Summon up courage 鼓起勇气

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There were two men who both decided to get a horse for riding.

有两个人，他们都决定要买马骑。

One man found a red horse with much spirit.

其中一个人找到一匹生龙活虎的红马。

The other chose one more docile. [ˈda:sl] adj.易驯服的

另一个人则挑选了一匹更加温驯的马。

They would go riding together every day.

他们每天都一起骑马。

It so happened on the route they would take around the countryside, there was a ditch沟about eight or nine feet wide, after a time it was apparent that the red horse’s spirit could not be shaken and he gave everything he had in all he did.
在他们环绕乡间的骑行路线上，碰巧有一道八至九英尺宽的沟坎。一段时间之后，很明显能够看出，红马的精神非常坚定，无论做什么都全力以赴。

When coming up to this gap in the trail小径 he hurled it the first time.

当他们第一次来到小径上的这道沟边时，这匹马就向其猛冲了过去。

Because of the spirit in him he was quick to respond and jumped it with no problem.

他的精神使他能够迅速做出反应，于是他毫无困难地就跳了过去。

Yet the more docile horse would balk停止 every time he came to the edge.

然而，那匹温顺的马每次来到沟边时就不肯前进了。

He wasn’t sure of the distance;

他不确定这道沟有多宽。

He would stand on the edge trembling with indecision and doubt because the distance to him looked too great.
因为这个距离对他来说似乎太远了，所以他只会优柔寡断，犹疑不定地站在沟边发抖。

Then one day after a while, coming up to the ditch and watching his companion take it with ease, something happened within him, a knowing was born that he could too.

然后，有一天，来到沟边不久之后，当这匹温驯的马看到他的同伴轻松地跳了过去时，他的心理发生了变化，他知道自己也一定能够跳过去。

So with agility敏捷and ease he gracefully bounded over the barrier.
于是，他敏捷而灵巧地轻松跳过了这个障碍。

Life is much like the two horses.

生活就像这两匹马一样。

When we as people come up against trials or situations we just don’t feel like we can make the distance or that it just is too big and we don’t know if we’ll make it, so we balk standing on the edge trembling.
当我们遇到考验或是困境时，我们感觉到自己无法对其做出估计，或其显得太过困难，从而使我们不知道自己能否通过。因此，我们会颤抖着在困难边缘止步不前。

It’s not until we depend upon the spirit within. Then we are able to make it with ease.

我们依靠精神力量，就可以轻而易举的做到。

Until we quit looking at the obstacle or trial through our eyes, they will always seem too big for us.
如果我们的眼睛只看到障碍或苦难，那么这些困难永远会比我们更强大。

But there is a spirit within us that can judge the distance to the other side and will give us the strength to make it through it. As long as we let it.
但是，我们内心的精神力量能够判断出沟坎的距离，并给予我们顺利通过的力量。只要我们拥有这种力量。

It all comes to a choice whether we look for the spirit within or just stand on the edge and balk.

一切都取决于我们自己的选择，是寻找这种内心的精神力量，还是站在困难边缘不再前进。