What is life’s greatest gift? It is choice. Choice is the ability to choose some actions from a set of things to achieve a goal. 【小题1】 The reason is that it turns us from dumb(笨的) animals into artists. Choice becomes the tool we use to sculpt(雕刻) our life. The tool doesn’t come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility(责任). 【小题2】 it is enjoyment.

Choice is power. Choice is at the heart of life. It’s the creative power of life. Life is always changing and we have to make lots of choices. 【小题3】 We often need to check where we are on our journey. We need to ask questions: Am I moving closer to my goals? If not, what action will I take now to make myself realize my goals?

【小题4】 And our life becomes more convenient or comfortable because of them. For example, you decide which stores to shop at and which bus station to go on. But the decisions that we make to sculpt our lives are much more important than deciding where to shop. The more we understand the difference between small and big decisions, the more pleasure we will get.

Life is like a chess game. 【小题5】 All chess lovers realize that it isn’t necessary to win to enjoy the game. Make the best moves(一步) you can under the conditions. Then you can enjoy your life.

I was born and raised in France into this way of life: French women don't get fat. There is a very good reason for that. Among the French middle and professional classes, it is totally unacceptable for a woman to be fat. Little girls, from a very young age, learn not to eat too much. It is mainly a class thing. When I read that “French women love to shop and prepare food”， I laugh. Many of us who work and have a family would rather put our feet up with a good book. To describe France as the country of slender women is a lie. A quick trip to Calais or any town of the industrial north is guaranteed to be an eye－opener.

Yes, at 44, I am still amazingly slim. This is hardly surprising; apart from the time when I was pregnant, I think I have been underweight for most of my life. There is no glory in this, since the truth must be said: I eat very little, not out of force, but mostly out of habit.

Yes, I shop and cook like a traditional Frenchwoman, but I don't think this is something you can easily pass on to British women. I tend to go to local shops every day and this is not something people are used to doing here, mainly because it takes a lot of time. I can afford to do so, since I work only on a part－time basis.

Of course, I still enjoy a good meal at a (French) restaurant, and I will have a glass of wine at dinner, but only one glass, since drinking other than with food is a social taboo for women in France. To be seen drunk for a woman is a social embarrassment from which she is not likely to recover.

Dear British friends, do not believe that patronizing(自认为高人一等) myth about French women. The thing is that many of us French women are probably unaware of how little we eat, simply because it has become second nature.

When I told my parents I was quitting my job, my parents objected strongly. They said something to me, “You won’t have any money, NO!” “Setting up a business is very risky, you shouldn’t do it!” and “Your job is so suitable with rather great pay, why do you want to quit?”

Their comments didn’t wind me up since I had already made up my mind. I told them that I knew what I was doing. At the same time, I understood their concerns, which I had already put into my business plan.

After 9 months or so, my parents stopped discouraging me. After my first or second year, they actually understood that I was doing this for my career. It’s been 10 years, and for the past 8 years, they never asked me to do anything different. In my family, when you don’t get strong discouragement, that means acceptance. Similarly, when I told them about my plan to travel around the world, to try a different diet, among other plans, they would completely oppose at first. But after I pushed forward and moved forward with my aims for a while, they would come to accept them.

At the end of the day, remember that your parents love you. If they don’t care about you, they wouldn’t be against what you do at the risk of influencing your relationship with them. So don’t hate them. Use their objection as a positive force. It will take time for them to change their mind, but when they are aware of your determination (决心) and see you succeeding, and feeling happy and fulfilled doing so, they will realize that you are no longer a little boy / girl who requires their worry and control. That’s when they start to be more hands-off and give you the space to grow and come into your own.