55bu的个人资料

国人怎样才能说一口流利的英语？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- Understandably, Chinese speakers have some peculiar difficulties when trying to learn English. For one thing, English is a stress-timed language in which the stress of the sentence determines the rhythm of the language, while Chinese is a syllable-timed language. The alphabets, too, are different. This means that not only the languages look different on paper, they also sound very different, as English and Chinese have very few common sounds. This makes it that much more difficult for Chinese speakers to nail English pronunciation. So let’s go over some things that will help you become fluent in English. 1. Practice self-listening and listening to native English speech. What I recommend to my Chinese speaking students is to listen extensively to native speech (podcasts, Youtube, the news, etc.) and compare the sounds that they produce themselves to native English sounds. Hearing the difference is an important step in overcoming the pronunciation barrier. While you listen, pay attention to the rhythm of speech as well and try to imitate it. Listen to short sections of native speech and repeat after the speakers. It’s a great way to get used to the unusual “music” of the language. 2. Physical training People move their mouths in different ways when speaking Chinese as opposed to English. While speaking Chinese requires more of a closed mouth, English prefers a more open jaw position. This is why it’s important to actually train your mouth to produce the needed English sounds. Practice in front of the mirror and really make an effort with this one until it becomes second nature. 3. Read An important part of achieving fluency is understanding the nuances of the language – slang words, idioms, etc. Reading is your gateway to that. Being fluent in a language means being aware of the culture as well, which is why you should read anything and everything to help you grasp those insights and connect the dots in your head. 4. Practice with a native speaker Finally, when it comes to getting fluent in English, nothing beats practice with a native speaker. If you think you don’t have that opportunity, don’t worry – you can always do it online with English Ninjas. At English Ninjas, we match you with a native English speaking instructor, who will help you achieve that coveted fluency at your own convenience, as often as you need. As a Quora user, you will also get a special discount.

对于非英语母语的人来说，英语中最烦人的是什么？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- A native Spanish speaker who learned English in school but only consider myself fluent until I needed to use English regularly at work. These are my biggest annoyances: Spoken and written English are two different languages altogether. Sounds crazy but it is. Written Spanish is 100% phonetic. With very few exceptions which are not hard to learn, in Spanish every written letter always has the same sound. The only thing that can change the sound is the presence or absence of accented vowels. Accentuation follows strict rules and you can tell from the written words how to pronounce them down to which syllable has emphasis. Not so in English. There is a city in Texas called Houston and sounds something like “hee-oos-tohn” but then I once saw a subway station in New York City also called Houston but sounds like house-ton. WHO KNEW!!!! Then look at all those city names in New England that don’t sound at all like the way a non-native from the area would pronounce them: Gloucester (GLOSS-ter), Worcester (WOOS-ter), Haverhill (HAY-bral), Peabody (PEA-bidy), Portsmouth (PORT-smith) and many others. It’s crazy. There are no strict rules in pronunciation from the written language and I very often put the emphasis in the wrong part of the word just because there is no way to tell from the written language. You need to learn each word. When you learn a new word you have to figure out or have someone pronounce it for you. In Spanish a new word is easy to pronounce because you just know from the spelling. For us Spanish speakers, it is hard to not speak with a heavy accent because English has so many vowel sounds that Spanish does not have. In Spanish there are just five vowel sounds. I don’t know how many are there in English even though both languages share the exact same alphabet with the exception of the letter Ñ. Of course, practice makes perfect and if you are educated in English phonetics (I was not) this is not a problem. This is not about the language itself and is likely a cultural thing or even a fad. I have noticed for the last few years a phenomenon most notably in women where they tend to drop the pitch of their voice or tone so low at the end of sentences that it sounds totally unnatural. Gives an annoying guttural sound to the sentence. From other answers I just learned this even has a name and is called “vocal fry”. I totally hate that and I never hear anyone doing that in Spanish, thankfully. Another thing that could be cultural too is the tendency to shorten words of common usage and the short version becomes the de-facto word. Can be confusing at times for non-native speakers. This is very rare in Spanish. (Edited to add this one and #6) To add to annoyance #1, there is also the inconsistencies in written language of some word forms between British and US English. Words endings that differ such as color vs colour, behavior (US) vs behaviour (UK), meter (US) vs metre (UK), center (US) vs centre, exchange “z” and “s” in the same words such as organization (US) vs organisation (UK). There are many other examples but you get the point. In Spanish the same word is written the same way regardless of the country or region. There is no official authority in the English language that attempts to establish rules of pronunciation, grammar and keeping the official authoritative dictionary of the language. Spanish has the Real Academia Española (the main authority but most Spanish-speaking countries, including the United States, have their own local academy affiliated with RAE). The RAE dictionary is THE authoritative source in the Spanish language. Many other languages also have similar entities.

为什么英语对中国人来说如此困难？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- In my mind, there are three things that make English very challenging for Chinese people: Mandarin Chinese easily has some of the most simple grammar of any language currently in existence. In fact, there are very few grammatical rules and principles compared to English, and what rules exist are VERY consistent. It is a topic-comment style language and doesn’t have any tense, prepositions, or conjugations of any kind. English on the other hand is a syntactical nightmare (think of all the exceptions to rules in English grammar). As Shan Lung presents below, different languages have different logical systems. This means that when you are forming a sentence, the order you place words and which words you used are based on the framework of your mother language and how it encourages you to think. Going from Mandarin to English (from a VERY logical language to an arguably more creative language) is challenging. In English, we create and read words based on sounds, in Mandarin we create and read words based on a graphic meaning (e.g. “火” is fire, many words will then be composed of this character). Mandarin is very logical in that all complex words are composed of two common characters, so learning new words leaves nothing to the imagination. If I encounter a word I’ve never seen before in English, say “obelus” I will often have literally no idea as to its meaning; in the case of obelus I cannot even guess (though other words, like contrapose, I could guess). In Chinese, this is seldom the case. So moving from a language where you can see the meanings and often guess new words without any context, to a language where you are reading sounds with no explicit hint of meaning is very challenging. I hope this was helpful! Please leave a comment if you have any questions or would like clarification!

您不应该给孩子起什么名字(英文)？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- Don’t name your kid something with negative associations. It’s one thing to name your child Jeffrey. It’s quite another to call him Lucifer. Don’t name multiple births things you’ll never be able to differentiate. Lauren and Lydia are fine. Lauren and Laura are pushing it. Lauren and Laureen should be illegal. Names that are too outdated to work these days. There was a time it was fine to name your children Ethel, Gertrude, Bart, etc. Those times are now gone. “Youneek” names. Ashley is fine. Ashleigh is fine too. Asshally is not. Anna is fine. Ana is fine too. Ah’naah is not. Megan is fine. Meghan is fine too. Meehghanne is not. Word names must be done sparingly. It’s okay to call a child Faith. Lyric isn’t the most conventional, but it works. Cherry is where it starts to go downhill. Chicken is a problem. And if you name your child Jump-Rope, you just shouldn’t be around children. The same goes for place names. Brooklyn, Georgia, etc. work as names. Canada isn’t common, but I don’t hate it. With the current states in those countries, Syria and Somalia aren’t the best names (though am I the only one who does actually kinda like Syria as a name?) And then we have West Virginia, Switzerland, Tokelau, Tajikistan, Salt Lake City, and other things that no child would ever want to be called. Overly popular names. Maybe you don’t know an Emma personally, but your Emma will undoubtedly be Emma A. her whole life. Levi will just about always be Levi W. I don’t hate either Emma or Levi as names, but I also don’t want them to be tied to an initial. No offense meant to anyone with any of these names.

关于生活或哲学的一句 --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- “A Rolex Won’t Give You More Time” “If you're going through hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill “The burden didn’t feel any lighter. But he now felt strong enough to carry it.” -Amish Tripathi (Immortals of Meluha) “The only way under high heavens to get someone to do something is make them want to do it.” -Dale Carnegie “Shine like the whole universe is yours.” -Rumi “People are capable at any time in their lives of doing what they dream of.” -Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) “A person who wont read has no advantage over someone who can’t read.” -Mark Twain “Peace is not the ultimate goal of life. It is the most fundamental requirement.” -Sadhguru “A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.” -Dale Carnegie “Everyone wants to change the world but no one wants to help mom do the dishes.” -P J O’Rourke “His mind is one place I don’t mind being caged in.” -Me. :P “Once you set out to get what you want, let nobody stop you. Let nobody have that privilege.” -Me.

有那些有幽默结尾的悬疑小故事？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- A Father put his 3 year old daughter to bed, told her a story and listened to her prayers which ended by saying, "God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, God bless Grandma and good-bye Grandpa." Family joke The father asked, 'Why did you say good-bye Grandpa?' The little girl said, "I don't know daddy, it just seemed like the thing to do." The next day grandpa died. The father thought it was a strange coincidence. A few months later the father put the girl to bed and listened to her prayers which went like this, "God bless Mommy, God Bless Daddy and good-bye Grandma." The next day the grandmother died. "Holy crap" thought the father, "this kid is in contact with the other side." Several weeks later when the girl was going to bed the dad heard her say, "God bless Mommy and good-bye Daddy." He practically went into shock. He couldn't sleep all night and got up at the crack of dawn to go to his office. He was nervous as a cat all day, had lunch and watched the clock.. He figured if he could get by until midnight he would be okay. He felt safe in the office, so instead of going home at the end of the day he stayed there, drinking coffee, looking at his watch and jumping at every sound. Finally midnight arrived; he breathed a sigh of relief and went home. When he got home his wife said, "I've never seen you work so late. What's the matter?" He said, "I don't want to talk about it, I've just spent the worst day of my life." She said, You think you had a bad day, you'll never believe what happened to me. This morning my boss dropped dead in the middle of a meeting

英文阅读：哪些启发性的小故事可以改变一个人的一生？ --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- (Read till the end. I am sure you will enjoy it.) Wimbledon tournament was going on. Though I am not a great follower of the game, I decided to watch this one, only because Rafael Nadal was playing. And then there was his opponent. 'Weird' was the first thought that came in my mind when I saw him. Waist-length hair, tongue piercing, tattoos and what not. As the match began, there were loud cheers for Nadal including from me. But as the game proceeded, it was like, Nadal was made to run on every rally by this 'weirdo'. The audience was awestruck as was I. How could he play like this? By the second set, the cheering went on a topsy-turvy ride. Dustin Brown (by that time everyone knew his name) was beating Nadal effortlessly. So every rally that Brown won, there were loud cheers. Obviously, even I had started cheering for him now. My uncle had visited my home that evening. As he saw all this, he said, "Look at all these envious people. They are so happy that an accomplished person is getting beaten the hell out of. They just can't bear to see anyone above them. They don't leave a chance to pull them down." Sadness struck me. I started feeling guilty that even I was enjoying seeing a great player going down. Even after the match finished and Brown won, I was low. My dad saw all this. While going to sleep, before wishing good night, he kept his hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ears: "They were not cheering because they felt good that a great man was falling. They cheered because that 'weirdo' showed everyone that even the best can be beaten if you try hard, no matter how you look. Brown gave them hope. Good night son!"

