[On Success] Pimples… the bane of our existence but a lesson for success? 谈成功 — 让人烦恼的粉刺却是成功的启示？

I normally do not get acne, but this past week, I unfortunately developed a very large and unsightly pimple just to the side of the bridge of my nose.  Naturally, I was mortified, and tried every possible way to get rid of it—covering it up with makeup, smothering it in acne medicine I bought from the store, and hoping to God it would just go away!  To my horror, it gradually got worse (before getting better more recently thankfully), but while it was at its worst, I believe I actually derived some benefit.

Every one of us is no doubt extremely conscious of our appearance, and our self-confidence has a great deal to do with our appearance as well.  Pimples, unfortunately, distort our appearances.  With this horrific pimple on my nose, I personally felt extremely self-conscious and nervous about seeing, speaking, and especially making eye-contact with people—even my best friends—because I constantly felt like they were judging me.

When my pimple was at its worst, however, and I realized there really was nothing I could do about it, I also realized that my attitude was a big part of how awful it was to me.  I sulked for most of the day, and it affected my mood and even my productivity.  That’s when I decided things had to change.  Namely, I had no control over the pimple, but I could change my attitude.  As I changed my attitude, and ignored the pimple—acting as my usual happy, confident self—I became happier and felt like people were judging me less.  I was productive and confident again despite having the pimple there.

The key, I realized, is not appearance but attitude—positioning yourself with the right attitude in life is key to not only your own happiness and self-confidence, but your success in interacting with others as well.  So remember, you are beautiful—be confident and be yourself, always, no matter what annoying pimples may try to get in your way!

我一般不会长粉刺，但上个礼拜却有一颗又大又难看的粉刺不幸地突然长在我鼻梁的侧面。这当然把我急坏了，于是我试了各种方法想把它弄下去— 用化妆品遮盖；从商店买来药膏涂上；向上帝祈祷它快点消失！但吓人的是它当时竟然越弄越糟（当然幸亏最近几天终于是见好了）。然而这粉刺闹的最严重的时候却给我了一些特别的启迪，很是受用。

我们每个人都对自己的外表特别在意，它其实很大程度上是我们信心的来源。然而粉刺这种东西却破坏了我们的外表。每当我和人们见面，交谈或是对视时我对自己鼻子上的这个粉刺就尤其的敏感和紧张，即便和我最好的朋友也是这样，因为我总觉得他们会在心里暗暗地评判我。

然而在我这个粉刺发展到最糟糕的时候，我却突然意识到我其实真的无法改变什么，而且我的这种消极的态度只会让这一切更糟。我整天为这个粉刺发愁，既影响了心情又降低了工作效率。于是我决定改变。既然我也无法改变让粉刺消失，那我就改变自己的态度。当我的态度改变并忽略这个粉刺的时候，我又变得像以往一样的快乐和自信了，好像也觉得其他人不怎么评判我了。所以即使粉刺还在那儿，我也又能高效率地工作和保持自信了。

我发现这其中的关键不在外表，而是态度。在生活中保持应有的积极态度不仅能让自己快乐和自信，也能让自己与他人的交往更顺利。所以请记住：你是美丽的，要一直勇敢自信地做自己，即使是在恼人的粉刺出现的时候！