人生是个测验，仅此而已 Life Is a Test. It Is Only a Test.

One of my favorite posters says, "Life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been a real life you would have been instructed where to go and what to do." Whenever I think of this humorous bit of wisdom, it reminds me to not take my life so seriously.

我最爱的一副海报上面说，“人生是个测验，仅此而已。如果人生不似梦，那么你将受到指引，明白该何去何从。”不论何时，想起这则略带幽默的警句，都会提醒我别把人生看得太重。

When you look at life and its many challenges as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches. Whether you're being bombarded with problems, responsibilities, even insurmountable hurdles, when looked at as a test, you always have a chance to succeed, in the sense of rising above that which is challenging you.

If, on the other hand, you see each new issue you face as a serious battle that must be won in order to survive, you're probably in for a very rocky journey. The only time you're likely to be happy is when everything is working out just right. And we all know how often that happens.

当你将人生和其中的许多挑战看做是一次测验，或一系列测验，那么你所面对的这些问题都将成为一个让你不断成长、一个让你在逆境中绽放的契机。就算你被一堆问题、责任、障碍连续阻击，若你能将它们视作人生的测验，那么你就赢得了胜利的机会。

否则，若你每次遇到一个新问题都好似严阵以待一场战斗，必须要打胜仗才能存活的话，你的人生将十分坎坷艰辛，且只有当所有事情都按照你的预期顺利进行时，你才会感到快乐，而我们都知道，这是个什么概率。

As an experiment, see if you can apply this idea to something you are forced to deal with. Perhaps you have a difficult teenager or a demanding boss. See if you can redefine the issue you face from being a "problem" to being a test. Rather than struggling with your issue, see if there is something you can learn from it. Ask yourself, "Why is this issue in my life? What would it mean and what would be involved to rise above it? Could I possibly look at this issue any differently? Can I see it as a test of some kind?"

先来个试验，看你是否能将上面讲到的策略运用到实际中去。看看你周围是否有必须要处理的事，也许你身边有一个令人头疼的青春期少年或者一个严苛的上司，看你能不能做到把这些“麻烦”重新定义为一次“测验”。比起苦苦挣扎，看你能不能从中学到什么。问问自己，“我为什么会遇到这样的问题？这个问题意味什么，如果我想克服它，需要做些什么？有没有可能从另一个侧面去看这个问题？我能将这个问题当做一次测验之类的吗？”

If you give this strategy a try you may be surprised at your changed responses. For example, I used to struggle a great deal over the issue of my perception of not having enough time. I would rush around trying to get everything done. I blamed my schedule, my family, my circumstances, and anything else I could think of for my plight. Then it dawned on me.

If I wanted to be happy, my goal didn't necessarily have to be to organize my life perfectly so that I had more time, but rather to see whether I could get to the point where I felt itwas okay that I couldn't get everything done that I felt I must. In other words, my real challenge was to see my struggle as a test. Seeing this issue as a test ultimately helped me to cope with one of my biggest personal frustrations. I still struggle now and then about my perceived lack of time, but less than I used to. It has become far more acceptable to me to accept things as they are.

如果你尝试上面的策略，也许会惊讶于自己面对问题时心态的变化。举个例子，我曾经因为感觉时间不够用而非常苦恼。我急于把一切都搞定，我埋怨我的时间表、我的家人、我周遭的环境，以及所有我能联想到的、跟我此时所处困境有关的人事物。

可是后来我慢慢懂得，如果我想快乐，我不需为了赢得时间，而将我的生活安排的完美无缺。我只要能达到一个点 —— 一个我不必完成所有事情就能让自己感到满足的点 —— 便可以了。而在从前，这几乎是不可能的，因为我总觉得必须完成所有事情才行。换言之，我真正的挑战在于是否能将我所面对的困难视作人生的一次测验。而将它当做是一次测验的策略，最终帮我解决了有生以来最大的挫折之一。虽然现在我有时仍受困于时间不够用的问题，但是相比从前，我已经感觉好多了。现在的我，变得更容易接受事物的本身。