What's the most beautiful short story? --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- 1: In some places perfection is a habit and not an attitude! Apparently the American computer giant IBM decided to have some parts manufactured in Japan on a trial basis. In the specifications, they set a standard that they will accept only three defective piece per 10,000 piece. When the delivery came to IBM there was a letter accompanying with it. 'We, the Japanese people, had a hard time understanding North American business practices. But the three defective parts per 10,000 piece have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment in a separate package mentioned - "Defective pieces as required, not for use." 2: This happened a few days back. I usually take train to reach my work place from home. Local trains in Chennai are pretty much crowded all the time. That particular day I was returning back home and the trains were running late and hence it was more crowded than usual. I somehow managed to push myself in and found some place to stand. Sitting was never an option because the trains would be fully loaded by the time it reached my stop. A man standing next to me requested the guys sitting in the seat to adjust so that he could sit in the corner. He was pretty much exhausted and looked tired. But one of the guys in the seat started arguing saying that the seat was designed only for 3 members and there is no space to adjust. He did not even move an inch. He was complaining very loud which caught the attention of the entire compartment. The man who stood next to me did not argue back. He stood silently. After two stops, an old man got inside and came and stood near us. In the next stop the man who was arguing, got up and left. The man who was standing next to me asked the old man to come and take that seat instead of taking it himself. My respect towards this man increased that very moment. He was very tired and could have taken that seat. But he didn't. Now Guess what? It didn't end there. Once the old man sat in the seat, he looked at this guy and said "Come on. One more person can sit comfortably here. There is lot of place here to sit." Saying this, the old man pushed himself to the edge of the seat making space for him to sit. He did not even ask the others in the seat to adjust. I stared smiling looking at this random act of kindness and felt very happy. :)

由于英美英语的差异美国和英国人会彼此误会吗? --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- Definitely. As a speaker of American English, I once told my British coworker that I needed to stop home before our next appointment because my pants were wet. He responded with “I certainly didn’t need to know that!”, looking surprised that I had told him. The confusion in this case was based on the fact that in the U.S., pants means everything from slacks to blue jeans, while in Britain, pants means underwear. I had gotten the bottom of my slacks wet from walking in the snow, but he thought I was saying that I had peed my underwear. (Interestingly, even Americans would usually say “I wet my pants” if this were actually the case.) On a related note, in the 90s there was a popular song that had a female backup singer repeating the line “pissing the night away” over and over. The members of the band were all British, which is important in understanding that “pissing the night away” essentially means “drinking the night away” or even just “wasting time all night long”. In the U.S., pissing means “urinating”. I had a really hard time trying to figure out why anyone would want to spend all night peeing. Another possible confusion arising from the very same verb is the fact that a person who is “pissed” is drunk in Britain, but really really angry in the U.S. That leads to another common misunderstanding. In the U.S., if I said that so-and-so was “mad”, I would mean that that person was angry. In Britain, the word mad is the common term for “crazy”. If an American asks “Are you mad?”, they’re likely trying to find out what they did wrong; if a Briton asks the same question, they’re accusing you of insanity. As a fun exercise in a class I taught a few years ago, I wrote the following story that means entirely different things in U.S. and British English: Yesterday I woke up late for an appointment. I washed up, then pulled on some pants and suspenders, and grabbed a vest on my way out the door. I drove out toward the university and got a flat. I've had a flat before, but never on my own. So I called my dad to tell him about it and find out what kinds of things I should be checking for... I ended up catching a lift with my new neighbor, who's really fit, by the way. As I said before, this is a completely different story depending on which version of English you speak. In the American version, I woke up, washed my face, put on some slacks and some suspenders to hold them up (braces in British English), and put on a vest (a waistcoat in British English). In other words, I was dressed up in nice clothes for my appointment. Then, on the way to the appointment, my car got a flat tire, but it was OK because I got a ride with my new neighbor, who was an athletic person. In the British version, I woke up, did the dishes, and put on some underwear, stocking garters, and a sleeveless undershirt. In other words, I wasn’t really dressed at all. Then I went across town to rent a new apartment by the university. In the new apartment building, I got into a lift (an elevator in American English) with my new neighbo(u)r, who I found sexually attractive! TL;DR There is definitely significant potential for misunderstanding between speakers of British and American English.

How can I become fluent in English? --转自“quora英语阅读”app-- This is a technique known as 'shadowing' that I learnt in Japanese class, which I find tremendously helpful for short-term oral fluency improvement. Watch your favorite English language TV show or movie, and as the characters speak, repeat loudly the exact words they are saying the moment you hear them. In other words, 'shadow' their dialogue in real-time. Don't worry about getting every word or sound right - focus on listening carefully, moving along quickly and keeping pace. After the movie ends, repeat the exact same movie and do it again. And again. By forcing yourself to speak at native speed, your brain becomes hyper-receptive to what you are hearing, and you will find yourself not only picking up the words quicker and quicker, but also unconsciously mimicking the inflections and vocal nuances that are usually difficult to learn for a non-native. It will also fix the stammer that comes with uncertainty or lack of confidence. In this way, the actors in the movie become your speaking partners. This will be perfect practice just before your interview. Look for some interview practice videos on YouTube, then shadow the entire conversation. Practice the same dialogs again and again. You will be amazed how that will improve not only your speaking, but also your ability to actively listen and react. Best of luck.

最真实的恐怖故事是什么？ What are the best true scary stories? --转自“quora英语阅读”app About 7 years ago I got an invitation to attend my cousins dinner party. I have never seen my cousin before and only spoke to him on the phone. I was surprised that his family unexpectedly invited me after all these years. The invitation had an uncharted address that the GPS was unfamiliar with. I used a map and pinned its location. As I'm driving I tend to notice how far I ventured off from civilization. Trees after trees, farms after farms. "Where the **** am I going?" I finally found a similar address that might be it. Approaching the house I notice how dull and dreary it looks. It's completely engulfed with leaves and branches. "This can't be it." I said to myself. As soon as I entered the rocky driveway my aunt and uncle came out to greet me. They seemed excited and welcoming. Walking in to the house I asked where my cousin is. Answering immediately, "he went to run a few errands he should be back later." We spent the whole couple of hours talking about my mother and family. My aunt made delicious home made pot roast that I finished off in minutes. After dinner we played an enduring game of uno. It was surprisingly fun and competitive. When we finished uno it was almost dark and still no sign of my cousin. Regardless, I had to leave. It was almost dark and I would have trouble getting out of this dreadful place. My GPS was ineffective so I asked my aunt and uncle the most efficient way onto the highway. They gave me a puzzled look. " I thought you were staying the night?"I told them I couldn't because I had work tommorow and couldn't afford to miss another day. "It's much better if you leave tommorow morning, trust me you'll get lost." I shrugged it off and told them not to worry, I'm an adept navigator. I could get out the Sahara desert. Looking aggravated, they strongly advised me to stay the night for my own sake. At this point I was getting pissed and irritable. I sighed, fine I'll stay the night but I have to get up early for work. Both of them seemed strangely ecstatic that I was staying the night. As soon as they went to go get my bed sheets and pillows, I ran out the door and got in my car. I hastily pulled out the driveway. It took me a while but I found my way out that depressing place. I got home an hour later than expected. It was 11 and I didn't want to wake my parents up. Climbing my fence and entering the back door I noticed the kitchen lights were on. As soon I took my first step in the door I see my mom sitting there looking impatient. "Where were you ?" She asked. "I was at aunt Debra's, you knew this." "Then why did she call saying you never arrived ?" Til this day I never knew who I visited.

【May·话题】quora上看到个好玩的笑话，分享给大家 Donald Trump met with the Queen of England, and he asked her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give me?" "Well," replied the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people." Trump frowned, and then asked, "But how do I know the people around you are really intelligent?" The Queen took a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushed a button on her intercom. "Please send Boris Johnson in here, would you?" The Prime Minster walked into the room and said, "Yes, Your Majesty?" The Queen smiled and said, "Answer me this, if you would, Boris. Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?" Without pausing for a moment, he answered, "That would be me." "Yes! Very good," said the Queen. Trump went back home to ask Mike Pence the same question. “ Mike, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not sure," said Pence. "Let me get back to you on that one." He went to his advisers and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer. Finally, Pence ran in to his friend Jack Murphy in a restaurant the next night. Pence asked, "Jack, can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?" Jack Murphy answered right back, "That's easy, it's me!" Pence smiled, and said, "Thanks!" Pence then went back to speak with Trump. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle: It's my friend Jack Murphy!" Trump got up, stomped over to Pence, and angrily yelled, "No, you idiot! It's Boris Johnson!"

英语笔记设计征求意见最近一段时间不是很忙，想针对学英语的同学们设计一款笔记app，这个软件会免费发布。在这里想征求一下大家的意见，看大家需要什么功能？

英语中拼错最多的单词是什么？ What is the most misspelt word in English? --转自“quora英语阅读”app 1. Transferred NOT Transfered 2. Absenteeism NOT Absentism 3. Occurred NOT Occured (Referred not Refered) 4. Supersede NOT Supercede (Dont get confused with Precede, Intercede, etc. ) 5. Liquefy NOT Liquify (Dont get confused with Liquid) 6. Inoculate NOT Innoculate 7. Questionnaire NOT Questionaire 8. A lot NOT Alot 9. Anyway NOT Anyways 10. Twelfth not Twelvth/Twelth 11. Grammar NOT Grammer

英语阅读：去美国玩时绝对不要做哪些事? What should I absolutely not do when visiting the USA? --转自“quora英语阅读”appDon’t get out of your car if you get pulled over by police. I was pulled over by a police officer while driving in Iowa. It was one week after I had arrived in the USA for the first time. I had accidentally made a minor mistake disobeying a traffic sign. Back home in Australia it’s considered polite to get out of your car and walk over to the police officer’s car and hand him your license* so he doesn’t have to get out of his seat. I wanted to be extra polite so I immediately jumped out of my car and walked towards his car while reaching into my back pocket. I’m lucky to be alive. If you come from a gun-free country like the UK or Australia you don’t have any natural instinct for gun culture. You don’t realize that police assume that everyone is armed. Things got immediately serious. The police officer’s hand went to his weapon and I responded by dropping to my knees with my hands up. He yelled a bunch of things at me but my memory is vague because my heartbeat was suddenly pulsing in my ears blotting out all sound. I don’t know if he drew his weapon or not. I was staring intently at the ground, shaking and trying to project non-threatening vibes. My next memory is that there were three police cars around me and a bunch of cops who’d been called for backup. They were all keeping their hands close to their guns. After some time passed (a minute? 30 minutes? I have no idea) the tensions de-escalated and they told me to get up. I gave the officer my license and tried to explain why I’d approached him. It was completely incomprehensible to him that there was a place where people don’t fear cops and vice versa at traffic stops. It was as though I was trying to tell him that I came from Narnia and our cops were all talking animals. I’ve spoken to several British people, New Zealanders, and Australians who have shared almost identical stories. They really need to put signs up in all major US airports. Don’t get out of your car if stopped by police. They will assume you are armed and they might shoot you. *Edit: There is a bit of a debate on twitter (and to some extent in the comment thread here) about whether Australians are still taught to get out of the car and hand their license to police. I haven’t lived in Australia for 15 years so it might have changed since then. It made me curious so I made a twitter poll. I’d appreciate it if you took a moment to answer. Non-Americans only please. If you are from a non-US country (especially Australia) were you taught to get out of the car and hand the officer your license when stopped by police? — Charlie Knoles (@CharlieKnoles)

英语阅读：麻麻曾给你的最好忠告是什么?成年后让你受益 What is the best advice your mother ever gave you? --转自“quora英语阅读”app When I was a young boy in elementary school, I had an extremist religious teacher who was literally teaching us to hate other religions, so I learned to hate other religions from him. One day my mother was driving us to our grandparents’ house, and I saw this in a car next to ours in a light stop:I started cursing the car owner, and I was saying that he should be kicked out of the country and we should only allow people of our religion in. Mind you my mother is a very religious person. She asked me the following questions: Did he harm you in any way? Do you want people of other religions to hate you, too? Do you know how this person helped build our country? Didn't God get him here and willed this guy to find bread here? Do you know how it feels to be away from your family to provide for them? I had no answer, and after a while that teacher was fired. My country was infested with a religious political party that was trying to take over the country. We found out later that they were an international terrorist group. Now it is cleaned up of such mentality (mind you UAE is a young country and in process of building). Ever since, I have nothing but respect for anyone and would think where they come from and what their backgrounds are. My mother’s advice was to love everyone and be nice to people. We don't own this earth, and everyone is fated to be wherever they are and do whatever they do. Learn to coexist with them, not to push them away.

