Unit 8 Optimism
第8单元 乐观

I guess I have always been a very motivated person and when my accident happened 11 years ago, I saw it only as a challenge I had to overcome. I was paralyzed during a football game. I had only been playing professionally for two and a half years when I was injured.
我想我一直是个很积极的人，当十一岁那年发生意外时我视这场意外为必须要克服的挑战。我在一场足球比赛中瘫痪。我加入专业球队才两年半就受伤。

Doctors told me that I would never walk again, but I didn’t listen to them. I listened to my heart. It has taken me over a decade of very challenging and exhausting work but it was well worth it!
许多医生告诉我，我将永远不良于行，不过我并不相信他们，我顺从自己的心，我花了十年多，接受挑战并竭尽努力，不过这一切都是值得的！

Not only can I walk but I can water ski, snow ski , hike, kayak and enjoy a life with my wife and daughter. I am also a motivational speaker for people who are overcoming physical challenges.
现在的我不仅可以走，还可以滑水、滑雪、爬山、泛舟，与我的妻子和女儿一同享受生活。我现在也是个激励人心的演说家，为那些正在克服身体挑战的人演说。

It is important to have role models in our life. I know that if I didn’t have any, I wouldn’t be where I am today. To be honest, learning to use my body again demanded intense focus, dedication, love, and above all, optimism. The way I see it optimism is the difference between success and failure.
对我们这些人来说，在生活中树立典范是很重要的，我知道要是我没有，就不会有现在的我了。老实说，学习重新使用我的身体需要极度的专注、努力、爱，而最重要的就是保持乐观，我乐观以对，造就了我的成功，而不是失败。

【美】 Meredith Walker 著 陈怡芬 译

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