【推荐2】No matter how often it’s repeated, let’s all face it — we naturally are quite likely to mirror (反映) the behaviour of those in our surroundings. While it’s neither a good nor bad habit, I believe we should think about how much we let others impact us. Why? Because we’re independent people and we can choose our own way.

Jim Rohn, a public speaker, said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This means our close circle of peers (同龄人) can be seen as parts of ourselves. That’s why I often find it difficult, even now, to go against my family’s or friends’ opinions, because they’re the people I care for most and don’t want to disappoint.

When I was around nine years old, I went to a summer camp where I met lots of other kids. At dinnertime, we’d all gather around in the restaurant. At some point, my group of friends and I decided to have a competition to see “who could drink the most glasses of water.” Little me, very competitive and careless, drank 14 glasses of water in 20 minutes. Obviously, I was encouraged by my friends, who were cheering me on. As the night went on, I was rushed to the hospital.

It’s the feeling of belonging to a group that’s tricky (难以对付的). One truth I know for sure now is real friends will always respect your choices. If you’ve thought through it and don’t want to do something, you shouldn’t do it. Your true friends shouldn’t force you to do anything. You’re the master of your own choices. For example, I’ve often turned down some party invitations because I’ve made my own decisions about what I do and don’t want to do. This can, however, leave a cold impression at first, because you’re not following the decisions of the people you may usually agree with. However, in the end, I realize I’m the one who faces the consequences (后果) of my actions, not my friends.

【推荐1】A long，long time ago，Nyame the sky god hid all the stories in a box high in the sky. No person or animal had any story to tell，so everyone was very sad.

Then one day，an old spider，Anansi，made a long web all the way to the sky. Anansi climbed the web to the sky and asked Nyame，“Can I have the stories please？I'll do anything if you give us the stories."Nyame thought for a moment.Then he answered，“Fine. First I will give you a task. Bring me three things：a snake，a leopard，and bees.Then I will give you the stories." Nyame laughed so loudly that everyone on Earth could hear him！Anansi climbed slowly back to Earth and told his wife, Aso, what had happened. She listened carefully. Then she said，"I have a plan."

Later that day，Anansi followed Aso's plan. First，he found a long stick. After that，he went near Snake's home and said loudly，“This is very long，very long indeed！"When Shake heard Anansi talking, he said，“What is so long？"Anansi answered，“I'm sorry，Snake.This stick is longer than you are. “Snake answered proudly. “It is not！I'm a very long snake! You will see that I am longer.” He moved next to the stick. Then，Anansi quickly used his web to tie Snake to the stick.

Immediately，Anansi climbed back to the sky and gave the snake to Nyange. Bur Nyame only said，“I told you to bring three things.Where are the other two？"Then Nyame laughed，“Ha ha ha！” Anansi sadly went back to Earth with no stories. He asked his wife，“How will I ever obtain a leopard？"

Again，Aso had a plan，and Anansi followed it. First，he made a hole in the ground and put sticks over it so no one could see the hole.The next day，Anansi went back to the hole and Leopard had fallen inside！Anansi used his web to quickly tie him up. He took Leopard to Nyame. Nyame looked surprised this time. He said，“You still must bring the bees！"Again，Anansi asked Aso for help. Again，he followed her plan.The next day he found a tree with bees in it. He quickly threw water on the tree and on himself. Then he said to the bees，“It is raining！Quick--get inside my gourd（葫芦）. It will keep you dry.”So the bees fell for his trick and all flew into Anansi’s gourd. With a big smile，Anansi used his web to close the gourd, so the bees could not get out.

Finally，Anansi took the bees to Nyame. Nyame was not laughing anymore. Nyame kept his promise and gave Anansi all of the stories. Very carefully，Anansi carried all the stories back down to Earth. And after he told each story，he said，“Stories are for telling，not for keeping in boxes.”

【推荐2】An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again and the elephant waved it away once more.

This happened several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can’t you just stay in one place? ”

The fly answered, “I am interested in whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses, and everything that happens around me, pull me here and there and I cannot resist (抵抗) them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still? ”

The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule me. I am in control of myself — my senses do not tell me what to do. This helps me stay focused on whatever I do, and so, keep my mind calm and still. Now that I am eating, I am completely enjoying eating. In this way, I can just focus on enjoying my food. ”

After hearing these words, the fly’s eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at the elephant and said, “I understand! I will always be restless if I let my senses control me. On the other hand, if I try to use some self-control, my mind will become calm and I’ll be able to stay still. ”

It is said that the mind is restless and pays attention to whatever is in front of it. But if you can control what you pay attention to, you can control your mind.