After a decade at the publishing company, I was fired. I had worked so hard for so long. I was always doing my job 1 , clawing my way up the ladder. And 2 ? Doing these things had 3 me in the end, very little of lasting value. I wondered what would happen if I let it all go—didn't look for a job, didn't keep my 4 ambition.

    My husband thought it was a great idea. “Just 5 .” he said. As a serious windsurfer, he suggested I try the sport as a path to clarity. I had windsurfed before , but only in 6 water. I didn't like high winds. I didn't like going fast—that was 7. But I wanted to abandon the past. My 8 was to do nothing but read and windsurf every day. I wanted to feel the fear and do it anyway. I wanted to learn how to ride the currents, and I couldn't think of a better way than to 9 myself to the invisible, ever-shifting wind.

    I decided to sail at Swell City, a favorite outpost on the Washington side of the Columbia. That July 10 to be one of the windiest months on record. I grew to find that what I was doing did 11 for my standing in the world. It won me no friends.Then again, I was 12 .

    One day, a friend and her l5-year-old son came, and after I explained my 13 , he said the simplest but most profound thing: “It's all in the 14 . ” This kid had windsurfed only three times , 15 he knew the secret. “If you go out there knowing you're going to 16 it, you will, ”he continued. “But if you go out there afraid you'll get hurt , you will. ” I smiled at him. Wasn't that 17 the same problem I'd encountered in life? I'd always been terrified l wouldn't reach the goal or 18 the job. I knew I had to let that fear go. And slowly I did.

    The wind wanted nothing from me. It cared not at all about my ambition or accomplishments. It 19 me that the beauty of life is in the trying. And that's where I am: still trying for the turnaround in life and in the 20 .

I was required to read one of Bernie Siegel's books in college and was hooked on his positivity from that moment on. The stories of his unconventional1and the exceptional patients he wrote about were so2to me and had such a big3on how I saw life from then on. Who knew that so many years later I would look to Dr. Bernie and his CDs again to4my own Cancer experience ？

I'm an ambitious5, and when I started going through chemo( 化疗 )，even though I'm a very6person, I lost my drive to write. I was just too tired and not in the7One day, while waiting to go in for8, I had one of Dr. Bernie's books in hand. Another patient9what I was reading and struck up a conversation with me10he had one of his books with me as well. It11that among other things, he was an eighty-year-old writer. He was12a published author, and he was currently13on a new book.

We would see each other at various times and14friends. Sometimes he wore a duck hat, and I would tell myself, he was definitely a ( n )15of Dr. Berline. He really put a16on my face. He unfortunately17last year due to his cancer,18he left a deep impression on me and gave me the19to pick up my pen again. I20to myself, “If he can do it, then so can I. ”

    There was my mother, standing in a fuzzy (毛绒绒的) pink bunny(兔子）costume. This can't be, 1 I thought to myself. Being ten was 2 enough.

    Our class was taking a trip to a convalescent home（疗养院) that day.I had 3 to stay at home pretending I'd caught some rare disease. My mother who's a(n) 4, sent me to school anyway.

    When we got there, I 5 wished for that 6. I'd fall to the ground and be 7the humiliation (耻笑) of anyone ever knowing that I 8every day after school there, dressed as a bunny.

“Hi, Shelly!” The residents waved at me, “ Do you know them?” someone asked. “No! They 9 me for someone else. I'm Machille,” I responded. I didn't look up 10 I might make eye contact with them. Then, Mrs. Deist, our teacher, handed us tulips (郁金香) to give to the residents. I quickly went to the back of the 11. My mother just went along her way— hopping（单足跳跃）. Last year, we hopped together. 12, “I'm too old for that now”, I thought.

    I hid behind my class. “ Shelly, how about a game of Fish?” Lou asked. My class and teacher 13 and stared. “ Machille, do you know these people?” Mrs.Deist asked me.

“Um….yes！”  

    “Well you should 14 the way,” she said, smiling. So I stepped forward, handed a tulip to Rose, waved to Frank and gave Mr. Blusso a high-five.

    “My mother is in a convalescent home. I wish she could have someone like you to 15 her.” Mrs Deist said. My mother hopped over then. “This is my mom. Every day she looks after these special people who need nurses' care.” I stood straight as I 16 the information. My mother then explained a program where kids can 17 after school. The residents cheered at the18, and my class seemed excited, too.

    I realized how 19 it made me to make other people smile and feel good. I should never be 20 of that.

    One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his schooling by selling goods from door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to 1 for a meal at the next house.

    However, he lost his nerve 2 a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked 3so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it 4, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

    “You don't owe me anything,” she 5. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a 6” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger 7, but it also increased his faith in God and human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

    Years later the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were confused. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly，now 8, was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light 9 his eyes. Immediately, he 10 and went down through the hospital hall into her room. 11 in his doctor s gown he went in to see her. He 12 her at once. He went back to the consultation room and 13 to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave 14 attention to her case.

    After a long 15 the battle was won. Dr. Kelly 16 the business office to pass the final bill to him for 17.

    He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was negative that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her 18. She read these words...

“Paid in full with a glass of 19.” (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

    Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she 20 silently. “Thank you, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

    I built a company when I approached with a major opportunity that was going to take our company to the next level. Then something 1 happened. 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 of 6. If I was going to keep moving forward with my company I'd have to 7 this fear of being rejected again. So, I8 Google to help solve my problem and I found a game. The 9 of the game is to help you get over your fear of rejection by 10 seeking out rejection. I loved it. I11 I would try it to help me remove this fear.

    What came next was something I could have12 imagined. As my rejection journey continued, I began to feel more and more 13 when asking for things, realizing I could focus on the 14 factors.

    In the process of my rejection journey, here is what I learned about rejection. Avoiding it doesn't 15 mean you avoid failure. Most people believe avoiding rejection is a good thing, 16 that's not true. When we 17 away from rejection, we reject ourselves and our ideas before the world ever has a 18 to reject them. This is the 19 form of rejection and we are overlooked by the world. Therefore, the greatest lesson I've learned from rejection is no matter what, don't be20 by the world.

A lot of people admired our neighbor. One day a delivery truck unloaded a large 1 system at their house. And the kids discussed the new sound equipment my neighbor had just bought. Meantime, we were living in a house decorated 2 and dressing our kids in second-hand clothes. We lived a 3 life. 

My poor mother-in-law, in town for a visit, got to hear my complaints that night. "I feel so 4 sometimes," I told her, as we 5 the table after dinner. "I know we're doing the right thing, living frugally (节俭的), saving money, but it feels so hard. There're so many things I'd like to 6 , so many things I'd like to do, but we just can't."

She 7 as she folded a cloth napkin in silence. Then she turned to me and said, "When you make a comparison between yourself and others, it's easy to 8 what you don't have. But there's one thing you two do that many other couples may 9 to do. You two often go out together and take time to focus on your 10 . And that's a very important thing."

I stopped wiping the table and 11 for a minute. I thought of the movie my husband and I had seen a week earlier. I 12 the bike rides, the hikes and the picnics. Most of all, I remembered how 13 we were together, even after twenty years. How many people can say that? 

I looked around my home in a new 14 . Our refrigerator was too small for a family of six, but it was 15 filled with delicious food. Our kitchen was small and we had no big TV, but we're happy! And that's enough!