我認識的一些聰明的人都是不停地掙扎著取得成功，因為他們忘了處理一些簡單的事情，而這些事實共同地支配著我們進步的潛能。簡單提醒一下：
#1 – Education and intelligence accomplish nothing without action.
1.——沒有行動，教育和智力是無所作為的
It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action. It’s as simple as that. For some practical guidance on taking action, I highly recommend The Now Habit.
你是天才或者擁有量子物理學的博士學位也沒什么大不了，沒有行動，你照樣不能在現(xiàn)實世界中有任何改變或者進步。知道怎么去做和正在行動之間有很大的差距的。同樣簡單的是，沒有行動，知識和才智都是沒有用處的。我強烈推薦《The Now Habit》這本書，它會給你的行動提供實際意義的指導。
#2 – Happiness and success are two different things.
2. 快樂和成功是兩回事。
I know an extremely savvy businesswoman who made almost a million dollars online last year. Every entrepreneur I know considers her to be wildly successful. But guess what? A few days ago, out of the blue, she told me that she’s depressed. Why? “I’m burnt out and lonely. I just haven’t taken enough time for myself lately,” she said. “Wow!” I thought. “One of the most successful people I know isn’t happy.”
我認識一位相當知性的女人，她去年通過網(wǎng)絡獲得將近百萬的收入。我認識的每一位企業(yè)家都認為她成功得不得了。但是猜猜看？幾天前，很意外地，她告訴我她很沮喪。這是為什么？她說：“哎，我很疲憊，我很寂寞。我最近都沒有留足夠的時間給自己?！蔽蚁耄粋€我認識的最成功的人是不開心的。
I also know a surfer who surfs almost all day, every day on the beach in front of our condo complex in San Diego. He’s one of the most lighthearted, optimistic guys I’ve ever met – always smiling from ear to ear. But he sleeps in a van he co-owns with another surfer and they both frequently panhandle tourists for money. So while I can’t deny that this man seems happy, I wouldn’t classify his life as a success story.
我還認識一位沖浪員，他幾乎每天一天到晚都在我們住在圣地亞哥的公寓前的海灘上沖浪。他是我見過的最快樂，最樂觀的人，他總是眉開眼笑的。但他卻住在和另一個沖浪員共有的一個貨車里，他們倆總是向游客討錢。雖然我不否認這個人看起來很開心，但我也不認為他是個成功的人。
“What will make me happy?” and “What will make me successful?” are two of the most important questions you can ask yourself. But they are two different questions.
“什么可以使我開心？”和“什么可以使我成功？”這是你可以問自己的兩個最重要的問題。但又是兩個不一樣的問題。
#3 – Everyone runs their own business.
3. 每個人都經(jīng)營著自己的事業(yè)
No matter how you make a living or who you think you work for, you only work for one person, yourself. The big question is: What are you selling, and to whom? Even when you have a full-time, salaried, ‘Corporate America’ position, you are still running your own business. You are selling one unit of your existence (an hour of your life) at a set price (the associated fraction of your salary) to a customer (your employer).
不管你以何謀生或者為誰工作，你都是在為一個人工作，那就是自己。最大的問題就是：你在賣什么？賣給誰？甚至你有美國公司的全職工作，你依然是在經(jīng)營著自己的事業(yè)。你在用你的價格(也就是你的薪水的幾分之一)，出售的是你的存在(你生命中的一個小時)，賣給你的客戶(也就是你的雇主)。
So how can you simultaneously save your time and increase your profit? The answer is slightly different for everyone. But it’s an answer you should be seeking. The 4-Hour Workweek is a good read on this topic.
所以，你如何節(jié)約你的時間，同時又提高你的利潤？答案對每個人來說都不一樣。但是，你應該去尋找一個答案。在這個問題上，最好讀讀《The 4-Hour Workweek》。
#4 – Having too many choices interferes with decision making.
4. 太多的選擇會干擾最后的決定。
Here in the 21st century where information moves at the speed of light and opportunities for innovation seem endless, we have an abundant array of choices when it comes to designing our lives and careers. But sadly, an abundance of choice often leads to indecision, confusion and inaction.
21世紀是一個信息以光速發(fā)展的時代，改革創(chuàng)新的機會也是無止盡的，當這些機會來臨的時候，我們有太多太多的選擇，來設計我們的生涯。但是，悲傷的是，這么多的選擇經(jīng)常帶來優(yōu)柔寡斷，困惑，以及毫無生氣。
Several business and marketing studies have shown that the more product choices a consumer is faced with, the less products they typically buy. After all, narrowing down the best product from a pool of three choices is certainly a lot easier than narrowing down the best product from a pool of three hundred choices. If the purchasing decision is tough to make, most people will just give up.
