I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 1 I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a 2person:

    I think my 3started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my 4, and be left alone. I thought I was smarter everyone else, so I hardly ever5to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really,6. It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So tried a(n) 7. I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 8to help. That was really a big 9for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 10are still my best friends today.

    A bigger cause of my new 11, however, came when I took a part-time job at a Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer s disease became my 12. Every time I came into her room, she was so13because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never 14her, so I took her place. She let me 15. That making others feel good make me feel good, too. When she died, I was16, but I was very grateful to her.

    I think I am a much 17, person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not 18these experiences. They have 19e to care about other people more than about myself. 20who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.

    One evening, Catherine was at home as usual. As her1swung between what she was going to do with her life and their dinner plans for the evening, she was unexpectedly2by an urgent call from her sister “Get over here! Turn on NBC and check these guys out. They are just like you….” One Facebook message and a phone interview later, Catherine3herself on a bus with 8 strangers in the middle of the sweltering desert heat of Utah, picking up trash and4awareness about zero-waste and climate change.

    With a deep5of the environment and a desire to make a6, Catherine, Davey, and a group of self7“environmental pick-up artists” went on a coast to coast road side trash pick-up. As they walked, sometimes only80.9 miles in an entire day, they 9 and steadily made their way across the United States for three years, picking up a total of 201,678 pounds of trash.

    Catherine and Davey10with us wonderful stories of hope and inspiration that fueled their11to continue their journey. After spending weeks silently12how she would have enough13to fly home for their two-week spring break, Catherine found a blank, unidentified envelope14with $850 cash in the desert. Just enough to get her home and back. After their bus15outside of Denver, they unexpectedly got16and arrived in Yosemite National Park three weeks later, just in time for the “Yosemite Facelift” where17from all over the state came together with a18of cleaning up trash all over the park.

    Being at the right place at the right time became almost normal, and they realized that much of what they 19was more than just a coincidence. Together, their team learned to simply 20themselves to their task, and surrender to the journey.

    After she left the town, Jane stopped the car at the landing near the entrance of the bay (海湾).She stepped into the 1 and rowed out silently. The tide was rushing to the entrance and 2 to the wild open sea. She had to row across the bay to reach 3 side. The waves struck against the side of the boat, 4 and uneven; it became 5 difficult to row. If she 6 for a moment, the tide would push the boat back towards the 7.

    She wasn't even halfway 8 she was already tired and her hands 9 from pulling on the rough wooden oars (船桨). "I'm never going to 10 it", she thought. She rested the oars on her knees and 11 her head helplessly, then looked up as she 12 the boat shift (晃动) against the tide.

    The east wind , which had swung (旋转) around from the south-west, 13 her help and pushed the boat towards the mountains. It was going to be 14. Her hands weren't so painful. Her chest didn't feel as if it was about to burst 15.

    The lights of the town became 16, one of the oars banged against the side of the boat and she 17 it with a start. Had she been asleep, or just 18? She looked over her shoulder.  She was almost on the beach. The girl gave one last 19 on the oars to ground the boat, and then lay back against the seat. She listened to the waves 20 and knew she had come home. Far across the moonlit bay the lights were no more than a sparkling chain.

    A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales meeting in Chicago. They had1to their wives that they would be home on Friday evening. In their2to catch the plane home, one of these salesmen accidentally kicked over a table which held a display of apples.

    Apples flew everywhere. Without3or looking back they almost all managed to reach the plane in time.

    ALL BUT ONE! He 4, took a deep breath and felt sympathy for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He 5 his friends to go on without him, asking one of them to call his wife when they6and explained his taking a later flight. Then he7 to the place where the apples were all over the floor.

The girl was8blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in9and at the same time helplessly groping (摸索) for her spilled apples 10 the crowd walked past her ,no one stopping or11her trouble.

    The salesman knelt on the floor with her, 12up the apples, put them back on the table and helped 13her display. As he did this he 14that many of them had become bruised (碰伤的).So he set these 15 in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl ,"Here please take this $40 for the 16 we did." "Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears.

    He continued, "I hope we didn't17your day too badly." As the salesman started to walk away, the confused blind girl called out to him "Mister..." He paused and 18to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

    He stopped and wondered. Then slowly he made his19to catch the later flight with that20 burning in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

    My dad also taught me, by example, that a healthy lifestyle is important. He was 1 ever sick. I don't think my dad ever even had a cup of coffee. He seldom 2 alcohol.

    He would say, "Bonnie, your 3 is a reflection of your overall physical well-being. So 4 you want to sing well, take better care of yourself." If I became hoarse (嘶哑) or caught a cold, he didn't 5 me directly, "Well, Bonnie, you know, if you get to sleep a little earlier, that would probably be a good 6." When I decided to get silent about 18 years ago, he told me, "See, Bonnie, it's so great to see you in such strong voice 7."

    He just did not complain (抱怨), even when he was uncomfortable towards the end, 8 the cancer that eventually 9 his life. He simply made a 10 to be positive.

    I am so glad that we had the 11 to perform together. I was touched that he tried singing my music, 12 the bluesy style didn't come 13 to him. Then, when I had so much Grammy (格莱美奖) 14 with my album Nick of Time in 1990, I 15, hey, I had one of the greatest 16  of all time in my family. I was very 17 about doing The Boston Pops Show on TV with my dad. To 18  me, he said, "Bonnie, a beautiful song is a beautiful song. Just 19 it." I looked in my dad's 20, and there we were singing the Irving Berlin Song. Of all the duets (二重唱) I've done, that one will always be a highlight.

    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.