【推荐1】Have you ever been sad because you failed in something? If so, please remember, for often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Here is a story to tell you why.

One day a little boy decided to dig a hole behind his house after watching a science program. As he was working, a couple of boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a deep hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that it was impossible to do it. Then they left.

The little boy kept on digging and digging. Suddenly, a few small colorful stones caught his eyes. He collected them and put them into a glass box patiently. Then he talked to himself quietly and proudly, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have found in the process of digging!”

The boy’s goal was too difficult, but it did cause him to go on, in other words, it caused him to keep working.

Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you can’t achieve your goal, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look at what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things that have come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really has a meaning.

【推荐2】Joe was an old man. The 75-year-old lived very happily in a village and had a beautiful family. Joe had four grandchildren, and they visited him during their holidays.

During one vacation, Joe was preparing his home for the kids: cleaning and buying their favorite foods. After he finished working, he realized he lost his favorite watch. The watch was a gift from his wife when their first child was born. Joe treasured the watch very much. He was very upset about losing it.

Once his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch.

One granddaughter asked: “Grandpa, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it went missing?”

“I guess when I was cleaning the barn (谷仓)!”Joe replied.

The children looked for more than two hours with Joe, but they could not find it. The kids were now also sad, but they tried to comfort their grandfather.

One grandson went back to the barn to search again. Joe asked why he was going there a second time. But the little boy just asked the others not to follow him and to remain silent.

He was there for about fifteen minutes and then rushed to his grandfather. He found the watch and happily gave it to Joe.

Joe was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied: “I sat there without making a noise, and the barn was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the tick, tick sound and found the watch.”

Joe hugged and thanked the little boy.

This is the power of silence. If we stay calm, we are more able to find the solution.

【推荐3】I was on the train one afternoon. Our carriage was almost empty, just a few people.

At one station, a drunk man suddenly entered the train. He shouted and swung his fists(拳头) at a woman holding a baby. Luckily the baby wasn’t hurt. Then he tried to kick an old woman. Everyone was scared.

I’d been learning Chinese Kung fu for the past three years. But I’d never fought in real life. As students of Chinese Kung fu, we are not allowed to start a fight. “Kung fu,” my teacher always told us, “is about resolving conflict(解决冲突), not starting it.”

I decided that this was my moment. If I didn’t do something fast, somebody might get hurt. So I stood up, ready to fight. Just then, someone shouted, “Hey!” It was an old man. He was smiling at the drunk man. “What have you drunk?” he asked. “I’ve drunk wine, but it’s none of your business!” said the drunk man angrily. “Oh, that’s wonderful,” said the old man. Then he told how he loved drinking wine with his wife and eating watermelon. “I also love watermelon,” said the drunk man. “And I’m sure you have a wonderful wife, too,” said the old man. “No,” replied the drunk man. “My wife died.” Then he began to cry. “I have no wife, no home, no job. I’m so ashamed of myself.”

“Oh, that is so difficult. Sit down here and tell me about it,” said the old man.

As I got off the train, I realized I’d just seen real Kung fu in action. This was the real spirit of how to resolve conflict.

【推荐2】One day, Ben’s parents told him that his grandpa would retire after working for forty years. They were going to have a surprise party for him.

Ben loved his grandpa and wanted to do something special for him. He remembered his grandpa gave him a business card (名片) two years ago. He knew that his grandpa would no longer have the job on the card, so he decided to make a new one for him.

When the big day came, Ben was ready. He didn’t want to put his gift together with others’. He took it with him in the evening. When all the other people left after dinner, he gave the gift to his grandpa.

His grandpa smiled, “Well, it must be a beautiful gift. May I open it now?” “Sure!” Ben said happily.

As Grandpa opened the gift, tears (眼泪) came into his eyes. He got the greatest gift. It was a business card with his new position (职位): FULL-TIME (专职的) GRANDPA!

“What can I get every day, my dear?” his grandpa asked. “As many hugs (拥抱) as you want!” With these words, Ben gave Grandpa a warm hug. “Thank you. I’m the richest man in the world!” said Grandpa happily.

【推荐1】A student came to his teacher and asked him, “Sir, I have a question. How many friends should a person have—one or many?”

“It is very simple,” the teacher answered. “Get me that red apple from the highest branch (树枝) of the tree.”

The student looked up and said, “It’s too high! I can’t reach it.”

“Ask a friend. Maybe he can help,” the teacher suggested.

The student called another student and stood on his shoulders to reach the branch.

“I still can’t reach it, sir.” said the student sadly after the first try.

“Don’t you have more friends?” the teacher smiled.

The student asked more friends to come over. They stood on each other’s shoulders, trying to make a human pyramid (金字塔). But the apple was so high that they couldn’t go higher and the pyramid fell. The student still couldn’t reach the apple. Then one of the friends went home, brought a ladder (梯子) and the student finally picked the apple.

After getting the apple, the teacher asked, “So, do you understand how many friends a person needs?”

“I do,” the student said. “Many, so together we can work out any problem.”

“Well,” the teacher said, “of course you need as many friends as you can. However, among all of these friends there should be at least one smart friend finding out that you needed a ladder!”

【推荐3】A young boy was hungry for success. For him, winning was everything.

One day, the boy was preparing for a running competition in his small village. He would compete （比赛）with two other young boys. A large crowd went there to watch, and one of the people was a wise（充满智慧的） old man.

The race began. The boy tried hard and easily took the lead. The crowd cheered. The little boy felt very glad. “Another race, another race!” he shouted. The wise old man walked forward and showed the little boy two new challengers（挑战者）: an old lady and a blind（失明的）man.

The second race started and the boy was the only one to cross the finishing line.

The boy raised his arms happily and felt he was important. The crowd, however, was silent（沉默的）.

“Another race again, “said the wise man. “This time all three of you finish together.” The boy thought for a while. He stood between the blind man and the old lady, and then he held their hands. The race began and the little boy walked slowly to the finishing line and crossed it. The crowd cheered. The wise man smiled, too.

“Which one of us three are the crowd cheering for?” asked the boy.

“For this race, you have won much more than in any other race you’ve run,” said the wise man. “For this race, the crowd cheered not for any winner!”