学进去

When I was about twelve years old, a girl in my class liked to point out my shortcomings (缺点). Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t good at math; I talked too much; I was too proud, and so on. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears (眼泪) in my eyes. He listened to me quietly and asked, “Are those things true or not? Jane, didn’t you ever think about what you’re really like?” Then he added, “Well, you have that girl’s opinions. Make a list of everything she said and mark (做标记) the points that are true.”

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I found out that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (改变), like being very thin, but many I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a clear picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy, and he said, “Now you know better about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears angrily and feel hurt. When something about you is true, you’ll find it will be of great help to you. Don’t shut (闭上) your ears. Listen to the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”

Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never received a better piece of advice.