英语阅读：快速入睡最好的方法是什么? What are the best ways of falling asleep quickly? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Think about your big toe … seriously.Ok, this will be a little hard to believe, but I've used this technique nearly every night for the past year and fall asleep within five minutes every time. This, coming from a guy who would stay up all hours of the night tossing and turning most of my life. I tried sleeping pills, melatonin, stretching, baths, etc but nothing has come close to the ease and simplicity of the big toe technique. It works for nearly everyone who tries it I've taught this technique to my close friends and family and the ones that have tried it all say the same thing within days … “it ACTUALLY worked!”. Even my 14 year old son, who stays up all hours of the night because he can't sleep, came down the morning after I taught him and he said he didn't make it past his third toe. Let me explain but … First learn basic body scanning Ok, so my technique is nothing new really. It's just a way to remember to do body scanning. What I've found is body scanning works, but it's hard to remember to do it. My Big Toe trick is easy to remember. Before trying my big toe trick, you should understand how body scanning works. Here's a good place to start I've found guided body scans from YouTube and such to learn the basic techniques. Here's one for example to fall asleep to if you like the guys accent: Find one with a voice you like and try this first if you haven't yet. Do it to LEARN how to do it yourself, not so that you can play it every night. Playing one every night is just not realistic, especially if your SO sleeps with you. It also makes it harder to really zone out. Headspace is a great app to learn a bit about meditation as well and can teach you the tricks you'll need to make this work for you. My Big Toe Technique I actually tried using the body scanning and guided meditations methods years ago with some success but I just couldn't stick with it. I somehow wouldn't remember or would think I needed help to do it. However one night I was tossing around and remembered how body scanning usually started at the feet so I just said “BIG TOE” in my head to get the scan started. I then imagined what my big toe was doing, how it was feeling, what it was touching, etc. I then move onto the next toe, doing the same feelings-assessment. Once I've gone through this exercise with each toe, I move onto the heel, ankle, and up my leg. I've never made it past my calf … of the leg I started on. I'm honestly not sure why body awareness puts your mind into a state that makes sleep easy. It just works. Some of you may be able to get the science behind it but I just enjoy the results personally. Ever since the “big toe” moment, sleep has come so easy for me and my close friends, I almost feel ashamed NOT sharing this simple life hack. I hope this helps you as much as it's helped me. Next time you’re tossing to-and-fro, quietly remember “My Big Toe”

英语阅读：在你濒临放弃边缘时,如何激励自己再次前行? What do you do to motivate yourself when you are about to give up? --转自“quora英语阅读”appSometimes giving up is exactly the right thing to do. So be careful; it isn't always right to motivate yourself. Maybe your mind or body is sending you a signal telling you that you should be doing something else. My mentor Luis Alvarez used to point to physicists that were well known (at least to other physicists) but whom he considered to be failures. He said that many of them were still working on the same problems that they worked on 20 years ago. They were the experts in their fields, and they got recognition, they were asked to talk at conferences, but they had made no important advances in 15 years. He said that they never learned how to give up. Alvarez gave up an entire career in particle physics to work on a project with his son Walter, and they made one of the most important discoveries in 20th century science: that an asteroid/comet had killed the dinosaurs. I gave up on many more projects than I succeeded at. I gave up on the development of a table-top cyclotron for radiocarbon dating. I gave up on a project to develop a liquid-xenon radiation detector; I gave up on an effort to detect double beta decay. I gave up on a project to detect anomalous (non-radioactive) carbon-14. I gave up on a project to measure the deflection of starlight by Jupiter. In retrospect, those were all good projects to give up on. Of course, I never gave up. I gave up on projects so that I could work on something else. So be careful to make that decision. Sometimes it is important to give up a project. And maybe you'll think you are just being lazy when you start working on something new. But maybe giving up on the first to work on the second will prove to be the most important decision in your life. But the decision is never easy. It could be a big mistake to give up on a project only because it hasn't made much progress. Sometimes giving up is the right decision, but sometimes it is the wrong decision. Life is tough.

英语阅读：脑洞大开让别人困惑的方法？ What is the best way to cause confusion? --转自“quora英语阅读”appTake a geometry box to an algebra/any theory exam. At the right time, pull it out and start using the scale and the compass to draw something. Look at others' expression as they turn around pages in haste, looking for the problem/question where they have to use a geometry box.

为什么不能正式地从英语单词中删除那些不发音的字母？转自--“quora英语阅读”app Spelling: Why can't we officially remove silent letters from English words and otherwise make English more consistent?Mark Harrison： There's a joke that's been circulating the Internet [1] for many years that pokes fun at the idea. Try reading the following aloud: The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short). In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c." Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replased with "k". Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replased by "f". This will make words like fotograf" 20 persent shorter. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go. By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by " v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru. [1] I was still at BP when I first saw it, and I left there in 2000, so at least 15 years old.

英语阅读：有哪些20多岁时一定要学的东西？ What are some of the lessons one should definitely learn at their 20s? --转自“quora英语阅读”app1、"Friends forever" is a myth. A joke. With time,many will leave you and you will leave many. 2、True friends are few,maybe one or two. 3、You'll be alone in the most difficult times of your life. These times will make you wise,mature and fearless. 4、Nobody will help you. You gotta help yourself. 5、Your health and career will only thank you,reward you in future; And not people. 6、You will meet a lot of fake people; learn to identify such people and maintain a healthy distance. 7、You will be pulled down out of jealously; don't get surprised. Its normal. 8、You'll be cheated,betrayed by your close ones, don't get surprised. Smile. And move on. 9、People will treat you according to their need and greed. 10、It is good to be generous,benign and magnanimous. But there's a limit. Or you'll be taken as granted. 11、Grab every opportunity you can. Time flies and guilt is the worst feeling I tell you. 12、To achieve anything in life,you gotta work your ass off. You gotta work real hard. Nothing comes easy. 13、Be pragmatic while taking any decision. Don't let your emotions influence you. 14、Every difficult phase in life will fetch you a lesson. Don't get disheartened. Draw conclusion out of it. 15、And last but not the least,never underestimate yourself. You have much more potential,ability,talent than you think. Some people are saying that this answer is "too harsh". Sorry guys but that was the demand of the question. Though, most people could relate to it. The points mentioned above are purely based on my experience. So obviously it will vary from person to person. If any more points you could come up with,you are free to write them in the comments and I shall add them in this answer.

英语阅读：什么是单身最艰难的时候？ When are the toughest times to be single? --转自“quora英语阅读”appAnonymous **Going anonymous because it involves my ‘friends’ ** I have group of 6–7 friends, which includes 3 girls. We became very good friends in the first year itself. In first year we all used to have fun and always hang around in college campus We used to go to night outs in hotels outside and have fun (because girls are not allowed to leave their hostel after 9 PM) Soon, two members of this group started dating each other. Soon after, another two started dating each other. Soon our frequent “meetings” came to halt and we started chatting on whatsapp group Soon, my other friend started dating someone in campus Soon, I was only one who was single in my friends group Soon, I was left out. Soon, my friend started cracking jokes about me since I was single. Soon, our whatsapp group has no new messages Soon, everyone started ignoring me Soon, I started ignoring everyone in college Soon, we were not friends anymore It happened so “soon”

英语阅读：你见过的最鼓舞人心的名言是什么? What are the most inspirational quotes you have come across? --转自“quora英语阅读”app "Either push your limits or die." From the Art of Expressing The Human Body, there’s this little story about Bruce Lee, arguably the greatest martial artist that ever lived, during a training run told by John Little, a close friend of Bruce: “Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile]. So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.” I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” –and we’re still running-”if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.” He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles. Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?” He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”Either push your limits or die. If you’re going to allow yourself to be bound by arbitrary, artificial and anonymous limits, why even bother? One more time (you know you should read it). If you stop at your “limits”… … you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.” What’s your level? Are you exceeding it or are you dying? Because if you let limits define what’s possible in your life, you’re not growing, you’re dying.

要么不学，要么全力以赴。给大家鼓鼓劲 If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs. And maybe your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance. Of how much you really want to do it. And you’ll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. – from 《Factotum》

英语阅读：离死亡不远的老人有哪些感受? What does it feel like to be really old knowing death is imminent? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI am really old, and I know death is imminent Most of my friends have passed away, and of those remaining, they suffer from health problems in some way I am myself totally deaf and partially blind. I live by myself I am writing this at 6am in the morning Today, if the weather is fine I will go for a walk I will chat with friends I will do my shopping I will do my laundry I will feed the cat I will tidy up what needs to be done I will put out the garbage I will do what most people do who are not really old and know that death is imminent Because there is no feeling of being old There is a feeling that you can't do what you used to do There is a feeling that you might lose your independence, or if you already have, a feeling that you should try and do as much as you can by yourself There is a feeling that you should spend as much time as possible with those you like to be with There is a feeling that time is precious. Of course it always was, but one becomes more aware of it There is a feeling that many things one does will be done for the last time There are passing thoughts about those who respect you because you are old, and about those that dismiss you because you are old There is the aspect that life is changing fast with all the new advances that inundate us daily There is the aspect of life that nothing changes Mothers still smile at their babies Children are still enthralled with their first pet Learning to ride a bike is still as much fun as starting a company Blowing out your birthday candles is still as satisfying at eighty as it was at eight It is not that death is imminent that is important, but that when the curtain comes down, the audience leaves with a sense of satisfaction As someone once said The World is a stage You played your part for what it was worth You take your bow and leave

大家帮我看看这句话怎么翻译更好一点 "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep tellling yourself as to why you can't achieve it." - Jordan Belfort 挡在你和目标之间的唯一的东西是你一直告诉自己的为什么不能达成目标的狗屁理由！感觉不大好，大家有更好的翻译吗？

英语阅读：一生中最该做的10件事是什么? What are the top ten things I should experience in life? --转自“quora英语阅读”app1. Love: To know how it feels like to give everything you have body, mind and soul, unconditionally 2. Heartbreak: To make your heart stronger and to understand that the world is not a cake walk 3. Ecstasy(the emotion): To understand what extreme happiness is 4. Poverty: I mean to live with as little as possible, to understand how lucky you are that you have resources which more than half of the world doesn't 5. Failure: To learn what success is 6. Bliss (Nature): To enjoy the world around you and cherish it 7. Traveling to another country: To explore different people and cultures and understand we all are similar in many ways 8. Living alone: To learn how to survive in this world 9. Responsibility: To live a life with some meaning rather than sleep walking through life 10. Passion: To learn what you are good at and what you love to do. It gives you a purpose to live for

英语阅读：最好最可靠的生活语录有哪些? What are some of the best and truest life quotes? --转自“quora英语阅读”app"The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep tellling yourself as to why you can't achieve it." - Jordan Belfort Face The Reality

英语阅读：生活中最难的事情是什么？ Life: What are the hardest things to do in life? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI was too close to my maternal grandfather. He had an amazing personality and he always made sure of my happiness. Suddenly, his liver got infected and he died because of his terminal disease. I still remember the day, when his dead body was lying in front of me. I was 18 at that time. You need 4 people to carry the casket (Coffin) to the Shamshan Ghat (Hindu Cremation ground), and I was one among them. That was the toughest walk of my life. I knew after cremating his body I won’t be able to see him again. And when his body caught fire I was the last one to leave that ground. And again the hardest journey was left to cover; for those 4 km, I took 4 hours to reach my home. People die, people take birth, they come, they love and then they leave, either willingly or unwillingly. I believe saying “GoodBye” is not the toughest thing to do in life. But, the journey, the distance, the time to cover that distance is quite difficult, it is the hardest thing to do in life. Let’s understand with this, you are in love and slowly, painfully you come to the point of break up. You know after breakup, your life will change. Probably, you will never see your partner again. But, Breakup is not hard, the life after breakup is the hardest thing to deal with. I hate the feeling when you have to say goodbye to someone you want to spend every minute with. — Unknown

英语阅读：钱所能买到的最棒的东西是什么? What is the best thing that money can buy? --转自“quora英语阅读”appNothing. That sounds like a glib answer. But "nothing" is a lot. It's expensive to have nothing. A few months ago my wife and I threw out everything. We threw out/donated all of our books. (we had either read them or we would never read them or we had them on the kindle anyway). We threw out all of our extra sheets and plates (we've had 1 guest in five years stay over). We threw out all clothes, 30 years of clothes that were clogging up closets, drawers, hampers, floors, other closets. If we hadnt worn it in the last month, we threw it out. We threw out all our broken computers ("one day we'll fix them" is what we always said about them when we assigned their place in our home-based computer graveyard). We threw out furniture we never sat in. We threw out plates for guests. We threw out 40 bottles of wine (we don't even drink. I had gotten the bottles as leftovers in a part eight years earlier). We threw out our cable box. We threw out all paper. IRS receipts? Bank statements? Notes from the kids' school? All gone. Suddenly everything was empty. No more bookcases (thrown out). No more paper piling up on the tables. No more spices we had never once used. No more envelopes waiting to carry important packages we never once sent. Even my own books, translated into 20 languages - would we ever read them? Gone. Why did we do this? For the prior three months we had been living in AirBnBs around the country. All over the country we had traveled from AirBnB to AirBnB. We got a peek into everyone else's life. And we realized that we had lived just fine with just 2 computers, bathroom stuff, and a few outfits. Enough to fill one, sometimes two suitcases. Never once did we miss anything we had left at home. And so the first thing we did when we got home was to throw out everything we never missed during those three months. Why is this expensive? It costs a lot to be free. It costs a lot emotionally to no longer need the things you thought would be with you forever. It cost a lot to give up on all the things we thought would happen (guests! parties! thousands of books!) well into our old ages. But now when we need things, we have to buy them. When we were traveling in AirBnBs, realizing slowly we needed nothing, it was expensive to travel (we traveled for work but still). To test-drive 20 other people's lives. If we ever did have guests, or needed those plates, or needed more computers, we would have to buy things. If we want anything new, we no longer have the old. So we have to buy. Or not. That's the key. Now when we go into our home we feel less stressed, we feel more calm, the hopes of the future and fears of the past are no longer populating the shelves. Money bought this freedom. But freedom buys you more money. When you are not tied down to anything, you can fly. Fly where? Fly into space. Fly into the future. Fly like a child, exploring his or her dreams for the first time. Every day.

