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我收到过很多类似的信，真的非常感恩。对于童年时期十分沮丧的我来说，这种状况真的很奇特，因为那时我觉得我连享受自己的生命都谈不上，更别提帮助别人享受他们的生命。你或许还在追寻生命的意义，但我认为如果服务他人，你就能获得满足——我们每个人都希望好好运用自己的才华、知识，让他人受惠，而不只是拿来赚钱吧。

I am grateful to receive many letters like that, and it seems especially odd given how despondent I was as a child about ever enjoying my own life, much less helping others with theirs. Your search for meaning may still be under way. But I don't think you can really feel fulfilled without serving others. Each of us hopes to put our talents and knowledge to use for benefits beyond paying the bills.

在今日的世界，即使大家都十分清楚，物质上的成就并不代表心灵上的满足，但我们仍须一再被提醒：圆满的人生与拥有财物没有关系。人们会试图用各种奇怪的方法得到满足感：喝酒、嗑药麻痹自己;扭曲身体以迎合某些霸道的“美”的标准;一辈子拼命工作，以求达到成功的巅峰，但这种成功往往一瞬间就会毫不留情地离去。大部分有智慧的人都知道恒久的幸福没有捷径，如果你押宝在短暂的快乐上，就只能得到短暂的满足。你付出什么，就会得到什么——廉价的刺激得来容易，但是今天还在，明天就消失了。

In today's world, even though we may be fully conscious of the spiritual emptiness of material attainment, we still need reminders that fulfillment has nothing to do with having possessions. People certainly try the strangest options for attaining fulfi llment. They may drink a six-pack of beer. They may drug themselves into oblivion. They may alter their bodies to achieve some arbitrary standard of beauty. They may work their whole lives to reach the pinnacle of success, only to have it mercilessly yanked from them in a second. But most sensible people know that there are no easy routes to long-term happiness. If you place your bets on temporary pleasures, you will find only temporary satisfaction. With cheap thrills, you get what you pay for—here today, gone tomorrow.

生命的重点不是拥有，而是存在。你可以用钱能买到的所有东西把自己团团围住，但你依然会是最可悲的人。我认识一些四肢健全且身材完美的人，他们的快乐却不及我的一半。四处旅行时，我在孟买贫民窟和非洲孤儿院里看到的喜乐，老实说，比我在那些管理森严的高档社区和价值几百万美元的豪宅里看到的还要多。

Life isn't about having, it's about being. You could surround yourself with all that money can buy, and you'd still be as miserable as a human can be. I know people with perfect bodies who don't have half the happiness I've found. On my journeys I've seen more joy in the slums of Mumbai and the orphanages of Africa than in wealthy gated communities and on sprawling estates worth millions.

为什么会这样?

Why is that?

当你的天赋与热情找到交集，全然发挥时，你会获得满足。请认清速食般的自我满足的真面目，抗拒物质世界的诱惑，例如豪宅、最炫的衣着，或最热门的车款。“如果我有……就会很快乐”症候群是个大骗局，如果你只在物质事物上寻找快乐，那么东西再多也不够。

You'll find contentment when your talents and passion are completely engaged, in full force. Recognize instant self-gratifi cation for what it is. Resist the temptation to grab for material objects like the perfect house, the coolest clothes, or the hottest car. The if I just had X, I would be happy syndrome is a mass delusion. When you look for happiness in mere objects, they are never enough.

不要把注意力全部放在物质上，要看看生命的所有层面，向内观看。

Look around. Look within.

 

——

当我还是个小男孩时，我常常在想，如果上帝给我双手双脚，那我从此以后一定可以过着幸福快乐的生活。这种想法不算自私吧，毕竟手脚是“基本配备”啊。不过就像你知道的，没有这些附件，我发现自己也可以很快乐、很满足。

As a boy, I figured that if God would just give me arms and legs, I would be happy for the rest of my life. It hardly seemed selfish since limbs are standard equipment. Still, as you know, I found that I can be happy and fulfilled without the usual appendages.

丹尼尔让我再次确认这件事，和他们一家人接触的经验提醒了我，我为何存在这个世界上。

Daniel helped confirm that for me. The experience of reaching out to him and his family reminded me why I am on this earth.

父母一到加州，我们就一起去丹尼尔家拜访。我和父母花了好几个小时跟他的父母聊天，交流彼此的生活经验，也提到丹尼尔未来会碰到的事，以及过往我们是怎么处理的。

Once my parents arrived in California, we met with Daniel's family and I witnessed something so special. My parents and I spent hours talking to his mother and father, comparing experiences, discussing how we've dealt with challenges that await him.

