英文文本:
Truly happy and successful people get that way by becoming the best, most genuine version of themselves they can be. Not on the outside--on the inside. It's not about a brand, a reputation, a persona. It's about reality. Who you really are.
Sounds simple, I know. It is a simple concept. The problem is, it's very hard to do, it takes a lot of work, and it can take a lifetime to figure it out.
Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy. If you want to do great work, it's going to take a lot of hard work to do it. And you're going to have to break out of your comfort zone and take some chances that will scare the crap out of you.
But you know, I can't think of a better way to spend your life. I mean, what's life for if not finding yourself and trying to become the best, most genuine version of you that you can be?
That's what Steve Jobs meant when he said this at a Stanford University commencement speech:
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.
Now, let's for a moment be realistic about this. Insightful as that advice may be, it sounds a little too amorphous and challenging to resonate with today's quick-fix culture. These days, if you can't tell people exactly what to do and how to do it, it falls on deaf ears.
Not only that, but what Jobs was talking about, what I'm talking about, requires focus and discipline, two things that are very hard to come by these days. Why? Because, focus and discipline are hard. It's so much easier to give in to distraction and instant gratification. Easy and addictive.
To give you a little incentive to take on the challenge, to embark on the road to self-discovery, here are three huge benefits from working to become the best, most genuine version of yourself.
It will make you happy. Getting to know yourself will make you feel more comfortable in your own skin. It will reduce your stress and anxiety. It will make you a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend. It will make you a better person. Those are all pretty good reasons, if you ask me.
中文文本:
真正快樂(lè)成功的人會(huì)長(zhǎng)成最好最真實(shí)的自己——從內(nèi)心而非外表上。重要的不是品牌、名譽(yù)或者外表形象,而是真實(shí)的自我。
道理很簡(jiǎn)單,講出來(lái)也很容易。但問(wèn)題是,做起來(lái)就不簡(jiǎn)單了:這需要付諸很多努力,甚或一輩子才能實(shí)現(xiàn)。
需要窮盡畢生精力的事情必定不容易。成大事者必先苦其心志。因此,你必須走出舒適區(qū),去經(jīng)歷、去體驗(yàn)?zāi)切?huì)讓你害怕的機(jī)會(huì)。
況且,人這一輩子,若到頭來(lái)都認(rèn)不清自己、未能長(zhǎng)成最好最真實(shí)的自己,還有什么意義呢?
正如史蒂夫-喬布斯在斯坦福大學(xué)的畢業(yè)典禮上所言:
時(shí)間寶貴,不要虛擲光陰過(guò)著他人的生活。不要讓周遭的聒噪言論蒙蔽你內(nèi)心的聲音。
你要相信,生活中的偶然冥冥中也能指引未來(lái)。你要心懷信念——相信你的直覺(jué)、命運(yùn)、生活抑或因緣。這個(gè)方法一直給我力量,促使我過(guò)得卓然不同。
成大事的唯一途徑就是做自己喜歡的事情。若你還沒(méi)找到,那就繼續(xù)追尋吧,不要停下來(lái)。
現(xiàn)在我們來(lái)實(shí)際一點(diǎn):建議或許很深刻,但聽完卻讓人無(wú)從著手,難以運(yùn)用到當(dāng)今的快節(jié)奏文化中?,F(xiàn)如今,如果一個(gè)建議講不清具體做什么、該怎么做的話,那么說(shuō)了也等于白說(shuō)。
不僅如此,喬布斯的講話和我要說(shuō)的話都需要集中和自制——這兩個(gè)品質(zhì)在當(dāng)今社會(huì)非常難能可貴。何以見(jiàn)得?因?yàn)榧泻妥灾贫疾蝗菀鬃龅?。人們很容易分散注意力、尋求即時(shí)快感——舒服且容易上癮。
為激勵(lì)你迎接挑戰(zhàn)、踏上尋求自我的旅途,我列出了成為最好最真實(shí)自己后的三大益處:
你會(huì)感到快樂(lè)。了解自己后會(huì)讓你更愉悅地接受自己,減輕你的壓力和焦慮,使你成為更好的伴侶、父母、朋友,讓你成為一個(gè)更美好的人。這些益處難道不夠說(shuō)服你為之努力嗎?
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