英语阅读：为什么英语对中国人来说如此困难？ Why is English so difficult for a Chinese person? --转自“quora英语阅读”app In my mind, there are three things that make English very challenging for Chinese people: Mandarin Chinese easily has some of the most simple grammar of any language currently in existence. In fact, there are very few grammatical rules and principles compared to English, and what rules exist are VERY consistent. It is a topic-comment style language and doesn’t have any tense, prepositions, or conjugations of any kind. English on the other hand is a syntactical nightmare (think of all the exceptions to rules in English grammar). As Shan Lung presents below, different languages have different logical systems. This means that when you are forming a sentence, the order you place words and which words you used are based on the framework of your mother language and how it encourages you to think. Going from Mandarin to English (from a VERY logical language to an arguably more creative language) is challenging. In English, we create and read words based on sounds, in Mandarin we create and read words based on a graphic meaning (e.g. “火” is fire, many words will then be composed of this character). Mandarin is very logical in that all complex words are composed of two common characters, so learning new words leaves nothing to the imagination. If I encounter a word I’ve never seen before in English, say “obelus” I will often have literally no idea as to its meaning; in the case of obelus I cannot even guess (though other words, like contrapose, I could guess). In Chinese, this is seldom the case. So moving from a language where you can see the meanings and often guess new words without any context, to a language where you are reading sounds with no explicit hint of meaning is very challenging. I hope this was helpful! Please leave a comment if you have any questions or would like clarification!

英语阅读：哪些英语单词最常被非英语母语者误读？ Which English words are most often mispronounced by non-native English speakers? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Wednesday. Actual Pronunciation : ˈwenzdeɪ : wenz-dey /ˈwenzdi : wenz-dee Mispronunciation : wɛd-nɛs-deɪ ( stress on d, and s sound ) Rule: D is not pronounced Other examples: handkerchief, sandwich, handsome the definition of wednesday ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Comb Actual Pronunciation: kəʊm / koʊm : kohm ( Silent b ) - ending with m sound. Mispronunciation : kəʊmb ( stress on b ) Rule: B is not pronounced after M at the end of a word Other examples: climb, dumb, bomb, thumb, limb, womb Now. every time I sing the rhyme, Mary had a little lamb, I relate it with lame, leɪm ( yeah, lame in true sense ) but it helps me remember that lamb is pronounced as læm. the definition of comb ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Edit// Adding more on request by Adharsh Dhandapani February Actual Pronunciation : ˈfɛb ruˌɛr i : feb-roo-er-ee /ˈfɛb ju‐ ɛr i : feb-yoo-er-ee - The sound is 'roo' or 'yoo' and 'er' Mispronunciation : fɛb-ra-var-i The sound of 'ra' is used, and ɛr i is pronounced as 'vari-e' as in the word 'vary'. Many of us commit this mistake. And, even to this day, I am not completely acquainted with it! the definition of february ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Jalapeno Actual Pronunciation: hɑ ləˈpeɪn yoʊ : hah-luh-peyn-yoh / hɑ lɑˈpɛ nyɔ :hah-lah-pe-nyaw - Starting with h sound Mispronunciation : Ja ləˈpeɪn yo - Starting with J sound, and prolonged 'o' It is pronounced as such because of its 'Spanish' origin. Next time you go to Subway, correct yourself before you make the same mistake again. ( Thank God! I don't like Jalapenos. Even to say , 'don't put Jalapenos in my sub' , I need to know the right pronunciation, right? :P ) the definition of jalapeno ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Lingerie Actual Pronunciation : lɑn ʒəˈreɪ : lahn-zhuh-rey / læn ʒəˌri : lan-zhuh-ree - The starting sound is 'la' not 'li' ; 'ge' is not pronounced as 'gɛ' in gave'. Mispronunciation : You all already know it, I guess? :P ( Pronunciation based on French Origin ) Well, you can all decide on how useful learning this is, I leave it to you. the definition of lingerie ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Diphtheria Actual Pronunciation : dɪfˈθɪər i ə : dif-theer-ee-uh - The middle sound ends with 'f' Mispronunciation: dip-θɪər i ə - The middle sound ending with 'p'. Rule: In Classical Greek the Greek letter φ (phi) was pronounced as an aspirated [pʰ], which the Latins wrote as ph, when they borrowed the words from Greek. Later this sound changed into an [f] in both Greek and Latin, and was passed as such into French, and then into English. Once the idea that ph was pronounced [f] was established the definition of diphtheria ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Croissant Actual Pronunciation - krəˈsɑnt : kruh-sahnt - 'Ruh' ( consonant ) sound Mispronunciation - kro-sɑnt / kree-sant - 'O'( as in crow ) or 'E'( as in cream )- ( vowel ) sound -Word Courtesy User-13316189518776057579 the definition of croissant ( listen to the pronunciation here ) Please refer to the comments for more words. Many have been kind enough to add words, but as the numbers are following in continuously and to maintain the authenticity, I am leaving the answer the way it is. Thanks for the A2A.

英语阅读：由于英美英语的差异美国人和英国人会彼此误会吗？ Is it possible that Americans and Brits could misunderstand one another due to differences in their varieties of English? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Definitely. As a speaker of American English, I once told my British coworker that I needed to stop home before our next appointment because my pants were wet. He responded with “I certainly didn’t need to know that!”, looking surprised that I had told him. The confusion in this case was based on the fact that in the U.S., pants means everything from slacks to blue jeans, while in Britain, pants means underwear. I had gotten the bottom of my slacks wet from walking in the snow, but he thought I was saying that I had peed my underwear. (Interestingly, even Americans would usually say “I wet my pants” if this were actually the case.) On a related note, in the 90s there was a popular song that had a female backup singer repeating the line “pissing the night away” over and over. The members of the band were all British, which is important in understanding that “pissing the night away” essentially means “drinking the night away” or even just “wasting time all night long”. In the U.S., pissing means “urinating”. I had a really hard time trying to figure out why anyone would want to spend all night peeing. Another possible confusion arising from the very same verb is the fact that a person who is “pissed” is drunk in Britain, but really really angry in the U.S. That leads to another common misunderstanding. In the U.S., if I said that so-and-so was “mad”, I would mean that that person was angry. In Britain, the word mad is the common term for “crazy”. If an American asks “Are you mad?”, they’re likely trying to find out what they did wrong; if a Briton asks the same question, they’re accusing you of insanity. As a fun exercise in a class I taught a few years ago, I wrote the following story that means entirely different things in U.S. and British English: Yesterday I woke up late for an appointment. I washed up, then pulled on some pants and suspenders, and grabbed a vest on my way out the door. I drove out toward the university and got a flat. I've had a flat before, but never on my own. So I called my dad to tell him about it and find out what kinds of things I should be checking for... I ended up catching a lift with my new neighbor, who's really fit, by the way. As I said before, this is a completely different story depending on which version of English you speak. In the American version, I woke up, washed my face, put on some slacks and some suspenders to hold them up (braces in British English), and put on a vest (a waistcoat in British English). In other words, I was dressed up in nice clothes for my appointment. Then, on the way to the appointment, my car got a flat tire, but it was OK because I got a ride with my new neighbor, who was an athletic person.In the British version, I woke up, did the dishes, and put on some underwear, stocking garters, and a sleeveless undershirt. In other words, I wasn’t really dressed at all. Then I went across town to rent a new apartment by the university. In the new apartment building, I got into a lift (an elevator in American English) with my new neighbo(u)r, who I found sexually attractive!

英语阅读：一个人如何在人生中取得成功 How does one succeed at life? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Yesterday Danyal, who's 11, finished his A-levels, which are typically taken by 18-year-olds. He taught himself Mathematics mainly from YouTube videos. Last year he did his Physics A-level and got an A. He’s homeschooled. This morning we went for a run and discussed what he might do next with his life.He’s thinking about a combination of: Play football up to 3 hours a day to see if he has a realistic chance of playing in the Premiership one day. Try to get his squash to national-level. Try to break the world record for 5km for an 11-year-old - he’d have to go damn intensive as he’ll turn 12 in 4 months. Become damn good at coding - to start a tech startup. Brush up his 6 languages - some have been very low priority in recent months due to exams. Spend a lot of time loafing around with friends. All possible because my wife and I just decided to TRY to homeschool our 3 kids 5 years ago. We just gave it a two-week trial after which all of us loved it. If we hadn’t tried Danyal would still be learning algebra at school and I’d have no story to tell you. To succeed in life you need to try. Trying usually gets you nowhere but if you keep at it, you keep trying in all aspects of your life, it will make you succeed in ways you never imagined possible.

英语阅读：哪些事心理学家知道,普通人却不知道? What are some things that psychologists know, but most people don't? --转自“quora英语阅读”appYou don't really know how happy or sad something is going to make you in the future, even though you think you do right now. Put another way, psychologists know that most people are very bad at being able to predict how they will respond to positive or negative events in the future. People will predict they are going to be happier about getting a raise or a promotion, finding a partner, or purchasing their dream car or house than they actually end up being when that event occurs. This can lead to feelings of disillusionment or disappointment when reality doesn't match the predicted level of happiness. Things rarely end up as good as people think they will be. Alternately, people predict they are going to be more devastated by losing their job or a loved one or enduring a natural catastrophe than they actually are when that negative event occurs. Many people are surprised that when the worst thing they can imagine actually happens to them, they are rarely as bad off as they thought they would be. Most happiness researchers (like Dr. Dan Gilbert) believe that there is a "happiness set point" for most people, and regardless of positive events (winning the lottery) or negative events (losing your home), a person will generally settle back to their own personal happiness set point, which may be higher than some or lower than some. See more about Dan Gilbert: Stumbling on happiness If the happiness set point explains why people can't predict what will make them happy or sad, other psychologists, like Dr. Martin Seligman, suggest that in order to be happier, instead of chasing the elusive and ultimately disappointing thing you thought would make you happier, you have to try to nudge your set point up a point or two, and yes, it can actually be done. See more about Martin Seligman How this knowledge about people being such poor predictors of how they will respond to positive or negative life events plays out for this psychologist: I continually work with my clients (and remind myself, as well) that happiness is most likely to be found in this moment, not in any future one regardless of happy plans, goals, and dreams being pursued. And imagining future catastrophes turns this moment into an unhappy one, perhaps more negative than it would actually be if the catastrophe were to actually occur. As John Milton said: “The mind is a universe and can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” We psychologists can help people to use their minds to make their present moments better than they could ever predict their futures to be.

英语阅读：特别胆小的人怎么变自信? How do you become confident if you are a very shy person? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI really desired confidence and was ready to give anything to have it- it all starts with this burning desire to want to be something more. I was going to be confident no matter what or I die trying! I read lots of books on self-Confidence and motivation alone- I have a lot of knowledge now that all came together from a large amount of books. When you combine the ideas from a wide range of authors, you get something better. I stayed away from them- you know them right? All those negative people who see the world as a prison, those who only spreads epic awfulness everywhere, all those who always make you feel uncomfortable and undervalued, those who feeds off others shame. In short, I ran away from them. I changed where I lived and my life got better…. Like way way better. I got support- I hate to say this but I didn't grow social confidence alone. I had my uncle family who helped me through it and several friends I met at seminars and workshops. I become vulnerable to this people and let them know what I'm going through and how they could help. And they did help. A lot. I made my decisions final- the thing with shyness is that you make decisions to act and then you break it. Meanwhile, each time you break this little commitments, your self esteem drops. What I did was to make my decisions final. I don't say I want to approach a girl and back out. No. I made sure I was forced to act everytime. I did this by setting up roadblocks such as bragging about approaching to my friends, betting with my valuables so that I lose them and suffer each time I don't act on my decision. I acted it out like Hollywood- yeah I'm forever thankful to Amy cuddy. It's really true that if you just start smiling and walking like a superman like I did then. You'd get superconfident in no time. I remember how I suddenly start speaking slowly, walking deliberately and always having that cool smile on. I'll maintain eye contact with everyone and spread out. With time I became addicted to this confidence acting. It became part of me. Ohhh! I started living with purpose- I realize I've really been on a high self esteem lately because of the control I bring to my life. I live everything in my life to purpose. Simply because I have goals in every aspect of my life and I've made the agreement to do my best in every situation. Since I've started living this way, I've been sleeping better and my self love and self respect as been higher than ever. I don't blame myself for any mistakes because I know I did my best and I'm ready to learn.. I'm always glad with myself. This is the holy grail of self confidence and self esteem for me. So now here I am jumping up and feeling so happy. I really don't know why I was so excited when I took the picture. All I want you to know is that this shit works! As for the shoes. I can't seem to find them…. I'm so forgetful nowadays

