Five Balls of Life　生命中的“五个球”

◎ James Patterson


Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them: work, family, health, friends, and spirit, and you’re keeping all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
How? Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless. Don’t let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time you live all the days of your life. Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us together. Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn to be brave. Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going. Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.


假设人生是一场游戏，你必须连续向空中抛接五个球的游戏。不妨把这五个球称为：工作、家庭、健康、友谊和精神，你把它们都放飞在空中。很快，你会意识到工作是橡皮球。如果它掉在地上，还会立刻弹回来。而其他四个球——家庭、健康、友谊和精神却是玻璃球，任何一个掉在地上，都将无法挽回，一定会被磨损、变脏、磕坏，甚至摔得粉碎。它们永远也无法恢复原样。你必须知道这个后果，然后努力把握好生命的平衡。
怎么做呢？不要拿自己跟他人比而贬低你本身的价值。因为我们每个人都不尽相同，每个人都是独一无二的。其他人认为重要的不应是你制定目标的标准。只有你自己知道什么最适合你。
不要把最贴心的事情想成理所当然。珍惜它们，就像珍惜你的生命一样，因为若失去了这些，你的生命便失去了意义。不要沉湎于过去的悲伤，也不要活在对未来的幻想中，这样只会让生命从你的指尖悄然流逝。珍惜生活中的每一天，把每天都当成生命的最后一天。不到最后一刻不要放弃。只要你还在努力尝试，一切就没有真正结束。
不要害怕承认自己不够完美。正是这个不足之处才把我们聚集在一起。不要害怕遭遇风险。只有冒险才会让我们学会勇敢。不要说真爱难觅，就将爱拒之门外。获得真爱的捷径是给予爱，失去真爱最快的方式是将爱牢牢禁锢，维系真爱的最佳办法是给爱插上翅膀，放飞真爱。
生活的脚步不要太匆匆，那匆忙只会让你忘了自己从何而来、去往何方。不要忘了人类最伟大的情感需要是得到别人的认同和欣赏。不要浪费时间，也不要口不择言。它们都无法被收回，重新来过。生命不是赛跑，而是一次旅行，每一处都有值得你驻足欣赏的风景。