The big rocks 大石块

　　如果忙于琐事，那么这些无关紧要的小事就会充斥你的生活，你永远没办法腾出有质量的时间来处理你的大 事和要事。所以，锁定目标，把精力放在最重要的事情上面，别让过多的锁事压得你一事无成。

　　The big rocks

　　大石块

　　One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz.” Then hepulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He then 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 the jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

　　一天，一名时间管理专家在对一群学习商业的学生讲话时，为了论证一个论点，他用了一个令学生们永远难忘的 表述方式。站在这群出类拔萃的学生面前，他说：“来，做个小测试。”他拿出一个一加仑的广口玻璃瓶，放在他们面前的桌上。接着他拿出一小堆拳头大小的石 块，小心翼翼、一块一块地放进瓶子里。等石块装满到瓶子，再也塞不下时，他问：“瓶子满了吗？”大家都说：“满了。”

　　He replied, "Really?"

　　他问：“真的满了吗？”

　　He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, then dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.

　　他伸手到桌下提出一桶碎石，将碎石倒进瓶子里，摇晃瓶子让碎石漏进石块的间隙里去。

　　He asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

　　他又问学生：“瓶子装满了吗？”

　　By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

　　这时学生们领悟过来了。“可能还没满吧!”一个学生回答说。

　　"Good!" he replied.

　　“好！”他说道。

　　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 the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,"Is the jar full?"

　　他伸手从桌底下拎出了一桶沙，把沙往瓶子里倒，沙子塞满了石块与碎石的缝隙，他又一次问：“满了吗？”

　　"No!" the class shouted.

　　“没满！”全班学生大声回答。

　　Once again he said, "Good!"

　　再一次，他说道：“好！”

　　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 her 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!"

　　然后他又拿出一大罐水往瓶子里倒，一直倒到水升到瓶口高。他看着学生们问：“这个演示说明了什么？”一个学生急忙举手说：“说 明了：不管时间安排得多紧，只要你想办法，总是可以见缝插针地做更多的事情。”

　　"Good answer, but no," the speaker replied, "that’s not my 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? In my life they are my children... my wife... my loved ones... my education... my dreams... charities and worthy causes... teaching or mentoring others... doing things that I love... time for myself... my health... Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all."

　　“回答得好，不过，”专家说：“这不是我想说的。这个例子告诉我们一个事实：如果你不是先放大石块，以后 它们就永远摆不进去。你生活中的‘大石块’是什么呢？在我的生活中，那就是我的孩子、妻子、所爱的人、学习、梦想、善行和有价值的事业、教导他人、做我喜 欢做的事、留给自己的时间、健康，等等。要记住，必须先放“大石块”，否则它们永远放不进去。”

　　If you sweat the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with little things to worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big,important stuff ：the big rocks.

　　如果你奔忙于琐事，那么这些无关紧要的小事就会充斥你的生活，让你成天操心，你就永远没办法腾出有质量的时间来处理你的大 事和要事（大石块）。

　　The Missed Blessings 错过的祝福

　　我们多少次地与祝福擦肩而过，仅仅因为他们没有按我们想象中的样子包装好？不要在渴望得到没有的东西时损坏你已经拥有的东西，表面上看起来像是坏运气的东西或许正是那道等待着你去开启的幸运之门!

　　The Missed Blessings

　　错过的祝福

　　A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

　　从前，有位年轻人即将大学生毕业。数月来，他一直渴望得到某汽车商产品陈列室中的一辆跑车。他知道，他那富有的父亲肯定买得起这辆车，于是，他便跟父亲说他很想得到那辆漂亮的跑车。

　　As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

　　在毕业典礼即将来临的日子里，年轻人等待着父亲买下跑车的消息。终于，在毕业典礼那天上午，父亲将他叫到自己的书房，并告诉他，有他这么出色的儿子自己感到非常自豪而且非常爱他这个儿子。接着，父亲递给儿子一个包装精美的礼品盒。年轻人感到好奇，但带着些许失望地打开礼品盒，却发现里面是一本精美的精装本《圣经》，上面以金子凸印着年轻人的名字。看罢，年轻人怒气冲冲地向父亲大喊道：“你有那么多钱，却只给我一本《圣经》？”说完，便丢下《圣经》，愤怒地冲出房子。

　　Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

　　多年以后，年轻人已事业有成。他拥有一所漂亮的房子，一个温馨的家庭。但当得知父亲年事已高，他想，或许应该去看看他。自从毕业那天起他就一直不见父亲。就在起程时，他收到一封电报——父亲已逝世，并已立下遗嘱将其所有财产转给儿子。他要立即回父亲家处理后事。

　　When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

　　在父亲的房子里，他突然内心感到一阵悲伤与懊悔。他开始仔细搜寻父亲的重要文件，突然发现了那本《圣经》——还跟几年前一样崭新。他噙着泪水打开《圣经》并一页一页地阅读着。忽然，从书的背面掉出一把钥匙。钥匙上挂着一个标签，上面写着一个汽车经销商的名字——正是他曾渴望的`那辆跑车的经销商。标签上还有他的毕业日期及“款已付清”的字样。

　　How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

　　我们多少次地与祝福擦肩而过，仅仅因为他们没有按我们想象中的样子包装好？不要在渴望得到没有的东西时损坏你已经拥有的东西，但要记住一点：你现在所拥有的恰恰正是你曾经一心渴望得到的。

　　Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

　　有时，我们并没有意识到我们已经拥有或本该拥有的好运，仅仅因为它的外表与我们想象中的有所不同。其实，表面上看起来像是坏运气的东西或许正是等待开启的幸运之门。