In 1987, I was in Pakistan to climb Gasherbrum II, one of the world' s highest peaks. We were a small group and it was a very big mountain. Our expedition faced more than its share of difficulty: A long storm wiped out most of our food rations and an avalanche devastated our camp, obliterating our tents. One of our party developed altitude sickness; blood poisoning threatened another. In the face of each disaster, we carefully developed a new plan. Snow caves replaced lost tents. Soups replaced full meals. Eventually we climbed slowly to the top, then made our way safely down.
Concentrating on how I move through the world is important. It' s why I reach mountain summits and life goals with energy to spare.
There is magic in any faith. Every once in a while, rushing about, my belief in pace rises up, slows me down and grants me a view of a sunset, a smile from a stranger or a conversation with a child. I owe these moments to what I learned from an old mountain climber and have practiced ever since.
我十分相信速度的重要性。我从小就是在风风火火的环境中长大的，父母整整一周每天24小时无休止地忙碌。我从小就莽撞，直到现在还是没有多大改变，做起事来经常是草草了事，注重片面，错误不断。
我家屋后的林子是一个静静歇息的好地方。我热衷于挑战垂直高度，从开始爬后院的大树，到后来攀爬悬崖峭壁。十几岁的时候，美国西部的地形对我来说已没有什么难度，攀爬起来非常轻松。后来，我便转向了更高的顶峰。19岁时，我从一位名叫保罗·佩索特的攀山老前辈那里学习了一种叫“歇步”的攀山方法。他告诉我，在步与步之间要有完全而短暂的停歇。时至今日，我还在练习“歇步”。正是这种步伐，让我走路或爬山省了不少力气。虽然我每走一步都有所停顿，但动作仍然敏捷迅速。
多亏这位前辈的帮助，对速度的理解让我受益匪浅。不管是在寻求征服世界巅峰的过程中，还是和别人分享我对高山的热爱之情，或是我蹲下来注视儿子格斯的双眼，聆听他的困扰时，我对速度的理解都发挥了巨大的作用。
对速度的理解会在我开车时帮助我，让我调整好速度，沉着驾驶，最终到达目的地的时间比开快车的“最佳时间”仅仅慢了几分钟而已。对速度的理解让我们家保留了一个传统——每天晚上，全家人都要聚在饭桌前吃饭聊天。
危急时刻，对速度的理解总会助我脱离险境。佩索特教我的另一个经验是，遇到突发情况，先坐下来，保持镇定，然后制定解决问题的方案。当面临最紧急的情况时，甚至在生死攸关的时刻，“缓一步”的做法能让你心态平静，头脑清晰。
1987年，我到巴基斯坦去攀登世界最高峰之一的迦舒布鲁木峰。我们是一支规模很小的登山队，面前却是一座庞然巨峰。我们的整个探险历程波折重重：持续不断的风暴卷走了我们大部分的食物，雪崩毁坏了我们的营地，埋没了帐篷。队伍中的一员出现了高原反应，而败血症又威胁着另一个队员的生命。在面对接踵而来的灾难危机时，我们仔细地斟酌新的应对计划。我们用冰雪窑洞替代了帐篷，简单的汤羹代替了全餐。最终，我们慢慢地登上了顶峰，然后又安全返回。
为什么我能攀上世界高峰，实现自己的人生目标，并且不至于殚精竭虑？集中注意力，看我是怎样发挥行动力才是最重要的。
每一种信念都有它的魔力。每当自己显得急躁时，那份对速度的信念就会在脑中浮现，让我调慢节奏，赐予我享受落日斜阳美景的机会，体会萍水相逢的笑容，感悟童言无忌的稚趣。能够享受所有美好的时刻，完全归功于那位登山前辈给我的忠告。当然，我对“慢”的练习也是不可或缺的。
很多事，我们并不急着去做，也不急着想要个结果，不如慢下来，好好享受一下人生。
frenetic [fri'netik] adj. 发狂的；狂热的
Voting intentions can change in the frenetic last furlong before
election day.
面对大选近在咫尺的狂热，人们随时会改变投票意向。
respite ['respait] n. 休息；中止；暂缓；延期；喘息；休息期间
The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.
止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的缓解。
crag [kr鎔] n. 峭壁；危岩
The despairing man jumped off the crag.
那个绝望的人跳下了悬崖。
expedition [,ekspi'din] n. 远征；探险队；迅速
She led an expedition into the interior.
她带领一支考察队到了内陆地区。
危急时刻，对速度的理解总会助我脱离险境。
当面临最紧急的情况时，甚至在生死攸关的时刻，“缓一步”的做法能让你心态平静，头脑清晰。
每一种信念都有它的魔力。
A long storm wiped out most of our food rations and an avalanche devastated our camp, obliterating our tents.
wipe out：彻底摧毁；消灭；擦净；擦掉
Concentrating on how I move through the world is important.
move through：穿过
坚持不懈到成功为止
I Will Persist Until I Succeed
佚名 / Anonymous
In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.
I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.
The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.
Henceforth, I will consider each day' s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be likened to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.
I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.