You feel happiest when you create a healthy balance between giving and receiving. If you give and give without making time to fill your own needs, then it’s likely you will burn out, or feel upset. When you take and take without giving anything back, you never feel fulfilled, so you are always searching for ways to fill the void in your life.
The way to create a healthy balance between giving and receiving is to know and then live by your values. I break values up into two groups which I call being and having values. Your being values are the character traits of the ideal person you would like to be. I suggest to my clients that they choose three being values that they are willing to make a commitment to live by. An example of some being values are: kind, loving, generous, inspirational, peaceful, wise and even powerful. By acting on these values you give to others through your actions and you inspire others by being a positive role model. Mastering being these character traits becomes your life purpose.
Your having values are feelings you need to create in order to be happy. These could be companionship, achievement, support, being valued or financial security. This is what you receive. You take responsibility for filling your own needs by taking steps to create these feelings and conditions in your life.
When you make a commitment to live by being values, it becomes easier to make conscious choices rather than reactionary ones. If your usual pattern is to talk about your problems, you could choose to think and act like a calm person. A clam person might go for a walk, meditate(沉思), or set a time limit before responding. If your usual pattern is to worry, you could choose to act like a responsible or wise person. In other words, you would act like the person you choose to be-this is the key to personal power.
When you choose to act on your values, you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce(加强)your chosen beliefs. Over time acting in this way changes how you see the world, and in turn the way other people think of you.
小题1:The main purpose of this passage is to _____
A inform the readers how to be truly happy
B explain to the readers what personal values are
C persuade the readers to make a commitment
D instruct the readers how to make wise choices
小题2:According to the text, living by your being values, you would_____
A gain a lot of power B fill your own needs
C seek all human virtues D form positive personality
小题3:The underline word “void” in Paragraph 1 means______
A a break of continuity B an absent of one’s mind
C a feeling of emptiness D a state of confusion
小题4:What can be inferred from the text?
A Having values are better than being values
B A calm person does not choose to complain.
C The way other people think of you decides who you are.
D A responsible person does not care about financial security
