It wasn' t until the next day as I was trying on clothes in a department store that I remembered again. Each thing I put on bulged, rippled and tucked in the wrong places. I turned sideways, thinking that perhaps from a different angle I' d look better. That' s when I realized how really poor my posture was. Suddenly I recalled the man in the supermarket. Standing straight helped him look wonderfully attractive and special. Could it help me look better in these clothes?
I lifted myself up and anxiously looked at the dress again. Unattractive bulges and tucks had smoothed themselves out, and the lines were nicer. I liked the dress!
"Dynamite!" said the clerk who was helping me.
"You like this?"
"Yes. It makes you look thinner too."
Sure enough, I looked five to seven pounds lighter. Dieting titles I' d read come to mind. such as "How to Lose Pounds in Weeks." Now I had a new title: "How to Look Thinner in Seconds."
Did I look younger, too, when I stood straight? I had to admit I probably did. Now I had another new title: "How to Look Years Younger in Seconds. "And I began to notice that I didn' t have the backache I usually get on shopping trips. In the car on the way home, I was sure I felt better in other ways. For one thing, I was breathing all the way down to the bottom of my lungs for a change. And my insides were all properly aligned now instead of scrunching together. Then another title occurred to me: "How to Feel Better in Seconds."
But it still didn' t feel natural to stand up straight. Gravity and years of bad habit kept pulling me downward. Maybe that's why on the day of a party I had worried about, I lowered my head and slouched. I didn' t want to go. I wasn' t comfortable with that group, and I knew I' d say all the wrong things.
After dinner, as I reluctantly put off on my new dress, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. "Stand up straight!" I ordered. I pretended strings were pulling me upward; I lifted myself to full height. And that' s how I walked into that party.
I was surprised at what good posture did to change my appearance, but I was astonished at what it did to the rest of me—my spirits, my attitude, my feelings about myself. I imagine it happened like this: As I lifted my body to its full height and held up my head, little signals went to my brain saying, "You' re confident. You think highly of yourself. You are somebody of worth." Other people, reacting to the way I looked, also sent signals—signals of respect. They must have thought: Well, if she thinks she' s somebody of worth, she must be. I began feeling relaxed and I was able to be outgoing—much more so than usual. That night as I went to bed, I realized that I had still another new tide: "How to Feel Confident in Seconds."
During the weeks since then, I have found that long-term good posture continues to help me. I feel more inclined to stand up for what I believe as I stand up physically. And standing taller, I feel better about myself. This helps me to be better, which, in turn, gives me greater peace and happiness inside.
The other day, while I was shopping, the checker looked at me as if she thought she knew me. "Say, aren' t you somebody?" she asked me.
"Well, come to think of it, yes, " I said, "I am somebody. Aren' t we all?"
我的脑海里浮现出一位中年男士在付款台旁边站着的场景。有一些东西使他显得很特别。甚至连装杂货的小男孩好像也意识到了，还满怀敬意地看了看那个男人，干起活来比平时快多了。
我努力观察这位中年男士的特别之处，发现他的外表看起来很普通。虽然他给人一种高高大大的印象，可实际上我看他比一般人还要矮一点儿。他没有十分突出的特征，衣着朴素——穿的就是那种在周末才穿的运动衣。
当这位中年男士离开时才真正触动了我：他走路的姿态就好像自己是一个非常重要的人，昂首挺胸，自豪地从市场中走了出去。
在我成长的过程中，妈妈唠叨了几百次的话，此刻突然有了新的含义。“站直了！就像耳朵上拉着两根绳子一样。”
我认为自己被拉直了，我的头和上身不由自主地挺了起来。当我走向超市门口时，感觉自己高大了许多。这次我看到了一个不同的自我，一个似乎知道自己要走向何方的女人！然而，当我匆忙地坐上五点钟回家的班车，又争分夺秒地赶在七点的会议前做好晚饭时，优美的姿态已经消失得一干二净。
到了第二天，当我在商店试衣服时才又想起这件事来，但凡我试的衣服都在不应该的地方鼓起来并起了褶。我侧身照了照，认为也许换一个角度我的形象会更好一些，那一刻我才真正意识到我的姿态是多么丑陋。我突然想起了超市中的那位男士，站得笔直，使他看起来很具吸引力，而且十分特别。我这么做的话，能不能使我的穿着更好看些呢？
我挺直了，迫不及待地又照了一下。衣服凸起的地方和褶子都不见了，我的线条也更好看了。我喜欢这件衣服!
