人生不设限·走出角落，主动接近他人
I found the path to my purpose while trying to reach out to my classmates. If you've ever had to be the new kid in the corner, eating lunch all by yourself, I'm sure you understand that being the new kid in the corner in a wheelchair could be all the more difficult. Our moves from Melbourne to Brisbane, to the United States, and back to Brisbane forced me to make adjustments that added to my challenges.
每到一处，通常我的新同学都会认为我的脑袋跟身体一样有障碍，除非我鼓起勇气，主动在午餐时间或在走廊上找同学说话，否则他们就会跟我保持距离。我愈是去接近他们，大家就愈能接受我，而不会把我当成天外飞来的外星人。
My new classmates often assumed I was mentally as well as physically disabled. They usually kept their distance unless I summoned the courage to strike up conversations in the lunchroom or in the hallway. The more I did this, the more they accepted that I really wasn't an alien dropped into their midst.
你看，上帝有时也希望你能帮忙摆脱重担。你可以渴望、可以梦想，但你也必须针对这些渴望和梦想采取行动，尽可能地伸展自己、超越现状，以到达你想去的地方。我希望学校里的人知道我的内在世界和他们是一样的，那我就必须走出我的舒适区，让他们了解我。“走出去”接触他人这件事带来了很棒的回报。
Sometimes, you see, God expects you to help out with the heavy lifting. You can wish. You can dream. You can hope. But you must also act upon those wishes, those dreams, and those hopes. You have to stretch beyond where you are to reach where you want to be. I wanted people at my school to know that I was just like them on the inside, but I had to go outside my comfort zone to do that. Reaching out to them in this way brought out awesome rewards.
我跟同学之间会讨论到，我如何在这个其实是为有手有脚的人设计的世界生活，而这些谈话让我后来有机会到学生社团、教会青年团体和其他青少年组织等地方演讲。有一件对生活很重要的事，学校却没教：我们每个人都有某项恩赐，如某种才能、技艺、手艺、让人开心或投入的本领等等，而通往快乐的路常常就在那份恩赐之中。
In time these discussions with classmates about coping in a world made for arms and legs led to invitations for me to speak to student groups, church youth groups, and other teen organizations. There's a wonderful truth that's so central to living. I find it extraordinary that schools do not teach it. The essential truth is this: Each of us has some gift—a talent, a skill, a craft, a knack—that gives us pleasure and engages us, and the path to our happiness often lies within that gift.
如果你还在寻找容身之处，还在试着弄清楚哪些事物可以满足你，我建议你先做个自我评量：拿出纸笔或坐在电脑前，写下你最喜欢的活动;你会被什么样的事吸引;你的时间都花在哪些事情上;什么事会让你花上大把时间，忙到天昏地暗，却还是想要一做再做。接着思考一下，别人在你身上看到了什么?有没有人夸奖过你，说你有组织或分析的才能?如果你不是很确定别人看到了你的什么特质，不妨问问家人和朋友，你最擅长的是什么。
If you are still searching, still trying to figure out where you fit in and what fulfills you, I suggest you do a self-assessment. Sit down with a pen and paper or at a computer and make a list of your favorite activities. What do you find yourself drawn to do? What can you spend hours doing, losing track of time and place, and still want to do it again and again? Now, what is it that other people see in you? Do they compliment your talent for organization or your analytical skills? If you're not really sure what others see in you, ask your family and friends what they think you are best at.
这些都是找到人生之路的线索，而这条路就隐藏在你体内。我们全都一无所有却充满希望地来到这个世界，人生路上有许多等着被打开的礼物。当你发现某件事能让你投入，就算没有报酬，你也愿意做上一整天，天天做也行，这就是了;而如果有人愿意付钱让你做这件事，那你就有个事业了。
These are the clues to finding your life's path, a path that lies secreted within you. We all arrive on this earth naked and full of promise. We come packed with presents waiting to be opened. When you find something that so fully engages you that you would do it for free all day every day, then you are on course. When you find someone who is willing to pay you for it, then you have a career.
一开始，我对其他年轻人所进行的非正式小型演讲是我接触他们的方式，好让大家知道我跟他们一样。我把注意力放在自己之内，并对于有机会分享我的世界并与人产生联结充满感恩。我知道演讲对我的意义，但是要过一阵子之后，我才明白我要说的可能会给其他人带来冲击。
At first my informal little talks to other young people were a way to reach out to them, to show that I was just like them. I was focused inward, grateful for a chance to share my world and to make connections. I knew what speaking did for me, but it took a while to realize that what I had to say might have an impact on others.
