励志与思考      

  孙老师的建议：
       请在阅读时与金山词霸结合，省去查词典的烦脑，大大提高阅读速度 -----------享受阅读的乐趣，领悟大家的风范，体会智者的思想，感受勇者的灵魂。

     Self-motivation for success

成功的自我激励

   Do you wait for people to motivate激发 you or do you take the initiative主动 to motivate yourself? ( Initial 最初的, 词首的, 初始的 initially)

    If you wait for people to motivate you, it may take a long time to come or it may not happen at all. If you motivate yourself, the frequency 周率, 发生次数 and intensity强度 are all within your own control.

    W. Mitchell, author of “The Man Who Would Not Be Defeated击败”, motivated himself to success. He suffered遭受 磨难burns烧伤 to over 65 per cent of his body in an accident and was paralyzed使瘫痪 a few years later.( She was suffering from a headache.)

    Did he give up hope? Initially最初, 开头, yes. Later, he armed himself with a new attitude to push aside排除obstacles障碍 blocking his way to the many goals and dreams in his life⁴. He took control of 操纵, and responsibility责任,职责 for his own life. He put himself in charge of负全责 his new, painful疼痛的, 使痛苦的 and challenging有挑战性的 situation. 形势；状况；事态

    He co-founded建立, 创立 a multi-million数百万的 dollar business and became a respected environmentalist环境保护论者, a mayor市长, a pilot and an active sportsman. He is an internationally-sought after追求：努力得到或达到 speaker. He has appeared on the TV programmes, “Today”  and “Good Morning America”. He was featured (报刊)特载; 特别详细的报道in Time and Parade大范围的、通常是炫耀式的连续 magazines, USA Today and The New York Times. (seek after [for]寻求, 探索; 追求; 寻找sought )

   His remarkable不平常的, 非凡的 story of courage勇气, 精神 and self-motivation has uplifted提高; 促进millions of people around the world.

   “It is not what happens to you — it is what you do about it,” he said.

When something in your life changes, Mitchell asks: “Is it a setback顿挫, 挫折or a starting point?”

    To Mitchell, most limitations限制, 局限性are self-imposed自我加强的. Of course, some obstacles are put in your path小路, 小径; (公路旁的)人行道, but overcoming them depends totally on your attitude姿势, 态度, 看法, 意见and character个性.

    Anthony Robbins, author of “Unlimited Power”, said this of Mitchell: “Mitchell has refused to be overcome by two life-threatening威胁 and life-changing accidents意外事件-disastrous损失惨重的events which, if given the power, could have ruled统治, 支配 his life to its end.

     Instead, he decided to make the tragedies悲剧, 惨案, 悲惨, 灾难which befell降临him a starting point.

    “I have been inspired by Mitchell myself, because I believe that Mitchell embodies体现those traits显著的特点, 特性that are required for us to rise above whatever life hands us支持, 交给; those traits that can enable us to be joyful, fulfilled发挥, and whole human beings, created and always being created in the image of god.”

    While Mitchell rose like a phoenix凤凰, 象不死鸟一样从死灰中再生; 复活, 新生from his sufferings, Australian skier滑雪的人Janine Shepherd also bounced [俗] 卷土重来back with self-motivation.  ( rise  rose  rising， rises  raise one's head抬起头raise the flag升旗)

    Shepherd was training for the 1988 Calgary卡尔加里[加拿大西南部城市] Winter Olympics when a truck hit her. She had a broken neck, back and massive大块的internal injuries. It was a miracle that she lived. She was told she would never walk or ski again.

    “Never” was a word Shepherd could not accept. She resisted抵抗, 反抗any negative thought or feeling. She fought back, even when further setbacks挫折occurred — a potentially潜在地fatal致命的, 重大的blood clot (血液等的)凝块was discovered in her lungs.

     She motivated herself to live with pain. She did not want to be robbed of抢夺her aims in life. Every time she heard planes flying, she boosted增加；提高her fighting spirit to a higher level.

   “If I can not walk, I am going to fly,” she decided.

     Shepherd learned to fly even with one leg unable to operate a pedal. She also became a flying instructor and overcame another “impossibility.” She was told that she could not have children but went on to have two daughters.

   “Never Tell Me Never” is the title of her recently published book. Shepherd now gives motivational speeches, encouraging people not to let go of life. 释放, 放开

    Did Mitchell and Shepherd wait to be motivated? Probably some people around them encouraged and urged them to fight on. Probably some people were negative and suggested that they abandon their dreams or limit their goals.

