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I keep a two dollar bill in my wallet that was given to me by my mother when I was six years old.
I am not superstitious1 but the bill goes with me wherever I go. My mother gave it to me so that luck would follow me everywhere.
She looked at me and said, “I want you to carry this two dollar bill for extra good luck.”
“Thanks mom,” I replied. “I will keep it close to me always.”
Every morning I would get dressed and my two dollar bill went into my pocket. My mother passed away when I was 17 years old and I remembered taking out my two dollar bill. I held it in my hand for the longest time and knew that she would be watching over me the rest of my life.
Each time I felt I had a crisis on my hands, I would reach for my two dollar bill and set it on the table. I would stare at it for several hours and could always come up with a solution2.
When I applied for my first job, I was thirty years old and very shy. The thought of being interviewed for a job was scary but I had to work. On my first interview, as I sat in the waiting room, I noticed there were five women ahead of me. All of the women were younger and very well dressed. One of them was impeccable3 in her blue striped suit with matching purse and shoes. I knew I was up against women better qualified by looking at the length of their resumes.
Mrs Martin, the office manager, summoned me into her office.
“What makes you feel you are qualified for this job?” she asked.
“I really need this job and there is nothing I cannot do,” I responded.
She asked me a series of questions and the interview was over. As I exited her office, I turned around and said, “Mrs Martin, I know that I am not qualified like your other applicants, but please give me a chance. I learn quickly and can be a very productive member of your team.”
I thanked her and went home exhausted. Oh well, I thought, tomorrow would be another day.
That evening as I was getting ready for bed, I received a phone call from Mrs Martin.
“Gina,” she said, “you were not the most qualified applicant, but you have so much confidence in yourself that we decided to give you a chance to prove yourself.”
I screamed out loud, was jumping all over the room in disbelief. I could hear Mrs Martin laughing in the background and suddenly I realized that Mrs Martin was still on the line.
“Thank you, Mrs Martin, you will not regret this decision,” I said and hung up the phone.
I got my wallet and took out my two dollar bill.
“Thanks mom, I am going to make it.” I said out loud so my mother could hear me.
At that instant, I remembered the time she pulled all of us into the living room and said, “You are all brilliant in my mind, but if you fail once don’t give up. Don’t fear failure. It is a way of getting us to try harder. You will succeed, I promise.”
I still think of mom everyday and still keep my two dollar bill in my wallet. At a family reunion years later, I found out that my brothers and sisters all had a two dollar bill in their wallet.
We all laughed and talked about how special this gift from Mom had been to each and every one of us. It had reinforced4 the confidence Mom had instilled in us.
我的钱夹里一直保存着一张两美元的钞票，这是我6岁时妈妈给的。
我并不迷信，但无论去哪儿，我都会随身携带着这两美元。妈妈希望它能给我带来好运。
记得当时她看着我说：“我希望你带着这两美元，它会给你带来好运的。”
“谢谢妈妈，”我回答，“我会永远把它带在身边的。”
每天早上穿好衣服，我就将这两美元放入口袋里。17岁那年，妈妈去世了，我记得我拿出了那两美元。我从来没有将它握在手中那么久，我知道以后的日子妈妈会一直注视着我。
每当感到问题棘手，我就会将那两美元拿出来摆在桌子上。我会几小时地盯着它看，并且最后总能想出办法。
我申请第一份工作时已经30岁了，那时我还很腼腆。想到要接受面试，我很害怕，但我必须去工作。第一次面试，坐在等候室里，我注意到还有五位女性申请者排在我前面。她们都比我年轻，而且穿着华丽。其中一位身上穿着蓝色斑纹的套服，配上她的钱包和鞋子，真是无可挑剔。我知道如果以履历长短论，面前的这些竞争者都比我强。
业务经理马丁太太把我叫进了办公室。
“是什么让你觉得你能胜任这份工作呢？”她问道。
“我很需要这份工作，并且没有我做不到的事。”我回答。
她问了我一连串的问题，之后面试就结束了。当我走出办公室的时候，我又转过身去对她说：“马丁太太，我清楚自己没有其他应聘者优秀，但是请给我一个机会。我学得很快的，我能成为你们团队中有用的一员。”
我谢过马丁太太，回到家已经精疲力尽了。哦，好了，明天又是新的一天，我这样想。
那天晚上我正准备睡觉，马丁太太打来了电话。
“吉娜，”她说，“你并不是面试者中最优秀的，但你如此自信，所以我们决定给你一个证明自己的机会。”
我兴奋得大叫起来，在房间里又蹦又跳，我简直不敢相信这是真的。我听见马丁太太在电话那头的笑声，才突然意识到她还没挂断电话。
“谢谢您，马丁太太，我不会让您失望的，”说完我挂断了电话。
我打开钱夹，拿出了那张两美元的钞票。
“谢谢妈妈，我的好运就要来临了。”我大声说，好让妈妈能听见。
在那一刻，我想起了妈妈把孩子们拉到客厅里说的一席话：“在妈妈心目中，你们每个人都是了不起的，但是万一失败了一次，决不要放弃。不要害怕失败，它会使我们更加努力。你们都会成功的，我保证。”
我仍在日夜思念着妈妈，我也一直将那两美元保存在钱夹里。在多年后的一次家庭聚会上，我发现我的兄弟姐妹们每人的钱夹里都有一张两美元的钞票。
我们都笑了，谈论着妈妈的这份礼物对我们每个人都多么特别。这两美元让妈妈灌输给我们的自信更加牢固。
黄春宝 摘译自 Positive Thinking
I am not superstitious1 but the bill goes with me wherever I go. My mother gave it to me so that luck would follow me everywhere.
