“I will think of it ”It is easy to say this ; but do you know what great things have come from thinking?   We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste , or feel them; and yet what strong power they have！

Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.

A boy named James Watt quietly by the fireside, watching the lid (盖子) of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the heavy lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking; and when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of many horses.

James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd (羊倌) boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder. “Why should I not make a watch?" he thought. But how was he to get the materials out of which to make the wheels and the mainspring (钟表等的主发条)? He soon found how to get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and portraits (肖像) with oil colors. In a few yeas, while still a small boy, he earned money enough to support his father. When he became a man, he went to London to live. Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, used to attend his lectures. His motto was, “I will think of it ,”and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.

When you have a difficult lesson to learn, don't feel discouraged or ask someone to help you before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.

A few hours after my first mission, returning to Earth on the space shuttle Endeavour, I completed all of my medical tests after the flight, met with NASA officials, and reunited with my family. Finally, I was alone in my office room in astronaut crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center. I turned on the TV. The television news started up: Such and such happened, people were shocked, blah blah blah. Sports scores. Silly commercials.

It didn’t take more than a minute before I had to turn it off. It felt like my body was refusing all this input, just as it would refuse an organ donation that had the wrong blood type. All of this noise was just completely foreign to who I was—or, more appropriately, who I had become. A few hours before, I had been orbiting Earth, seeing our planet from space, flying the most amazing machine ever built by human hands, and working with a team that was the absolute success of humans. And now here in my room watching what was being sold as news, and with my newfound perspective, I just could not stomach it. My world view was changed forever in a profound (深刻的) way.

The biggest change by far and the one for which I will always be most grateful is this big-picture perspective. That will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Whenever I feel the pressure of modern life, the stress about work, or worry about the future, I remember my time in the space station. Back to seeing the sun set. Or watching our galaxy rise on the horizon. Or seeing a sea of lightning flash a hundred times a second. Or simply back to floating weightlessly.

When I’m there in my mind and realize how many billions of these beautiful sunsets there have been and will be in the future, the cares of the world just don’t seem that pressing. It goes that, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Living daily life down here on the planet is so much better with this attitude!

Start Small, Think Big

Remember when you were asked to write compositions about “a meaningful experience” as young students? You would write about how you overcame hardship and unpleasantness in order to help others. You learned then that there was more to life than earning lots of money and living in comfort.

It’s easy to lose sight of the greater meaning in our life when running our business and making time for our family and friends.   【小题1】

Rank our values. Many people are successful, but people who live lives of real significance actually think about and work for others instead of just collecting wealth. They’re getting involved in ordinary activities that make a difference to others or fulfill a need in their communities. 【小题2】The hard work they put in helping others is reflecting the values that are most meaningful to them.

Think locally. People who live significant lives don’t necessarily jet around on airplanes going to so-called extraordinary events and board meetings. 【小题3】That could mean creating a great employment environment for a dozen people, raising funds for a cancer charity, or volunteering in a local school district. The key is that your actions are in agreement with your values and you are committed to making a positive difference.

【小题4】     Donate your old clothes and books to children in poor areas. Join a volunteering project. Help set up a waste bin for used batteries in your building. Hand out leaflets to your neighbors on how to protect themselves in the growing air pollution.

【小题5】 We’re giving more than we’re taking away and making them better because of it. when people say “I like myself best when I’m with you, and you know you’re making the world a better place,” you’re living a life of significance.