An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer (contractor¹) of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely² life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

一位老木匠打算退休了。他向自己所在的建筑公司雇主请辞，表示想要和自己的老伴以及大家庭去过一种更加闲适的生活。他会想念领薪水的日子，但他还是该退休了，他想日子总是能过下去的。

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and usedinferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

老板很舍不得自己的好员工离开，他对木匠说请你再建最后一座房子吧，就算是帮我个忙。木匠答应了，但很快就明显可以看出他的心已经不在工作上了。他用拙劣的技巧和劣质的材料建这座房子，用这种状态来结束他的职业生涯其实是一种遗憾。

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

木匠完成了他的工作，负责人来验收房屋，老板将这座房屋的前门钥匙递到了木匠手上，说：“这房子现在归你了，作为我给你的礼物。”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

木匠顿时感到很震惊。多可惜啊！如果他知道是在为自己修建这所房子的话，他会完全以另一种态度来对待。而现在他不得不住在这座自己胡乱修建的房子里了。

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting³, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.[/en

这个故事也映射了我们的生活状况。我们并没有用心经营自己的生活，总是抱怨而缺少实际行动，并没有全力以赴做到最好。最重要的一点是，我们没有为自己的工作付出百分之百的努力。然后，当我们回过头看为自己创造的生活条件时我们震惊了，和木匠一样我们后悔了，要是知道我们是在为自己的生活打拼，我们可能就会用一种完全不同的态度来对待了。

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect⁴ a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and withdignity. The plaque⁵ on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

想象一下你就是这个木匠，想象你正在建造这座房子，你每天钉进一颗钉子、安装一块板子或者筑起一面墙。请用心对待吧，这是唯一一个你为自己打造的生活。即使你只在里面住上一天，这一天也要活得有光彩、有尊严。正如格言所说，“生活是一个只有靠自己才能完成的项目。”

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

谁还能说的再清楚些呢？你今天的生活就是你自己过去的态度和选择的结果，你未来的生活就是你现在的态度和选择的结果。