Robert Frost had aimed to be a poet since he was a teenager. But the American literary icon would not publish his first book of poetry until he was 39, and his best works would not follow until he was well into middle and old age. “Young people are good at discovering. They have a     1     here and there. It is like the stars coming out in the early evening,” he     2     at age 63, but “it is later in the dark of life that you see forms, patterns”

Frost’s     3     journey to fame during the dark of life, however, is far from the road less taken. Despite science society and silicon valley’s common belief that creativity, innovation and excellence are the near-exclusive province of the young, a surprising number of late bloomers mark the records of human history — women and men who     4     years of hardship, failure and missed opportunities before making an impact in the later stages of life. And once you move past the impressive stare of history’s Mozart-like geniuses, you find that late bloomers are quite     5    : in fact, there are many more roads to becoming an old master than a young prodigy.

Sometimes you don’t discover your passion in life until you’ve done some other things first. Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to make the most of your experiences until relatively late in life. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, didn’t start building his business empire until he was 53 years old. Until that point, the former Red Cross ambulance driver was a traveling salesman, peddling milk shake machines and paper cups. “I was a(n)     6     success all right,” Kroc wrote in his autobiography, “but 30 years is a long, long night.”

Sometimes, instead of opportunities, life     7     obstacles on the road to success. It wasn’t until Laura Ingalls Wilder turned 65 that her epic Little House on the Prairie series was published. By then, she had already devoted decades to being a farm wife and mother, schoolteacher, loan officer and newspaper columnist, and she had endured more than her fair     8     of hardship, from droughts to house fires. Another influential writer, Miguel de Cervantes, wrote Don Quixote in his late 50s after an eventful life in which he spent years behind bars and as a captive of Barbary pirates.

Therefore, unlike the youthful genius, whose rocket-fast     9     impresses as well as depresses the rest of the world, the late bloomer demonstrates what is possible as people     10     their own versions of full bloom.

Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we come to realize that those challenges are the very things that     1     us and make us who we are, it is the same with the challenges that come with friendship.

When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two choices. We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing     2     the challenge isn’t worth the trouble and call it quits. Although there are     3     times when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most cases all that is needed is     4     and communication.

When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how     5     or uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to face it and work through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a     6     for discussion and talking about how you feel as opposed to just saying what the other person did wrong. If you can say to a friend, “I got my feelings hurt,” rather than “You hurt my feelings.” You are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.

In dealing with many     7     that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for what they are: small hurdles(障碍) you need to jump or get through on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is     8     to get over, and hurt only     9     to make us stronger. It is all part of growing up, it     10     to everyone, and some day you will look back on all of this and say, “Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that is a good thing.”

People hold different views on almost anything, mainly because of the culture we are familiar with or the education we have received. We live in a judgmental world where people are quick to point out the faults and imperfections of others, yet seem unaware of their own. Some     1     souls believe they have a duty to help you to be a better person by telling you what a failure you really are first and then offering suggestions as to how you can improve.

So what is the possible solution to criticism? If you are the one forcing others to feel     2     of themselves, STOP. Make a conscious decision rather than focus on the negative aspect of a person's performance or     3    . You'll offer helpful suggestions from the beginning. If I'm painting our living room and making a mess in doing so, I would like my husband to say to me, "This is a tough job. Can I offer a suggestion that might make it easier for you?" rather than have him point out what a careless painter I am and then tell me how I should be doing it.

If you are on the receiving end of criticism, the "OK" response is a perfect solution. When someone comments     4     on a task you are doing or a personality issue of yours, a natural response is to defend and attack. However, this approach is rarely effective as it puts both parties on the     5     . Instead, simply reply with "OK". This brief one-word response     6     the other person's comment without agreeing with it or feeling necessary to engage in a debate about it.

It is important to remain     7     attached to what the other person is saying, but to listen without feeling, to be an objective observer. In fact, there is much that one can learn from a 12 review. You can ask yourself: Did I make a mistake? Could I have done better? Did I give 100% of myself to the task at hand? If so, how can I improve myself? As for chronic (习惯性的) criticizers: It is important to set strict     8     with them. Remove yourself from their     9     when necessary.

In any case, one can learn to be "OK" with criticism and not allow it to negatively impact your life or relationship with the other party. Examine it for any potential     10    , and then let it go and just be "OK".

