I learned my first lesson at a meeting. As we sat around the table I heard Meg, who was 1 a recent operation, talking to Judith, the manager of our project. “Thank you so much for 2my daughters to their dance lessons last week.” “Don't mention it,” Judith says, “It was nothing.”

    Knowing how 3Judith's schedule is, with her work, kids and aging parents, I found her driving Meg's children to lessons unbelievably 4. I was about to say more about this when Donna, another colleague, entered the room 5. She apologized for being late, saying she just hosted a lunch for her friends who are over seventy. “That is so nice of you,” I say,6 how busy she was, how she didn't like to cook and clean. “Oh,” she said, waving her hand, “It was nothing.”7, I could still tell the 8in her voice. She did gain a sense of satisfaction from the entertainment offered to her friends.

Seeing their 9to help others selflessly, I started thinking about the concept of “nothing”, this peaceful and generous way of living— had it really been nothing or were they simply saying that? It 10to me that once I spent a whole afternoon after work helping a friend 11a speech. I 12her to rearrange the sequence of the stories in the lecture to make it sound more 13. After the fifth try, she finally 14it. She hugged me with 15, saying thanks to me. I smiled and said it was nothing.

    Suddenly, I realized that helping someone was really something to me. I learned that giving from the heart doesn't 16mean sacrifice and hard work. The 17is finding something we love to do and finding someone who 18that something. Our generosity pan benefit others 19ourselves. Once you have a good 20of it, it's nothing. And it's really something.

    It was on a sunny Saturday afternoon in the spring of 1949 that I learned an important life lesson about judging others by their physical appearance.

    As a senior at school, I worked part time as a salesman in1center. The job provided a pleasant working environment and a modest2.My weekly paycheck3a base salary and commissions (佣金) earned on the 4of radios and music related accessories(配件).

For maximum5at acquiring commissions, especially on sales of higher-priced items, two other teenage salesmen and I used the "up" system, taking turns greeting6entering the shop.

    On that7afternoon, a tall, unshaven man walked in wearing clothing more 48 for yard work than for shopping.

This slim8fellow was my "up", but after glancing at his9 quickly concluded my10would be more profitably spent with another apparently11customer, so I looked at my co-worker Norman and signaled that I was giving up my12to him.

    Norman13 as this unseemly looking fellow walked to the radio display, pointed at the Trans-Oceanic and asked whether he had six in14 Norman looked15 then turned and went into the storeroom. He immediately16 and said that there were six. Then the buyer opened his checkbook and waited for Norman to write the17.And I was asked to help carry the six Trans-Oceanic boxes to the back seat of the buyer's car18nearby.

    Ever since that notable afternoon, some19years ago, I have carefully20judging others only on their appearance.

    I've always been a very anxious person—easily worried and stressed. And I've always been losing things.

    I'm not sure what exactly 1 my desire to attempt a more organized lifestyle. I started to attempt to be less 2and more organized. Instead of cleaning my room twice a year, I 3to do it about 4-6 times a year.

    Over a couple of years I started cleaning my room more, and I even 4using a planner on a daily basis: It took years to institute these actions into habits, 5I wasn't aiming for habits. I was simply trying to be a little 6—a little bit at a time.

    After I 7multiple outfits(装束) at home, 8leaving clothes on my bed and shoes on the floor, I put everything away before going out. After cooking and eating, I put everything in the dishwasher or wash it by hand. Each of these tasks only takes a few minutes. And not only does this 9immediate clutter(杂乱), but it's also much 10to deal with one mess at a time rather than leaving it all to turn into a giant mess. Organization creates ease, and ease creates organization, both of which 11to lower levels of stress and anxiety! And spending less time feeling 12means having more time to be happy, productive and present.

    Since I began intentionally being more organized, I find I have more 13to adopt other new habits to maintain(保持) and strengthen a calmer and cleaner lifestyle. Good habits result in more good habits, which help to create a better and happier you.