“太好了！”一直帮助我的售货员说。
“你觉得好看吗？”
“是的，它使你看起来更苗条。”
千真万确，我看起来轻了5～7磅。我随即想起来一些关于控制饮食的文章标题，比如《如何在几周内减轻几磅》。现在我有了一个新标题：《如何在几秒钟内看起来更苗条》。
要是我站直了，是不是会看起来更年轻呢？我不情愿地承认也许这是真的。现在，我又有了一个新标题：《如何在几秒钟内看起来年轻几岁》。我慢慢地觉察到日常的购物不再让我背痛了。坐在回家的车上，我确信自己在其他方面也感觉更好了。因为，我把新鲜空气直接吸入肺的底部并呼出废气，我的内脏都在合适的位置上而不是挤在一起。 随后，我又想到了一个新标题：《如何在几秒钟内感觉更好》。
然而，站直了反而让我感觉到不自然，地球引力和多年养成的坏习惯总使我低头弯腰。也许这才是我在那天晚会上闷闷不乐的原因，我低垂着脑袋，无精打采地坐在那里。我不想与那些人为伍，这会让我感到不舒服，而且我知道自己会错话连篇。
晚饭后，当我不情愿地穿上新衣服时，我看了一眼镜子中的自己。“站直了！”我命令道，我想象着有绳子向上拉我。最后，我达到了最佳状态，就这样去参加晚会了。
好的姿态给我的相貌带来的改变让我很惊异，而更让我惊异的是它对我的精神、态度和自我感觉的影响。我猜想过程是这样的：当我站直了抬起头时，身体的一些小信号传输给我的大脑：“你是自信的，你对自己评价很高，你是值得尊重的重要人物。”像我一样，其他人也发出钦佩我的信息。他们一定在想：噢，如果她认为自己是个值得尊重的重要人物，她就一定是。我开始感到很放松，也比平时开朗多了。那晚，当我上床睡觉时，我想到我还有另一个新标题：《如何在几秒钟内感到自信》。
随后的几个星期，我发现长期保持优美的姿态会不断地帮助我。我感到当我站得越挺直，我就越愿意拥护我相信的事物。站得越挺直，自我感觉越好。这使我变得更优秀，同时也给我的内心带来了更大的平静与幸福。
前不久，我买东西时，收款员用似乎认识我的眼神看着我。“喂，你不就是某个重要人物吗？”她问我。
“噢，想想，我就是，”我说，“我是个重要人物，我们不都是吗？”
你并不掌管整个宇宙，但你得掌管你自己。
grocery ['rusri] n. 食品杂货店
Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery.
这些原料大部分都能在你们当地的杂货店里买到。
glance [l:ns] v. 扫视；瞥见；擦过
A glance into my car boot reveals the source of my anxiety.
看一眼我的汽车后备箱，就会发现我焦虑的源头。
posture ['pst] n. 姿势；情形；态度
Good posture results from holding the backbone straight.
好的姿势是保持脊柱挺直的结果。
gravity ['r鎣iti] n. 重力；地心引力；庄严
We cannot escape the gravity of this age.
我们不能逃脱这岁月的重力。
他走路的姿态就好像自己是一个非常重要的人，昂首挺胸，自豪地从市场中走了出去。
好的姿态给我的相貌带来的改变让我很惊异，而更让我惊异的是它对我的精神、态度和自我感觉的影响。
我感到当我站得越挺直，我就越愿意拥护我相信的事物。
He carried himself as if he were somebody worth caring about.
care about：担心；关心
In the car on the way home.
on the way：在……途中；在前进中；在……的过程中
信念的无穷力量
The Power of Belief
佚名 / Anonymous