英语阅读：学习外语的最好方法是什么? What are the best ways to learn foreign languages? --转自“quora英语阅读”app There is a trick to learning languages that can shorten the journey to fluency from decades to mere months. There's also something most teachers won't even tell students for fear they would never start, but in fact, is vital that you know. In fact, there's not one trick but a whole suite of tricks to help you learn a language. I'll use French as an example, but this advice applies to any language. 1. Understand the Language Learning Journey Language learning has an appalling abandonment rate. A mere 4% of students embarking on language courses in schools achieve a basic level of fluency after three years. 96% fail to achieve fluency and/or abandon courses completely! People almost always wrongly conclude two things from this: Myth 1) Learning languages is hard. Myth 2) Other people (but not them) are naturally good at languages. One of the biggest reasons cited for abandoning is that students don't feel any sense of progression. A GCSE student with an A* will visit France and find they can't even have a basic conversation. People largely give up because they had the wrong expectations set. So let's bust some myths: 1) Learning a language isn't hard. It's just LONG. 2) Everyone is naturally good at languages. You already learned one, remember? You've just forgotten how long it took. I'm going to use a metaphor that I hope will help you get the knack.I think of learning a language a bit like climbing a mountain (a large but easy mountain, the sort that anyone can climb so long as they keep going). Here's what most teachers won't tell you: It takes 600+ hours of study & practice to reach fluency in French (unless you already speak another latin-based language - a so-called romance language). Think about this. If (say) you learn 1 hour of French per week, then in forty weeks you'll do 40 hours. You'll need fifteen years at that rate to become fluent, not counting all the stuff you forget because of the gaps between study. (Harder languages like Russian or Mandarin can take 1,200 hours!) At the other extreme, if you study really intensively, you can rack up 40 hours in one week!It's possible (but not guaranteed) to achieve fluency in ten to twelve weeks at that rate. Most people don't have the spare time to give that level of intensity, but understanding the journey helps you be realistic about what you can achieve so you won't get demotivated. 2. Intensity is vital to learning a language quickly. This is a double-whammy. 1) Immersing yourself as deeply as possible in the subject allows you to rack up the hours as quickly as possible. 2) Memory fades unless it's used. Low-intensity studies (i.e. school French) are ineffective because their intensity is so low that you end up forgetting a large percentage of what you learn. So, try to learn as intensely as time will permit you to. To use my mountain metaphor, the ground is icy and slippery and if you go slowly, you'll slip back as much as you progress. The faster you can climb, the less you will slip back. 3. Be kind to yourself I've used sunlight in this mountain metaphor to give you an indication of how it feels to be at these levels. It's not until B1/B2 that the light comes out and it starts to feel really good speaking French. That happens around the 350-400 hours mark if you've never learned a second language before. Expect a lot of fog and confusion for the first few hundred hours. It's completely normal and you're not stupid. EVERYONE feels this way, even the people who seem really gifted at languages. The difference is, anyone who's already been through that and reached the sunlight expects this stage, and it doesn't faze them because they know they'll get there eventually. So, if you catch yourself saying things like, "I'm rubbish at French" or "I'm stupid" just stop for a moment and remind yourself that you're neither and you will get it if you persevere. 4. Prepare for the journey If you're a complete beginner I find it's really important to absorb the sounds of the language before beginning serious study. I listen to hours of audio (audio books are great for this) without trying to understand the content, but still actively listening to the sounds of the language to embed them. I usually find after a while I end up babbling them a little like a baby which can feel a bit silly . Which brings me my next piece of advice: 5. Practise looking stupid Being self-conscious is your biggest enemy. You cannot speak a foreign language without feeling stupid at some point. You have to get over that. You have to twist your mouth into strange new shapes that make you feel like a caricature; you will speak and not be understood and you will listen and not understand. A LOT. It's really okay and in fact necessary to learning. If you think about it, what's the big deal? So you look stupid. Who cares? If you instead give yourself credit every time you feel stupid you can turn this around. Give yourself a little mental gold star each time you feel stupid because those moments are learning moments. Feeling stupid is actually a sign of progress, or the moment just prior to progress. 6. Find out where you are (and therefore what the next stage is) I strongly advise you measure your level using CEFR levels (CEFR Levels - The Common European Framework of Reference for languages) as these are now standard across Europe. If you want find out approximately what level you are, you can take Kwiziq's French test here: http://tieba.baidu.com/mo/q/checkurl?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.french-test.com%2F&urlrefer=0f637acb1a4fcb2968d1b9cf0d49e31d (*Kwiziq is an A.I. Language Coach that will assess your level and then help you improve. We're crowdfunding: Kwiziq raising £150,000 investment on Crowdcube. Capital At Risk.) 7. Set goals Plan your language learning journey in stages. You've seen how long the journey is, so just like climbing a mountain, it's advisable to plan the journey in stages. Goal setting (and measuring progress against those goals) is one of the most effective tools in your learning arsenal. I highly recommend setting short term and longer terms goals. Short term goals can be as simple as how many hours of study you will do each week. If you (say) want to study one hour a day then write seven boxes on a sheet and every hour you study, check a box. It feels good and you're measuring progress which is visible to you even when you don't feel like you're progressing. Set longer terms goals like passing a specific CEFR level. It's really worth while registering to take DELF / DALF exams which are French exams that match the CEFR levels: DILF, DELF and DALF - Everything you need to know about French Diplomas. There are similar diplomas for most languages. 8. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition Repetition is absolutely vital to learning most things but especially important when learning a language. It sounds boring but it doesn't need to be. More on this in a moment. One more time, just in case you didn't get it: repetition is vital to learning. 9. Recall is more important than revision Practising recall has proven to be 300% more effective than revising something. In other words, you must challenge yourself to "produce" French, not just comprehend it. The metaphor I use for memory is a field of long grass. You drop lots of things in it, but to make them easy to find again, you must practise retrieving them. Every time you do, you tread down the path to the thing you're recalling and it gets easier to follow. Anything you do to practice recall is going to help your French. If you can, the best way is of course to practise speaking with a real French person. (If you can, go to the country and spend time there, preferably with people who don't speak any English.) Our site, Kwiziq French offers thousands of tests which will adapt automatically to you and measure your progress at each level, as well as telling you what to do next to improve. The reason testing works so well is because it forces you to practise recalling what you know. All of this is building towards my ultimate language learning trick. If we combine these point (especially 8 and 9) there is an obvious conclusion: the quickest way to learn a language that I have found is to... 10. Rote learn set texts in French This is my number one trick and I've found this to be singularly the most effective method in acquiring a language rapidly. Find a text that you can learn in a week (you must have audio - this is essential). Pick a text on a subject you find interesting and at the right level for you (i.e. a bit challenging but not too hard). If you're a beginner keep it short, i.e. a few sentences at a time. Graphic comics are really good for beginners (things like Peanuts) which you can order online. As you progress you can pick longer texts and learn a few paragraphs, or pages of dialogue at a time. I like using film or theatre texts, or books I liked as a kid which are also good because the language is usually simple. Listen to the piece at least ten times (repetition) before starting to try to learn it. Start to commit it to memory (practise recall). You'll find this very hard at first and it will show you just how important it is to practise recall. Give yourself a week to learn the piece. Why? Because after seven nights of sleep, something magical happens... 11. Sleep Sleep is vital to memory. In fact, research shows the time of day that you sleep is not that important. Daytime napping is very effective. Don’t deprive yourself of sleep for too long after you've learned or practised something. When you sleep your brain starts to build structures to turn short-term memories into long-term memories. It may be different for you, but I've found that after about seven nights of sleep is about the amount needed (with daily practise) for a text to be effortless to recall. 12. Exercise & Nutrition We tend to think of our brains as separate from our bodies, but of course the brain is part of body. If you exercise, you get huge mental benefits. It might sound bizarre but keeping fit will help you learn a language. You can even combine the two efforts by listen to French audio during a workout or run. And make sure the fuel you're putting into your body and brain is good for it. Eating healthily, just like exercise, has amazing cognitive benefits. If you ever get 'brain fog', you might want to pay more attention to what you're eating and drinking. Ask yourself what you consumed in the previous 24-48 hours. Yep, it can take up to two days for something you ate or drank to affect your cognition. 13. Learn about learning I've found that every hour I invested in learning about learning paid off many times over in my learning speed of actual content. There's general stuff that you can learn about learning that works for everyone, and then there are your own personal learning tricks that can develop; this is about just taking time to reflect on what work best for you and thinking about how to improve on what you're doing. Hope that's helpful!

英语阅读：具有高情商（EQ）的人的特征是什么？ What are characteristics of people with high emotional intelligence (EQ)? --转自“quora英语阅读”appNot Creepy but Not Meek - People with high EQ go for what they want socially without being creepy. This is because they commit to a social action and follow through. Usually what makes an act creepy is when we reach out to touch someone but get self conscious midway through. “I Understand Where You’re Coming From” - People with high emotional intelligence are constantly validating other people’s point of view. Many times when we get into a disagreement with someone, it’s important to validate their position. This generally makes people more willing to compromise. They Know how to Make People Feel Important - Whether it’s remembering small details about their family or getting excited when they walk into a room, people with high EQ know how to make the people around them feel important and appreciated. They Know How to Joke - Knowing what joke to say at what time is a huge indicator of emotional intelligence. They know what jokes are appropriate, what jokes will make what people laugh, and how far they can take a joke without hurting someone’s feelings. Embrace and Smile - The people with the highest EQ know how to embrace you, and how to smile. Both of these things will help you feel at ease around them. They Know What Fights are Worth Fighting - You’ve probably had an argument with someone and thought to yourself midway through the argument “Why did I even bring this up?” People with high EQ know when to engage in an argument and when to walk away. Thank You - The people I know with the highest EQ are constantly saying thank you no matter how small the favor. This shows an awareness to the fact that people are going out of their way to help you. Have No Problem Saying Sorry When They Are Wrong - The people I know with the lowest EQ have a hard time saying sorry. They are Able to Argue Constructively - Whenever I am arguing with someone with high EQ, they are able to distill what we are actually arguing about in a matter of seconds. This helps us stay on topic and get a clearer insight into what the other person wants.

英语阅读：哪些日常习惯让人一天都很累？ What everyday habits drain our energy? --转自“quora英语阅读”app1、Oversleeping. Practice getting out of bed on time. 2、Overthinking. Your mind needs to rest too. Give it a break. 3、Overeating. It makes your mind cloudy. Practice self-control. 4、Clinging to trivial opinions. It’s a complete waste of mental energy. 5、Setting goals which you can’t control. It creates unnecessary stress. 6、Rapid task switching. It makes you busy but unproductive. Be focused. 7、Worry. If you can change the situation, take action. If you can’t, accept it. 8、Negative self-talk. The more you sabotage yourself, the worse you become. 9、Indecision. It keeps you stuck. Decide and make adjustments along the course. 10、Attention-seeking. Work on yourself and let people discover you instead. 11、Fighting your inner resistance to do something. If you want to do it, do it. Otherwise, don’t do it. 12、Blaming. It gets you emotional for the wrong reason and solves nothing. People will shun you too. 13、Feeding your mind with junk information. Before you know it, you’ve been mentally drained. 14、Living in the past. Hey, you don’t live there anymore. Look at your surrounding. Wake up. 15、Resisting change. The only constant thing is change. If you resist change, you resist life. It’s a game you can’t win, so stop trying. 16、Arguing with lousy people. If you win, it merely means you’re a lousy person. If you lose, it means you’re worse than the lousy people. 17、Trying to help people who refuse to help themselves. You can wake up a sleeping person, but you cannot wake up a person pretending to sleep.

