Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Cobb's all-time hits record. One of the reporters said, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?” Pete quickly answered, “78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?”
Mr. Rose calmly shared his attitude with the reporters. “Every time I step up to the field, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in this position in the first place! It is positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place.”
When I thought about Pete Rose's words and how they applied to everyday life, I felt a little uncomfortable. As a businessperson, I was hoping to make lots of money. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude so that I would have more positive expectations, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife! Thanks, Mr. Rose!
【助读词汇】
-hit n. 击打，击球
-at-bat 击球的次数
-adequate adj. 尚可的，差强人意的
【参考译文】
虽然我从没遇见过著名棒球运动员皮特·罗斯，但是他却给我上了宝贵的一课，改变了我的人生。皮特即将打破寇布总击球记录的那一年，在春季集训的时候他接受了采访。有一个记者问：“皮特，你只要再击中78次就可以打破记录了。你觉得你要击球多少次才能击中78个？”皮特不假思索回答道：“78次。”记者叫道：“啊，不会吧，皮特，你不会觉得自己挥棒78次，每次都中吧？”
罗斯先生泰然自若地向记者们说出了自己的观点：“每次上垒，我都指望自己可以击中；如果我不指望自己可以击中，我就不会第一个上击球位。就是这种积极的期盼使我能够在这么多的第一击中就击中球。”
当我琢磨皮特罗斯的话和如何把它应用到日常生活中去时，我心里有点惭愧。作为一个生意人，我希望挣很多钱。作为一个父亲，我希望成为一个好爸爸。作为一个已婚的男人，我希望做个好丈夫。但是实际上我只是个马马虎虎的生意人，不错的父亲，还过得去的老公。我马上就觉得“不错”还不够。我要成为优秀生意人，伟大的父亲，完美的丈夫。我改变了心态，期望变得更积极，效果很神奇。我幸运地赢得了几趟销售旅行，被儿子的棒球联盟评为年度最佳教练，而且和妻子恩爱有加！谢谢你，罗斯先生！
【人生启迪】
如果你梦想得到太阳，你有可能得到月亮，如果你梦想得到月亮，你有可能得到星星，如果你梦想得到星星，你就有可能什么都得不到。一个人如果只想把事情做到最低的标准，那么他也许永远不会把一件事情做好；相反，如果事事都指望达到最好的标准，即使不是所有的事都能达到预期的效果，也会得到一个较好的结果。