很多商業(yè)和市場研究表明，顧客面對的選擇越多，事實上他們買的越少。畢竟，三種選擇中挑出最好的要比三百種選擇中挑出最好的容易的多。如果購買的最終決定太難敲定的話，很多人只會選擇放棄。
So if you’re selling a product line, keep it simple. And if you’re trying to make a decision about something in your life, don’t waste all your time evaluating every last detail of every possible option. Choose something that you think will work and give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, choose something else and keep pressing forward.
因此，如果你在出售一系列產(chǎn)品，就讓它保持簡單。如果你在努力做出生命里的某個決定，就不要把時間浪費在評價每一個可選項的細節(jié)上。選擇一樣你認為好用的，并試一試。如果不好用了，再選擇其他的，不斷努力向前。
#5 – All people possess dimensions of success and dimensions of failure.
5. 每個人都有小小的成功和小小的失敗。
This point is somewhat related to point #2 on happiness and success, but it stands strong on its own as well…
這個觀點多少和第二點(快樂與成功)有關系，但是它同樣有自己的立場。
Trying to be perfect is a waste of time and energy. Perfection is an illusion.
努力變得完美是在浪費時間和精力。完美是一種幻覺。
All people, even our idols, are multidimensional. Powerful business men, polished musicians, bestselling authors, and even our own parents all have dimensions of success and dimensions of failure present in their lives.
每個人，包括我們的偶像，都是多面性的。偉大的商人，優(yōu)美作曲的音樂人，暢銷書的作者，甚至我們的父母，在他們的生活當中，都會有小小的成功和小小的失敗。
Our successful dimensions usually encompass the things we spend the most time doing. We are successful in these dimensions because of our prolonged commitment to them. This is the part of our lives we want others to see – the successful part that holds our life’s work. It’s the notion of putting our best foot forward. It’s the public persona we envision as our personal legacy: “The Successful ABC” or “The Award Winning XYZ.”
我們成功的大小通常是看我們花了多少時間。我們通常會成功是因為我們會一直堅持。這是我們生活中想讓別人看見的那一部分——這一成功的部分維持著我們的生活。這是一種理念，一種我們要一步步向前走的理念。這也是一種公眾角色，我們把它想象為個人遺物“成功的某某”或者“獲獎的某某”
But behind whichever polished storyline we publically promote, there lies a multi-dimensional human being with a long list of unprofessed failures. Sometimes this person is a bad husband or wife. Sometimes this person laughs at the expense of others. And sometimes this person merely takes their eyes off the road and rear-ends the car in front of them.
但是，無論哪個被美化，被大家追捧的故事情節(jié)，在它們背后，都有一個有著失敗史的多面人物。有時候，這種人是一個不好的丈夫或者妻子，有時候，他嘲笑他人的付出，還有的時候，這種人只走自己的路，只看前車之鑒。

#6 – Every mistake you make is progress.
6. 每一個錯誤都讓人進步。
Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
錯誤是最重要的課程。每犯一次錯誤，你都離目標更近了。唯一會傷害你的錯誤就是什么都不做，因為你太害怕去犯錯。2
So don’t hesitate – don’t doubt yourself. In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Most of the time you just have to go for it!
所以，不要猶豫，不要懷疑自己。生活中，沒有得到機會，只有抓住機會。你也許認為這不一定能成功，但是你不去行動，是一定不會成功的。很多時候，你只要去做就可以了！
And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win. Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.
不管結果如何，事情總是按照它應有的方向去走?；蛘叱晒?，或者你從中學習，都是雙贏的。如果你不行動，你一定會一無所知，你只能永遠停留在一個地方。
#7 – People can be great at doing things they don’t like to do.
7. 優(yōu)秀的人，不喜歡的事一樣可以做到很成功。2
Although I’m not suggesting that you choose a career or trade you dislike, I’ve heard way too many smart people say something like, “In order to be great at what you do, you have to like what you do.” This just isn’t true.
盡管我建議大家不要去選擇自己不喜歡的事情或者行業(yè)，但我還是聽不少聰明的人說譬如“為了在你所做的行業(yè)里強大起來，你必須先喜歡上你所做的事情”的話。這并不是真理。3
A good friend of mine is a public accountant. He has told me on numerous occasions that he dislikes his job – “that it bores him to death.” But he frequently gets raises and promotions. At the age of 28, out of nearly a thousand Jr. Accountants in his division, he’s one of only two who were promoted to be Sr. Accountants this past year. Why? Because even though he doesn’t like doing it, he’s good at what he does.
