One of the most inspiring quotes I ever heard regarding perseverance was by Brian Tracy. He said: “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people fail many more times than unsuccessful people.”我聽過的關於“毅力”的最鼓舞人心的一句名言，出自布賴恩-特蕾西之口。他說：“成功者和失敗者的區別是，成功者比失敗者要經歷更多的失敗。”
I personally experienced the wisdom of that understanding right after my first book was published. Like many authors, I envisioned hundreds of bookstore customers lining up for me to benevolently sign copies for them.我的第一本書出版之後的親身經歷讓我對這句名言的智慧有了深刻的理解。與許多作者一樣，我也曾想象有幾百個我的書迷朋友在書店裏排起長龍，期待着我親切地爲他們簽名。
I’m afraid to say, it didn’t quite happen like that.然而，我得說，這一幕並沒有發生。
I was living in Atlanta at the time and arranged my first signing at The Phoenix and Dragon, the largest inspirational bookstore in the city. The store was celebrating its 15th anniversary and had authors scheduled to appear throughout the three-day event. I was scheduled Sunday at 5pm, the last day and time slot of the celebration.那時我住在亞特蘭大，正在爲我的第一次簽名售書活動做準備。這次簽名售書活動被安排在龍鳳書店舉行，那是亞特蘭大市最大的勵志書書店。爲了慶祝書店開業15週年，書店邀請了一些作家陸續在爲期3天的慶祝活動中亮相。我被安排在星期天下午5點出席活動—那是三天慶祝活動的最後一天，也是活動的一段間隙。
Brimming with anticipation, I was put into a private signing room in the beautiful store, and for the next hour and a half, had little more to do than to read my own book and wonder for what purpose in the world I had felt so driven to spend four years writing it.那天，我滿懷期待。我被安排在漂亮的龍鳳書店的一個專用簽名室裏。可是在接下來的一個半小時裏，我除了百無聊賴地翻看自己的書之外，沒有其他事情可做。我不禁問自己，究竟是什麼促使我花了四年的時間來寫作這本書。
Despite a nice sign placed outside the room exhibiting images of both me and my book, The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, not a single customer entered the room. As each minute passed, I became increasingly anxious.簽名室的外面擺着一塊漂亮搶眼的廣告牌，上面展示着我的頭像，以及我的書——《富足靈魂的九大頓悟》，然而卻沒有一個客人走進這個房間。隨着時間一分一秒地過去，我變得越來越焦慮不安。
Do they not like the title? I wondered. Do they not like the book cover?他們不喜歡我的書名嗎？我充滿疑問。還是不喜歡書的封面設計？
After 90 minutes of this torture, I was absolutely distraught.這種折磨持續了90分鐘以後，我徹底瘋掉了。
For the four years writing the book, I had felt a sense of mission and purpose like never before in my life. Working a full 8 to 9 hour day in my clinic, I had lived on a strict regimen during the four years of getting into bed by 9:30pm, so I could quiet my mind and feel a sense of surrender before turning out the lights at 11. I would sleep with that silent potentiality, so I could wake up at 5:30 in the morning and have two pristine hours of writing before heading into my clinic.在著書的`4年時間裏，我有一種前所未有的使命感和目標感。那時，我每天在診所工作8到9個小時。那4年裏，我的作息時間極爲嚴格，每天晚上9點半準時上牀，以便在11點熄燈之前的這段時間裏，能使大腦平靜下來，體會一種拋開雜念，交出身心的感覺。帶着這種沉默的潛在力量入睡，我就可以在早上5點半起牀，利用完整的兩個小時來寫作，然後再前往診所。
Before I ever began each writing session, I would close my eyes for 10 minutes and end my meditation whispering, “Please grant me the words to touch just one person’s life.”每次提筆寫新內容之前，我都會閉目沉思10分鐘，然後低聲說：“請賜予我一種力量，讓我的文字能夠感動一位讀者。”
I truly was inspired, and despite my ascetic lifestyle, I knew that’s what I had to do to maintain the grace in my words with which I wanted my readers to eventually be touched.寫作時，我確實是文思泉涌。雖然我過着苦行僧般的生活，但我深知爲保持文字的優美流暢我必須這麼做，我希望我的文字最終能夠感動讀者。
