Dearest friend，

I have known you all my life， and no matter what you think， you are wrong.

You tell me that you see yourself as an academic failure. You are not in the Top 10. You do not have straight A's. You are dumb. Well， you can tell yourself all that you want， but guess what. You can't just leave out all the other stuff. You work hard. You are passionate about learning. You love to write. What's a grade compared to all these merits1）？

I'm fat. I'm ugly. I can't dance. Why do you say this？ Is it because someone is telling you these painful words？ No. It is because you can't see past the picture of that perfect ballerina2） in your mind. You are so caught up3） with that tiny figure that you don't see what everyone else sees—a beautiful， blossoming4） dancer. You don't see the girl who loves to dance. You forget that you dance because it makes you happy and puts you in total control of your body. You refuse to believe in your talent. Whenever someone praises you， you pretend you don't deserve it. You do， because you are a beautiful dancer who deserves it.

I hate people. People hate me. I have no friends. Wrong again. You are one of the most caring people I know. You honestly work harder than anyone to see the good in people. You do not hate people and never think that people hate you. What you need to do is stop looking to other people for5） judgment. Stop valuing other people's opinions over yours. They do not run your life， you do. If you let a person judge you， and you agree with them simply because you value them more than yourself， then they will keep judging you. That is called pressure. It's the pressure you feel when you walk into a room with that person in it. It's the pressure you feel when you stand in front of a crowd because you are scared of what they think of you. It's the pressure of the world on your shoulders. It's the pressure to be perfect. And it does not have to be there. It doesn't matter if people agree with what you think. Say it loud. Say it proud. If people cannot respect you or what you have to say， they do not deserve you.

Everyday you tell me about how you hate your life. Stop. You have no reason to. Yes， you have a house， a family and clothes ... But more importantly， you have a heart. You can find beauty in anything—rain， a song， a word， a person. You invest your energy into pleasing people. You help them， teach them and comfort them. And they are grateful for this. This makes you happy and it makes them happy. It is a win-win situation. Do not stop. You need to remember that you are here for a reason and you have a calling6）.

You are wrong. You do not have to be wrong. As a matter of fact， you can be 100% right. You just need to take a step back and breathe. Close your eyes and think about what an amazing person you are. There is no need to pick out the flaws. How will that help you？ Just think of all the incredible things you are capable of. Breathe， girl. You can do this.

Love you forever，

Your very own heart， mind and soul

最親愛(ài)的朋友：

我從一出生就認(rèn)識(shí)你了，無(wú)論你有什么想法，你全都錯(cuò)了。

你告訴我你認(rèn)為自己在學(xué)業(yè)上是一個(gè)失敗者。你沒(méi)有名列前十，你沒(méi)有獲得全優(yōu)成績(jī)，你不聰明。好吧，你想跟自己說(shuō)什么都行，可你不知道，你不能就這樣忽略掉其他那些方面。你刻苦學(xué)習(xí)，你求知若渴，你熱愛(ài)寫作。與所有這些優(yōu)點(diǎn)相比，成績(jī)又算得了什么呢？

我不苗條，我不漂亮，我不會(huì)跳舞。你為什么會(huì)這么說(shuō)呢？是因?yàn)橛腥嗽诟阒v這些傷人的話嗎？不是的。這是因?yàn)槟莻€(gè)完美的芭蕾舞女演員形象一直在你的腦海中揮之不去。你是如此醉心于塑造那小巧的身段，以至于看不到其他所有人眼中的你——一位正在綻放的美麗舞者。你看不到那個(gè)熱愛(ài)舞蹈的女孩。你忘記了自己跳舞的初衷是因?yàn)樗芙o你帶來(lái)快樂(lè)，并能讓你完全掌控自己的身體。你不愿相信自己的才華。每當(dāng)別人贊美你時(shí)，你都假裝自己受之有愧。你理應(yīng)得到贊美，因?yàn)槟闶且晃恢档帽环Q贊的美麗舞者。

我討厭別人，別人也討厭我。我沒(méi)有朋友。你又錯(cuò)了。你是我所認(rèn)識(shí)的最為他人著想的人之一。在發(fā)現(xiàn)別人的優(yōu)點(diǎn)這個(gè)方面，你真的比任何人都做得更加努力。你不討厭別人，也從不認(rèn)為別人討厭你。你需要做的就是不要指望別人對(duì)你做出評(píng)價(jià)。不要認(rèn)為別人的想法比你自己的想法更加重要。他們不是你生活的主宰，你自己才是。如果你讓某個(gè)人對(duì)你做出評(píng)價(jià)，而你僅僅因?yàn)槟惆阉吹帽茸约焊又匾蛯?duì)他表示贊同，那么他就會(huì)繼續(xù)對(duì)你評(píng)頭論足。這就是所謂的壓力。它是當(dāng)你走進(jìn)那個(gè)人所在的一個(gè)房間時(shí)所感受到的那種壓力。它是當(dāng)你站在一群人的面前時(shí)所感受到的那種壓力，因?yàn)槟銓?duì)他們?nèi)绾慰创愀械胶ε?。它是整個(gè)世界施加在你肩上的壓力。它是盡善盡美所帶來(lái)的壓力。而這些壓力根本就不必出現(xiàn)。別人是否贊同你的想法，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要。驕傲地大聲說(shuō)出你的想法吧。如果別人不尊重你或不尊重你必須要說(shuō)的話，那他們就不值得你尊重。

每天，你都告訴我你有多么討厭自己的人生。不要再這么說(shuō)了，你沒(méi)有理由這么說(shuō)。是的，你有房，有家，有衣服……但更為重要的是，你心地善良。你可以從任何事物中都發(fā)現(xiàn)美——一場(chǎng)雨，一首歌，一句話，一個(gè)人。你把自己的精力投入到使別人獲得快樂(lè)上。你幫助他們、教導(dǎo)他們，并安慰他們，而他們也對(duì)此心存感激。這令你感到快樂(lè)，也令他們感到快樂(lè)，這是一件雙贏的事情。繼續(xù)這樣做吧。你需要記住，你的存在自有道理，你肩負(fù)著某種使命。

你錯(cuò)了。你并不一定要犯錯(cuò)的。其實(shí)，你可以做到百分之百的正確。你只需向后退一步，然后吸一口氣。閉上你的雙眼，想一想自己是多么棒的一個(gè)人。沒(méi)有必要去吹毛求疵，那會(huì)對(duì)你有何幫助呢？只需想一想你自己有能力辦成的所有那些了不起的事情。吸一口氣，姑娘。你可以做到的。

永遠(yuǎn)愛(ài)你的，

你自己的心靈、思想與靈魂

1.merit [?mer?t] n. 長(zhǎng)處；優(yōu)點(diǎn)；價(jià)值

2.ballerina [?b?l??ri?n?] n. 芭蕾舞女演員

3.be caught up： 陷入……；被……迷住

4.blossom [?bl?s?m] vi. 綻放光彩；展露才華

5.look to ... for： 依賴，期待，指望（某人提供某物）

6.calling [?k??l??] n. 使命感；責(zé)任感