1、一步One step 2012-03-26 17:03 我听过的关于“毅力” 的最鼓舞人心的一句名言，出自布赖恩 特蕾西之口。他说：“成功者和失败者的区别是，成功者比失败者要经历更多的失败。”那些最伟大的人都有着相同的经历：一次挑战一次困难一次突破每次都是一小步的成功。I personally experienced the wisdom of that understanding right after my first book was published. Like many authors, I envisioned hundreds of bookstore customers li
2、ning up for me to benevolently sign copies for them.Im afraid to say, it didnt quite happen like that.I was living in Atlanta at the time and arranged my first signing at The Phoenix and Dragon, the largest inspirational bookstore in the city. The store was celebrating its 15th anniversary and had a
3、uthors scheduled to appear throughout the three-day event. I was scheduled Sunday at 5pm, the last day and time slot of the celebration.Brimming with anticipation, I was put into a private signing room in the beautiful store, and for the next hour and a half, had little more to do than to read my ow
4、n book and wonder for what purpose in the world I had felt so driven to spend four years writing it.Despite a nice sign placed outside the room exhibiting images of both me and my book, The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, not a single customer entered the room. As each minute passed, I became increa
5、singly anxious.Do they not like the title? I wondered. Do they not like the book cover?After 90 minutes of this torture, I was absolutely distraught.For the four years writing the book, I had felt a sense of mission and purpose like never before in my life. Working a full 8 to 9 hour day in my clini
6、c, I had lived on a strict regimen during the four years of getting into bed by 9:30pm, so I could quiet my mind and feel a sense of surrender before turning out the lights at 11. I would sleep with that silent potentiality, so I could wake up at 5:30 in the morning and have two pristine hours of wr
7、iting before heading into my clinic.Before I ever began each writing session, I would close my eyes for 10 minutes and end my meditation whispering, “Please grant me the words to touch just one persons life.“I truly was inspired, and despite my ascetic lifestyle, I knew thats what I had to do to mai
8、ntain the grace in my words with which I wanted my readers to eventually be touched.Now, sitting there alone at my first book signing, I wondered if my entire life wasnt just a big joke. I watched the minutes agonizingly tick by on a clock on the wall. At 6:25pm, just before the stores closing, defe
9、ated, I began to get myself ready to leave.At that moment, just when I couldnt feel any worse, a middle-aged couple walked into the room. Trying to regain my composure, I managed to hide my emotions and introduced myself and my book:“Well,“ I started hesitantly, “Its called The 9 Insights of the Wea
10、lthy Soul, and its a story of a WWII pilot, my dad, and the lessons he was giving me in wealth accumulation while he was facing a terminal illness. And each lesson in the story becomes a much deeper lesson about life and death, and finding the greatest spiritual meaning anytime we are facing our gre
11、atest adversities.“Both the man and the womans eyes were now glued on me. There was something different about the way they were looking at me that I couldnt quite identify. But I didnt know what else to say. However, additional words were unnecessary.The couple turned to each other, and the husband
12、nodded solemnly to his wife. She then told me, “I think well get the book.“ My heart began to pound. But instinctively, despite the impulse to jump in the air and wring their hands to thank them for being my first readers, I realized the woman was trying to say something else.“The reason were buying
13、 it,“ she said hesitantly, “is because our son committed suicide two years ago.“ She took my hand. “Maybe your story will help us get over it.“I felt my eyes glisten. I was speechless.In that moment, I knew if I never sold another copy of the book, my four years of writing it had served its purpose.
14、 My prayer of asking for the words to touch just one persons life had already been answered.Although I would have many more challenging years until my book caught on and saw substantial distribution, this couples story was all the motivation I needed at that point to keep me moving ahead.Thanks to them, I would come to the realization that the greatest of lives are made all in the same way: One challenge. one hurdle. one step. and one small victory at a time
