看著你沿途的收獲

LOOK WHAT YOU FIND ALONG THE WAY

If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on.

Sometimes, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.

Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.

“What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors.

“We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.

After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide assortment of insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors.

Then he said quietly and confidently, “Even if we don’t dig all the way through the earth, look what we have found along the way!”

Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for—to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen; in other words, to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavor will be completed. Not every dream will be realized.

But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, “Yes, but look at what I have found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!”

It is in the digging that life is lived. And I believe it is joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters.

【助讀詞匯】

◇volunteer v.（常與to連用）自愿去做，主動請求去

◇assortment n. 種類，花色品種

◇scoff v. 嘲笑，嘲弄，嘲笑

◇endeavor n. 努力，盡力

【參考譯文】

看著你沿途的收獲

如果你曾經因為失敗而氣餒，請往下讀。

有時候完成你的目標并不重要。且聽我的解釋。

兩兄弟決定在他們房子后面挖個大洞。在他們挖的時候，兩個年長的男子正巧路過，并停了下來看熱鬧。

其中一個看客問：“你們在干嘛呢？”

兄弟中的一個興奮地回答說：“我們打算挖個洞，挖到地球另一頭去。”

兩個年長的男子笑了起來，告訴這對兄弟，要挖穿地球是不可能的。

一陣沉默之后，一個挖洞的人拾起一個裝滿蜘蛛、蠕蟲和其他各種昆蟲的罐子。他把蓋子掀開，把里面的有趣的小生命展示給嘲笑他們的看客看。

接著他平靜滿足地說：“即使我們不能挖穿地球，看看我們找到了什么！”

他們的目標不切實際，但是卻讓他們行動了起來。這就是目標的作用——讓我們朝自己選定的方向前行；換句話說，讓我們挖起來！

但是不是每個目標都能圓滿實現，不是每份工作都能成功完成，不是每份感情都能永垂不朽，不是每個希望都能如愿以償，不是每段戀情都能天長地久，不是每次行動都能善始善終，不是每個夢想都能最終成真。

但是當你不能達成目標的時候，也許你可以這樣說：“是的，我沒做到，但是看看我沿途的收獲吧！看因為我堅持不懈的努力，我發現了多少以前從未知曉好東西啊！”

只有不斷挖掘，才不枉此生。我相信到頭來真正重要的是旅途中那份愉快的心情。

【人生啟迪】

成功的第一步永遠是行動。開始行動了，就算結果卻不如人意，你也會有所收獲。但是如果你腳都不愿意踏出去，那么你將永遠與成功絕緣。