Editor's note: The Million Tree Project is not all about planting trees, it's also an initiative to raise environment awareness and encourage public to take responsibilities to protect nature and the planet. That's the reason why MTP works closely with schools. Each year, over ten schools help fundraise and plant trees. And when they do come to Inner Mongolia, they always return with a better understanding of environmental issues, the importance of tree planting initiatives and more.
Let's hear from Ms. Iwona B Gortowska from Shangde School, who joined the planting trip in April and see what take aways she shared with her students back in Shanghai.
编者按：“百万植树计划”不仅关乎种树，同时号召民众树立环保意识，提升公众保护自然和地球的责任感。这正是“百万植树计划”与学校合作紧密的原因。 每一年，超过十所学校协助筹款并亲身参与植树。每次来到内蒙古，他们总会满载而归，带着对环境问题的思索、带着对植树重要性的深入理解回到城市去影响更多的人。
来自尚德中学的Iwona B Gortowska女士，曾在2018年四月份加入了植树之旅，让我们一起听听她与学生分享的植树感言和收获。
Let me ask you a question.
What kind of a seed is in you?
See, I believe part of our responsibility in life is to find out who we are, to discover ourselves.
First of, we need to respect our nature.
We need to realize we are part of a continuing chain that carries a legacy and a responsibility.
And if that’s the case, that we need to recognize that we were NOT biological coincidences. And I believe that YOU were intentionally created for a myriad of purposes.
There are many things we can do with our lives, and I think it’s our job to find out what those things are and to do them as well as we possibly can so that we’re passing along the right imprint for the next generation.
And that’s just simply my life philosophy, that’s the way I look at it.
So first, we need to respect our nature.
让我来问你们一个问题，
你们的内心埋下了什么样的种子呢？
正如我们所知的，我相信人生一部分的责任就是认识我们究竟是谁，发现真正的自我。
首先，我们要尊重我们的天性。
我们要意识到自己就像是循环链的一部分，拥有着天赋，肩负着责任。
如果真是这样的话，我们需要认识到我们并不是生物上的巧合。
我相信人来到世上，是为了各种各样的目的。
人生中我们可以做许多事，找出这些事并且尽我们所能做好它们是我们的职责，为下一代传递正确的道路。
这是我的人生哲学，是我的待事之道。
所以，我们首先要尊重天性。
Second, we need to know our nature.
Take Aristotle’s advice, ‘Know Thyself’, but know things about yourself that most people don’t discover.
For example, know how you’re smart, not just how smart you are in comparison to others.
In what ways are you smart?
Know what you care about. Are you a caring person? What are the values, the principles that motivate your choices?
Know what your personal VELOCITY is, the intensity of drive with which you naturally operate.
Know the background imprint, positive, neutral, or negative, that you carry with you and what effect it’s had on you. Know your behavioural style, how you come across to other people. Know the patterns in your choices so that you’re continually learning more and more about what’s it like to be you, so you can do an even better job of it. Make sure you are the life long learner.
其次，我们要了解我们的天性。
就像亚里士多德说的：“了解你自己。”但你也要了解大多数人都没有发现到的自己。
举个例子，了解你有多聪明，不要只了解你跟别人比有多聪明，而要理解自己在哪方面有明智之举。
了解你关心什么。你是一个富有爱心的人吗？是怎样的价值观和原则影响着你的选择？
了解你的内在驱动力和行动力，受到驱动时你的行动力如何。
了解行动的背后是积极的、中立的、还是消极的，它对你造成怎样的影响。了解你的表现风格，你会如何与别人相处。
了解你作选择的方式，能让你越来越多的了解自己会变成什么样的人，从而让你更加优秀。确认自己养成终身学习的习惯。
And then we need to apply our nature, we need to nurture our nature by expressing ourselves in the world.
See, I never expected to be more but ordinary, I was raised to be nice and ordinary, as it’s safer.
AND boring.
Is my, your life about doing boring things over and over again?
Is your life just a rehearsal until you reach a certain level of perfection and get a second chance, a second life to live it the perfect – ISH way?
Is your life about being bored and wasting your time playing computer games?
Nice and ordinary, ordinary and nice.