   Mitchell and Shepherd could have succumbed屈服于to their sufferings, their initial negative否定的, 消极的moods心情, 情绪and the “discouragers” 沮丧, 妨碍,劝阻者who are present呈现around us. But no, they did not want to give in so easily. They did not want to lose or be defeated without even trying in their new circumstances. 环境, 详情, 境况 ( lose [lu:z] vt., vi.lost, losi  )

    It must have taken a great deal of self-motivation to push themselves on each minute, hour, day, week, month and year. It must have taken a lot of self-talk to refocus重调焦距 on their aspirations,渴望to plan their strategies策略 to activate or vitalize激发their plans, to make adjustments and to succeed—not once but several times.

    Self-motivation is the best power to drive you towards your goals. Take charge of 掌管your life. Do not wait to be motivated by others.

Think over the following question

-------What do you think about the article?

-------Do you know Why I recommend it to you?

-------What are you going to do after reading it?

孙老师的感悟：

   人生需激励motivation,更需要自我激励self-motivation。Do not tell me—never! 这倒让我想起中国的自我激励篇——人之立志故不如蜀鄙之僧哉！

为学

【原文】

   天下事有难易乎？为之，则难者亦易矣；不为，则易者亦难矣。人之为学，有难易乎？学之，则难者亦矣；不学，则易者亦难矣。

   蜀之鄙有二僧：其一贫，其一富。贫者语於富者曰：“吾欲之南海，何如？”

   富者曰：“子何恃而往？”

   曰：“吾一瓶一钵足矣。”

   富者曰“吾数年来欲买舟而下，然未能也。子何恃而往！”

   越明年，贫者自南海还，以告富者，富者有惭色。

   西蜀之去南海，不知几千里也，僧富者不能至，而贫者至焉。人之立志故不如蜀鄙之僧哉！

【译文】：

   There is nothing difficult for us to do in the world. If we do it , the difficult thing will be easy; if we don’t , the easy thing will be difficult, There is nothing difficult for us to learn. If we learn it , the difficult thing will be easy; if we don’t , the easy thing will be difficult.

     There lived two monks in the western frontier of Szechuan, one poor and the other rich. One day the poor monk said to the rich one.

      “I want to go to Nanhai, what do you think?”

      “On what do you depend for going there?”asked the rich monk .

      “A bottle and a basin will suffice me ,”answered the other.

      “Well, I have been meaning to go there by boat for many years,but failed .How could you go without any support!”

      After one year the poor monk returned from Nanhai, and told his story to the rich one, who was ashamed to hear it .

      It is so many thousand miles from the western frontier of Szechuan to Nanhai. The rich monk failed to go. but the poor one went. Couldn’t we make up our minds to do something as the poor monk of the western frontier of Szechuan did ?

【注解】

⑴因为一国有一国的特殊语法，翻译是决不能完全照字面直译的，例如本文第一句：“天下事有难易乎？”用白话说，便是世界上的事有没有难和易的分别，如照此应译为--Is there a difference between difficulty and easiness in things of the world? 则不合英美语法的表现方法，所以应该意译，看英美人对于这样的意思是怎样表述的，我们就怎样来译，不必拘泥于原文字句。注意nothing difficult,不能说成difficult nothing,因为在thing 字上已有一个形容词，就不能再加别的字。例如something Chinese (一点中国的东西)也是同样的用法。普通的情形，当然可以说not a difficult thing (不是一件难事)。

⑵为学：to learn

⑶蜀：古地名，即今四川省

⑷鄙：指-鄙地方，可译the frontier districts ,或简说frontier.

⑸之：去

⑹南海：不可译作the South Seas(南半球的海洋；南太平洋)，因为引处系指普陀山，南海观世音菩萨说法处，故音译为Nanhai。

⑺子：你。

⑻恃：依赖，可译作depend on

⑼钵：和尚盛饭的用具叫钵。用饭钵来化缘的和尚称托钵僧。

⑽买舟：即买船票的意思，在此指坐船

⑾越明年：意即经过一年，故可译为after one year

(12)惭色：意为惭愧之色，译为to be ashamed 即可，色字不宜译出

(13)不知几千里也，意即有好几千里，故译为many thousand miles.文学作品对于距离不必太准确，否则应以li（里）代mile（哩）

(14)至：在此与其译成，不如译为，更为适合说话的语气

(15)立志：下决心做事。to make up one’s mind

(16)故：反而。此处只好译成Couldn’t 的反问语气

                        成功不是最终目的地                                      

                                孙老师的感悟：

         成功不是最终目的,所有的成功人士都是从一个成功走向另一个成功。他们享受的是每一个成功的过程。

         比尔盖茨高中时就是一个成功的程序设计者，几年后他成为世界上最成功的企业家。      施瓦辛格从前是个成功的演员，现在他是一个成功的美国州长。现年78岁的格林斯潘，曾是纽约时报广场派拉蒙剧院下面的一家夜总会里成功的萨克斯管演员,后来他成为美国有史以来最成功的美联储主席，历经四位总统。据说他打一个喷嚏值十亿美元。