英语阅读：生活给你灌了哪些毒鸡汤? What are some of the dark lessons that life showed you? --转自“quora英语阅读”appGoing anonymous for my own safety and probably the first question I felt like answering, after my friend suggested to have a look at quora. So, I am a 32 year old man, who has seen the harsh truth of life at an early age. Back in my early 20’s, I was an average person who was highly motivated and dedicated. After my graduation, I started working on my startup project, at first I was alone but later a close friend of mine became my partner. We worked very hard on our project for a year, with no source of income. Still cutting our expenses through pocket money and savings. After our project was completely ready we started to look for investors as well as customers. But for 6 months we had no one showing interest in our business. All things planned were going down the hill. I committed to my long term girlfriend, that we would get married 2 years after graduation, as her parents wanted to get their daughter married too soon. She was pressuring me to get married asap, or else her parents will fix her arranged marriage. But, I was living the lowest life. I had no money to spare, no place to live, I used to sleep in my friends flat. I was completely broke. I requested her to give me time of 6 months and I will figure out something. I had lost my hopes with the startup. I told my partner to pause the business. And I started to look for a decent job. But was not getting any leads from there too, as it was time of extreme recession. I was completely destroyed physically, mentally and emotionally. I was not getting any way out. I slept many nights with empty stomach. Sometimes, I used to sleep on bus stands, when my friend used to work on night shifts. Suddenly, one day, I get a call from my girlfriend, and she was crying furiously. She said, her marriage was fixed. And she wanted to run away with me. I was stunned at this point, no words to say, emotionless. I was already broken and this news shattered me into pieces. I remember, I sat in a garden that day, and cried like a baby. Because, she was my first love and I always dreamt my life with her. But, I had to take a harsh decision. I wanted her to marry that guy, because I was a living piece of failure. And at that point in life I knew, I couldn't do anything in life. I called her up and after gathering some guts I told her to marry that guy and forget me. She was broken too, but I had to let her go for her own good. I stopped talking to her completely. And one day I got her marraige invitation card from a mutual friend. I went to her marraige, I was standing at the extreme corner so that no one could see me. I wanted to see her for the last time. I saw her getting married and went home, at my parents house. I was sobbing all the way in the bus journey. I reached home, directly went on bed and kept crying. I had lost everything at that point in my life. I was almost suicidal. I was extremely low. I rarely had a chat with my parents. I never came out of my bedroom. I just slept all day and watched movies. One day, after lunch, my dad came into my room with a big cardboard box, it had my name written on it. He sat on my bed, besides me. And opened the box and spread all the things around. I was in wonder, what is he doing? Why is he doing that? Then he said, “son, you see this things, these toys, these miniature models,etc etc. these all are the things you always dreamt of having as a child, but I was making only enough money to feed you, I couldn't afford these for you. I used to work extra hours as a assistant even after 8 hours in office, just because I could give you the things that you wanted. I could have easily given up, and not give you these things, but I wanted to see you happy”. My dad with a heavy voice and teary eyes said, “son, what can I do for you, to bring that smile back on your face?”. I wept like a baby that time on my dad's shoulder. I couldn't just stop crying. He made me stop crying, and said, “son, it doesn't matter how many times or how bad you fail, it matters how many times you rise and fight back. Go out and fight back again, be a man, be a warrior, become hard like a rock, so that nothing can shatter you again”. So, I went back to the world again, ready for a tough fight, alert to dodge anything and everything. I became a rock. I called up my partner and convinced him to restart our project. We worked hard non-stop, day and night, restless. Made a well designed business plan. Pitched to hundreds of investors and customers. I was like a fireball, who was just moving ahead destroying all the obstacles. And one fine day, early morning, my partner called me and in an extremely excited voice, he said, “we made it brother, we made it. The USA’s company we pitched is interested in our project, and the first order is for ****ing $26M”. At that moment, I was having coffee in a café and my eyes got teary of happiness. I took a cab, and ran into my office. I was filled with joy and a new energy, on my way to office I was thinking of gifting something to the man who deserved this success the most, I decided to gift him his dream car, “the Mercedes s-class” as money was not an issue, finally. I called up a friend who was working in Mercedes-Benz and asked him, if there was any S-Class available for immidiate delivery. He was shocked at first, but I promised to tell him the whole story later and look for a S-Class first. I reached office, and as I entered the office, my best friend came running towards me crying, and hugged me. I was surprised to see her in my office firstly, then she said, “your dad had a severe heart attack, he is serious”. I broke into pieces that moment, I fell on ground, totally blanked. For a while, I thought they are playing a prank, but they were true. I didn't know, what to do, my brain stopped working. My best friend and my partner somehow put me in the car and we were off to my family's place. We were about to leave the city, just then the guy from Mercedes called up and said that my S-Class was ready. I insisted my friends to let me take that car and make dad happy again one last time. We went to the showroom, picked the car, my partner did all the paper work and we were off. During whole journey I was thinking about my dad's words he said to me, the last time we met. I called my uncle on the way to enquire about dad's health, he said, my dad was suffering from heart disease from a couple of months, but never told you because I was busy fighting my own battle. He didn't want to be an obstacle in my success. I reached the hospital, I saw my dad lying on the bed. He was unconscious all this time, but when I brushed my hand against his head, he opened his eyes, which was a miracle like thing. He was looking at me, I showed him the Mercedes-Benz keys and said, “dad, I have finally made it, you have always given me everything, which money can never buy. You have always bought me things, I always dreamt of, today your son has bought you something you always dreamt of” handing him the keys, there were tears in his eyes. I was there with my dad & mom ever since, I didn't want to miss any moment of happiness with them, I wanted to see them happy always. After two weeks, dad got discharged. We went home happily, in the S-Class. He was so happy, like a baby. I had never seen him so happy. After that we enjoyed every moment of life, and business grew up & up after that. There was no looking back. P. S.- it's a long story, but, this is the story of my life. The journey which made me what I am today.

英语阅读：只有一个人要怎样过生日？ How do I celebrate my birthday when I am all alone in my life? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI'm 24. I was struggling with these very emotions a couple of months ago, as my birthday was around the corner. A recent grad, I started a new job in a new town, and don't have very many friends here. My now ex-girlfriend had just left the country (US) for Japan. My birthday dawned. My mom and dad called to wish me in the morning. My sister sent me an e-card. My ex sent a short email from the other side of the world. All of them asked me to have a "wonderful day". Aside from them, there was silence. I was sitting at work, my mind dwelling on the fact that nobody outside of my immediate family seemed to know it was my big day. What did that mean, that nobody cared about me enough to even know my birthday? Did that mean I had utterly failed at friendship? Was there something about me, that nobody wanted to get close to me? Would it always be this way from here on now? Not a single phone call or text. My roommate had forgotten. My colleagues were quiet. My supposed friends were silent. And I wasn't about to make a pity party by telling them. No gifts, no getting drunk, no festiveness. It would be just another day. And I would be a year older, that's all. Then I got an email from the Sankara Eye Foundation. It was about a donation I had made several months earlier. It had pictures of three people in India, whose cataract surgeries had been funded by my donation, and updates on how they were doing. That was probably the sweetest birthday gift I could have received. I got through the rest of the day feeling so much better. So - my advice? Make a donation somewhere. Mark the occasion of your life's beginning by trying to better someone else's, even by a little bit. UPDATE: Over the last few days this answer has been getting a lot of views and up-votes. I'd like to take the opportunity to direct your attention to the Sankara Eye Foundation. They have the admirable goal of eradicating curable blindness in India, and it turns out that a simple $90 can be used to fund cataract surgeries on three people. They also have a top rating from Charity Navigator (as of Aug 18, 2014).

英语阅读：人的一生中最重要的的技能是什么? What is the most valuable skill a person can have for their entire life? --转自“quora英语阅读”appSomeone once asked, "What is the most valuable skill a person can have for their entire life?" Over the course of our lives, we can learn a wide range of skills. If I had to choose the single most valuable skill a person can have for their entire life, I would choose this: Perseverance. Here are the top 5 reasons perseverance is the single most valuable skill a person can have: 1. It leads to mastery. A sustained effort over time will typically lead to mastery. Here are 2 quick stories to prove it. My friends Nate, Wes and Chris knew nothing about making sweatpants. But they're super passionate about making the best sweatpants for men. So what did they do? They analyzed and deconstructed over 50 pairs of sweats from different brands. After investing several months of work and thousands of dollars into working with a manufacturer, they found out the quality and design wasn't good enough. They had to fire him. Most people would give up at this point. But instead of relaxing their standards, they traveled and visited dozens of manufacturers to find the right partner. Their perseverance paid off. They've launched their new sweatpants and have raised $8,185 for their Saturday Sweatpants Kickstarter campaign in just a few days. Still don't believe me that when I say that a sustained effort over time will typically lead to mastery? Here's a second story: People will often message me asking "How did you get published in Forbes?" The answer is simple: Perseverance. I spent 2 years writing 6 books, 21 articles, 18 Quora posts and 30 editorial pitches before I finally got published in an online major publication (I've now been published on Forbes, Fortune Inc, Business Insider, Inc. and The Huffington Post). Over time my writing drastically improved and my output also increased. When I first started writing, an article would take me a few days to write. Now I can write an article in 2 hours and the quality is significantly better. This all happened because I persevered. 2. It can lead to opportunities, even when it seems like there are none. I once interviewed at a Fortune 100 company with 5 hiring managers. The first 4 managers ranked me second to last. They told me I didn't have the skills that they were looking for. If I had given up after those 4 interviews, I would have never had the chance to go on that 5th interview. Want to know what happened on that 5th interview? I was asked to deliver a presentation on the spot (without any advance notice) and I crushed it because I had prepared like crazy. I got the job offer. And for the 4 managers who said I said I didn't have the skills they were looking for: I ended up managing the #1 revenue producing territory in the nation for our market segment. Thanks for the motivation! 3. It makes you more resilient. I once started an iPhone app company. My first app had a terrible looking UI but it solved a major problem for college students (it was a flash card app for Interview Questions). This app ended up hitting the top 50 in business and drove me to build a total of 14 apps over the next few years. 10 of them failed completely. I didn't give up because I had been through so much rejection earlier in my life already. I had built a thick skin at this point. And along the way, something funny happened. The designs got better. The coding got cleaner. The business ideas became easier to identify. If I had quit halfway through, I wouldn't have built the other 3 apps...which went on to hit the top 100 ranking in their respective categories. 4. It can teach you how to manage a crisis. At some point in our lives, we'll run into a crisis. Once, I received a letter in the mail at midnight on a Saturday. It was a letter from a lawyer saying that the company I founded potentially owed their client for damages. It was gut wrenching to read that letter. I could feel an overwhelming sense of worry rush over me. So what did I do? I went to sleep. And the next day, I called a few lawyers and figured out a solution. Within 2 weeks, everything turned out fine. That's when I learned that worrying doesn't solve anything. Persevering does. 5. It makes you optimistic about life. I told someone about my idea to create a blog to share motivational posts and they brushed it off. When I told them I wanted to create a community of 100,000 subscribers and 1 million monthly visitors, they gave me this look that said, "Sure." When I was younger, I probably would have been irritated, but as I've gotten older, I use it as fuel for motivation. The reason? I had already started two businesses before and I knew that with hard work and passion, I could get a third business up and running. Persevering in the past taught me to be optimistic about the future. So if I had to choose just one skill in my life, it would be perseverance. Never give up.

英语阅读：在你第一份工作中学到的最有价值的事是什么？ What were the best things you learned on your first job? --转自“quora英语阅读”appYou can't avoid office politics - Doesn't matter if you are a janitor or a CEO of your own business: There are always office politics. You'll never have a job which you "can't quit" - If you are being mistreated,exploited or under-appreciated...LEAVE. You'll eventually find another job (although it may not be a better one). You learn by listening, not talking - You'll learn by listening rather than talking in almost every job. ALWAYS look for another job - You wouldn't load your weapon as soon as you see an animal while you are hunting; you'd do it before you go into the woods. Why wait until you need to look for a job, to look for a job? Don't tell your co-workers about your personal business - Unless you want (or need) your personal affairs to become fodder for office gossip, leave them off of your job. If you are genuinely sick - DON’T COME TO WORK - Regardless of whatever you hear, stay home and get well. Your co-workers don't want to (or need to) get your illness. Always say "Thank You" and "Please" when it is appropriate to do so - Nobody likes rude or uncouth co-workers, and manners go a long way. Think before you speak - If it doesn't sound "good" in your head, it will sound even worse from your mouth. Avoid people with bad attitudes unless you need their help. - They'll just bring you down or make you cynical. Remember that a job is an inanimate object - Never love it, because it will never love you. If you have to "love" something...love the work that you do; not where you do it.

英语阅读：最美的小故事是什么？ What's the most beautiful short story? --转自“quora英语阅读”appHere is one which I personally feel is very interesting so I'm sharing it. In some places perfection is a habit and not an attitude! Apparently the American computer giant IBM decided to have some parts manufactured in Japan on a trial basis. In the specifications, they set a standard that they will accept only three defective piece per 10,000 piece. When the delivery came to IBM there was a letter accompanying with it. 'We, the Japanese people, had a hard time understanding North American business practices. But the three defective parts per 10,000 piece have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment in a separate package mentioned - "Defective pieces as required, not for use."

