What does it take to be inspirational？ If you had asked me that ten years ago， I would have said inspiration is Michael Jordan making the last-second shot in the championship game， Adam Vinatieri kicking the winning field goal[将球踢过球门横木得分] in the Super Bowl， or someone coming back from last place to win a race. But an event in my life when I was 17 years old changed my perspective[看法].

I remember it like it was yesterday. My parents came home and said， “We need to talk about your brother Vince.” Hes four years older than me and someone I look up to. He earned himself a running scholarship. He was one of my coaches and pushed me to be the best that I could be. He had been diagnosed[诊断] with dermatomyo-sitis[皮肌炎]， which is an autoimmune[自身免疫的] disease that eats away at[侵蚀] your muscles. I was speechless.

My brother asked the doctors， “When can I start running and exercising again？” The doctors replied， “It will take time and although you probably will be able to run， you may not be able to compete.” My brother didnt say anything， but what he told my mother after the doctors had left sums up his attitude： “Im still going to run a marathon.”

When he came home after being in the hospital for five days， he set forth on his goal. Believe me when I tell you that he started from scratch[从零开始]. In fact， so much so that I had to carry him upstairs because he was too weak to walk up SEVEN stairs. Now， think for a minute. Youre not able to walk up seven stairs， and not able to lift yourself off of the furniture， but you still think you can run a marathon. Well， thats exactly what my brother thought. He was going to run a marathon.

He started lifting himself up off of the furniture even if he didnt need to get up simply because he wanted to practice and get better. He began walking upstairs and started going to physical therapy[物理治疗]. But that wasnt enough for him. After his physical therapy sessions， he would go to a local gym and work out even more. He was determined to get stronger so that he could start running.

While at the gym， he would receive looks from just about everyone when he would struggle to lift his 2lb dumbbells[哑铃]. Sometime in May， he began to run and actually got yelled at from the physical therapist[治疗师] for being so sore[疼痛的] from running. But he didnt mind. On his first run， he ran for 30 seconds. He started running three times a week at 30 seconds each time， and increased by about 10% each week. By August， he could run for eight minutes without stopping. In April， he ran in a half marathon and finished with a time of one hour and thirty minutes.

In October in the windy city of Chicago， 22 months after being diagnosed with dermatomyocitis and unable to even get out of bed， my brother ran in his first marathon， with his whole family， especially my mother， scared to death about what he was doing. He crossed the finish line like it was nothing. He then told us， “Im going to qualify[使具有资格] for the Boston Marathon.” He began his quest for Boston， running two more marathons， in both of which he barely missed the qualifying mark. On his third try， he did it. He qualified for Boston. But that wasnt good enough for him. Hes just decided to compete in a Half Ironman triathlon. So much for not being competitive.

What does it take to be inspirational？ Inspiration is getting back up after youve fallen. Its running a marathon at a competitive level after not even being able to get up out of bed. Inspiration is believing in yourself even though doctor after doctor has told you that you cant compete like you have before. At some point in our lives， when times get rough， we need to be inspired or motivated just to get out of bed—but has it ever been so bad that you simply couldnt get out of bed？ Think about it. Lifes hard， but most of us can get out of bed， even in the worst of times. My brother is all the inspiration I will ever need to get out of bed.

怎样才算鼓舞人心呢？如果你在十年前问我这个问题，我会说激励人心就是迈克尔·乔丹在总决赛最后一秒的惊世一投、亚当·维纳蒂耶里在“超级碗”攻进决胜一球，或是某人在赛跑中从最后一名一路反超，最终获胜。但在我17岁那年发生的一件事改变了我的想法。

往事历历在目，仿如昨日。我的父母回家对我说：“我们得和你谈谈你哥哥文斯的事。”他比我年长四岁，我一直对他崇敬有加。他赢得了赛跑奖学金，是我的教练之一，总是让我尽己所能，做到最好。他被诊断出患有皮肌炎，那是一种破坏肌肉的自身免疫疾病，我说不出话来了。

哥哥问医生：“我什么时候可以再次跑步和训练呢？”医生们回答：“这需要时间，即便还能跑步，你也无法参赛了。”哥哥没答话，不过等医生离开以后，他对母亲所说的话概括了他的想法：“我还是打算参加马拉松。”

哥哥在医院住了五天，回家后便开始为其目标努力。他真的是从头开始，我没骗你。实际上，因为他太虚弱了，连七阶楼梯都爬不上去，我还得背他上楼。试想一下，你连七阶楼梯都爬不上去，无法从家具上自行起身，但你仍然认为自己可以跑马拉松。好吧，那正是哥哥的想法。他要跑马拉松。

即便是不需要起来的时候，他也会试着从家具上自行起身，以此作为训练，让自己慢慢好起来。他可以上楼了，便开始进行理疗。但那些对他来说还不够。理疗结束后，他还会去本地的健身房继续锻炼。他决心让自己强壮起来，这样才能继续跑步。

当他在健身房里努力举起两磅（约0.91千克）的哑铃时，几乎每个人都会投来异样的目光。到了5月，他开始跑步，虽然跑步带来的剧痛害他被理疗师臭骂了一顿，但他并不在乎。第一次跑步，他坚持了30秒。他每周跑三次，每次30秒，每周能坚持多10%的时间。到了8月，他可以不停歇地跑上八分钟。第二年4月，他跑完了半程马拉松，用时一小时三十分。

十月份在风城芝加哥，距离他被诊断出患有皮肌炎并且无法起身下床的22个月之后，哥哥与全家人一起跑完他的第一次马拉松——母亲尤其紧张，她被哥哥的壮举吓得半死。他恍若无物地冲过终点线，然后对我们说：“我准备参加波士顿马拉松的资格赛。”他开始为波士顿努力，跑了两次马拉松，两次都是差一点达标。他在第三次终于成功了。他取得了波士顿马拉松的参赛资格。但他并未就此满足。他刚决定参加半程铁人三项——别人还说他不能再参赛呢。

怎样才算鼓舞人心呢？鼓舞人心就是你摔倒之后重新爬起来。鼓舞人心就是在你甚至无法起身下床的前提下跑完一场竞赛级别的马拉松。鼓舞人心就是相信自己，即便一个又一个医生认为你不能像以前那样参赛。我们的人生总会有那么一些时候特别难熬，连起身下床都要有所激励才有动力——但情况真的糟糕到你无法起身下床吗？想想这个问题吧。生活确实艰辛，但即便是在最糟糕的日子里，大多数人依然可以起身下床。每当我要起身下床时，哥哥便是我全部的动力之源。