Have you ever looked at someone else’s life with envy，just enough envy that you wish for a moment or two (or longer) that you could be them? Are there moments when, if the opportunity to be them were on     1    , you might be tempted by it?

Would we really want this? And what might we learn about ourselves or how we see our lives if we     2     considered it? To be sure, there are     3     here. If you had someone else’s life, who would raise your children or love your spouse or take care of your parents in their old age?

In fact, if you were someone else your own children would not have come into existence in the first place. That’s not a happy thought. To     4     this, perhaps the best way to cast this is in terms of a trade: If you had their life then they would have yours, and live it exactly as you would have. Your responsibilities would be     5    , so there would be nothing to feel guilty about.

If we think of it this way, then the question of wanting to be someone else is a question of what we might call experience: Is there anybody else whose experience of life you would prefer,     6       everything else would be equal? One     7     concern about wanting someone else’s experience is that my desire to be someone else is grounded in values and desires that 1 have, and so I have to be me in order to want to be him. However, it’s not clear that that presents any real obstacle to such a desire. The fact is that there would be at least enough overlap (重叠)with them that they are exemplifying my values and desires but have a better experience than I do. So I can still prefer to be them.

I think that, on reflection, most of us would not want to     8     with another person, no matter how successful or tempting their lives seem. To see why, though, we’ll need to     9     our angle of vision. We will have to look at our own experiences rather than at theirs, or perhaps look at our experiences first. What would I be willing to give up to be another? My relationships with everyone — children, spouse, friends —and my whole history. I wouldn’t have     10     it. My loss would be that of the whole of my own experience.

Identify the problem, a goal, and a reward

Novelist Sarah Howery Hart says it's important that writers identify a specific problem, a goal, and a reward for any behavior they wish to change. In her conference workshops titled “Stuck, Tired, Bored, and Distracted: How Writers in Distress can use Psychology Tools to Overcome Common Writing-related Problems, she teaches techniques learned in her doctoral study of psychology to help writers become more     1     and efficient.

One of the most common     2     she hears is the lack of time to write. “First, we need to determine what that means,” she says. “Maybe it means that you do things that     3     your own writing, like checking emails and social media. Your next step is to determine how     4     this is happening.”

She offers her participants worksheets to help them measure how often a particular behavior occurs, and then asks them to     5     whether the behavior is truly a problem. “Let’s say you find that you check your email once an hour while you're writing. Is that too frequent? Only you can determine that, ’’ she says. “If you check your email and then move on to Facebook and then to Twitter-even if you’ve only checked once, this can take a(n)     6     15 minutes out of your writing hour. Also, you lose your     7     of thought and can’t remember what you were going to write next.”

She advises writers to set a goal - for instance, writing for an hour without checking email or social media. “And then you have to determine your reward     8    ,” she says. “How often will you need to reward yourself?”

She urges writers to assess their progress    9    . “After a day, after a few days，are you meeting your goals?” she says. “If the reward didn’t work, you may need to     10     it. Maybe reading a book for 15 minutes wasn't the strongest reward for you because you read for two hours when you go to bed at night. Maybe you’d rather go to the gym or out for a half-hour run.”

There was a time when British Olympic medal winners became household names because there were so few of them. But the 67 medals at this year's Games in Rio and 147 at the Paralympics meant that the GB medalists’ reception at Buckingham Palace was a crowded and happy event.

Many of this year's winners spoke of being inspired by athletes of previous generations. Inspiration fed their aspiration; and having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.

A few months ago, I saw inspiration of a different kind when I opened the new Cambridge base of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where Prince William works as a helicopter pilot. It was not hard to be moved by the     1     of the highly skilled doctors, paramedics and crew, who are called out on average five times a day.

But to be inspirational you don't have to save lives or win medals. I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, careers, community organizers and good neighbors; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.

They are an inspiration to those who know them, and their lives frequently embody a truth expressed by Mother Teresa, from this year Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She once said: 'Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love'.

This has been the experience of two     2     organizations, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and The Prince's Trust, which are 60 and 40 years old this year. These started as small     3    , but have grown beyond any expectations, and continue to transform young people's lives.

To mark my 90th birthday, volunteers and supporters of the six hundred charities of which I have been patron came to a lunch in The Mall. Many of these organizations are     4     in size but inspire me with the work they do. From giving friendship and support to our veterans, the elderly or the bereaved; to championing music and dance; providing animal welfare; or protecting our fields and forests, their selfless devotion and generosity of spirit is an example to us all.

