生活的五個球

Five balls of life

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, and spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four balls: family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffled, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would to your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly. The best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a gift: That’s why we call it—The Present.

【助讀詞匯】

◇juggle v. 玩戲法

◇irrevocably adv. 不能取消地，不能撤回地

◇scuffle v. (鞋底等)磨損

◇nick v. 刻痕于，弄缺，擦傷

fragile adj. 易碎的，虛弱的

【參考譯文】

生活的五個球

設想生活就是一場游戲，在里面你得一直把五個球扔向空中。你把它們叫做——工作、家庭、健康、朋友和心理，而且你必須不讓任何一個掉下來。很快你就會發現工作是個橡皮球，它能彈回來。

但是其他四個球：家庭、健康、朋友和心理全是玻璃做的。如果你掉了其中一個，它會無法挽回地磨損、刮痕、開裂、摔破，甚至粉身碎骨。不再和過去一樣。

你必須明白這個道理，并且在生活中力求平衡。怎么樣做？

不要和別人攀比從而低估你自己的價值。因為我們都不一樣，我們都是特別的。

不要把別人珍視的設為你的目標。只有你自己知道什么最適合你。不要以為你能擁有自己最心愛的東西是理所當然的。緊緊抱住它們，就好像你擁抱生命一樣，因為沒有了它們，生命就失去了意義。

不要沉湎于過去，或幻想未來，讓時間從你指縫中溜走。過好了每一天，你就過好了一生。

不要放棄，直到你一無所有。一切尚未結束，除非你停止努力。

不要害怕承認你并不完美。這是把我們聯系在一起的一絲薄線。

不要害怕冒險。只有不斷冒險我們才能變得勇敢。

不要嘴里念著愛難求而把愛拒之門外。想獲得愛的捷徑就是付出愛。想失去愛的最快方法就是緊緊拴住它。留住愛的最好方法就是給予它翅膀。

不要忘記一個人最大的心理需求就是被欣賞。

不要匆匆忙忙地過日子，那樣你不僅會記不起你到達過的地方，而且會忘記你的目的地。

不要害怕學習。知識沒有重量，你可以輕輕松松隨時攜帶在身上。

不要亂用時間或話語。兩者皆是復水難收。

生命不是一場賽跑，而是一次旅行，路上每一步都應當細細品味。昨天已成歷史，明天還是個迷團，今天卻是份禮物。這正是我們稱它為present的原因（present有“當今”和“禮物”的意思——譯者注）。

【人生啟迪】

很多人都在追求成功的過程中不斷地犧牲著生命中寶貴的東西，他們以為成功那天什么都有了。其實他們錯了，事實上，他們只有把握好這些東西，成功才會來臨。