A man had two large pots. One of the pots had a crack (裂缝) in it, so while the other pot always delivered (运送) a full pot of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to his house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. This went on every day for years.

One day a neighbor asked the man, “One of your pots has been broken for years. It can only deliver half its load, so you don’t get full value from your efforts. Why don’t you buy a new one?”

The man smiled and said, “Please follow me to my house, and you may see some beautiful flowers.” On the way to the man’s house, the neighbor took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path.

The man said to the neighbor, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on one side of the path, but not on the other side? That’s because I have always known about the flaw (缺陷) of my pot. I planted flower seeds on one side of the path. Every day when I walk back from the stream, the broken pot waters them. For years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate (装饰) my house. Without the broken pot, I would not have this beauty.”

Does failure really exist?

If you believe you have failed, then you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then you don’t. 【小题1】The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

Most people give themselves out without even realizing it. They are willing to work hard on reaching their goals, but only until the going gets too difficult or their energy dies down. Don’t do that!【小题3】 Never quit, never admit failure, and never lose heart.

Don’t believe in a clear finish line for goals.

It’s a good idea to set a general timeline, but remember that something will be beyond your control. 【小题4】 If you lock yourself into a given timeline, you might make yourself feel like a failure! Instead, take it one day at a time and focus on making progress.

Be sure that you don’t see difficulties as failures.

Difficulties mean only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn’t mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak; it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals.【小题5】 You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way over, around, or through the difficulties.

Family love is one of the most valuable gifts in life and one that you cannot buy anywhere. Whether you have a close relationship with your family depends on you. 【小题1】

【小题2】

You’ve probably heard the song lyric, “A house is not a home, when there is no one there to hold you tight”. What changes a house into a home is true love. Love strengthens the connection, while anger tears it apart.

Give Freedom

It doesn’t matter whatever position you have in a family; you need to give freedom to the other members of it. 【小题3】Freedom is one of the most basic needs of humanity and one of the greatest gifts in life.

Learn to Forgive

There will always be differences in personalities and preferences between family members. Because of these differences, disagreements happen. And it’s unwise to react straight away, to jump to conclusions and start an argument. 【小题4】

This gives you a better understanding and the ability to forgive more easily.

Look for Solutions

Family life is not a battlefield. Do not focus on problems; instead focus on the solutions. Although we are all expected to be responsible for our actions, it still feels more comfortable for some to put the blame on others. 【小题5】This is one of the fastest ways to bring you closer to your family.