Now, sitting there alone at my first book signing, I wondered if my entire life wasn’t just a big joke. I watched the minutes agonizingly tick by on a clock on the wall. At 6:25pm, just before the store’s closing, defeated, I began to get myself ready to leave.然而現在，我孤單一人坐在這裏，舉行自己的第一次簽名售書活動。我開始懷疑自己的人生是不是一個天大的玩笑。我苦悶地盯着牆上的時鐘，指針走了一圈又一圈。到了下午6點25分，書店馬上就要關門了。我備受打擊，開始準備離開。
At that moment, just when I couldn’t feel any worse, a middle-aged couple walked into the room. Trying to regain my composure, I managed to hide my emotions and introduced myself and my book:這時，就在我情緒低落到極點的時候，一對中年夫婦走了進來。我一邊強作鎮定，極力掩飾失落的情緒，一邊向他們介紹我自己和我的新書。
“Well,” I started hesitantly, “It’s called The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, and it’s a story of a WWII pilot, my dad, and the lessons he was giving me in wealth accumulation while he was facing a terminal illness. And each lesson in the story becomes a much deeper lesson about life and death, and finding the greatest spiritual meaning anytime we are facing our greatest adversities.”“嗯，”我開始解說，語氣有些猶豫，“這本書的名字叫《富足靈魂的九大頓悟》，講述的是我父親—一位二戰飛行員，在患了晚期重病的時候，教我積累人生財富的故事。從這個故事裏得到的每一個教誨，都成爲一個對生死有更深刻理解的教誨，這些教誨也講到當我們面對自己最大的不幸時，該怎樣尋求最大的精神慰藉。”
Both the man and the woman’s eyes were now glued on me. There was something different about the way they were looking at me that I couldn’t quite identify. But I didn’t know what else to say. However, additional words were unnecessary.夫婦倆的眼睛都緊緊地盯着我。他們看我的眼神有點異樣，至於怎麼個異樣法，我說不上來。但我又不知要說些什麼。反正此刻再說什麼，也是多餘的。
The couple turned to each other, and the husband nodded solemnly to his wife. She then told me, “I think we’ll get the book.” My heart began to pound. But instinctively, despite the impulse to jump in the air and wring their hands to thank them for being my first readers, I realized the woman was trying to say something else.夫婦倆對望了一下，然後丈夫嚴肅地朝妻子點了點頭。接着那位妻子對我說：“我們想買下這本書。”我的心開始“怦怦”地狂跳起來。儘管出於本能，我有種雀躍騰空的衝動，並想緊緊握住他們的手以感謝他們做我的第一批讀者，但我意識到那位女士似乎還有別的話要說。
“The reason we’re buying it,” she said hesitantly, “is because our son committed suicide two years ago.” She took my hand. “Maybe your story will help us get over it.”“我們之所以決定買這本書，”她有些猶豫地說，“是因爲我們的兒子兩年前自殺了。”她握住我的手。“也許你的書能幫助我們撫平心靈的創傷。”
I felt my eyes glisten. I was speechless.我感到自己的眼裏泛着淚光，一時無語。
In that moment, I knew if I never sold another copy of the book, my four years of writing it had served its purpose. My prayer of asking for the words to touch just one person’s life had already been answered.那一刻，我知道，即便我只賣出這一本書，我四年的寫作也有了回報。我曾經祈求自己的文字能打動一個人，現在我如願了。
Although I would have many more challenging years until my book caught on and saw substantial distribution, this couple’s story was all the motivation I needed at that point to keep me moving ahead.儘管經過多年的挑戰和考驗以後，我的書才終於引起人們的注意，成爲暢銷書，但在當時，這對夫婦的故事就是支撐我繼續前行的全部動力。
Thanks to them, I would come to the realization that the greatest of lives are made all in the same way: One challenge... one hurdle... one step... and one small victory at a time.感謝他們，我後來意識到，那些最偉大的人都有着相同的經歷：一次挑戰……一次困難……一次突破……每次都是一小步的成功。
