Chapter 19 have your own beliefs

John Shiller, author of How to Live 365 Days a Year, reveals: "Maturity must be learned. And often it must be learned through suffering." This is exactly what Lilian Hedley learned Lessons. Mrs. Hedley was a happy, ordinary housewife in life.Her life was uneventful until a horrific car accident threw her defenseless into the abyss. At the outset, doctors diagnosed Mrs. Hedley with a broken vertebrae.Later, according to X-rays, although her vertebrae were not shattered, the surface of the bone was still bruised and had spines.The doctor ordered her to stay in bed for three weeks, and at the same time, brought another sad news.

The doctor told her that due to the severe stiffness of her spine, she might not be able to move her whole body in another five or six years. When Mrs. Hedley described her mood at that time, she said: After listening to the doctor's words, I was stunned.I have always been lively and active, and I have never encountered anything that goes wrong.But now, misfortune has finally happened.The time spent in bed stretched from 3 weeks to 4 weeks, then 5 weeks, then 6 weeks...my courage and optimism disappeared after I heard the diagnosis and was replaced by endless fear...I feel I am getting weaker and weaker day by day.

One morning, I woke up from a dream, my mind was clearer than usual.I told myself that I had 5 more years and I could do a lot for my family.As long as I continue my medication and I am determined to beat the disease, I may be able to improve my condition.I don't want to surrender without a fight, I have to go as far as I can.Since I was very firm in this belief and determined to make a difference immediately, the fear and powerlessness disappeared immediately.I struggled to get out of bed, wanting to start my unusual new life right away. I found two words as my motto and kept reminding myself: forward, forward, forward!

This was 5 and a half years ago.Now I went to the hospital for an examination, and the doctor told me that my spine is in good condition and it looks like it can last for the next 5 years.The doctor told me to look at life with optimism, to be happy, and to move on.This is exactly what I believe.As long as the muscles in my body can still move, I must have the confidence to go on bravely. Mrs. Hedley is indeed an inspiring example.Her mature performance comes from a belief and a series of actions based on this belief. If I ask you whether you believe that the United States is a country full of opportunities, that is, that anyone can achieve what he or she pursues, given his ability and energy.You'll most likely answer with a crisp, resounding "yes," and someone else will be around to waving flags of approval.But how much do you believe?If you were unemployed at home at this time, had no income at all, and had no new job at all, would you still believe this statement?Do you not only believe it, but take action to prove the truth of this statement?

It was quite believed that he lived on Red Street in Independence, Missouri, and his name was Rainer Tranga.In 1928, Mr. Chuanga inherited an estate worth $100,000.But 10 years later, he declared bankruptcy.What happened in the past 10 years?The following is the dictation of Rainer Tranga: Not only did my father have a successful business, but he was also generous.When I was in high school, he allowed me to write checks to my bank account whenever I needed money.By the time I was in college, I was even better at it.At that time, I didn't know the value of money at all, and I didn't know how to earn it. The only thing I knew was how to use my father's account number to sign checks.

I continued to spend my money this way until my father passed away.When my father died, he left me a rather large and valuable piece of land just down the Missouri near Lexington.I started out as a farmer, but it wasn't long before the Great Depression swept across the country and my first year was in the red.I mortgaged a piece of land to pay off my debts and top up my bank account, but it didn't help much, and I ended up having to sell the mortgaged land for a very low price.Since I still needed to spend money, I used the same method to mortgage the fields one after another, and finally sold them to others.

Finally, the day of reckoning came.I knew I had nothing left and if I was going to live I had to go out and find a job - something I had never done before.I was very distressed and overwhelmed. One night, I was awakened by a nightmare and finally knew that I had to face the truth.I said to myself, the sledding days are over, now that you're an adult, you should do grown-up things.Get up, get up and work! In addition to facing the difficulties of reality, I also began to find out what I really believed in.Once, I have always followed the thinking of the people, believing that the United States is a country full of opportunities, and as long as we work hard, we can achieve the goals we pursue.Now, although it is a time of depression and there are not many job opportunities, I have some specialties after all.

