Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.

A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can’t finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I’ve found during this period!”

The boy’s goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for－to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look at what I’ve found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

The power of sharing personal stories

It’s probably not a big surprise that I enjoy listening to TED talks very much. I’m a big fan of people sharing their personal stories. 【小题1】 Yet, when it comes to telling my personal stories, I often struggle to find my voice and courage.

As an introvert (内向的人), talking about myself is one of the things that make me uncomfortable. There are a million other things I would rather discuss than myself and my stories. It requires a lot of emotional energy for me to feel okay to share my stories.   【小题2】 Besides, I often think that I don’t have stories that are worth sharing.

【小题3】 I decided to share something personal online. I wrote about my struggle with procrastination (拖延) and my efforts to finish my book. I was super nervous about sending that email. But I decided that it was something that I wanted to be open about with everyone.

The email went out. Several hours later, I checked my email and found dozens of heart-warming responses. There were many words of encouragement. And people said that they were looking forward to reading my book. What was even more touching was emails from people who shared their own struggles with writing. 【小题4】

While those exchanges are so powerful, what these emails remind me of is the power of sharing our stories. 【小题5】 So, just choose to tell your stories even when it’s challenging.

How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “This is my fate, my destiny(命运). I cannot change it.” Of course not! You don’t have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other outer factors.

I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same things cycle follows.

Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it. Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(运用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.

Remember that you reap(收获) what you sow. You just don’t sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a temporary(临时的) setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively(积极地); you also have to act positively.

If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand(or sit) there, do something to improve your life.