A boy and his apple tree 男孩和苹果树 Long ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy love to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow…he loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by…the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked. "Come and play with me ," the tree asked the boy . "I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them." "Sorry, but I don't have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad. One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. "Come and play with me," the tree said. "I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?" "Sorry, but I don't have a house, but you can chop off my branches to build your house."So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily." The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad. One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me," the tree said. "I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail faraway and be happy." So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry,my boy. But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you…“the tree said. "I don't have teeth to bite," the boy replied. "No more trunk for you to climb on." "I am too old for that now."the boy said. "I really want to give you something…the only thing left is my dying roots," the tree said with tears. "I don't need much now,just a place to rest. I am tired after all these year," the boy replied. "Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. Come,come sit down with me and rest," the boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears... 最高的期望 不想当将军的士兵不是好士兵。一个人如果只想把事情做到最低的标准，那么他也许永远不会把一件事情做好；相反，如果事事都指望达到最好的标准，即使不是所有的事都能达到预期的效果，也会得到一个较好的结果。两者的区别在于一个是消极被动的接受，另一个是积极主动的努力。皮特·罗斯就是这样一个积极的人。 Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?" Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer of getting a hit. It is positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place." When I thought about Pete Rose's philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mr. Rose! 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/ee383c2c00d8ce2f0066f5335a8102d276a2618e.html