She looked at me and said, “I want you to carry this two dollar bill for extra good luck.”
“Thanks mom,” I replied. “I will keep it close to me always.”
Every morning I would get dressed and my two dollar bill went into my pocket. My mother passed away when I was 17 years old and I remembered taking out my two dollar bill. I held it in my hand for the longest time and knew that she would be watching over me the rest of my life.
Each time I felt I had a crisis on my hands, I would reach for my two dollar bill and set it on the table. I would stare at it for several hours and could always come up with a solution2.
When I applied for my first job, I was thirty years old and very shy. The thought of being interviewed for a job was scary but I had to work. On my first interview, as I sat in the waiting room, I noticed there were five women ahead of me. All of the women were younger and very well dressed. One of them was impeccable3 in her blue striped suit with matching purse and shoes. I knew I was up against women better qualified by looking at the length of their resumes.
Mrs Martin, the office manager, summoned me into her office.
“What makes you feel you are qualified for this job?” she asked.
“I really need this job and there is nothing I cannot do,” I responded.
She asked me a series of questions and the interview was over. As I exited her office, I turned around and said, “Mrs Martin, I know that I am not qualified like your other applicants, but please give me a chance. I learn quickly and can be a very productive member of your team.”
I thanked her and went home exhausted. Oh well, I thought, tomorrow would be another day.
That evening as I was getting ready for bed, I received a phone call from Mrs Martin.
“Gina,” she said, “you were not the most qualified applicant, but you have so much confidence in yourself that we decided to give you a chance to prove yourself.”
I screamed out loud, was jumping all over the room in disbelief. I could hear Mrs Martin laughing in the background and suddenly I realized that Mrs Martin was still on the line.
“Thank you, Mrs Martin, you will not regret this decision,” I said and hung up the phone.
I got my wallet and took out my two dollar bill.
“Thanks mom, I am going to make it.” I said out loud so my mother could hear me.
At that instant, I remembered the time she pulled all of us into the living room and said, “You are all brilliant in my mind, but if you fail once don’t give up. Don’t fear failure. It is a way of getting us to try harder. You will succeed, I promise.”
I still think of mom everyday and still keep my two dollar bill in my wallet. At a family reunion years later, I found out that my brothers and sisters all had a two dollar bill in their wallet.
We all laughed and talked about how special this gift from Mom had been to each and every one of us. It had reinforced4 the confidence Mom had instilled in us.
我的钱夹里一直保存着一张两美元的钞票，这是我6岁时妈妈给的。
我并不迷信，但无论去哪儿，我都会随身携带着这两美元。妈妈希望它能给我带来好运。
记得当时她看着我说：“我希望你带着这两美元，它会给你带来好运的。”
“谢谢妈妈，”我回答，“我会永远把它带在身边的。”
每天早上穿好衣服，我就将这两美元放入口袋里。17岁那年，妈妈去世了，我记得我拿出了那两美元。我从来没有将它握在手中那么久，我知道以后的日子妈妈会一直注视着我。
每当感到问题棘手，我就会将那两美元拿出来摆在桌子上。我会几小时地盯着它看，并且最后总能想出办法。
我申请第一份工作时已经30岁了，那时我还很腼腆。想到要接受面试，我很害怕，但我必须去工作。第一次面试，坐在等候室里，我注意到还有五位女性申请者排在我前面。她们都比我年轻，而且穿着华丽。其中一位身上穿着蓝色斑纹的套服，配上她的钱包和鞋子，真是无可挑剔。我知道如果以履历长短论，面前的这些竞争者都比我强。
业务经理马丁太太把我叫进了办公室。
“是什么让你觉得你能胜任这份工作呢？”她问道。
“我很需要这份工作，并且没有我做不到的事。”我回答。
她问了我一连串的问题，之后面试就结束了。当我走出办公室的时候，我又转过身去对她说：“马丁太太，我清楚自己没有其他应聘者优秀，但是请给我一个机会。我学得很快的，我能成为你们团队中有用的一员。”
我谢过马丁太太，回到家已经精疲力尽了。哦，好了，明天又是新的一天，我这样想。
那天晚上我正准备睡觉，马丁太太打来了电话。
“吉娜，”她说，“你并不是面试者中最优秀的，但你如此自信，所以我们决定给你一个证明自己的机会。”
我兴奋得大叫起来，在房间里又蹦又跳，我简直不敢相信这是真的。我听见马丁太太在电话那头的笑声，才突然意识到她还没挂断电话。
“谢谢您，马丁太太，我不会让您失望的，”说完我挂断了电话。
我打开钱夹，拿出了那张两美元的钞票。
“谢谢妈妈，我的好运就要来临了。”我大声说，好让妈妈能听见。
在那一刻，我想起了妈妈把孩子们拉到客厅里说的一席话：“在妈妈心目中，你们每个人都是了不起的，但是万一失败了一次，决不要放弃。不要害怕失败，它会使我们更加努力。你们都会成功的，我保证。”
我仍在日夜思念着妈妈，我也一直将那两美元保存在钱夹里。在多年后的一次家庭聚会上，我发现我的兄弟姐妹们每人的钱夹里都有一张两美元的钞票。
我们都笑了，谈论着妈妈的这份礼物对我们每个人都多么特别。这两美元让妈妈灌输给我们的自信更加牢固。
黄春宝 摘译自 Positive Thinking