Nice and ordinary, safe AND boring…
However, I realized that being a risk taker, pushing yourself out of a comfort zone motivates you to be MORE. That became my vice, my liking. I got the bug. I felt something had been missing if I stayed in my comfort zone for TOO long.
And that discovery has changed everything.
接下来我们要运用我们的天性，我们需要通过在世界表现自己来滋养我们的天性。
从前我只想成为平凡的人，因为从小被教育的就是成为一个“优秀”和“平凡”的人，因为这样很安全，
当然也很无聊。
难道人生就只是一遍又一遍重复无趣的事吗?
难道人生只是一次次排练直到达到完美水平，或得到第二次机会，活在一个完美式的第二人生吗？
难道人生只是为了无聊到浪费时间在玩电脑游戏上吗？
优秀和平凡，等于平凡和优秀。
优秀和平凡，等于安全和无聊......
然而，我意识到做为喜欢冒险的人，就要勇于走出舒适区来让自己变得更强。这成了我的“缺点“，也是我的爱好。我有了瑕疵。我发现如果在舒适区呆得太久，会觉得不自在，好像缺了什么似的。
这个发现也改变了一切。
To tell you in secret: the One Million Tree Project had been my dream, my goal for 5 years. I am happy and grateful that I could fulfil that dream, I achieved one more goal in life. We made an impact and we left a mark. We revitalized the nature, we planted 480 pine trees. We helped, were caring, and out of comfort zone. We learned a lot.
偷偷告诉你，五年的时间，我一直梦想加入“百万植树计划”，并把它当作目标。当我实现我的梦想，多完成了一个人生目标时，我非常的高兴和感激。我们发挥了影响力，留下了一个记号。我们使大自然重获新生，种了480棵树。我们帮助了世界，变得更加关心他人，离开了舒适区。我们学到了很多。
Let me share my secret with you, one method that works.
Earl Nightingale, the guru of personal motivation would say, ‘ If you spend one extra hour each day, studying your chosen field, you’ll be a national expert in that field in five years or less.
I started reflecting, thinking of what makes me happy, then moving from thinking to doing: say five days a week, 50 weeks a year that’s 1,250 hours over five years.
Wow, yeah, I could actually do something that changes my life from boring and ordinary to happy, satisfied and caring.
让我和你们分享我的秘密：一个奏效的方法。
个人激励领域的专家，厄尔·南丁格尔说过：“如果你每天多花一个小时研究你选择的领域，五年内你就会成为这个领域的专家。”
我开始反思，思考什么能够使我快乐，并将想法转变为行动：一周五天，一年50周，然后五年就有1250个小时。
真没想到，我真的可以做一些事使我的人生不再无聊和平凡，变得快乐、愉悦并富有爱心。
What do you want to be an expert at? What makes you feel right, content, and happy? Why not change the environment you live in? Why not be mindful about nature, trees, and our planet? Why not say hello to the trees and give them people names? Why not reflect on your huge impact… remember the calculation: 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year and that’s 1.250 hours over five years to find your goal, knowing WHAT you want to be and do, HOW to do it and most importantly WHY you want to do it?
你想成为哪一方面的专家呢？什么让你变得心安理得、满足和快乐?为什么不试着去改变你所生存的环境呢？为什么不关心大自然、树木和身边植物呢？为什么不和树木打声招呼，给他们取个名字呢？为什么不对自己造成的负面影响进行反思呢？......记住这个计算公式：你有一周五天，一年50周，然后五年就有1250个小时的时间去发现你的人生目标，了解你想成为什么，想做什么，怎么去做。最重要的是，你为什么要去做。
Remember the acorn is super tiny but it grows into a ginormous, strong, and beautiful tree. The same with you: today you are small and young people with enormous potential, YOU are MORE than you THINK you are. 1 hour a day it’s not that much. Set your goal today and say HI to the trees.
记住，橡树的种子非常的小，但他可以长成美丽雄壮的参天大树。你也一样，你虽然渺小和年轻，但你有巨大的潜能，你比你想象的更加强大。每天1小时并没有那么难达成。今天你就可以设立你的目标，向大树问好。