Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling¹ some five balls in the air. You name them: Work, Family, Health, Friends, Spirit. And you re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls-family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed² , marked, nicked , damaged or even shattered . They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How?

Don t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would cling to your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds³ us each together.

Don t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don t shut love out of your life by saying it s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you ve been, but also where you are going.

把生活想象成一个在空中抛接五只球的游戏。这五只球被你分别称为：工作、家庭、健康、友谊和精神。你努力不让它们从空中掉下来。你马上就发现惟有工作是一个橡皮球。如果你将它掉到地上，它还会弹回来。但其它四只球——家庭、健康、朋友和精神都是玻璃的。如果你把任何一个掉到地上，便会不可挽回地留下疤痕、裂缝、受损甚至摔得粉碎。它们永远也无法恢复原样。你必须懂得这一点并在生活中努力保持平衡。

怎样做到这一点呢？

不要总拿自己与别人比从而贬低自身的价值。正因为我们彼此的差异不同，我们才会各有千秋。

别人认为重要，并不能作为你确定目标的根据。只有你自己知道，什么东西对你最好。

与你内心最贴近的东西，切莫等闲视之。要像坚守生命一样坚守住它们，因为失去它们，生活就会毫无意义。

不要耽于过去或未来，而让生命从指间悄悄溜走。一次只活一天，活在今日，你就充实地活过生命中的每一天。如果你还可以付出，就不要轻言放弃。在你停止努力那一刻之前，什么都没有真正结束。

正因为我们都不完美，我们才会彼此需要。

不要害怕遭遇风险。只有通过冒险，我们才能学会如何变得勇敢。

别说真爱难求，而将爱拒之门于生活之外。获得爱的捷径是给予爱，失去爱的捷径是扼住爱，而守住爱的捷径是给爱插上翅膀。

不要一生奔忙，匆匆而过，以至于忘了自己从何而来，往何而去。

不要忘记一个人最大的感情需要是得到别人的理解。

不要害怕学习。知识没有重量：它是你随时可以轻松携带的宝藏。

不要漫不经心地打发时间或口无遮拦地说话，失去的时间和说出去的话都无法挽回。

生活不是一场赛跑，而是每一步都宜细细品尝的人生旅程。

昨天属于历史。明天是未知的谜。而今天是赐予我们的礼物：所以我们把“今天”称之为present。