人生不设限·第五章 态度决定高度
When I created a company to handle my corporate speaking engagements, I named it Attitude Is Altitude because without a positive attitude I never would have been able to rise above my disabilities and reach so many people.
或许你觉得“调整态度”的概念很好笑，因为在许多励志广告或教练技能教材里，这已经是老生常谈了。然而，控制并调整态度的确具有力量，可以让人转换情绪，并停止画地为牢的行为。心理学家兼哲学家威廉·詹姆斯(William James)说过，改变态度就能改变人生，是他那个时代最伟大的发现之一。
You may be tempted to scoff at the concept of "attitude adjustment" because it has become such a staple of motivational posters and coaching materials. But there is real power in controlling your attitude, adjusting it to counter moods and stop behaviors that may threaten your ability to live without limits. The psychologist and philosopher William James, who taught at Harvard University, said that one of the greatest discoveries of his generation was the realization that by changing our attitudes, we can change our lives.
不论是否能够意识到，你总是会通过自己独特的观点或态度来看待这个世界。你的决定与行动奠基于这些态度，因此当事情行不通时，你有能力借此来调整态度，改变自己的人生。
Whether you are aware of it or not, you view the world through your own unique perspectives or attitudes based on your beliefs of what is good or bad, wrong or right, fair or unfair. Your decisions and actions are based on those attitudes, so if what you've been doing isn't working, you have the power to adjust your attitude and change your life.
请把“态度”想象成电视机的遥控器。假如现在正在看的节目对你没有任何帮助，你就拿起遥控器转台;而无论碰到什么挑战，当你没有得到想要的结果时，你可以调整态度，就像用遥控器转台一样。
Think of your attitude as the remote control for your television set. If the program you are watching doesn't do anything for you, then you simply grab the remote and change it. You can adjust your attitude in much the same way when you aren't getting the results you want, no matter what challenges you encounter.
琳达是个音乐老师，她写信告诉我，她如何以惊人的态度帮助自己克服儿时车祸带来的影响。若非如此，那场车祸很可能毁了她的一生。小学三年级时，琳达在一场车祸中伤得很严重，昏迷了两天半，醒来后不能走路，不能说话，也无法吃东西。
Linda, a music teacher, wrote and described how her amazing attitude helped her overcome a childhood accident that easily could have ruined her life. She was only halfway through grade school when she was severely injured in a car accident. Linda spent two and a half days in a coma, and when she regained consciousness, she could not walk, talk, or eat.
医生曾担心琳达的脑部会受损，永远无法正常说话或走路，但幸好她的心智、语言能力和身体都逐渐复原。事实上，目前琳达的确因为车祸留下了后遗症，车祸造成她的右眼视力不足。
Although doctors feared she would be mentally impaired and never able to speak or walk normally, her mind, speech, and body gradually recovered. In fact, Linda's only remaining medical problem from the horrible accident is a damaged right eye that has only limited vision.
这位女性承受了难以想象的痛苦，经历许多次手术，依然留下视力受损这个问题。如果琳达觉得生命对她真不公平，似乎也不能怪她，毕竟有这样的遭遇，本来就很容易让人觉得受害、痛苦。不过，她选择了这样的态度：
This woman suffered incredible pain, endured many operations, and still has impaired eyesight. She could easily feel victimized and bitter. You could hardly blame her for taking the attitude that life has treated her unfairly. Instead, this is the attitude she chose:
“我的两眼视力不平衡，有时会让我感到挫折，但这时我想起自己从何而来、要去向何方，并了解到上帝拯救我是有理由的：要见证他在我生命中施行的作为。我的眼睛是上帝给我的提醒，让我知道自己并不完美，但不完美没有关系。另外，我必须全然仰望上帝给我力量。上帝选择通过我眼睛的缺陷，显明它的能力——我虽软弱，但必刚强。”她如此写道。
"Sometimes I am frustrated that my eyes don't work in perfect unity with each other," she wrote to me. "But then I remember where I came from and where I could be, and realize God saved me for a reason—to live as a witness to His work in my life. My eye is a reminder from God that I'm not perfect, but that's okay; I need to depend fully on Him for my strength. God chose to show His power through the weakness of my eye—though I am weak, He is strong."
琳达选择把她不完美的视力当作上帝“对她人生的完美计划”的一部分。她写道：“他改变了我对人生的态度。我知道自己的生命随时可能结束，所以我时时刻刻都努力为上帝而活。另外，我也试着用正面观点看待每一件事，努力将自己的全部献给上帝与众人，真心关怀周遭的人。”
Linda chose to accept her imperfect vision as part of God's "perfect plan for my life," she wrote. "He changed my attitude toward life—I know that mine may very well end at any moment, so I'm trying to live for Him all the time. Also, I try to always put a positive spin on everything, try to give my all to God and others, and truly care about the people around me."
琳达选择去感谢她可以思考、说话和走路，而且在许多方面都能正常生活，而不是一直把注意力放在自己视力不足这件事情上。你我也可以选择像她一样的态度。
Instead of focusing on her limited vision in one eye, Linda chooses to be grateful that she is able to think, speak, walk, and live a normal life in most ways. You and I have the ability to choose our attitudes just as she chose hers.
你不必是个圣人就能做到这点。当你遇上悲剧或个人危机时，会经历恐惧、生气和悲伤等阶段，这很正常，也很健康。但是到了某一个时间点，你得告诉自己：“我还在这里，我是要把余生都用来沉浸在悲情之中，还是要超越现况、追求梦想?”
You don't have to be a saint to do that. When you experience a tragedy or a personal crisis, it's perfectly normal and probably healthy to go through stages of fear and anger and sadness, but at some point we all have to say: "I'm still here. Do I want to spend the rest of my life wallowing in misery, or do I want to rise above what has happened to me and pursue my dreams?"
这么做很容易吗?不，一点也不。你必须有极大的决心，还要很清楚自己的人生目标是什么，要抱持盼望与信心，并相信自己真的拥有可以与人分享的才能和技艺。有许多人已经证明了正面态度的确可以让人克服难关，琳达只是其中一个例子。你我真的无法掌控所发生的事，但我们可以控制自己如何回应。如果选择正确的态度，就能超越挑战——这虽然是老生常谈，却是经过时间考验、无可否认的真理。
Is it easy to do that? No, it is not. It takes great determination, not to mention a sense of purpose, hope, faith, and the belief that you have talents and skills to share. But Linda is just one example of many, many people who've shown what it's possible to overcome with a positive attitude. The age-old, time-proven, undeniable truth is that you and I may have absolutely no control over what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. If we choose the right attitude, we can rise above whatever challenges we face.
你或许无法掌控下一件倒霉事：龙卷风袭击你的房子;醉汉撞到你的车;老板炒你鱿鱼;另一半跟你说“我需要自由的空间”。我们经常被生命偷袭，你可以悲伤、难过，但之后要把自己拉起来，问：“好，接下来是什么?”哭够了，发泄完了，就振作起来，调整你的态度。
You likely will have no control over the next big bad bump in your life. A hurricane hits your house. A drunk driver crashes into your car. Your employer lays you off. Your significant other says, "I need space." We are all blindsided from time to time. Be sad, feel bad, but then pull yourself up and ask, What's next? Once you've whimpered awhile, vented, or shed all the tears in your tank, pull yourself together and make an attitude adjustment.
