人生不設限·未來會有好日子的概率怎么可能是零

要具備追求夢想的勇氣，無論遇到什么挑戰(zhàn)都不要懷疑。不只在中國的孤兒院，我也在孟買的貧民窟和羅馬尼亞的監(jiān)獄里看過人們超越環(huán)境的驚人能力。最近我到韓國一個社會福利中心演講，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，盡管重刑犯不準進入小教堂參加聚會，但我可以聽到整座監(jiān)獄傳來應和著福音音樂的歌聲，仿佛圣靈已經(jīng)讓這里所有的人充滿上帝的喜樂。從外在看來，這些人被監(jiān)禁了，但因為信心和希望，他們的內(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，我覺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.

請記住，悲傷是沒有用的。會有這種感受很自然，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向比較積極正面、可以提振精神的想法和行動，來控制你的反應。

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.

我是一個屬靈[5]的人，所以在悲傷的時候會依靠我的信心，不過，我所受的會計訓練提供了一個更實用的方法(這可能讓人驚訝)。當你說你沒有任何指望時，表示你覺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?你不覺得這很極端嗎?對我而言，“未來總會有好日子”這種想法之所以不辯自明，是因為“未來不會變好”是更不可能的。希望、信心和愛是靈性的種子，無論你的信仰是什么，你都不應該失去希望，因為生命中一切的美好都是從希望開始的。如果不是心存盼望，你會想要組建一個家庭嗎?如果不是抱著希望，你會想要學習新事物嗎?希望幾乎是我們走每一步的出發(fā)點，而我寫這本書是希望幫助你找到更美好的人生，一個沒有限制的人生。

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：“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)文時便了解，我不需要手和腳。你也應該明白這一點，而且永遠別忘記，上帝從未放棄你。繼續(xù)前進吧，因為行動創(chuàng)造動能，而這回過頭來會創(chuàng)造意想不到的機會。

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.