I can never forget the summer in 1996. I went through an extremity of despair due to my failure in the National College Entrance Examination. It seemed that my dream of being a university student would never come true. One evening my father came and told me the story of Steven Callahan, who was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. It was a miracle that he survived and was found 76 days later(the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft alone). Later in his narrative he wrote these sentences “I tell myself I can handle it .Compared to what others have been through I’m fortunate”.

　　Hearing these sentences I felt something important struck me. I belived my life would mot be that bad and it was proved to be true. Later during my study in the university I always told myself “I can handle it” when my own goals seemed far off or when my problems seemed too overwhelming and every time I said it ,I always came back to my senses.

　　Now I work as an English teacher in a middle school. Whenever my students complain about their difficulties in study or want to give up, I will tell the same story of Callahan to them. I just want to make them believe they can handle their difficulties because their circumstances are only bad compared to something better. But others have been through much worse. Then they will build up fortitude.

　　So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of survival, are words that can give us strength. Whatever you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Compared to what others have been through, you’re fortunate. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the rough spots with little more fortitude.

　　我永远不会忘记1996年的夏天。我在高考中失败了，我经历了一个绝望的极点。我梦想成为一名大学学生似乎永远不会实现。一天晚上，我的父亲来给我讲史提芬卡拉汉的故事，谁在独自穿越大西洋时，他的帆船某物相撞而沉没。这是一个奇迹，他存活下来，并发现76天之后（最长的人已经生存了一艘救生筏单独）。后来在他的叙述中，他写了这些句子“我告诉自己我可以处理它，与别人相比，我是幸运的”。

　　听到这些句子我觉得有什么重要的东西击中了我。我相信我的生活不会太差，它被证明是真的。后来在大学期间，我总是告诉自己“我可以处理它”当我自自己的目标似乎很遥远或当我的问题似乎太大，每次我说它，我总是回到我的感觉。

　　现在我在一所中学当英语老师。每当我的学生抱怨学习困难或想放弃时，我都会给他们讲卡拉汉的故事。我只是想让他们相信他们可以处理他们的困难，因为他们的情况是坏的东西相比更好。但其他人已经经历了更坏的。然后他们将建立坚韧。

　　所以在这里，我们从生存的极端的边缘，是可以给我们力量的话。不管你经历什么，告诉自己你能处理它。与其他人相比，你是幸运的。把这个告诉你自己，这会帮助你获得更多的坚韧的粗糙点。