挖掘黄金

When I was a young boy in Santa Cruz， California， I used to help my Grandfather in the fields by his home. This was not his land but back in those days it was not unusual to barter with the neighbours to worked it for them so he could grow the vegetables that he loved. He would then share them with the neighbour for payment. He grew corn， beans， peas， zucchini， cucumbers and garlic. And nobody could grow bigger dahlias than my Grandfather.

As I worked alongside him he used to love to tell this story of a named Giuseppe （Joe） and his wife who moved to a new farm with their three sons. They were settling into the new community when a nearby farmer told Joe that there was gold in the dirt of his new property. Joe took that statement as that there was actual gold in the land. He thought to himself， “I have three healthy sons， I will tell them about it.” Indeed he told his sons that there was gold to be found in their new property. Needless to say his sons actually took charge of their personal enterprise right on their own land. They had visions of what they would do when they found gold. Each son had a different vision. For as young as they were， they set up quite a professional approach in the digging for gold.

They began in one corner with a certain width and kept going until they got to the end. Once they got to the property line they would start another swath and go back the other direction. They began to realize that digging for gold was fun！ This procedure went on for about six months.

Meanwhile Joe thought he would plant some crops in the area where the dirt had been turned thoroughly. He planted corn， tomatoes， potatoes and onions. His sons continued to dig through the soil， determined to find gold. As more dirt was available. Joe planted more crops. An interesting point here is that Joe had never farmed before but it had always been a dream of his to do so.

As each different crop became ready to be harvested Joe started to realize that there was more than he and his family could ever eat. One of Joes neighbors suggested that he set up a vegetable stand. Joe and his wife did that very thing. They called it Joe and Family Vegetables. Joe even had to leave some crops on the ground because he had more than enough to meet the demands at the vegetable stand.

What were Joes sons doing in the meantime？ They were still working the land even after they had finished the entire parcel. They started once again in the original corner， working in the leftover plant material while they were still on their quest to find gold.

This process went on for years and Joe and his wife became quite wealthy from their little vegetable stand. They were even able to send their sons off to college simply because they wanted to find gold.

Remember at the beginning of the story when Joe was told by his new neighbor that there was gold in the land？ Well， the truth is. Joes understanding of the English language was less than perfect. His new neighbor friend actually told him that his land had rich soil. So you can see where the concept of gold came in.

Did Joes sons become slaves to the digging？ No， they were inspired because they had visions of what money could do for them and did not focus on the money itself.

Is there a way we can take this story to a higher level？ Yes. The Universe provides us opportunity and sometimes dangles the carrot to inspire us. In essence， Joes sons were inspired with the possibility of finding gold in the soil. Some of you， Im sure， will draw your own meaning， but here is one to consider. Go out and pretend that there is gold in all your challenges and setbacks so that you can be inspired to motivate yourself to allow the Universe to provide all that you need and then some.

在我很小的時候，我的祖父家住在加利福尼亚的圣克鲁斯城，我常常去祖父家附近的田地里帮他干农活。尽管那块田地是属于祖父的邻居，但在那个时候，邻居之间作实物交易是很常见的，所以祖父也能在那块田地种上自己喜爱的蔬菜。而作为报酬，在收获时祖父就与邻居们一同分享果实。祖父通常种植玉米、大豆、豌 豆、南瓜、黄瓜和大蒜。祖父的农艺很高超，就连他种的大丽花长得也要比邻居们种的高大许多。

当我在一旁帮祖父干农活时，他总爱给我讲一个名叫乔的一家人的故事。故事是这样的：乔带着妻子和三个儿子搬到了一个新的农场。当乔一家人住进一个新社区以后，附近的一位农夫告诉乔说他的地里有黄金。乔听后以为这片土地上有真的黄金存在，就在心里暗想：我有三个健壮的儿子，我应该把这件事告诉他们。于是，乔告诉他的儿子说，在他们家的这块新地产上可以找到黄金。不必说，他的儿子们立刻去地里挖掘黄金了，就好像把这件事当成了自己的事业一样。他们幻想着找到黄金以后去做什么，但每一个人都有各自不同的梦想。因为他们如此年轻，还提出了一个相当专业的挖掘黄金的方法。

他们先从一个角落开始挖掘，并以特定的一个宽度继续向前挖，一直挖到这块土地的尽头。当他们挖到尽头，他们会开始另外挖一条并反向挖回去。他们渐渐觉得挖掘黄金这件事充满了无穷的乐趣！就这样不知不觉，他们连续挖了六个月。

与此同时，乔有了新的想法，他打算在这些彻底翻新过的土地上种一些农作物。于是，他开始种玉米、西虹柿、马铃薯和洋葱。而他的儿子们仍在这块土地上继续不停地挖掘着，一心想找到黄金。随着可利用的土地越来越多，乔的农作物也越种越多。有趣的是，乔以前从来不会种田，那似乎是他所不敢想象的，然而现在他却做到了。

当到了各种农作物快要被收割的时候，乔意识到这要比他一家人所需要的食物多得多。这时乔的一位邻居建议他在地里设立一个蔬菜区用来出售。于是乔和妻子听取了他的意见，并把它称为“乔家蔬菜”。乔在蔬菜区留了足够多的蔬菜，以满足顾客的需求。

那么与此同时，乔的儿子们在做什么呢？他们仍然在这块土地上挖掘着黄金，甚至当所有的土地都被翻过以后。他们在开始的角落里又重新挖了起来，而这时地里的庄稼已经收割完，他们在这块留有农作物残枝败叶的土地上仍然继续追逐着他们的黄金梦。

几年过去了，乔和妻子靠着他们的那块蔬菜地，已经变得相当富有。他们甚至能供得起儿子去上大学，而不想再看到他们的儿子只想着挖黄金。

再让我们回顾一下故事的开头，不正是乔的新邻居告诉他地里有黄金的吗？然而，事实是：乔对英语理解得还不够透彻。他的新邻居其实是说他那块土地有肥沃的土壤，所以你应该知道黄金的概念来自哪儿了吧。

乔的儿子们成为挖掘土地的奴隶了吗？不，他们只是一昧地幻想着金钱能为他们做什么，并被无数个幻想所激励，但从未考虑过获取金钱的正确途径。

我们对这个故事是否可以有一个更深刻的理解呢？答案是肯定的。这个世界提供给我们的机会有很多，然而，有时候上天对我们的这些赏赐又是悬而未定的。事实上，乔的儿子们是被在土壤里找到黄金的这种可能性所激励。我相信，每一个人对此都有自己不同的理解，但有一点是值得大家借鉴的。在面对挑战与挫折时，假设它们当中也有“黄金”，让它激励着你勇敢向前，让这个世界为你创造出你所需要的一切。