The big rocks 大石塊

　　如果忙于瑣事，那么這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，你永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大 事和要事。所以，鎖定目標，把精力放在最重要的事情上面，別讓過多的鎖事壓得你一事無成。

　　The big rocks

　　大石塊

　　One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz.” Then hepulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He then produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was

　　filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

　　一天，一名時間管理專家在對一群學習商業的學生講話時，為了論證一個論點，他用了一個令學生們永遠難忘的 表述方式。站在這群出類拔萃的學生面前，他說：“來，做個小測試?！彼贸鲆粋€一加侖的廣口玻璃瓶，放在他們面前的桌上。接著他拿出一小堆拳頭大小的石 塊，小心翼翼、一塊一塊地放進瓶子里。等石塊裝滿到瓶子，再也塞不下時，他問：“瓶子滿了嗎？”大家都說：“滿了?！?/p>

　　He replied, "Really?"

　　他問：“真的滿了嗎？”

　　He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, then dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.

　　他伸手到桌下提出一桶碎石，將碎石倒進瓶子里，搖晃瓶子讓碎石漏進石塊的間隙里去。

　　He asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

　　他又問學生：“瓶子裝滿了嗎？”

　　By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

　　這時學生們領悟過來了。“可能還沒滿吧!”一個學生回答說。

　　"Good!" he replied.

　　“好！”他說道。

　　He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,"Is the jar full?"

　　他伸手從桌底下拎出了一桶沙，把沙往瓶子里倒，沙子塞滿了石塊與碎石的縫隙，他又一次問：“滿了嗎？”

　　"No!" the class shouted.

　　“沒滿！”全班學生大聲回答。

　　Once again he said, "Good!"

　　再一次，他說道：“好！”

　　Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised her hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if

　　you try really hard you can always fit some more things in!"

　　然后他又拿出一大罐水往瓶子里倒，一直倒到水升到瓶口高。他看著學生們問：“這個演示說明了什么？”一個學生急忙舉手說：“說 明了：不管時間安排得多緊，只要你想辦法，總是可以見縫插針地做更多的事情?！?/p>

　　"Good answer, but no," the speaker replied, "that’s not my point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the ’big rocks" in your life? In my life they are my children... my wife... my loved ones... my education... my dreams... charities and worthy causes... teaching or mentoring others... doing things that I love... time for myself... my health... Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all."

　　“回答得好，不過，”專家說：“這不是我想說的。這個例子告訴我們一個事實：如果你不是先放大石塊，以后 它們就永遠擺不進去。你生活中的‘大石塊’是什么呢？在我的生活中，那就是我的孩子、妻子、所愛的人、學習、夢想、善行和有價值的事業、教導他人、做我喜 歡做的事、留給自己的時間、健康，等等。要記住，必須先放“大石塊”，否則它們永遠放不進去?！?/p>

　　If you sweat the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with little things to worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big,important stuff ：the big rocks.

　　如果你奔忙于瑣事，那么這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，讓你成天操心，你就永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大 事和要事（大石塊）。

　　The Missed Blessings 錯過的祝福

　　我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因為他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好？不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是那道等待著你去開啟的幸運之門!

　　The Missed Blessings

　　錯過的祝福

　　A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

　　從前，有位年輕人即將大學生畢業。數月來，他一直渴望得到某汽車商產品陳列室中的一輛跑車。他知道，他那富有的父親肯定買得起這輛車，于是，他便跟父親說他很想得到那輛漂亮的跑車。

　　As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

　　在畢業典禮即將來臨的日子里，年輕人等待著父親買下跑車的消息。終于，在畢業典禮那天上午，父親將他叫到自己的書房，并告訴他，有他這么出色的兒子自己感到非常自豪而且非常愛他這個兒子。接著，父親遞給兒子一個包裝精美的禮品盒。年輕人感到好奇，但帶著些許失望地打開禮品盒，卻發現里面是一本精美的精裝本《圣經》，上面以金子凸印著年輕人的名字。看罷，年輕人怒氣沖沖地向父親大喊道：“你有那么多錢，卻只給我一本《圣經》？”說完，便丟下《圣經》，憤怒地沖出房子。

　　Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

　　多年以后，年輕人已事業有成。他擁有一所漂亮的房子，一個溫馨的家庭。但當得知父親年事已高，他想，或許應該去看看他。自從畢業那天起他就一直不見父親。就在起程時，他收到一封電報——父親已逝世，并已立下遺囑將其所有財產轉給兒子。他要立即回父親家處理后事。

　　When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

　　在父親的房子里，他突然內心感到一陣悲傷與懊悔。他開始仔細搜尋父親的重要文件，突然發現了那本《圣經》——還跟幾年前一樣嶄新。他噙著淚水打開《圣經》并一頁一頁地閱讀著。忽然，從書的背面掉出一把鑰匙。鑰匙上掛著一個標簽，上面寫著一個汽車經銷商的名字——正是他曾渴望的`那輛跑車的經銷商。標簽上還有他的畢業日期及“款已付清”的字樣。

　　How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

　　我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因為他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好？不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，但要記住一點：你現在所擁有的恰恰正是你曾經一心渴望得到的。

　　Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

　　有時，我們并沒有意識到我們已經擁有或本該擁有的好運，僅僅因為它的外表與我們想象中的有所不同。其實，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是等待開啟的幸運之門。