           年龄也不是成功的羁绊，Tina Turner在54岁时成为一位成功的歌唱家，无论她走到哪里，剧场都座无虚席。George Burn 在快一百岁时还要在凯撤宫剧场演出。

           将相安有种哉！成功不仅属于富人与名人。It should be the goal of everyone 它属于所有人。成功不在于大小，它是一种心灵的震颤；是一种自我的满足；更是对社会的责任。

         对成功的渴望不是贪婪，而是人生新的体验与探索。

          成功的路上布满荆棘与诱惑，它需要勇气、毅力与足智多谋，它是智者和勇者的游戏！

     Success is not a destination

成功不是最终目的地

      Do people stop once they have achieved something? No! In life, we are always trying to do things better or having more of the same success.

       I met a successful Australian creative director at an advertising congress(代表)大会 in 1989. This was before he became a best-selling author. He is Bryce Courtenay. His first novel, The Power of One, was about his childhood days in South Africa. It has been sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

       Spurred on鞭策..., 激励..., 疾驰 by his success¹, Courtenay wrote Tandia, a continuation继续, 续集 to The Power of One, in 1991. Again, this has been a bestseller最佳状态或作品, 最好的东西.

       Now he is writing his third book entitled April Fool’s Day. It is the touching动人的, 令人同情的 story of how his young son, Damon, died of AIDS on April 1, 1991.

      Director Oliver Stone also goes from one success to another. He won Academy  研究院, 学会Awards² for his screenplay电影剧本 adapta-tion 改编of Midnight Express in 1978, Platoon in 1986 and Born on the Fourth of July in 1989.

        Now he is back with another film set in开始 Viet Nam called Heaven and Earth.

       Jane Fonda moved from being an Academy Award actress to a successful business-woman. Her aerobics workout videos健身操录像带have been sold around the world.

       Golfer Greg Norman has his ups and downs in golf tournaments比赛, 锦标赛. Still, he has won millions of dollars. He has tournaments named after him, such as the Shark [美俚]杰出的人, 老手, 专家Shootout and the Greg Norman Holden Classic. Now he has launched the Shark range等级, 类别, 种类of sportswear运动装, 休闲活动穿着的衣服.

         Steffi Graf wants to keep on winning tennis grand slam大满贯赛事⁴. Jansher Khan drives himself to beat his opponents without losing too many games or points in squash壁球 tournaments (a game played by two people in an indoor court with their hands and a ball).

        Athletes运动员, 运动选手 are constantly striving to lower time for races; increase heights or distances.

         The world of medicine has had its series of successes too. Christian Barnard performed several successful heart transplants. Other medical experts have achieved organ transplants. Throughout the ages, mankind has found treatment and cures for tuberculosis肺结核, cancer, and other diseases. A cure of AIDS might soon be discovered.

        Age does not seem to slow down achievers. Tina Turner at 54 is still singing with abundant丰富的, 充裕的, 丰富, 盛产, 富于 energy and attracting sell-out crowds⁵吸引了听众，每场演出均座无虚席wherever she goes.

         Comedian George Burns, in his 90s, wants to perform at Caesar凯撒(古罗马的将军,政治家,历史家,公元前100-44)’s Palace when he turns 100.

         Success does not belong only to the rich and famous. It should be the goal of everyone. Many successful people have had humble beginnings.

        Would you believe that actress Michelle Pfeifer of Cat-woman fame was a supermarket checkout girl?

       At work, we strive for achievements too. Success may mean organizing a conference more effectively and efficiently each year. Sometimes, it is not a pat on the back [口]赞扬或鼓励的表示or the promotion that makes it worthwhile值得的：非常有用的或重要的而值得耗费时间、投入力量或引发兴趣的.

        Often, it is the inner thrill and satisfaction of achievement, no matter how small it may be.

        Aiming for success doesn’t mean you are greedy or dissatisfied. It is all part of gaining new experiences and dimensions in life. It ultimately makes you a more interesting and useful person in society.

         The journey to success has its road blocks, discouragement and distractions分心；注意力转移；精力不集中. It takes great resourcefulness足智多谋 and achievement to overcome obstacles and setbacks顿挫, 挫折, 退步, 逆流, (疾病的)复发to move on successfully.

