I wrote my first novel when I was 22. It was a mess. I didn’t know how to properly organize dialogues and structure a plot (情节). Those were all ______. I planned to work out later. I gave the book to my father to read, and he left me a voice mail in a few days saying that it was ______ and that I was going to sell it for $300,000.

______, I didn’t ______ an offer from any publisher in New York. If there were a literary prize for Most Rejections (拒绝), I would have won it. I was ______: of course, but I knew better than to give up—writing wasn’t an easy job, and if this book wasn’t my ______ in, maybe the next one would be. I got back to work.

But this scenario (剧情) happened again: I wrote books...and then the books wouldn’t ______. Still, my father’s faith in me never wavered (动摇), even if I worked a lot of other jobs. Some of the jobs, like being a bookseller, were great and ______ to my writing life. Some, like selling overpriced jeans to 12-year-olds, were only insofar as they were material for future ______. And they were—because it finally ______. I sold a book! I was going to make it big!

I completely agree with the motivation speaker and author John Maxwell’s words: “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities but in their strong ______ to reach their goal.” Life’s not_______. It never was, it isn’t now, and it won’t ever be. But do not fall into the trap of feeling you are a(n) ______. You are not. Get over it and ______ with it. And yes, most things are more ______ when you break a sweat to get them.

An elephant named Bozo was huge but gentle. However, one day Bozo _______. He almost attacked the man who cleaned his cage, and _______ children at the circus (马戏团). So his owner decided to _______ the giant.

To earn money, the owner held a cruel _______. He sold tickets to _______ Bozo's execution (行刑). On the day, three men rose to aim their guns at the animal. Just before the_______was given to shoot, a man stepped out and said to the elephant's owner, “Sir, this is _______. Bozo isn't a bad elephant.”

“But he is,” the man argued. “We must kill him _______ he kills someone.”

“Sir, give me two minutes alone in his cage，” the visitor begged, “and I'll _______ to you that he isn't a bad elephant.”

After some moments of discussion, the owner ________ agreed to allow the man in. Before the elephant rushed towards him, the man began to ________ him. Bozo seemed to immediately ________down upon hearing the man's words. After a while, the animal ________lifted the man up and carried him around his cage before carefully putting him back at the door. As the cage door closed ________him, the man said to Bozo's owner, “You see, he's a good elephant. His ________ is that he's an Indian elephant and understands one ________.” He explained Bozo needed someone who could speak his language. “Sir, I ________ that you find someone to come in sometimes and talk to the elephant. If you ________, you'll have no problems.”

People also become discouraged and angry when they aren't ________, but great relationships are formed by people who speak each other's language. When people understand what you understand, you're speaking their language! It's the beginning of true ________.

There are many principles(原则) and values all people live by. The _________that I live by is honesty. I have always been taught that lying will just get me into more trouble than I might already be _________. Being honest is a _________ all people need to have and use to go _________ in life.

Ever since I was a little kid, my parents have _________ me to be honest _________ it is the right thing to do. As I got _________, I realized something very important that could _________ the way people take me to be a person. If just once you stop being honest and tell a lie, it will _________ change people’s opinion of you and their whole way of acting __________ you. When you tell a lie, you lose that person’s __________ forever or have to work your whole life to get it back.

It is my personal __________ to achieve great things in life and honesty will sure help me get there. For me right now losing somebody’s trust would be a truly __________ thing. Whatever you do for a living or __________ you live, honesty is something important for all of us.

Honesty gets you much higher in life than getting into more __________ like lying . Lying can __________ get you into trouble dealing with the government. Honesty is just as important to me as my family. Already, I know it is something that will __________ my future and my relationship with all people. It is something about myself that I hope to never __________ no matter what happens. Most of all honesty will help me no matter whether I’m at school, home or just __________ with friends. It is something I hope my children will also have and __________.