Find Your Big Rocks Of Life 寻找你人生的大石头

　　One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

　　As he stood in front of the group of overachievers he said, “OK, time for a quiz.” He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

　　Everyone in the class yelled, “Yes.” The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, “Is this jar full?”

　　By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

　　“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”

　　“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Time with your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.”

　　一天，时间管理专家为一群学生讲课。他现场做了演示，给学生们留下了一生都难以磨灭的印象。

　　站在那些高智商高学历的学生前面，他说：“我们来做个小测验”，拿出一个一加仑的广口瓶放在他面前的桌上。随后，他取出一堆拳头大小的石块，仔细地一起放进玻璃瓶里。直到石块高出瓶口，再也放不下了，他问道：“瓶子满了？”

　　所有学生应道：“满了！”时间管理专家反问：“真的？”他伸手从桌下拿出一桶砾石，倒了一些进去，并敲击玻璃瓶壁使砾石填满下面石块的间隙。“现在瓶子满了吗？”他第二次问道。

　　但这一次学生有些明白了，“可能还没有”，一位学生应道。“很好！”专家说。他伸手从桌下拿出一桶沙子，开始慢慢倒进玻璃瓶。沙子填满了石块和砾石的所有间隙。他又一次问学生：“瓶子满了吗？”

　　“没满！”学生们大声说。他再一次说：“很好！”然后他拿过一壶水倒进玻璃瓶直到水面与瓶口齐平，然后抬头看着学生，问道：“这个例子说明什么？”一个心急的学生举手发言：“无论你的时间多少，如果你确实努力，你可以做更多的事情！”<BR

　　>

　　“不！”时间管理专家说，“那不是它真正的意思，这个例子告诉我们：如果你不是先放大石块，那你就再也不能把它放进瓶子里了。那么，什么是你生命中的大石头呢？也许是你的道德感、你的梦想？还有你的一切，记得先去处理这些大石块，否则，一辈子你都不能做！”

　　The Splashes Of Life 生命的波纹

　　我有个基本观点：自由即选择，选择即负责。

　　为什么选择即负责？因为任何选择都会产生结果。结果可能是好的，也可能不好。但不论好与不好，都得有人兜着或扛着。谁来兜着，谁来扛着？只能是做出选择的人。所以选择即负责。

　　既然选择即负责，那么，你在进行选择时，就只能服从自己的内心冲动。想想看，如果标准是别人的，埋单的却是自己，岂不亏大发了？更何况，别人帮你做的选择，能保证你的幸福吗？按照别人的标准去活，有意思吗？

　　同样，既然选择即负责，那就不能只往好处想。好处是任何人都不会拒绝的，需要担心的是不好的后果。这种后果，我们可能承担得了，也可能承担不了。承担不了，就只能放弃。承担得了，则何妨坚持？

　　要知道：迁就世俗，一时无忧；违背内心，永远痛苦。

　　所以，选择的时候，只用想两条：一、这是不是我非常想要或想做的？二、如果后果严重，兜不兜得了，扛不扛得住？如果两条都没问题，那就要！

　　人生能得几回“二”，何不潇洒“二”一回？

　　选择已定，则任人批评。他人的批评能时时提醒我们：你是有人反对的，你也是会犯错误的，因此你没有任何理由自以为是，得意忘形！

　　结果，我们就会少犯错误，甚至不犯错误。

　　也因此，我们要感谢批评者和反对派。

　　总之，决策时不妨“二”，执行和操作却一定要小心翼翼，认认真真，如临深渊，如履薄冰。一旦功成名就，更必须“无一日敢懈怠，无一事敢马虎”。

　　文/易中天

The Splashes Of Life 生命的波纹

　　There is a famous Sioux Indian story handed down from generation to generation:

　　The grandfather took his grandson to the fish pond on the farm when the boy was about seven, and he told the boy to throw a stone into the water. He told the boy to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked the boy to think of himself as that stone.

　　“You may create lots of splashes in your life, but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures,” he said.

　　“Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles.”

　　“You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both.” That was the first time the boy realized that each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world.

　　We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life.

　　这是苏族印第安人部落中流传的一个古老的故事。

　　在男孩七岁那年，他的祖父带他来到田边的一个鱼塘。他让男孩丢一颗石子到水中，并嘱咐男孩仔细观察石子所激起的水波。然后他叫男孩把自己想象成那颗石子。

　　他说：“在生命的水面上，你也许能激起许多波纹，而你所激起的波纹也会打破别人的平静生活。”

　　“要谨记，对你所激起的波纹中所包含的东西负责，因为这些东西会接触、影响到许多他人的波纹。”

　　“你应当努力将自己波纹中的平和宁静传播给他人。当然，如果你的波纹中带有愤怒、嫉妒，别人也会受到你的影响，因此，你要对它们负责。”这是男孩第一次了解到，每个人心中的安宁抑或不和，都会传播给整个世界。

　　如果我们自己内心被冲突、仇恨、疑虑或者愤怒所纠缠，自然无论我们内心激起的是何种波纹，它们都会被传向外界，与别人的生命波纹共同激起美丽，抑或是不和谐。

　　就不能给世界带来平和宁静。无论我们是否说出心中的感觉和思绪，我们都在向外界传播它们。