英语阅读：最真实的恐怖故事是什么？ What are the best true scary stories? --转自“quora英语阅读”appAbout 7 years ago I got an invitation to attend my cousins dinner party. I have never seen my cousin before and only spoke to him on the phone. I was surprised that his family unexpectedly invited me after all these years. The invitation had an uncharted address that the GPS was unfamiliar with. I used a map and pinned its location. As I'm driving I tend to notice how far I ventured off from civilization. Trees after trees, farms after farms. "Where the **** am I going?" I finally found a similar address that might be it. Approaching the house I notice how dull and dreary it looks. It's completely engulfed with leaves and branches. "This can't be it." I said to myself. As soon as I entered the rocky driveway my aunt and uncle came out to greet me. They seemed excited and welcoming. Walking in to the house I asked where my cousin is. Answering immediately, "he went to run a few errands he should be back later." We spent the whole couple of hours talking about my mother and family. My aunt made delicious home made pot roast that I finished off in minutes. After dinner we played an enduring game of uno. It was surprisingly fun and competitive. When we finished uno it was almost dark and still no sign of my cousin. Regardless, I had to leave. It was almost dark and I would have trouble getting out of this dreadful place. My GPS was ineffective so I asked my aunt and uncle the most efficient way onto the highway. They gave me a puzzled look. " I thought you were staying the night?"I told them I couldn't because I had work tommorow and couldn't afford to miss another day. "It's much better if you leave tommorow morning, trust me you'll get lost." I shrugged it off and told them not to worry, I'm an adept navigator. I could get out the Sahara desert. Looking aggravated, they strongly advised me to stay the night for my own sake. At this point I was getting pissed and irritable. I sighed, fine I'll stay the night but I have to get up early for work. Both of them seemed strangely ecstatic that I was staying the night. As soon as they went to go get my bed sheets and pillows, I ran out the door and got in my car. I hastily pulled out the driveway. It took me a while but I found my way out that depressing place. I got home an hour later than expected. It was 11 and I didn't want to wake my parents up. Climbing my fence and entering the back door I noticed the kitchen lights were on. As soon I took my first step in the door I see my mom sitting there looking impatient. "Where were you ?" She asked. "I was at aunt Debra's, you knew this." "Then why did she call saying you never arrived ?" Til this day I never knew who I visited.

英语阅读：哪种小的生活方式改变影响最大？ What small lifestyle changes have the biggest impact? --转自“quora英语阅读”appStart your day by drinking 1 glass of cold water - This increases your metabolism rate. Drink a glass of lemon+honey+water. Gives a glow to your skin. Meditate: Deep breathe in, deep breathe out. This increases the oxygen flow inside your body. Cells thrive in oxygenated environment. It's pretty rare, that you get a chance to deep breathe during your busy day. Hence dedicate some time to exclusively do this. Sweat a little, everyday. Run, walk fast, climb up the stairs - just move ! Eat at least one fruit a day and some greens. Staying healthy starts at your kitchen. Use stairs instead of elevators. In your office, use the farthest restroom from your cubicle. My office is in the first floor, I often climb up to the third floor to use the restroom. Drink water often. Read a little everyday - For some reason, it helps me talk better, ideas flow better, makes me listen to others analytically and reply meaningfully. I was not an avid reader until recently. Write a little every week - it's a practice for the brain to think clearly and communicate your thoughts flawlessly. you kind of train the brain on how to think. EDIT: I have removed the statement where I say "drinking water will increase metabolism rate by 30%". I learned from the comments that this percentage is incorrect; However it is still true that rate of metabolism does increase by drinking water (just the percentage is unknown).

英语阅读：如何不走寻常路地高效做事? What are some uncommon ways to work smarter instead of harder? --转自“quora英语阅读”appDecision minimalism. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama have done the same thing. They wore almost the same outfit every single day. Make less decision to avoid decision fatigue, so you have more energy to focus on truly important stuff. Create a winning environment. Too many friends told me they have worked so hard until they don’t have time to organize their living space and working place. We’re shaped by our environment. To work smarter, design your working place that makes your genius feels welcoming. Stop setting goals. Forget about your goals after you set it. Take it one step further. Build a system—routines and habits—and start focusing on that. If you’re a writer, make sure you write every day. If you’re an athlete, train every day. If you’re a salesperson, schedule appointment every day. Keep thinking about the goals doesn’t help at all. Validate before you start. Trash away your ideas quickly. Having more ideas is making us busier. Quickly validate your idea by asking your prospect audience (and yourself) critical questions. If the feedback is negative, forget about it. Optimize the FIRST thing. Improve the first item that has a cascading effect down to a funnel. Ask yourself what is the first thing you do that will affect everything after it. Some great examples: design a morning routine, increase your trackpad/mouse speed, and invest in the best WiFi modem you can afford. (Credit to Noah Kagan) Automate and delegate. Implement the 80/20 rule and focus on the 20 percent of work that brings you the biggest impact. Then automate or delegate the remaining. For examples, writing is my 20 percent, then I automate social media sharing and delegate editing. Stop multitasking. Multitasking is an illusion, we’re tricking ourselves to believe we’re handling many tasks at the same time, but what we are really doing is simply switching from one task to another, back and forth, during that given period. Exercise. Our cognitive performance is heavily connected with our physical performance. Schedule time to move more. Sleep more. Take naps. Take restful breaks. Don’t be the guy or girl who wears the honorable badge of lack of sleep with pride. Sleeping less doesn’t make you more productive. In fact, it makes you less focused and less creative. Sleep for 9 to 10 hours a day, and see your productivity skyrocket. Sprint. Rest. Sprint. Implement the Pomodoro technique. Sprint (focused work) for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute rest. Repeat this again. You’re going to complete the work in less time. Separate thinking & doing. Schedule a specific time to think and plan, then, schedule a specific time to execute the plan. What you don’t want here is thinking about what and how to do when you’re doing something.

英语阅读：现在开始做什么,能让我在5年内受益匪浅? What can people start doing now that will help them a lot in about five years? --转自“quora英语阅读”app1. Don't have that extra slice of pizza, you've had enough to eat already - you will regret it. 2. You don't need that new TV, and you certainly shouldn't put that on a store payment plan - by the time you've paid it off in 3 years you could have bought another television with the interest you paid out. Besides the TV you have right now is fine. 3. Do keep your living expenses low, like a business you want to have good cash flow and low operating costs. Ideally keep your expenses below 40% of income (after tax) 4. You don't need that new car - sure the sticker price says $19,997 on the windscreen but by the time the salesperson is done with you, somehow you are now paying $47, 897 @ 5.01 % interest over 8 years. Meanwhile your neighbor is selling a perfectly good 2006 Ford Escape for $3.5k AND it has winter tires on it - you idiot. 5. You should do some push ups - like right now, do it......I'll wait.... yeah I bet that was hard eh? now keep doing that every day. Mix it up and throw in some sit-ups now and again. 6. Live small - you don't need that 5 bedroom house with 3.5 bathrooms and a sunroom. You'll end up working yourself to death to pay for it, spending untold money to heat and cool the multitude of rooms you'll maybe spend 5% of your time in. Seriously when was the last time you just chilled in your front family room for more than 20 minutes. 7. Learn a new skill, it could be anything but start now and in 5 years you'll be pretty damned good at it. 8. Don't burn bridges, you never know when you'll need to use them to reach safety. SPECIAL BONUS TIME: Seeing how popular this post got, I'll add some more hot tips. 9. Invest in a good mattress. You're going to spend close to 1/3 of your life sleeping - doesn't it make sense to get the best possible mattress? Some people will spend 2K on a nice looking bedroom furniture set and then cheap out on the mattress. This is insanity. 10. Stop it with the sugar. Seriously. I personally did an experiment were I didn't have any sugar (pop, excess fruits, sugar in coffee etc) for 40 days without changing anything else in my lifestyle. I lost 12 pounds in 40 days from just cutting out sugar. NOTE: Diet pops or artificial sweeteners doesn't count - studies are creeping up that show that your body doesn't know the difference and still gives you insulin spikes.

英语阅读：优秀的学生如何学习？ How do top students study? --转自“quora英语阅读”appWell thanks for calling me a top student: I attend all classes as a rule, and listen attentively, specially when something important is being discussed. I follow a good routine. There should be a fixed sleeping and waking up time, and a good one (like wake up at 6–9 AM), and sleep for at least 7 hours at night, and before 12AM if possible. Keeping a diary with daily, weekly, monthly and long term goals written always helps. Keep it short and simple. Also, short notes would be a boon a few days before exams. I go home and read notes/revise what was taught. It helps in understanding the material a lot. I used to do my homework regularly, but I never paid much attention to it. I used to solve it fast(but regularly). I discuss all my doubts with teachers during discussion. Even the simplest and stupidest. People sometimes have a hard time trying to believe my (little) achievements, because of the simple doubts I ask. But trust me, they lead to concept clarity. People moan as to why the hell is he asking that, but bleh, I get to clear my doubts. You have to be a little self centered to be at the top. I try to save as much time as possible from 'trivial' stuff like homework and all. I use the remaining time for studying beyond curriculum. I find it a characteristic of almost everyone who has achieved distinction in some way (people in my batch at college, my Olympiad winner friends, etc.). I used to solve homework in minimum time and use the rest for solving Olympiad problems, reading higher standard textbooks, etc. Books always give you an upper edge. People keep on solving problems and ignore the power of theory. Problems will take you to 90%. The rest 10% comes when you read a standard textbook. I try to solve tougher problems than what I am able to at that moment. I don't indulge in group discussions. It kills time and I don't find it productive. I try solving things on my own. (I deviated from this rule in college a bit, and I regret it, and won't repeat it). There are a few other points like avoiding non productive activities, NOT listening to music/watching TV while studying, taking breaks but not too often, etc. Rock(Linkin Park for me) helps in staying awake during late night studies though. Staying focused is very important. P.S.- If you find it overwhelming, please read the question again. You can't expect to be at top if you can't study more(efficiently) than others. BTW many of these points apply to JEE/+2 level competition preparation, but I feel they are quite applicable for college too, because I tried to unfollow a few of them and it wasn't for good. I'll update the list if I come up with more points.

英语阅读：男人希望女人知道什么？ What do men wish women knew?--转自“quora英语阅读”app Dear Women, 1. If you are truly interested in us, don't play hard. Either say yes or no..Simple.. 2. When you call us at work, or when we are busy with something for 'just to chat', we are not really listening. 3. No, we don't remember what he said next or she. Or anybody for that matter.We are normal guys not a tape recorder. 4. The questions like 'am I looking fat?' blow our minds and we feel helpless. 5. And we have a keen sense of imminent danger,it sounds like,"do you think she is pretty?" 6. Don't get upset from our love for cricket and football. We really love you..but when it comes to cricket the feeling is something..it is our first love.. just as you love shopping..:P 7. The push/jerk which you get after sudden application of brakes by the bus driver is all due to law of inertia and not becuase of our law of intentions, but still on behalf of physics we apologize just because you feel offended. 8. The phrases 'you deserve better than me' and 'I am not right for you' , irritate us to the core. We have chosen you because we love you and we love you because we love you..simple. Please don't decide for us. We know we had made a right choice. 9. We are happy when you cook for us...:) 10. We love it when you are happy about something and you sometimes make those super cute 'EEEE' and 'Awww' sounds. 11. Not every man staring at you is a pervert. We stare at you simply because we are stunned by your beautiful face and amazed by your angelic look in a same way as you adore charming and handsome hunks..That's it. Don't just assume. Think and observe. All men are not same. Men.

英语阅读：人们可以通过阅读或学习什么变得更聪明？ What can one read or learn in order to become more smart? --转自“quora英语阅读”app I knew a girl in high school, Kathy. We were both pretty blonds and we had all of the same advanced classes together. She constantly had her hand up in the air, asking questions. Some of her questions were incredibly obvious; frankly, I was under the impression that despite her advanced placements she was perhaps in the wrong classes. Sometimes I'd inwardly groan at her questions, they were so inane. Others in my class groaned audibly. She dropped her report card one day, and I saw that it looked the same as mine, all A's. I picked it up and handed it to her. She blushed, and she said that unlike me she had to work hard for her grades. The teachers gave her extra points for her class participation. When college application time came, Kathy was smart enough to not pick the most selective schools. She knew that she couldn't compete with truly intelligent people. But she picked schools that taught people how to think. She'd learned the value of asking questions. Every one of her teachers gave her glowing recommendations and all mentioned what a hard worker she was.They described her as a "true student" who had a passion for learning. So here are two answers that you can draw from her example: Know who you are, and be brave enough to constantly ask questions even if they're stupid questions. Thanks for the A2A

英语阅读：大难不死的是什么体验？ What does it feel like to survive death? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI survived the serial train bomb blasts by 12 minutes. Mumbai, 11 July 2006, Tuesday. It was my first month of junior college. My classes ended at 5:30 pm. I came out with my group of friends. The day looked as normal as ever. We stopped by to have a glass of fresh lime, took the auto rickshaw to the train station. I remember the auto driver arguing with me for spare change. I was determined to take my pennies back and didn't care if I missed my train. "They come in every 2 minutes, let it go, I need to teach this auto-wala a lesson" And so, I missed my usual train of 6:00pm. Rushed to the station, got the train, and reached Mahim at 6:10pm. Made my way through the rush, crossed the bridge, went to the other side, and exactly after 12 minutes, there was a noise loud enough to cut through your ear drums. It felt like an earth quake. I froze and sat in a corner, my ears covered with my hands and eyes shut while I could hear people screaming and crying. When I opened my eyes, I was in my bedroom with all my family members surrounding me and my mother kissing me, hugging me and crying all at the same time. Apparently I was spotted by a family friend and was taken home while I was unconscious. For all I know, had I not missed my train, I wouldn't be alive. I dodged death by 12 minutes. I am grateful for this life and I am grateful for every minute I live.

