文本
Help others, help yourself

助人即助己

Kim was in danger of being fired from her job at a small marketing firm. She was a whiz at internet research, but was such a perfectionist that she'd even lie to cover up her mistakes. She'd ask her boss for advice, then argue with him if she disagreed. With losing her job almost guaranteed, Kim knew she needed help to save herself from herself. It was time to create her own dream team of advisors.

The most dramatic life changes often occur through initiatives like Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous, where there are multiple people invested in your success and to whom you feel accountable. It makes sense to apply the same principles that have been so successful in dealing with self-destructive habits when creating your own self-guided community for personal growth.

Your ''dream team'' works best with about five people, all of whom care enough about you to be ruthlessly honest. Select people with diverse backgrounds – your jogging partner, maybe your accountant and someone whose behaviour you admire or whose position you aspire to. Not only will a diverse group come up with creative solutions, they are more likely to be plugged in to networks and resources you may not have access to yourself. Kim, for example, invited both a trusted colleague and her boss to join her team.

The trick is to listen to their critiques, and that's not always easy to do. Kim argued with her team so much that one member finally said, ''Look, if you're going to ask for my advice and always disagree with it, it's not worth me making the effort to give it.''

Of course, you can ask clarifying questions: ''What do you mean by that?'' or ''What did you think when you saw me doing this?'' But do not contradict them, even if you feel a team member has misjudged you. This is his ''gift'' to you. And if four out of five people are giving you the same gift, then the chances are that they're on to something. Now, I bet you're thinking, ''Why would these people do this? What do I have to offer that could possibly induce people, some of whom I barely know, to help me in this way?''
重点词汇
Whiz:熟手,能手
He is a whiz at football.
他是一位打橄榄球的高手.

A pink slip:解雇通知书

accountable:负有责任的
He is mentally ill and cannot be held accountable for his actions.
他有精神病, 不能对自己的行为负责.

Ruthlessly:无情地,冷酷地

Aspire:渴望
The boy aspired to become an engineer.
这男孩渴望成为工程师。
As a model, Monroe always aspired to an acting career.
当模特儿时,梦露渴望演员生涯。
He aspired after knowledge.
他渴求知识。

Trick:诀窍,技巧
Daily practice is the trick in learning a foreign language.
每天练习是学会一门外语的诀窍。

Critique:批评性分析,评论

Contradict:反驳,驳斥
The eyewitness contradicted earlier testimony.
目击者驳斥了早些时提出的证词。

induce:劝诱,促使
Nothing in the world would induce me to do that.
什么也不能引诱我做那种事。

Counsel:劝告,建议
He followed my counsel.
他听取了我的忠告。
佳句精讲
It makes sense to apply the same principles that have been so successful in dealing with self-destructive habits when creating your own self-guided community for personal growth.
此句的结构是it makes sense to+动宾短语+非限定性定语从句+时间状语从句,表达的意思是”做…是明智的(合情合理的)”,可以用于总结前文的论点并提出建议.

The trick is to listen to their critiques, and that's not always easy to do.
此句是告诉大家应该怎样面对建议.句式”the trick is to…(可采取…的诀窍/方法)用来提出建议或者解决的方法.类似的提出建议的句式还有:it’s better to…和the key lies in…等.