If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that 1 my life forever.

    One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a 2 on life support with less than two percent 3 of living. It wasn't until days later that the doctors diagnosed me with a 4 blood infection.

Over the 5 of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knee. When my parents 6 me out of the hospital, I 7 that I had been put together like a patchwork(拼缝物) doll and I had to live with 8 legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken, 9 streaming down.

    But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and 10 the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant 11. And that is when it 12 me that I didn't have to be five-foot-five anymore,13 I could be as tall as I wanted. And 14 of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were 15 here.

    Four months later, I was back upon a 16. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals, 17 me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

    So, instead of looking at our 18 and our limitations as something 19 or bad, we can begin looking at them as a wonderful 20 that can be used to help us go further than we ever know we could go.

    Several decades of years ago, I ran a service station and roadhouse on the main road between Melbourne and Adelaide. One very cold, wet night at about 3∶30 a.m., there was a 1on the front door of our house. A young man, wet from2 to toe, explained that he had3 out of petrol about 30 km up the road. He had left his pregnant wife and his two children 4 at the car and said that he would hitchhike(搭便车) back.

    Once I had 5 a can with petrol, I took him back to his car where his two-year-old and four-year-old children were both6  , saying that they were cold. Once the car had started, I suggested that he  7 me back.

Before leaving, I had turned the heater 8in the roadhouse, so that when we went in, it was nice and9.While the little ones played and ran 10 , I prepared bread and butter for the children, and hot chocolate for the _11_ .

    It was about 5 a.m. before they  12.The young fellow asked me how much he  13 me and I told him that the petrol pump(加油泵)had  14 $15.He offered to pay “call-out fee”, but I wouldn't accept it.

    About a month later, I received a  15from Interstate, a large bus company that we had been trying to 16 to stop off at our roadhouse for a long time. It  17 out that the young fellow I had helped was its general manager, the most  _18 person in the company.

    In his letter, he thanked me again and 19me that, from then on, all their buses would stop at my service station. In this  20 , a little bit of kindness was rewarded with a huge amount of benefits.

    For years, I followed the materialistic standards around me. I thought that without the purses, shoes, and all the other “1” things, I would not be as pretty, smart, or important as others of my age.

    As a freshman (新生) of my high school, I thought top social status could be gained by doing everything to 2. So I became a(n)3 and bought fake (伪造的) designer purses. I felt popular and important, and I4 it.

    But, my parents couldn't understand my strong 5to be someone just to 6 others. They tried endlessly to convince me that I was hurting myself,7 I wouldn't listen. I felt 8 with this way of my life until one day I looked at myself in the mirror and saw someone with makeup and the product-filled hair wasn't me. That person was 9.

    So I quit cheerleading and 10 swimming again, something I had loved for eight years before high school. I also attended my school's top vocal (声乐) performance group, and 11 myself whole-heartedly to community service.

    I wrote articles in my school newspaper that questioned the materialistic 12 of many students at my school. I started 13 my limits academically, which I14 considered less important than improving my social status.

    I found a new group of friends who15 me, unlike my old friends. I found I no longer needed to impress others materialistically. Starting over was 16. My classmates looked at me as if they didn't know me.

    I am to 17 the materialistic culture. I am confident, talented, and optimistic. I know who I am. I'm motivated to explore even more of my 18 as a student and a member of my community.

    I took one of the worst 19 in my life but I turned it around and 20 something beautiful——a life that fits me, with meaning and happiness.

    I still remember that the year when I started university. It was a very 1 time for me. Like many other new students I missed my mother's cooking and my friends, got quite homesick and 2 thought of leaving university and going home.

    The 3 me for many students was getting letters from home, and at first my mailbox was full. But 4 the letters gradually became fewer and finally the day came when I found my mailbox was 5. It made me feel quite miserable. Then one day while I was waiting for the postman I saw that I had a postcard in my box. Happily I sat down to read it, 6 that it was from one of my friends. 7 it was 8 of a young woman called Annie and her new baby. I took the card back to my room, put it into my desk drawer and 9 all about it.

    Several days later, I 10 another postcard. This time it was about Antonio, Annie's cousin. Soon later, another card came and then another, 11 full of interesting information about people I had 12 met. I began to really look forward to them,13 to see what the writer would 14 next. They made me feel 15 unhappy with my own life and I even began to smile. 16 while the cards 17 coming, I joined some societies and made some new friends. At last I was beginning to enjoy 18life. The postcards had made me feel happy and helped me begin a new life so I 19 all the cards and even now bring them out 20 I feel miserable.

    I built a company when I approached with a major opportunity that was going to take our company to the next level. Then something1happened. I received an email from the investor that read: "We're going to2…"

    I was crushed(崩溃).The next few days I thought about this3and realized just how4I truly was. I thought maybe it was time to count my 5and get another "real job". Luckily, I realized that having that thought meant I had a problem-my fear of6. If I was going to keep moving forward with my company I'd have to7this fear of being rejected again. So, I8 Google to help solve my problem and I found a game. The 9of the game is to help you get over your fear of rejection by 10seeking out rejection. I loved it. I11 I would try it to help me remove this fear.

    What came next was something I could have12imagined. As my rejection journey continued, I began to feel more and more13when asking for things, realizing I could focus on the14factors.

    In the process of my rejection journey, here is what I learned about rejection. Avoiding it doesn't15mean you avoid failure. Most people believe avoiding rejection is a good thing,16 that's not true. When we17away from rejection, we reject ourselves and our ideas before the world ever has a18to reject them. This is the 19form of rejection and we are overlooked by the world. Therefore, the greatest lesson I've learned from rejection is no mater what, don't be20by the world.