伊丽莎白·切利/Elizabeth Cherry

　　Always believe in yourself no matter what; love the person that you are and appreciate what God has given you. These are laws of Life that are useful for everyone. I think that before people can live happy lives, they must believe in and accept themselves. The hardest thing for individuals to do is to look in the mirror and like what they see. Accepting yourself, being thankful for God's gifts and believing you can accomplish anything for which you strive is hard for all of us. To live a fulfilling life, you must start with believing in yourself as a person.

　　I have struggled with believing in myself so many times in my life. Struggling with little tasks such as completing homework or memorizing a piece on the piano, I would get so frustrated. You never realize how much easier your life becomes if you have confidence before you take on a task until you say, "I can do this!" Four or five years ago, I began taking piano lessons. Recital time was approaching, and I had a piece that I needed to memorize. Coming home with a feeling of frustration and poor attitude, I just knew I could not accomplish this task. I sat at my piano and told myself that I would never get it finished. What was supposed to be the me memorization of a few lines of music is now a life lesson for me. I did end up finishing the piece, and the recital went smoothly. The important point is, looking back on this time in my life, I can see how important it is to know that you can accomplish anything you want to do if you try your best. Now, when I become frustrated with a piano piece, I never give up and think that I cannot do it. Always beginning with a positive attitude, I sit down and tell myself that I can accomplish my goal if I put my mind to it. I realize that I should have this attitude in everything I do. Never give up, believe that you can accomplish anything in which you put your mind and heart.

　　Love yourself, and like who you are. It is hard for many people to look in the mirror and like what they see. The media of today gives an image that many want to follow. Girls should be tall and perfectly skinny, and boys should be tall and extremely muscular. As a teenager, I fully understand all of these pressures that are put upon us. Every time I turn on the television or open a magazine, I see tiny, skinny little bodies that I think I should have. I have wasted more time wishing I could be someone else than I have living my life to its fullest. To this day, I would love to have the perfect body, but I must realize that I am as beautiful as any "perfect" girl on the cover of a magazine and that what counts the most is on the inside, not the outside. Teenagers are also faced with making decisions at their young age. Alcohol, drugs, and sex are so common for the average teenager. Although many people would laugh at and make fun of me because I have not indulged in these rebellious actions, I have learned that staying away from distractions makes me feel good about myself. I do not have to drink, do drugs, or have sex to be a popular and likeable person; I can be myself. Learning to love myself for who I am, not what I look like and what I do, has really made my life more pleasant and fulfilling. Everyone deserves happiness. It is vital to learn to appreciate and love yourself.

　　Appreciate God's bountiful gifts that he gives you. I am blessed with so much when many are without shelter, food, and other necessities of life. As I sit and gripe because I do not anticipate receiving a car when I have my sixteenth birthday, there are children all over the world who would just like to have a meal to eat. Instead of dwelling on the luxuries that you do not have, think of those for which you are so thankful. These days, numerus people are self-involved. They care about no one but themselves. God put us on this earth to love and help one another, and so many of us continue to think about what we want. We could be spending more of our time thanking God for all of the wonderful blessings he has bestowed upon us. Think about the talents that you have, and know that God gave them to you for a reason. If you are a compassionate person, visit those in nursing homes with no family. A person with a beautiful voice should sing in a choir to make people smile. Thank God for all that he gives you, and use your talents to help others.

　　Always remember to believe in yourself, and challenges will seem easier. Love the person that you are, and don't compare yourself to others; you are your own person. Be thankful for God's gifts, and use your talents wisely. The key actions to a happy and fulfilling life are believing in yourself, loving who you are, and thanking God for what he gives you. If people lived by these laws of life as I strive to do, they would be content, productive, and fulfilled individuals.

　　无论如何，你都要始终相信自己，爱你自己这个人，感激上帝给予你的一切——这是每个人都受用的“人生法则”。我认为人们一定要相信自己、接纳自己，唯有如此才能拥有幸福的生活。一个人最难做到的便是看着镜子，喜欢镜子里的自己。接纳自己、感谢上帝的赐福、相信你能实现自己的追求，这些对于我们来说是很难做到的。想让你的生活充实而满足，首先就需要让自己充满信心。

　　生活中，为了相信自己，我曾多次拼搏过。即使是面对完成家庭作业、把一支钢琴曲练熟这样的小任务，我也总是灰心丧气的。假如在开始一项任务之前，你信心十足地说：“我能行！”你就会觉得生活从未如此轻松愉快。四五年前，我开始学习弹钢琴，独奏会的日期一天天逼近，我却还有一支曲子没有掌握。回到家中，我带着一副丢盔弃甲的样子，态度也不好，觉得自己不能完成这项任务。我坐在钢琴的旁边，告诉自己永远都不可能弹好。要牢记那几个小节乐曲的事情，如今竟成了我的人生教训。最后，我终于练熟弹奏了那支乐曲，独奏会也进行得十分顺利。回顾这段日子，最重要的是我懂得了这样一个道理：假如你全力以赴去做你想做的事情，那你就一定能做到。现在，我在弹不好某段乐曲，感到沮丧时，我也绝不放弃，绝不认为自己做不到。首先要保持积极乐观的态度，坐下来，告诉自己，只要用心，就一定能实现自己的目标。我认识到不管做什么，都应该抱着这种积极的态度去做。永远不要放弃，要坚信只要一心一意，你想做的事情就都能做到。

