人生不設(shè)限·未來(lái)會(huì)有好日子的概率怎么可能是零

要具備追求夢(mèng)想的勇氣，無(wú)論遇到什么挑戰(zhàn)都不要懷疑。不只在中國(guó)的孤兒院，我也在孟買的貧民窟和羅馬尼亞的監(jiān)獄里看過(guò)人們超越環(huán)境的驚人能力。最近我到韓國(guó)一個(gè)社會(huì)福利中心演講，里頭有些人是身障者，還有些是單親媽媽，他們心靈的力量讓我驚訝。我也曾拜訪南非一座有著高聳的水泥墻和銹蝕柵欄的監(jiān)獄，盡管重刑犯不準(zhǔn)進(jìn)入小教堂參加聚會(huì)，但我可以聽(tīng)到整座監(jiān)獄傳來(lái)應(yīng)和著福音音樂(lè)的歌聲，仿佛圣靈已經(jīng)讓這里所有的人充滿上帝的喜樂(lè)。從外在看來(lái)，這些人被監(jiān)禁了，但因?yàn)樾判暮拖Ｍ?，他們的?nèi)在已然自由。

Have the courage to pursue your own dreams, and never doubt your ability to meet whatever challenges come your way. I've seen people's amazing capacity to rise above their circumstances not only in Chinese orphanages but in the slums of Mumbai and the prisons of Romania. I recently spoke at a social welfare center in South Korea, where some of the residents were disabled and others were single mothers. The power of their spirits amazed me. I visited a prison in South Africa with concrete walls and rusted bars. The worst criminals were not allowed in our chapel service, but I could hear others outside, throughout the prison, singing along to the gospel music. It was as if the Holy Spirit had filled the entire population with God's joy. They were captive on the outside but free on the inside because of their faith and their hope.

那天走出監(jiān)獄大門時(shí)，我覺(jué)得這些牢囚似乎比監(jiān)獄外的許多人還要自由。你也可以像這樣允許希望常駐你心。

Walking out of the prison gates that day, I felt that those inmates seemed freer than many of those outside the prison gates. You too can allow hope to live in your heart.

請(qǐng)記住，悲傷是沒(méi)有用的。會(huì)有這種感受很自然，但你不能讓它日日夜夜支配你的思想。你可以借由把注意力轉(zhuǎn)向比較積極正面、可以提振精神的想法和行動(dòng)，來(lái)控制你的反應(yīng)。

Remember that sadness does serve a purpose. It is perfectly natural to experience this emotion, but you should never let it dominate your thoughts day and night. You can control your response by turning to more positive thoughts and actions that lift your spirits.

我是一個(gè)屬靈[5]的人，所以在悲傷的時(shí)候會(huì)依靠我的信心，不過(guò)，我所受的會(huì)計(jì)訓(xùn)練提供了一個(gè)更實(shí)用的方法(這可能讓人驚訝)。當(dāng)你說(shuō)你沒(méi)有任何指望時(shí)，表示你覺(jué)得自己的人生再出現(xiàn)好事的概率是零。

Because I am a spiritual person, I look to my faith in sorrowful times. But (perhaps surprisingly) it is my training in accounting that offers a more pragmatic approach. If you say you are without hope, that means you think there is zero chance of anything good happening in your life ever again.

零?你不覺(jué)得這很極端嗎?對(duì)我而言，“未來(lái)總會(huì)有好日子”這種想法之所以不辯自明，是因?yàn)?ldquo;未來(lái)不會(huì)變好”是更不可能的。希望、信心和愛(ài)是靈性的種子，無(wú)論你的信仰是什么，你都不應(yīng)該失去希望，因?yàn)樯幸磺械拿篮枚际菑南Ｍ_(kāi)始的。如果不是心存盼望，你會(huì)想要組建一個(gè)家庭嗎?如果不是抱著希望，你會(huì)想要學(xué)習(xí)新事物嗎?希望幾乎是我們走每一步的出發(fā)點(diǎn)，而我寫這本書是希望幫助你找到更美好的人生，一個(gè)沒(méi)有限制的人生。

Zero? That's pretty extreme, don't you think? The power of believing in better days is so indisputable that, to me, it seems far more probable that your days will change for the better. Hope, along with faith and love, is one of the pillars of spirituality. Whatever your beliefs, you should never be without it because everything good in life begins with it. If you didn't have hope, would you ever plan to start a family? Without hope, would you ever try to learn something new? Hope is the springboard for nearly every step we take, and my hope in writing this book is that you will find a better life, one without limits.

《圣經(jīng)》中有一節(jié)經(jīng)文說(shuō)：“但那等候耶和華的必重新得力。他們必如鷹展翅上騰;他們奔跑卻不困倦，行走卻不疲乏。”[6]我第一次讀到這節(jié)經(jīng)文時(shí)便了解，我不需要手和腳。你也應(yīng)該明白這一點(diǎn)，而且永遠(yuǎn)別忘記，上帝從未放棄你。繼續(xù)前進(jìn)吧，因?yàn)樾袆?dòng)創(chuàng)造動(dòng)能，而這回過(guò)頭來(lái)會(huì)創(chuàng)造意想不到的機(jī)會(huì)。

A passage in the Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The first time I heard this passage, I realized that I didn't need arms and legs. Don't ever forget that God never gives up on you. Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities.