人生不設(shè)限·走出角落，主動接近他人

在試著與同學(xué)接觸時，我找到了那條通往人生目標(biāo)的路。如果你也曾是那個躲在角落，自己一個人吃午餐的“新同學(xué)”，我相信你一定能夠了解，坐在輪椅上只會讓這整件事更難熬。我們從墨爾本搬到布里斯班、到美國，然后又回到布里斯班，這些遷移過程帶來新的挑戰(zhàn)，迫使我必須不斷調(diào)適。

I found the path to my purpose while trying to reach out to my classmates. If you've ever had to be the new kid in the corner, eating lunch all by yourself, I'm sure you understand that being the new kid in the corner in a wheelchair could be all the more difficult. Our moves from Melbourne to Brisbane, to the United States, and back to Brisbane forced me to make adjustments that added to my challenges.

每到一處，通常我的新同學(xué)都會認(rèn)為我的腦袋跟身體一樣有障礙，除非我鼓起勇氣，主動在午餐時間或在走廊上找同學(xué)說話，否則他們就會跟我保持距離。我愈是去接近他們，大家就愈能接受我，而不會把我當(dāng)成天外飛來的外星人。

My new classmates often assumed I was mentally as well as physically disabled. They usually kept their distance unless I summoned the courage to strike up conversations in the lunchroom or in the hallway. The more I did this, the more they accepted that I really wasn't an alien dropped into their midst.

你看，上帝有時也希望你能幫忙擺脫重?fù)?dān)。你可以渴望、可以夢想，但你也必須針對這些渴望和夢想采取行動，盡可能地伸展自己、超越現(xiàn)狀，以到達(dá)你想去的地方。我希望學(xué)校里的人知道我的內(nèi)在世界和他們是一樣的，那我就必須走出我的舒適區(qū)，讓他們了解我。“走出去”接觸他人這件事帶來了很棒的回報。

Sometimes, you see, God expects you to help out with the heavy lifting. You can wish. You can dream. You can hope. But you must also act upon those wishes, those dreams, and those hopes. You have to stretch beyond where you are to reach where you want to be. I wanted people at my school to know that I was just like them on the inside, but I had to go outside my comfort zone to do that. Reaching out to them in this way brought out awesome rewards.

我跟同學(xué)之間會討論到，我如何在這個其實(shí)是為有手有腳的人設(shè)計的世界生活，而這些談話讓我后來有機(jī)會到學(xué)生社團(tuán)、教會青年團(tuán)體和其他青少年組織等地方演講。有一件對生活很重要的事，學(xué)校卻沒教：我們每個人都有某項(xiàng)恩賜，如某種才能、技藝、手藝、讓人開心或投入的本領(lǐng)等等，而通往快樂的路常常就在那份恩賜之中。

In time these discussions with classmates about coping in a world made for arms and legs led to invitations for me to speak to student groups, church youth groups, and other teen organizations. There's a wonderful truth that's so central to living. I find it extraordinary that schools do not teach it. The essential truth is this: Each of us has some gift—a talent, a skill, a craft, a knack—that gives us pleasure and engages us, and the path to our happiness often lies within that gift.

如果你還在尋找容身之處，還在試著弄清楚哪些事物可以滿足你，我建議你先做個自我評量：拿出紙筆或坐在電腦前，寫下你最喜歡的活動;你會被什么樣的事吸引;你的時間都花在哪些事情上;什么事會讓你花上大把時間，忙到天昏地暗，卻還是想要一做再做。接著思考一下，別人在你身上看到了什么?有沒有人夸獎過你，說你有組織或分析的才能?如果你不是很確定別人看到了你的什么特質(zhì)，不妨問問家人和朋友，你最擅長的是什么。

If you are still searching, still trying to figure out where you fit in and what fulfills you, I suggest you do a self-assessment. Sit down with a pen and paper or at a computer and make a list of your favorite activities. What do you find yourself drawn to do? What can you spend hours doing, losing track of time and place, and still want to do it again and again? Now, what is it that other people see in you? Do they compliment your talent for organization or your analytical skills? If you're not really sure what others see in you, ask your family and friends what they think you are best at.

這些都是找到人生之路的線索，而這條路就隱藏在你體內(nèi)。我們?nèi)家粺o所有卻充滿希望地來到這個世界，人生路上有許多等著被打開的禮物。當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)某件事能讓你投入，就算沒有報酬，你也愿意做上一整天，天天做也行，這就是了;而如果有人愿意付錢讓你做這件事，那你就有個事業(yè)了。

These are the clues to finding your life's path, a path that lies secreted within you. We all arrive on this earth naked and full of promise. We come packed with presents waiting to be opened. When you find something that so fully engages you that you would do it for free all day every day, then you are on course. When you find someone who is willing to pay you for it, then you have a career.

一開始，我對其他年輕人所進(jìn)行的非正式小型演講是我接觸他們的方式，好讓大家知道我跟他們一樣。我把注意力放在自己之內(nèi)，并對于有機(jī)會分享我的世界并與人產(chǎn)生聯(lián)結(jié)充滿感恩。我知道演講對我的意義，但是要過一陣子之后，我才明白我要說的可能會給其他人帶來沖擊。

At first my informal little talks to other young people were a way to reach out to them, to show that I was just like them. I was focused inward, grateful for a chance to share my world and to make connections. I knew what speaking did for me, but it took a while to realize that what I had to say might have an impact on others.