　　要爱自己，喜欢自己这个人。许多人很难做到喜欢镜子里的自己。当今媒体充斥着众多偶像，许多人纷纷模仿。女孩子要身材高挑；男孩子要高大，阳刚之气十足。作为一个十几岁的孩子，我十分理解外界给我们施加的压力。每当我打开电视机，或者翻阅一本杂志的时候，总会看到小巧清瘦的身材，我便觉得自己也应该有同样的身材，而且花费了很多时间去期待自己也能改变一下形象，而不是将时间花在充实自己的生活上。时至今日，我也想得到完美的身材，不过我必须知道自己和杂志封面上的“完美”女孩一样美，必须清楚美重要的是人的内心，而非外表。十几岁的孩子也会面临种类繁多的选择，酒精、毒品和性在一般青少年中是很常见的问题，尽管好多人因为我对这些叛逆行为不沾边而讥笑我、嘲弄我，可是我知道避开各种**才会使我感觉良好。要成为一个受人欢迎、讨人喜欢的人，我没有必要去饮酒、吸毒、追求性刺激，我坚持自己的本色，学会爱原原本本的自己，而不是因为我的模样、我的作为，这样我才会真正地使我的生活更加快乐、更加充实。每个人都有权利享受快乐，重要的是学会赏识自己、爱自己。

　　感激上帝赐予你的礼物。在许多人没有住处、食物以及其他生活必需品的时候，我却幸运地拥有了许多。当我坐下来，因为16岁的生日礼物中没有汽车而闷闷不乐时，在世界各地还有多少孩子只是期待能吃上一顿饱饭。不要为不属于自己的荣华富贵费尽周折，多想想令你心怀感激的那些东西吧。如今，自私的人不计其数，除了自己以外，他们对谁都不闻不问。上帝让我们到世上的目的就是让我们互相爱护、互相帮助的，但是我们好多人还是仅仅考虑自己需要什么。我们原本能够花更多的时间来感激上帝，感谢他将美好的一切赐给我们。要多想想你的天赋，要知道上帝给你的一切都是有原因的。假如你是个富有同情心的人，那你就到疗养院去看望那些无家无业的人吧；假如你拥有一幅好嗓子，就应该到歌唱队用歌声为人们送去欢笑。感谢上帝将一切赐予你，并用你的天赋来帮助他人。

　　永远记住你要一直相信自己，难题就会变得容易。爱你自己吧，不要把自己跟别人做比较，你就是你自己。要感谢上帝赐予的天赋，你就要多开动脑筋，发挥自己的聪明才智。要让生活快乐而充实，重要的是要相信你自己，爱你自己这个人并要感谢上帝赐予的一切。假如人们按照我所遵循的“人生法则”生活，那他们就会感到心满意足、有成就感而且能充分发挥自己的才能。

　　Man can only be free through mastery of himself.

　　—Morison

　　只有通过掌握自己，才能得到解放。

　　——莫里森

　　strive[straiv]v.努力；奋斗；力争

　　Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

　　不要为成功而拼搏，而要为具有价值而拼搏。

　　memorization[?mem?rai?zei??n]n.凭记忆；暗记

　　Memorization will not increase one's knowledge, nor would it make

　　a person more intelligent, that is my view.

　　死记硬背，不会让一个人知识丰富，也不会让一个人变得聪明，这就是我的观点。

　　muscular[?m?skjul?]adj.肌肉发达的；强有力的；有气势的

　　The heart is a muscular organ that contracts rhythmically.

　　心脏是个肌肉性器官，具有节律性收缩能力。

　　rebellious[ri?belj?s]adj.造反的；反抗的；难控制的

　　Those rebellious teenagers are hard to control.

　　那些反叛的青少年很难管教。

　　无论如何，你都要始终相信自己，爱你自己这个人，感激上帝给予你的一切。

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　　一个人最难做到的便是看着镜子，喜欢镜子里的自己。

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　　永远记住你要一直相信自己，难题就会变得容易。

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　　I have struggled with believing in myself so many times in my life.

　　struggle with：与……的斗争

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　　Although many people would laugh at and make fun of me because I have not indulged in these rebellious actions, I have learned that staying away from distractions makes me feel good about myself.

　　indulge in：沉溺于……

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