Years ago, acritical event occurred in my life that would change it forever. I met Kurt Kampmeir of Success Motivation Incorporation for breakfast. While we were1 , Kurt asked me, " John, what is your 2for personal growth?"

     Never at a loss for words, I tried to find things in my life that might3 for growth. I told him about the many activities in which I was4 . And I went into a 5about how hard I worked and the gains I was making. I must have talked for ten minutes. Kurt  6patiently, but then he 7 smiled and said, “You don't have a personal plan for growth, do you?”

    “No, I8.

   “You know,” Kurt said simply, “growth is not a(n)9 process.”

     And that's when it10me. I wasn't doing anything11 to make myself better. And at that moment, I made the 12 : I will develop and follow a personal growth plan for my 13.

    That night, I talked to my wife about my 14 with Kurt and what I had learned. I15her the workbook and tapes Kurt was selling. We16 that Kurt wasn't just trying to make a sale. He was offering a 17 for us to change our lives and achieve our dreams.

     Several important things happened that day. First, we decided to18 the resources. But more importantly, we made a commitment to19 together as a couple. From that day on, we learned together, traveled together, and sacrificed together. It was a  20 decision. While too many couples grow apart, we were growing together.

    My wife and I were walking through the parking lot at the supermarket the other day. We noticed a huge truck 1 about a foot into the next parking space. There was plenty of room in its own space, 2 the driver had chosen to park very poorly and made sure that 3 could use the space next to his.

    My first 4 was “Why do people act like such idiots (白痴)?”

    “What a 5 that people have to do things like that.” My wife said.

    I stopped and looked around at the rest of the parking lot. There were a good five hundred 6 and 99% of them were parked well. Their drivers had shown the 7 necessary to park in a way that still 8 other people to park.

    “Think about it,” I said. “Only one 9 parks poorly and we start using ‘people' to describe the driver.” The 10 of the matter is that we forget about the thousands of people who behave themselves when we see one person doing something 11.

    I've been 12 for many years, and the percentage of good drivers is always 13 than the percentage of poor drivers. “People” don't necessarily drive poorly, but individuals do.

    My wife and I almost didn't 14 the many cars that were parked well because the car that was parked poorly caught our 15. It is true that we're far less 16 to see the positive side of things if we keep 17 on the negative. Once we fall into this trap, how many of the wonderful things in the world will we 18?

    Our lives are ours to live, and the 19 we see our world is up to us. Remember: the rude person truly is a(n) 20, and not really worth the time or effort we spend thinking about him or her.

    Eight years ago, when Kyle Amber was five years old, he came face-to-face with a huge problem: His brother, Ian, ten, was diagnosed with leukemia(白血病). Their parents, Laurie and Henry, were spending much of their1with him in hospital. Kyle often felt alone and 2

    What could a kindergartner do? Not much, it seemed.3, Kyle was determined. He looked around and saw lots of kids being4for cancer and decided he could help them by helping the hospital, which was trying to5money for bone-marrow(骨髓)transplant.

    But how? Since Kyle's grandfather was in the printing business, he6bring decorative cards for Kyle, who7with the idea of selling them8. He made a large sum of momey-$80-for the hospital. His next9was a candy sale at this school, Palmetto Elementary, and it has turned into an annual10.

    And then people in Miami read about his efforts and were inspired to11to donate more money and toys, and things just snowballed.

    Within a year Kyle's idea turned into an official fund-raising organization called Kids That Care Cancer Fund. Today it is one of the12organizations in the country run by kids and13kids. It's hard to estimate just14the group has collected, says Laurie, but it is more than $100,000. As the Mayor of Miami wrote to Kyle, “ Your efforts have made a remarkable15in the lives of many suffering from this disease.”

    Never once has Kyle thought of16, because the smiles of the kids are too important. “ Basically, the entire feeling that you get is very17,” he explains. Helping other kids has taught him to be less18. And there's another thing he learns for sure: “ There is19going to be a time when you're going to have a very hard barrier,” he says. “20you overcome that, you can do anything.”

    I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn't like attention drawn to myself.And1 otherwise assigned（指定）a seat by the teacher,I always2to sit at the back of the classroom.

    All this3after I joined a sports team.It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team.At first I thought it was a crazy4because I didn't have a good sense of balance,nor did I have the5to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me.But for the teacher who kept insisting on my 6for it", I wouldn't have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts（选拔）was only the7of it!When I first started8the practice sessions,I didn't even know the rules of the game,much9what I was doing.Sometimes I'd get10and take a shot at the wrong direction which made me feel really stupid11I wasn't the only one "new" at the game,so I decided to12on learning the game,do my best at each practice session,and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn't13"just yet".

    I practiced and practiced.Soon I knew the14and the "moves".Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive15in me was winning over my lack of confidence.With time,I learned how to play and made friends in the16—friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

    With my17self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates.I have gone from 18 in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself19raising my hand—even when I sometimes wasn't and not 100 percent20I had the right answer.Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

    I was said to be the worst student in my class, and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to1grade six. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school.

    One day after class, she2that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came3to me and began to talk to me. It was just a normal conversation. After that day, she gave me particular 4and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that someone5 me , and my 6started to improve in her subject.

    Months later, she moved into a house near my7. We would walk home together after school. Her constant (不断的) support helped me, 8in my studies, as I knew she would check my grades both in her subject 9the other subjects. I finally10second in my class.

    Then, after grade six, she started to slowly drift away (疏远)11still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in grade seven, we12spoke, but by then I had become the13in my class. When I left my school, I was14with her, as she never answered the 15when I called her.

    Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths 16 again. I met her at a wedding. I could not17asking her, "Why did you stop talking to me?"

"You are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree 18on your own roots, not depending on others. Now here you are and I feel19of you. You are your inspiration(灵感，鼓舞) and do not need to20a shoulder," she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I'll always thank her.

    When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor Dr Gibbs, a good doctor. When Dr, Gibbs wasn't 1lives, he was planting trees. His house covered an area of ten acres, and his life's2was to make it a forest.

    The good doctor had some interesting theories 3plant care and growth. He never4his new trees, which went against traditional practices. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants did 5to them so that their later generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you had to make things6for them and removed the7early on. He talked about how watering trees made for8roots, and how trees that weren't watered had to grow deep roots9 moisture(水分). He meant that deep roots had to be10. For this reason, he11watered his trees.

    Dr Gibbs12a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the13that he had planted when he was alive. They're extremely tall and big14 they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden15 in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.

    It seems that suffering 16these trees, while comfort and ease never can. I stood there deep in17.

    Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray that their lives will be 18.But I think that it's time to19my prayer because now I know my children are going to20hardship.