    If you find yourself worried, stressed or anxious beyond your control, then 14what you can—your 15. Create a comfortable, clean and calm space where you can escape from the outside world, and it doesn't have to be all at once.

    Mrs. Brown was tired after her day's shopping in London, so she went into a restaurant for a cup of tea 1 catching the train home. When she had ordered her tea, she suddenly remembered that she had to buy some 2 for her husband, who had a cough.

    “Is there a chemist's near here?” she asked the waiter. “Yes, madam.” the waiter said. “It's only about three minutes' walk away. Turn right when you go out of the restaurant, then take the second turning to the left. You'll find a big chemist's about a hundred yards up the road on the right-hand side. It closes at five, but if you 3, you'll just get there in time.”

    Mrs. Brown followed the waiter's directions 4 and found the chemist's shop without any difficulty. She bought the cough mixture and started to 5 her way back to the restaurant. But after she had walked for about ten minutes and there was still no 6 of the restaurant, she realized that she must have made a mistake.

    “Oh! I am 7!” said Mrs. Brown. “I've left all my shopping in the restaurant and now I'm lost.”

    She was still wondering what to do when a policeman came 8 and asked if he could help. Mrs. Brown 9 what had happened.

    “Well, first of all,” said the policeman, “we had better go back as far as the chemist's”. “Now,” suggested the policeman, when they got to the chemist's, “let's go in this direction. It leads to the main road, where we shall probably find your restaurant.” When they reached the main road, the policeman said, “I think you'll find the restaurant you are looking for along there, on the opposite side of the road.” Mrs. Brown thanked the policeman for his help. “I can't 10 how I went wrong,” she said. The policeman smiled. “It's quite easy,” he said, “to get lost in a big city like London.”

    Some years ago on a hot summer day, a little boy decided to go for a 1 in the lake behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the 2 water, he ran out of the back door. He flew into the water, not3 that an alligator （鳄鱼）was swimming toward the 4. His mother in the house was 5of the window and saw the alligator  6 it got closer and closer. In fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as 7 as she could.

    Hearing her voice, the little boy became 8 and made a return to swim to his mother. It was too9.Just as he reached her, the alligator 10him. From the shore, the mother grasped her little boy by the arms just as the alligator grasped his legs. The alligator was much 11 than the mother, but the mother was much too struggling to let the boy go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her 12raced from his truck, took aim and13the alligator.

    14 after weeks in the hospital, the little boy15 His legs were scarred by the animal and, on his arms, were 16scratches where his mother's fingernails scratched. A newspaper reporter, who 17 the boy, asked if he would show him his18 The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious 19 he said to the reporter, “Bot look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let me go. They are my mother's 20 for me.”

    I stood in the front of the classroom like a specimen(标本) under examinations  of 23 pairs of eyes. I began stuttering(结巴)and gave wrong answers to some questions.

    In the summer of 2016, I worked as an assistant teacher at a children's day camp. Lacking in experience, I 1 to create weekly lesson plans. Kids shouted at each other in class. Sometimes, I had to pull apart kids who were 2 each other. The rare moments of3 came only after my booming calls for attention. Every day was a 4 between me and these wild little creatures.

    One day I suddenly 5 that I was supposed to teach them instead of being led by the nose. It was time to do something to change the 6. I was older, more knowledgeable, and most 7, I had more authority. The next day, I firmly8into the classroom and stood in the front9.The students studied me curiously. But I did not stutter this time. It10 me that the class went smoothly without being 11 for the first time. From that day on, they gradually started to pay attention. Some 12started calling me "Ms. Amy". Seeing a sign of respect in their wild eyes was like getting 13 for my achievements. I was finally acting as an authority figure. The 14 I received also increased my self-confidence. It made me believe that I had the15 to overcome difficulties.

    One month after my summer job 16, I went back to visit the students. I saw the 17 kids running around in the classroom. 18, their playful shouts were a different kind of music to my 19now. Instead of the unpleasant sound I heard the first day, this was a20 song that played during my march to self—confidence.