good thoughts to keep in mind

imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. you name them: work, family, health, friends, spirit. and you’re keeping all of these in the air. you will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. if you drop it, it will bounce back. but the other four balls—family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. if you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. they will never be the same. you must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

how?

don’t undermine your worth by paring yourself to others. it is because we are different that each of us is special.

don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. only you know what is best for you.

don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. cling to them as you would to your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. by living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

don’t give up when you still hāve something to give. nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. it is this fragile thread that binds us each together.

don’t be afraid to encounter risks. it is by taking chances that we learn how to be brāve.

don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. the quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feelappreciated.

don’t be afraid to learn. knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

don’t use time or words carelessly. neither can be retrieved.

life is not a race, but a journey to be sāvored each step of the way.

yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift: that’s why we call it “the present”.

试着把生活想象成一个游戏——在空中抛接五只球。它们是：工作、家庭、健康、友谊和­精­神。当你尽力想把它们保持在空中时，很快，你就会发现，唯有工作是只橡皮球，抛之于地，还会反弹回来。而另外四只——家庭、健康、友谊和­精­神都是玻璃球，如果将其中任一只抛至地上，不可避免会留下疤痕、裂缝、受损甚至粉身碎骨，毫无办法将之复原。因而，你必须懂得维系生活的均衡。

如何维系生活的均衡呢？

切勿盲目与他人比较，而低估自身的价值。须知，人与人之间有差异，才显出个­性­。

切勿视他人的追求为自己的目标，唯有你自己知晓自身所需。

切勿漠视心灵深处的东西。珍视它们，如同生命；反之，生活将空洞黯然。

切勿让生命从指间悄然流逝，充斥昨日的忧伤和明天的憧憬。活在今天，将会让每个日子充满阳光。

切勿屈服认输，一息尚存，奋斗不止。