I have a healthy body, a college degree, and a few lessons learned from failures and mistakes.Now, what I need is action instead of wasting time lamenting my misfortune or wallowing in grief. In my own case, it was almost impossible to find a job easily.However, I can't let myself down, I have to force myself to replace fear and doubt with faith.I want to believe that this country is a place full of opportunities, as long as there is confidence and determination, everyone will have their own foothold.It is this belief that supports me and keeps me from giving up easily. In the end, this belief was borne out by facts.I got a job with a finance company in Kansas City and happily worked there for 4 years.Then I quit my job and went back to the farm again.This time, things went very smoothly.I slowly built up my credit and gradually expanded the scope of my career.I bought and sold and made a good profit out of it.I feel grateful for the lessons my failures have taught me over the years, and this time, I'm finally on the road to success.

I have regained all the property I lost earlier.My efforts were not in vain, but this is not important anymore. The important thing is to pass on these valuable experiences to my two sons.It makes more sense than just giving them wealth. After going through so many things, I have come to the conclusion that we have to believe in certain things.If we don't act on this belief, it will still be futile.Faith without action is useless. Mr. Chuanga's story is the best example of maturity: from a spoiled boy who didn't know what responsibility was, he realized overnight that he not only had to believe in something, but also had to take action to confirm this belief.Before that, Mr. Chuanjia escaped from reality like a naive child, but he firmly believed in his faith, which enabled him to face all kinds of hardships in life again like an adult.

Of course, faith alone is not enough for us to mature ourselves.The advantage of faith is that it can strengthen courage, so that we will not retreat when we are tested.No great truth or principle will serve us unless we base our beliefs on them and then act on them. Sometimes in some special situations, our actions and beliefs will also conflict.For example, one woman told me with a smile that the salesperson in the store gave her an extra 50 cents.I asked her if she was going to return the money and explained the reason to the salesperson, and she was very unimpressed. She raised her voice and said hastily: "Of course not! It's her fault for giving me too much change, and of course she has to be responsible. Think about it, if she gave me less change, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"

If we were to test the woman's honesty, she would, of course, bring shame upon herself.She seemed to gloat, even to the point of decency, at the salesman's misfortune.This dishonest behavior completely exposed her dishonesty. People's beliefs are often expressed through actions.Jesus once said, "You will know them by the fruits they bear." Yes, only works are valid.If we don't show action, no philosophical theory can get any louder than it should have any effect on us.Our fruit will be bitter and our life will lose its true meaning. Once we have a firm belief, we should put it into action. In Hawaii, there was a building contractor named Paul Mahal who was a firm believer in giving up.Not only did he firmly believe in this, but he also performed well in his actions, so his career was very successful. In 1931, Mr. Mahal was looking around for a job in construction and industry.He is young and inexperienced, so he hits a wall everywhere, and his chances of getting a job are very slim.At that time, the society was in a downturn, and no company needed to hire additional engineering or drafting personnel. Even experienced veterans would be dismissed, let alone newcomers.Mr Mahal confessed: I was discouraged at the time.But then I decided that if no one else would hire me, I'd do it for myself.I borrowed $500 and started a small construction business. Although the company was established, it was very depressed.Think about it, who wants to build a house, who wants to find someone who has no experience and no reputation to do it?But in any case, I mustered up the courage and made up my mind to go to the end.With this belief and persistence, I finally got a few small businesses. The first deal was to build a $2,500 house.Due to inexperience, the valuation was inaccurate, and I ended up losing $200.However, with the experience of this failure, the next few businesses will make up for it.Because I firmly believe that people should not give up easily, I finally passed this solid hurdle in my life. Yes, people don't fall because they don't have confidence, but because they can't turn their beliefs into actions and stick to it desperately. If you want to make yourself more mature, remember the fourth principle: Own your beliefs and act on them.