                                                                                  by Peter Ling

1.     spurred on by his success 在成功的驱使下

2.     Academy Awards 学院奖，即奥斯卡奖

3.     aerobics workout videos 健身操录像带

4.     grand slam 大满贯赛事

5.     attracting sell-out crowds 吸引了听众，每场演出均座无虚席

孙老师点评:

  我们的头脑就像我们的肌体，需要休息。大脑的休息—— meditation沉思。每当夜深人静时，我喜欢独坐阳台。大脑如喧闹了一天的大海,变得一平如镜。股市的沉浮、人世的烦脑、宠辱皆忘。一切都渐渐远去，只有纯净与美好犹如一轮明月缓缓升起。Medidation沉思让我永不迷失人生的真谛！

     Meditation cleanses the mind

静坐净化心灵

              The mind has been described as a mighty有力的；强大的 tree filled with energetic精力旺盛的；有力的 monkeys顽皮的小孩, all swinging from悬挂 branch to branch and all contributing to an incessant不断的；不停的 riot骚动；骚乱 of chatter and move ment¹.

          Indeed, there is a constant不变的；固定的 whirl使迅速回转回旋，纷乱² going on in out minds because of work and personal demands, so much (so ) that many of us end up highly stressed or mentally exhausted each day³.

            This is where meditation沉思，冥想：沉思的行动或过程 comes in. Meditation is like medication药物治疗, 药物处理, 药物 for the mind, except that there is no medicine to take. It is also a form of relaxation for the mind, refreshing提神的, 凉爽的, 使人喜欢的 it after a tiring day.

            The objective of meditation is to bring all the distraction娱乐, 分心, 分心的事物 in the mind to a standstill停止, 停顿, creating 20 to 40 minutes of silence each day. After meditation, the mind feels rejuvenated使变年轻⁴. In the long term, meditation makes one feel more relaxed and more alert机灵的；活跃的.

         Some believers in meditation say that it relaxes and refreshes the mind daily, helping us to be more creative. A tense紧张的；绷紧的；拉紧的 mind stifles窒息；闷死⁵ the free flow of ideas.

             Through meditation, we bring our mind and out heart into a harmony和睦；和谐；和平相处 that clarifies解释；澄清；阐明 our vision.

               To bring the mind to stillness静止, 沉静 each day, a phrase called a “mantra” 咒语 is repeated in tune with deep breating⁶. You can choose a phrase such as “shalom,” 希伯来语 a砿 [和平]  which means peace.

                   Many meditators prefer a phrase whose sound has no visual associations and which helps us slide into a meditation that will be quite free of all images影像.

               If you join a meditation group, a phrase is given to you and you are expected to keep it a secret.

                 When I started transcendental超越思想和经验的；超凡的 meditation⁷ in the 70s, I was given a two-syllable音节 phrase and have not told anyone what it is, not even my wife.

              Once you have chosen your phrase, or it has been given to you, it is important not to change it. If you stick to the same phrase, it gradually becomes part of your subconscious下意识的⁸.

            If you change from one phrase to another when you begin to meditate, it is like shopping around for something better, thus occupying your mind with your whims一时的兴致； 突然的念头 and moods⁹ that you are supposed to leave behind when you meditate.

               It is recommended that you meditate twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or early evening.

              Morning meditation is to refresh your mind for the day, as not every night’s sleep is restful. Evening meditation relaxes your tired mind and rejuvenates it for the next few hours.

          Some people don’t like to meditate in the evening because it makes them feel so rejuvenated that they can’t sleep at night (some people have found that they sleep less after meditating regularly).

            Meditate for about 20 to 30 minutes each time. If you can’t meditate twice daily, meditate in the early evening as a kind of shower for the mind so that you feel refreshed for the family, for any personal or office work that you may want to catch up on¹ and for a more restful sleep.

            When you meditate, find a place where you won’t be disturbed by anyone or anything. Sit down still, relaxed and upright笔直的；直立的. Close your eyes lightly. Breathe calmly and regularly. Silently say your chosen phrase in your mind gently. Say it continuously, as often as you breathe!

            Listen to your phrase. Do not think or imagine any thing. If thoughts and distractions come, keep returning your thoughts to saying your chosen phrase. Even if you stop saying the phrase at some stage during your meditation because of distractions, nothing is lost as long as you repeat the phrase gently again.

           Meditate regularly, just like you shower daily. It relaxes your mind and your heart.

by Peter Ling

1.     …all swinging from branch to branch and all contributing to an incessant riot of chatter and movement. (这些猴子)在树干上跳来跳去，引起一阵不停的喧闹和骚动。

2.     whirl 回旋，纷乱

3.     many of us end up highly stressed or mentally exhausted each day 一天下来，我们中许多人都感到高度紧张、精神疲惫

4.     rejuvenated 重又焕发

5.     stifle 窒息，阻碍

6.     in tune with deep breathing 与深呼吸协调

7.     transcendental meditation 超脱静坐

8.     subconscious 潜意识

9.     occupying your mind with your whims and moods 头脑里杂念重重、思绪超伏

10.  catch up on 赶完