“Do the best you can， from where you are， with what you have， now.” — African-American proverb
　　When I first started on my spiritual road， I really wanted to live in a more connected and satisfying way. I wanted very much to know who I truly was and finally reach my creative potential — not only as a writer， but also as a person. My purpose was to express mastery. I believed that mastery was about practicing it with surprising determination and will. I thought it was something that could be forced and even conquered. My motivation was all about achieving the goal—period！ It didn’t take me long to face many setbacks， shortcomings， and failures that come with this kind of thinking. The more I tried to force the master out， the less I felt like one. It was about then that I stepped back and took a hard look at what mastery really meant to me. I realized that this way of thinking had been creating limiting beliefs and habits that held me back. I’ve come to believe that mastery shouldn’t be about “being the best” or “knowing everything” or “perfect”— quite the opposite， in fact. Mastery is about the process of becoming， not the act of having become.
　　Therefore， if you are feeling blocked， consider the possibility that your desire to master your life could be the very thing that is preventing you from getting to where you wish to be. Instead of trying to force your dreams with an iron will and resolution， try a lighter touch. Simply give this moment your very best. Don’t worry about what you think you should be doing and where you should be going. Just be in the process of being you—right here， right now.
　　Vocabulary
　　spiritual adj. 精神的
　　potential n.潛力
　　mastery n. 精通，熟练
　　conquer v. 征服
　　（Have you ever tried to be your best？）
　　导读：生活中，人们总是千方百计地争第一，想要做到最好，其实，无需去和别人比，我们只需要做最好的自己。