我有一個朋友，是公共會計師，他很多次告訴我他不喜歡他的工作，因為他的工作讓他無聊得要死。但是他又不斷在工作中提升自己，晉升職位。在他28歲的時候，手下就有了近一千人的初級會計師，去年僅提拔了兩名資深會計師，他就是其中一個。這是為什么？因為雖然他不喜歡他所做的工作，但他擅長他所做的。
I could come up with dozens of other examples just like this, but I’ll spare you the details. Just realize that if someone dedicates enough time and attention to perfecting a skill or trade, they can be insanely good at doing something they don’t like to do. For an insightful read in this department, I highly recommend The Talent Code.

我可以例舉出很多像那樣的例子，但我會省略細節(jié)。我們要知道，如果一個人他可以用盡所有的時間和精力去讓自己的技能和事業(yè)變得完美，他也可以瘋狂地去擅長做一件他不喜歡做的事情。要說在這方面比較有見地的一本書，我強烈推薦《The Talent Code》
#8 – The problems we have with others are typically more about us.
8. 和他人之間的問題，很大一部分在于我們自己。
Quite often, the problems we have with others – our spouse, parents, siblings, etc. – don’t really have much to do with them at all. Because many of the problems we think we have with them we subconsciously created in our own mind. Maybe they did something in the past that touched on one of our fears or insecurities. Or maybe they didn’t do something that we expected them to do. In either case, problems like these are not about the other person, they’re about us.
通常來說，我們與他人，比如配偶，父母，兄妹等等之間，都會有一些矛盾，根本不要認為這和他們有關系。因為都是我們自己潛意識的認為我們和他們之間有很多問題。也許在過去，他們做了一些事情讓我們感到恐懼和不安，或者也許，他們并沒有做到我們所期望的。無論是什么情況，像這樣的問題都不是因為其他人，而是我們自己。
And that’s okay. It simply means these little predicaments will be easier to solve. We are, after all, in charge of our own decisions. We get to decide whether we want to keep our head cluttered with events from the past, or instead open our minds to the positive realities unfolding in front of us.
沒有關系，意思很簡單，這種小問題很容易去處理?？傊?，我們應該對我們所做的決定負責任。我們要斷定，是想讓自己的大腦被過去的事情搞亂，還是讓大腦去面對眼前的值得肯定的事實。
All we need is the willingness to look at things a little differently – letting go of ‘what was’ and ‘what should have been,’ and instead focusing our energy on ‘what is’ and ‘what could be possible.’
我們所需要的是用稍微不一樣的眼光去看待事物，認為曾經(jīng)是什么和他已經(jīng)成為了什么，而不是讓我們的精力集中在他是什么和它可能是什么。
#9 – Emotional decisions are rarely good decisions.
9. 情緒化做出的決定通常不是好的決定。
Decisions driven by heavy emotion are typically misguided reactions rather than educated judgments. These reactions are the byproduct of minimal amounts of conscious thought and primarily based on momentary ‘feelings’ instead of mindful awareness.
比起理性的決定來說，感性的決定通常是被誤導的反應。這些反應是我們的意識的副產(chǎn)物，主要基于瞬間的感覺，而不是經(jīng)過考慮的。
The best advice here is simple: Don’t let your emotions trump your intelligence. Slow down and think things through before you make any life-changing decisions.
最好的建議，很簡單：不要讓你的情緒超過你的智力。慢下來，做任何決定前請三思。1
#10 – You will never feel 100% ready when an opportunity arises.
10. 當機會來臨時，你無論如何都不會覺得有百分百的準備的。
The number one thing I persistently see holding smart people back is their own reluctance to accept an opportunity simply because they don’t think they’re ready. In other words, they believe they require additional knowledge, skill, experience, etc. before they can aptly partake in the opportunity. Sadly, this is the kind of thinking that stifles personal growth.
我不斷發(fā)現(xiàn)的一件事情是，聰明的人總是出于自己的不情愿去接受一次機會，居然是因為我們沒有準備好。另一方面來說，他們總認為在擁有這次機會之前，自己還需要更多的知識，技能，經(jīng)驗等等。很不幸，這就是思想被扼殺在個人的成長中。

The truth is nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow emotionally and intellectually. They force us to stretch ourselves and our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first. And when we don’t feel comfortable, we don’t feel ready.
當機會到來的時候，沒有人有百分百的把握，這就是真理。因為生命力的絕大多數(shù)的良機都促使我們的情商和智商得到成長。他們還促使我們舒展自己，以及我們的舒適空間，這也意味著，在一開始，我們沒有完全感覺到舒適。當我們感覺不好的時候，就覺得沒有準備好。

Just remember that significant moments of opportunity for personal growth and development will come and go throughout your lifetime. If you are looking to make positive changes in your life you will need to embrace these moments of opportunity even though you will never feel 100% ready for them.
只要記住，對個人成長和發(fā)展有意義的時機來往于我們的生命之中。如果你想做出人生中的積極的改變，你就要抓住這些瞬間的機會，哪怕你不覺得你有百分百的把握。