人生不设限·未来会有好日子的概率怎么可能是零

要具备追求梦想的勇气，无论遇到什么挑战都不要怀疑。不只在中国的孤儿院，我也在孟买的贫民窟和罗马尼亚的监狱里看过人们超越环境的惊人能力。最近我到韩国一个社会福利中心演讲，里头有些人是身障者，还有些是单亲妈妈，他们心灵的力量让我惊讶。我也曾拜访南非一座有着高耸的水泥墙和锈蚀栅栏的监狱，尽管重刑犯不准进入小教堂参加聚会，但我可以听到整座监狱传来应和着福音音乐的歌声，仿佛圣灵已经让这里所有的人充满上帝的喜乐。从外在看来，这些人被监禁了，但因为信心和希望，他们的内在已然自由。

Have the courage to pursue your own dreams, and never doubt your ability to meet whatever challenges come your way. I've seen people's amazing capacity to rise above their circumstances not only in Chinese orphanages but in the slums of Mumbai and the prisons of Romania. I recently spoke at a social welfare center in South Korea, where some of the residents were disabled and others were single mothers. The power of their spirits amazed me. I visited a prison in South Africa with concrete walls and rusted bars. The worst criminals were not allowed in our chapel service, but I could hear others outside, throughout the prison, singing along to the gospel music. It was as if the Holy Spirit had filled the entire population with God's joy. They were captive on the outside but free on the inside because of their faith and their hope.

那天走出监狱大门时，我觉得这些牢囚似乎比监狱外的许多人还要自由。你也可以像这样允许希望常驻你心。

Walking out of the prison gates that day, I felt that those inmates seemed freer than many of those outside the prison gates. You too can allow hope to live in your heart.

请记住，悲伤是没有用的。会有这种感受很自然，但你不能让它日日夜夜支配你的思想。你可以借由把注意力转向比较积极正面、可以提振精神的想法和行动，来控制你的反应。

Remember that sadness does serve a purpose. It is perfectly natural to experience this emotion, but you should never let it dominate your thoughts day and night. You can control your response by turning to more positive thoughts and actions that lift your spirits.

我是一个属灵[5]的人，所以在悲伤的时候会依靠我的信心，不过，我所受的会计训练提供了一个更实用的方法(这可能让人惊讶)。当你说你没有任何指望时，表示你觉得自己的人生再出现好事的概率是零。

Because I am a spiritual person, I look to my faith in sorrowful times. But (perhaps surprisingly) it is my training in accounting that offers a more pragmatic approach. If you say you are without hope, that means you think there is zero chance of anything good happening in your life ever again.

零?你不觉得这很极端吗?对我而言，“未来总会有好日子”这种想法之所以不辩自明，是因为“未来不会变好”是更不可能的。希望、信心和爱是灵性的种子，无论你的信仰是什么，你都不应该失去希望，因为生命中一切的美好都是从希望开始的。如果不是心存盼望，你会想要组建一个家庭吗?如果不是抱着希望，你会想要学习新事物吗?希望几乎是我们走每一步的出发点，而我写这本书是希望帮助你找到更美好的人生，一个没有限制的人生。

Zero? That's pretty extreme, don't you think? The power of believing in better days is so indisputable that, to me, it seems far more probable that your days will change for the better. Hope, along with faith and love, is one of the pillars of spirituality. Whatever your beliefs, you should never be without it because everything good in life begins with it. If you didn't have hope, would you ever plan to start a family? Without hope, would you ever try to learn something new? Hope is the springboard for nearly every step we take, and my hope in writing this book is that you will find a better life, one without limits.

《圣经》中有一节经文说：“但那等候耶和华的必重新得力。他们必如鹰展翅上腾;他们奔跑却不困倦，行走却不疲乏。”[6]我第一次读到这节经文时便了解，我不需要手和脚。你也应该明白这一点，而且永远别忘记，上帝从未放弃你。继续前进吧，因为行动创造动能，而这回过头来会创造意想不到的机会。

A passage in the Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The first time I heard this passage, I realized that I didn't need arms and legs. Don't ever forget that God never gives up on you. Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities.