No doubt there are ups and downs in life. Whatever the situation is, you shouldn’t lose your joy of life. Life is for a limited period only and no one knows how long he/she will live, so why do you waste your precious time in worrying about the things that are beyond your control? Be happy, and enjoy your life unconditionally (无条件地).

You enjoy good days but you also need to learn how to enjoy bad days, even enjoy your pain. In 2016 when I was in Geneva, Switzerland, I suffered a sudden heart attack. My colleagues called an ambulance and I was taken to hospital with much pain in my chest. Before reaching hospital, I was totally exhausted with pain and was going to lose control of my emotions. Then the doctor in the ambulance said, “Don’t worry; you are in safe hands.” His words took away all my pain because I started realizing that it was no time to worry about pain and it’s time to be happy that my life was safe. At that time, I learnt an important lesson that in pain there is a hidden joy and whoever sees the bright side can enjoy pain. My pain turned into a joy which greatly helped me recover more quickly than expected.

You not only enjoy success but you also need to learn to enjoy failure. Failure provides you with an opportunity to benefit from so many choices you’ve made. Celebrating failure will raise your morale and make you more powerful and determined to achieve success. We all make mistakes in life but only the courageous (勇敢的) people not only laugh at their own mistakes but also let other people laugh at them and then they reach success without any spiritual burden (负担). A person who learns from mistakes and knows how to turn the bad situation into his/her favor is the most intelligent person and really enjoys his/her life.

I got my first job at 12 as a waitress. It certainly was tiring but interesting. And when Ⅰ went on to college, it paid for tuition and housing and eventually, a camera.

From the moment I picked up a camera, I was attracted. All I wanted to do was take pictures for the university newspaper, the Minnesota Daily. The paper at that time was one of the largest in the state and was produced by young journalists who went on to work at every major magazine in the country. For the final two years, I just wanted to be a photographer. The week I finished college. I was hired by the Worthington Daily Globe.

Jim Vance was the top-notch publisher of the Globe. He had very high expectations of all the staff. With little or no instruction from him, 35 writers and photographers were expected to fill the paper with stories that were important to our readers. It was perfect training for my future career at National Geography.

I was the youngest photographer working for National Geography when I arrived in 1978, and I spent at least a decade just trying not to make mistakes. While I was grateful for the opportunity, it was very difficult for me. With each new task came the fear that this was going to be the one where they figured out that I couldn’t do the job. On many tasks, the most challenging part turned out to be the transportation. Over the years, I traveled by horse, cars train, truck and all sorts of old vehicles. I traveled by mule in Mexico, by ship along the Indian Ocean, by fishing boat in the Sea of Galilee. Wherever I traveled in the world, I wanted my pictures to make a real difference in people’s lives.

I am deeply grateful for the amazing lessons photography has taught me. I’ve learnt that women really do hold up half the sky; that language isn’t always necessary, but touch usually is; that all people are not alike, but they do mostly have the same hopes, and fears.

“Down the streets of Portsmouth more than two hundred years ago,” said Lt.General Ira C. Eaker in a speech, “walked a sailor with one arm and one eye. Indeed he would probably have been in a home for incurables were his name not Horatio Nelson. The man’s spirit drove the flesh.”

Born in 1758, Nelson was a small and weak child who loved sailing. As a young teenager he joined the British Navy and, while on a journey, caught a fever that seriously damaged his health. But he never allowed this to hold him back. At 18 he was appointed a lieutenant (上尉) in the Royal Navy and by the year 1803 was made commander-in-chief of the British fleet (舰队).

Two years later, on 21 October, at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets. This naval victory left the British in control of the seas for the rest of the 1800’s. Unfortunately, Nelson was fatally (致命地) wounded during Trafalgar but lived long enough to know that his fleet had won the battle.

Nelson believed in his country, in his cause, and in himself. He proved this with his words and more so with his life.

The British philosopher John Stuart Mill would agree. He said, “One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who only have interest.” Why is this so? Beliefs are remarkably powerful in that they are to our lives what a rudder (舵) is to a ship. That is, they control the direction of our lives. Simply put, if I believe I am a failure, I will set myself up to fail. If I believe I am a successful person, I will succeed.

Dr. Joyce Brothers, well-known author and psychologist said, “A person’s self-concept is the central part of his personality. It affects every aspect of human behavior. It’s no exaggeration (夸张) to say that a strong positive self-concept is the best possible preparation for success in life.”