When people face a challenge they sometimes talk about taking a deep breath to find courage or strength. In fact, the word 'inspire' literally means 'to breathe in'. But even with the inspiration of others, it's     5     that we sometimes think the world's problems are so big that we can do little to help. On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out    6     , but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.

At Christmas, our attention is drawn to the birth of a baby some two thousand years ago. It was the humblest of beginnings, and his parents, Joseph and Mary, did not think they were important.

Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was maligned and     7     by many, though he had done no wrong. And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ's example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.

The message of Christmas reminds us that inspiration is a gift to be given as well as received, and that love begins small but always grows.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. The sad woman     1     to a clever man and asked for some     2    out of her sadness.

Instead of sending her away, the clever man said to her,"Fetch me a seed    3    a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of     4    life."The woman went off at once in search of that magical seed.

She came first to a beautiful house, knocked at the door, and said,“I am    5    for a home that has néver known sadness. Is,this such a place? It is very important to me.”

The couple told her,“You've certainly come to the wrong     6    ，”and began to describe all the sad things that had recently happened to them.

The woman said to herself,“Who can help these people who have suffered     7     sadness than I?”

She went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But she    8    one sad story after another whether in the homes of the     9     or the rich. She became so busy helping other people that she forgot about the seed     10     would magically end her own sadness. She never even realized that her helping others had, in fact,driven the sadness out of her life.

The best experiences can’t be planned, so I recently traveled to San Francisco some meetings and found myself with a half day to kill. My options: The 49ers’first game of the season, against the Green Bay Packers. The America’s Cup sailing     1     . Or I could get lost.

After a horrendously long line at the car rental center, I was free. So I disappear into the fog and clouds covering the Pacific Coast Highway and     2     south with absolutely no     3     in mind.

I drove through     4     carved out of the mountains and stopped at a few state beaches; at one, I watched a wedding out on the cliffs among the crashing waves.

Back in the car, I drove toward San Gregorio, a town that you can     5     miss. I know because I drove right through it and ended up on a pine tree-bordered ribbon of asphalt that felt like it would go on forever. A few people     6     around outside the San Gregorio General Store, smoking cigarettes and talking about the motorcycles they’ve owned over the years, Inside, I found a bar with regular patrons, a guitar duo, and, of course, a full-on store. I ordered a Pacifico, grabbed a seat, and watched the guitarists jam out. Then I congratulated them, threw a couple of     7     dollars in their bucket, and walked back out into the world.

The day could have been so different: crammed into a stadium or bar half-watching sports. But this was much more     8     .Hours prior, I was on a flight with the masses, going through the motions. Then I was out on my own, having an unexpected and unrepeatable experience. I learned something on September 8: Don’t be afraid to get lost—on purpose or     9     —and have zero     10    . It will be good for you. I promise.

Overcoming Obstacles: How Your Biggest Failure Can Lead to Your Success

There’s been a lot written on the theme of failure and how essential it is to success. In a world where     1     is given for people’s accomplishments, failing feels dangerous. The fear of failure can stop people taking risks that might lead to success.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, a psychologist, points out much of success is     2     not on talent but on learning from your mistakes.

About half of the people in the world hold that ability in an area --- be it creative or social skill --- is natural. The other half believes, instead, that someone might have a preference or something --- say painting or speaking foreign languages --- but this ability can be improved through     3     practice or training.

It’s almost impossible to think rationally (理性地) while shouting at yourself, “I’m a failure”. But when you     4     your thinking, you will probably see what you can control --- your behavior, your planning, your reactions --- and change them.

The primary     5     between successful people and unsuccessful people is that the successful people fail more. If you see failure as a monster approaching you, take another look.

Success is as scary as failure. Researchers report that satisfaction grows on challenges. Think about it --- a computer game you can always win is boring; one you can win     6    , and with considerable effort, is fun. In pursuit of success, failure exposes areas that you need to     7    . So the failure serves as a brick wall to test how you apply yourself to     8     your objectives and how much you want them.

There is a way to distinguish whether a failure     9     you to double down or walk away, says Halvorson. If, when things get rough, you remain fascinated by your goal, you should keep going. If what you’re doing is costing you too much time and energy or it’s not bringing you joy, you should give a second thought to the     10     of your goal and even set a new one.