。

我不会因为昨天的成功而允许自己自满于今天,因为这是失败的根基。我会忘记过去发生的所有事情,不管是好事还是坏事,并带着今天将是我人生中最美好的一天的信心,去迎接每个新的一天。只要我还活着,我就会坚持到我人生的最后一口气。我现在才真正明白关于成功最伟大的一条定律:坚持就是胜利。

我要坚持。我要胜利。

Developing Self-confidence 培养你的自信

Anonymous 佚名

Confidence is a feeling—an inner fire and an outer radiance,a basic satisfaction with what one is plus a reaching out to become more.Confidence is not something a few people are born with and others are not,for it is an acquired characteristic.

Confidence is the personal possession of no one;the person who has it learns it—and goes on learning.The most gifted individual on earth has to construct confidence in his gifts from the basis of faith and experience,like anybody else.The tools will differ from one person to the next,but the essential task is the same.Confidence and pose are available to us all according to our abilities and needs—not somebody else’s—provided we utilize our gifts and expand them.

One of the most rewarding aspects of confidence is that it sits gracefully on every age and level of life—on children,men,women,the famous,the obscure,rich,poor,artist,executive,teenager,the very old.

And you can take it with you into old age.There is nothing more inspiring than an old person who maintains his good will,humor,and faith in himself,in others,in the future.Conversely,the root cause of old people’s despair is a feeling of not being wanted,of nothing to contribute,no more to conquer and become.