渡過難關

One day， in 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it stuck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft alone. His supplies were few. His chances were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later (the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck1 on a life raft alone)， he was alive -- much skinnier than he was when he started， but alive.

His account of how he survived is fascinating. His ingenuity2 how he managed to catch fish， how he fixed his solar still(evaporates sea water to make fresh) -- is very interesting.

But the thing that caught my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost， when there seemed no point in continuing the struggle， when he was suffering greatly， when his life draft was punctured3 and after more than a week struggling with his weak body to fix it， it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was starved. He was desperately dehydrated4. He was thoroughly exhausted. Giving up would have seemed the only sane option.

When people survive these kinds of circumstances， they do something with their minds that gives them the courage to keep going. Many people in similar desperate circumstances give in or go mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the guts to carry on in spite of overwhelming odds.

\"I tell myself I can handle it，\" wrote Callahan in his narrative， \"Compared to what others have been through， I'm fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over， building up fortitude5\".

I wrote that down after I read it. It stuck me as something important. And I've told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed far off or when my problems seemed too overwhelming. And ever time I've said it， I have always come back to my senses.

The truth is， our circumstances are only bad compared to something better. But others have been through much worse. I've read enough history to know you and I are lucky to be where we are， when we are， no matter how bad it seems to us compared to our fantasies. It's a sane thought and worth thinking.

So here， coming to us from the extreme edge of survival， are words that can give us strength. Whatever you're going through， tell yourself you can handle it. Compared to what others have been through， you're fortunate. Tell this to yourself over and over， and it will help you get through the rough spots with a little more fortitude.

Tell yourself you can handle it.

1982年的一天，斯蒂芬·克蘭獨自駕船橫渡大西洋。突然船碰到了什么東西，下沉了。之后，他就脫離了航線，獨自一人坐在一個救生筏上在海上漂流。他所帶的供給已經所剩不多了，而且他生還的希望非常渺茫。然而，76天后(這是有史以來船難后僅靠一只救生筏生存的最長時間)，當三個漁民發現他的時候，他還活著，雖然和他出發的時候相比，它已經瘦得沒人樣了，但他還活著。

他對于自己如何生存下來的描述真是讓人著迷。其中，他運用智慧，解決問題諸如如何捉魚，如何修理他的太陽能蒸餾器(蒸餾海水)等部分確實有趣。

但最吸引我的一點是:在當時看起來沒有希望的情況下，在看起來似乎沒有任何意義再掙扎下去的情況下，在他遭受如此折磨的情況下，在他的救生筏被刺穿，而他拖著那虛弱的身體花了一周多的時間硬撐著修補了那個救生筏之后，卻還在漏氣的情況下，在他為了給救生筏充氣而累得氣喘吁吁的情況下，他是如何支撐下去的。他已經嚴重脫水。他已經筋疲力盡，在當時，放棄看起來是惟一的明智的選擇。

當人們經歷各種各樣的不幸或災難時，而能夠死里逃生，是因為他們的勇氣使他們能夠堅毅地面對一切。很多處于相同危險境地的人則會放棄或者發瘋。盡管希望極其渺茫，那些幸存者的勇氣使他們有魄力堅持下來，面對一切，而幸免于難。

“我告訴我自己能夠渡過難關，”斯蒂芬·克蘭在他的文中寫道，“與別人的遭遇相比，我是幸運的。我不斷地告訴我自己這些，以給我自己勇氣、毅力和信心……”

讀完這部分，我把它抄了下來。這句話給我留下了深刻的印象。每當我為自己所設定的目標看起來遙不可及的時候，或每當我遇到問題實在難以解決時，我就對自己說這些話。而每次我說過之后，我的頭腦又格外清醒。

事實上，我們的遭遇只有與那些好的事情比起來，才很糟糕。但有些人所經歷的要比這些更恐怖、更艱難、更令人絕望。讀了太多的故事，我深知無論在何地、無論在何時，只要我們活著，就是幸運的。這么想是理智的，而且值得去這么想。

所以，能夠死里逃生，本身就是勇氣與毅力的證明。無論你在經受什么樣的困苦、挫折或不幸，告訴你自己你能度過難關!與別人遭受的災難相比，你是幸運的。不斷地告訴自己這些，它會給你一些毅力、勇氣和韌性來幫你度過難關。

告訴你自己，你能渡過難關。