就从那时开始，我们之间建立了坚固的联结，直到今天。

From those first days we formed a strong bond that remains to this day.

一年后我们再次碰面，丹尼尔的父母提到，医生觉得他还没准备好拥有一部像我的一样的特制轮椅。

About a year after our first meeting, we got together again, and during our discussion Daniel's parents noted that his doctors felt he wasn't ready to have his own customized wheelchair like mine.

“怎么会?”我问，“我也是在丹尼尔这个年纪就开始自己操作轮椅啊。”

"Why not?" I asked. "I was about Daniel's age when I started driving my own wheelchair."

为了证明我的论点，我跳下轮椅，让丹尼尔坐上来，他的小左脚恰好能配合那支操纵杆。他爱死了，操作得很棒呢!

To prove my point, I hopped out of my chair and let Daniel take my seat. His foot fit the joystick perfectly. He loved it! He did a great job maneuvering the chair.

就因为有我们在那里，丹尼尔才有机会向他父母证明他可以操控特制轮椅——这是我知道我能通过自身经验带给他的许多协助之一。可以为丹尼尔带路，我真是有说不出的激动。

Because we were there, Daniel had the opportunity to prove to his parents that he could handle a customized wheelchair. This was one of the many ways I knew I could be there for him and help light his path based on my shared experiences. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to serve as Daniel's guide.

那天，我们给了丹尼尔一件珍贵的礼物，但他给我的回馈更棒——他的喜悦让我感受到无可比拟的充实圆满。不是豪华轿车，也不是大宅邸，没有什么东西比与上帝同行，实现他对我们的人生计划更棒的了。

We provided Daniel with a rare gift that day, but he presented me with an even better one in the matchless fulfillment I felt at feeling his joy. Not a luxury car. Not a McMansion. Nothing compares to fulfilling your destiny and aligning with His plan.

礼物还在继续送出去。后来又去拜访丹尼尔一家人时，父母提到以前很担心我会因为没手没脚浮不起来，而溺死在浴缸里，所以当我还是个婴儿时，他们帮我洗澡时就会非常小心;但是等我大一点，爸爸会在水中轻柔地托住我，让我知道其实我浮得起来。久而久之，我变得愈来愈有自信和冒险精神，还发现只要在肺里保留一些空气，我就能很轻易地浮在水面上。我甚至学会利用小左脚帮助自己在水中前进，就像推进器一样。想象一下，当我父母看到我在水里面会有多惊恐，而我变成一个看到泳池就要跳进去的游泳狂，又让他们有多诧异了。

This gift just keeps on giving. In a later visit with Daniel and his family, my parents shared their early concerns that I could easily drown in the bathtub without arms and legs to keep me afloat. As a result they were very careful when bathing me as an infant, and as I grew older, my dad held me in the water gently, showing me that I could float. Over time I became more confident and adventurous and learned I could float easily as long as I held a bit of air in my lungs. I even figured out how to use my little foot as a propeller to motor myself through the water. Considering how frightened my parents had understandably been about me in the water, imagine their amazement as I became an avid swimmer, leaping into any pool of water I could find.

我们后来很高兴地知道，丹尼尔开始学讲话时，最先说出的几句话之一就是：“像力克一样游泳!”现在，他也成了游泳狂，这真是太棒了。看到丹尼尔从我的经验中受益，赋予了我的生命更深刻的意义。就算我的故事没有打动其他任何人，但有了丹尼尔这一句“像力克一样游泳”，也足以让我人生所经历的一切苦难变得值得。

After sharing that story with Daniel's family, we were delighted to learn later that one of the first phrases he said to his parents when he was old enough to speak clearly was: "Swim like Nick!" Now Daniel too is an avid swimmer. I can't express to you how awesome that makes me feel. To see Daniel benefit from my experiences gives deeper meaning to my life. If my story never touched another person, Daniel's determination to "swim like Nick" would be enough to make my life and all the hardships I've encountered worthwhile.

认清你生命的目的是最重要的事，而且我向你保证，你肯定也可以有所贡献。或许现在还看不出那是什么，但你要知道，如果没有什么可贡献，你就不会出现在这个地球上。

Recognizing your purpose means everything. I assure you that you too have something to contribute. You may not see it now, but you would not be on this planet if that were not true.

我十分确定上帝不会制造错误，但他会创造奇迹。我是一个，你也是。

I know for