英语阅读：最好的学习窍门是什么? What are the best study tips ever? --转自“quora英语阅读”appMy friend was barely keeping up in class. If she kept going this way she would fail the course. So she reached out for my help. She said, “I don’t understand the lectures; what should I do?” I replied, “I’ll help you; let's meet once a week and study together.” This gave her reassurance and it also gave me a chance to study at the same time. A win-win situation. Once a week we met in the library for an interactive study session. She would teach me half of the lecture and I would teach her the other half. You might be wondering, “Why did I ask her to teach me?” That’s because teaching other people is the most effective way to learn. If she could teach me the material, then it meant she understood it. If she got something wrong, I was there to correct her. And during the process I was also learning. She went on to pass the course and couldn't stop smiling for days. I challenge you to find someone whom you can teach.

英语阅读：哪些用脑秘诀大多数人不知道？ What are some brain hacks that a neuroscientist or a psychologist knows that most people don't? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Disclaimer : I am not a doctor / medical student / neuroscientist / psychologist. I happened to stumble across this while browsing. The Rubber Hand Illusion 1) Hide your hand behind a box on the table so that you can't see it. 2) Arrange a rubber hand on the table, so that from your point of view, it looks like your real hand. 3) A friend should stroke both the rubber hand and the real hand in the same place, at the same time, many times. 4) After a few minutes of repeating step 3, if your friend hits the rubber hand, you will feel a surge of pain, since your brain is convinced that the rubber hand is real. Cause: Multi-sensory IntegrationShrinking pain Subjects who looked at the wounded hand through the wrong end of the binoculars, making the hand appear smaller, felt significantly less pain and even experienced decreased swelling.

英语阅读：有哪些重要的事人们总是太晚才明白? What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life? --转自“quora英语阅读”We all want that picture-perfect relationship, but no one ever tells us how we can get it. I was given this piece of advice years ago after a heartbreak, and I consider it the single best piece of advice I have ever received. It’s a piece of advice I wish I’d known earlier in life. Here's what you need to do (yes, I'm serious). Take out: A piece of paper. A writing utensil. Number the paper 1-10. Imagine the perfect partner. On numbers 1-10, write one quality by each number you would want in the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend. (Above is an example of what I would write). (Sorry for the awful handwriting!) Okay, now take your list, tape it somewhere you will see it everyday, and spend the next few years BECOMING THE PERSON WITH THOSE QUALITIES. (Yeah… I wasn't expecting that either the first time this was explained to me). Why? Because… Healthy People are Attracted to Other Healthy People. Unless you become the person you want to see in a partner, you will struggle through life trying to find them. Think about it: would a person with the qualities on your list want to be with a person with the opposite qualities? Maybe, but the relationship will not last. If you want an amazing partner, you need to be an amazing person.

英语阅读：20几岁的年轻人,最该学什么? What are the most difficult and useful things people have to learn in their 20s?--转自“quora英语阅读”app Here are some things I really, really wish I knew when I was twenty. Love hurts, but not as much as not loving. The friendships you nurture will have a greater effect on your life than where you work or what you earn. You are not your job. You are not your bankroll. You are not the sum of your possessions. The company does not love you. It has no heart. You are replaceable. Keep your parachute handy. Few decisions will ever shape your future life more than who you choose to marry. To marry well, you must choose well. Love is a commitment. Your passions will grow out of your values. Make early, wise choices to value what (and who) is good, trustworthy, and praiseworthy. Integrity preserved is honor won. Rejoice in your health. It fades fast. Find a passion. Pick a hobby, own it: photography, juggling—whatever. Get your 10K hours of perfect practice in early and change your life.[1] Don’t bother comparing yourself to others—this only leads to heartbreak, anger, and disappointment. Most disappointments arise from unmet expectations. Set realistic expectations for yourself, based on your strengths, then strive to exceed them. Don’t drive others to meet expectations they’ve committed to — lead, inspire, and help them do it. Don’t set expectations for others when they have not or cannot commit to them. Expectations you never communicate and negotiate will rarely be met—except by accident. Don’t complain. Either change your situation, learn to cope, or change perspective. Don’t worry about getting a big salary in your youth: first learn to execute tasks with skill, excellence, and grace. Little stuff matters—even in lowly jobs. The boss notices—and even if not, your peers and colleagues will. Ultimately, privacy is a myth: God sees everything. The cloud records everything. NSA files everything. So, live transparently and don't waste useless energy hiding failures.[2] Don’t look down on others because they don’t have what you didn’t earn: your intellect, your beauty, and your culture of birth are undeserved gifts. Stay humble. Failure is an opportunity: no great man or woman ever achieved significance without great failures. Fail forward.[3] Never withhold an apology when it’s merited. Deliver it quickly, sincerely, and personally—before resentment festers. You don’t need to nurture old guilt when you’re forgiven. But remembering the shame can help you avoid repeats. Mere belief in anything signifies little more than assent: trust and behavior reveal where true convictions lie. The main thing you need to do quickly is to stop doing things quickly. Trade hurry for calm, confidence, and precision. Everybody needs an editor. Everybody. Especially editors. Get your work done first so you can play without guilt. Even better, make work play and the fun never ends! If you want to develop your passion and gift, stop worrying about the things you do poorly. Go with your strengths! Avoid fights. Seriously. Avoid them like a plague: nobody wins in a fight, even if you walk away unscathed. But when a fight picks you, leave everything on the mat and give it your all. Hold nothing back. If you're bored, you’re doing it wrong. The skills that will help your career most are the abilities to assimilate, communicate, and persuade. Keep learning. Nothing in this life—no pain, no agony, no failure—compares to the eternal joy of Heaven. Live in light of eternity. Protect your joy. Nothing is easier to lose by over-thinking, overanalyzing, and second-guessing. On the other hand, always consider the long-term consequences of your choices: stupid decisions made in the moment can rob you of years of joy and happiness. Your purpose in life determines how you frame events. You can maintain your joy in the most dire circumstances if you find meaning for your life. Dig deep. (Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.) It truly matters what you think about. Think well by reading good books, building good, loving relationships, having good conversation, and imitating great people. I'm still learning — in fact I haven’t fully appreciated most of the list I made, myself. And I’m still adding to it. But I’m getting better.

英语阅读：冥想对你有什么帮助? How does meditation help? --转自“quora英语阅读”app I've never understood the importance of meditation until I heard this beautiful story,After having won many archery contests, the town champion went to the Zen master. - I am the best of all – he said. – I didn’t study religion, never sought help from the monks, and succeeded in becoming the finest archer in the whole region. I heard that, for a time, you were the best archer in the region, and ask you: was it necessary to become a monk in order to learn to shoot? - No – replied the Zen master. But the champion was not satisfied: he took an arrow, placed it in the bow, fired it and hit a cherry which was very far away. Smiling, as if to say: “you might have saved your time, devoting yourself only to technique.” And he said: - I doubt whether you could do that. Without looking in the least bit worried, the master went inside, fetched his bow, and began to walk towards a nearby mountain.On the way, there was an abyss which could only be crossed by an old bridge made of rotting rope, and which was almost collapsing.The Zen master went to the middle of the bridge, took his bow and placed an arrow in it, then aimed at a tree on the far side of the precipice, and hit his target. - Now it is your turn – he kindly told the young man, as he returned to firm ground. Terrified as he gazed down at the abyss below his feet, the young man went to the spot and fired, but his arrow veered wide of the mark. - That is why the discipline of meditation was worthwhile – concluded the master, when the young man returned to him. “You may have great skill with the instrument you choose for your livelihood, but it is useless, if you cannot command the mind which uses that instrument.”

英语阅读：有什么克服拖延症的有效方法？ What's an efficient way to overcome procrastination? --转自“quora英语阅读”appI think it helps to understand the cause of your procrastination. I’ve given a lot of thought to this (probably when I should have been doing other things!) and have come up with 9 causes of procrastination (there are surely more, but these 9 should cover most of the cases). Each of these causes requires its own solution or set of solutions. . Nine Causes of Procrastination: Fuzzy Goals Sketchy Plans Overwhelm Unexpected Complications Interruptions Boredom Anxiety Impatience Exhaustion Let’s look at each of these, and consider what thoughts they provoke (so you can diagnose them), and lay out some rough strategies for dealing with them: 1. Fuzzy goals When you have fuzzy goals, you are likely to think things like this: “Why am I doing this project?” “What should the final product look like?” “How will people actually benefit from this?” “Should I work on this now, or is something else more important?” And here are some strategies for dealing with fuzzy goals: Ask yourself why you're doing the project. When you do this, you will come up with some purpose.Then ask yourself why you’re pursuing that purpose. And keep doing that until your project is set within the context of your whole life. After all this, it might turn out you don’t have a good reason to work on this project, and that you need to work on another project. Work out the relative importance of all your projects, so you can make sure you’re working on your most important project. 2. Sketchy Plans When you have sketchy plans, you are likely to think things like this: “I have to keep my place in my head too much as I work” “I’m not sure this plan will work” “I’m a bit concerned that it’s more complicated than it looks” And here are some strategies for dealing with sketchy plans: Break your project down further to expose hidden detail. Consider whether there are any conflicts within the project, or between this project and other projects. If you find conflicts, resolve them and create a plan that works. 3. Overwhelm When you’re suffering from overwhelm, you’re likely to think thoughts like this: “I can’t get it all done” “I need to work, but I can’t stop thinking about [some unrelated issue]” “I don’t know if I should work on X or Y or Z” And here is a sure-fire strategy for dealing with overwhelm: Follow the clear mind procedure outlined here: Jim Stone's answer to What can I learn/know right now in 10 minutes that will be useful for the rest of my life? 4. Unexpected Complications When you encounter unexpected complications, you’re likely to think things like: “Why can’t things just work as planned?” And here are some strategies for dealing with unexpected complications: Work in shorter sprints – you should work on only 1-2 week projects that get you feedback regularly. There is less chance of running into unexpected complications when you break projects into smaller deliverable modules. Get the complication out of your head and into your plan. That way you’ll see it sooner, and be able to resolve complication before you start working. 5. Interruptions When you encounter interruptions, you’re likely to think things like: “Why can’t I stay on task?” And here are some strategies for dealing with interruptions. Try to have periods in your work day where you can’t be interrupted, and train the people you work with to respect this. When you get interrupted, write down exactly where you are in your plan, and the next step, so you can get back to work right away when the interruption passes. 6. Boredom When you’re bored, you’re likely to think things like: “This work is repetitive and beneath me.” When you’re bored, you can try: Playing games within the game (setting mini-goals for yourself, and such) Looking for opportunities to outsource the work, if possible. Organizing your job/business so you can do more challenging projects. 7. Anxiety When you have anxiety about your work, you’re likely to think thoughts like: “I don’t know if I’m doing this right” “I don’t know how to do this.” And when you’re feeling anxiety, you can do the following: Take some time to plan the project in more detail and identify the areas you don’t understand well enough Get expert advice if needed. 8. Impatience When you’re impatient, you ‘re likely to think thoughts like: “Are We There Yet?” “Why does this have to take so long?” “The finish line seems so far away” And here are some strategies for dealing with impatience: Break your work into 1-2 week modules so you don’t ever find yourself 3 months into a project with 3 months to go before getting meaningful feedback. Zoom your focus in on TODAY’s work and make up a story about why today’s work is important. 9. Exhaustion. When you’re exhausted, you’re likely to think thoughts like: “I can’t think” “I can’t keep my eyes open” “I need a break” And here are some strategies for dealing with exhaustion. Set up work-rest rhythms at hourly, daily, weekly, and bigger scales. Take care to get enough sleep, exercise, sunshine and nutrition to keep your energy high. Take a break!

英语阅读：人生的目的是什么？ What is the purpose of life? --转自“quora英语阅读”app Richard Muller的回答 Let me answer the closely related question: Why do we seek to find a purpose in life? The pursuit of purpose, in my experience, is found only in individuals who are overly self-centered. Sometimes I joke that the search for purpose in life is God’s punishment for those who care more about themselves than about others. I once suggested to a student who felt his life was meaningless that he volunteer at a local kitchen that feeds the poor, just one day a week. He gave it a try; a few months later I spoke to him, and he had not found his purpose in life; he just no longer cared about the question. Parents who focus on their children, above career and success (except to the point that some level of success helps in the rearing of children) don’t ponder the purpose of life. Nor do people who are deeply interested in others. It’s not that they’ve found the purpose, but (like my student) the question no longer bothers them. Seek out others. Try to help them. It doesn’t have to be a lot of people, just a few will do. Listen to them. Interact. Take their thoughts and concerns seriously. Be a part of a larger community. It’s remarkable how the deep philosophical and bothersome search for meaning in life fades and itself becomes meaningless.

All you need is love, and an I All you need is love, and an IQ low enough to believe that.