怎样活得更开心？

译者 笔墨青

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive.”

“与其费劲思考这世界需要什么，不如问问自己：是什么使你的生命有了意义。然后就将其付诸实践吧，毕竟这世界需要的，就是那些有意义的生命。”

 I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.

现在的我比什么时候都开心。

No, I haven’t won the lottery– haven’t even got a raise. No, haven’t been lounging in a seaside hammock on the coast of the South Pacific lately either.

不，你猜错了，我既没有中头彩——一分钱都没拿到——也未曾在太平洋南岸的海滨吊床上消磨时光。

So where’s my joy coming from? From being more and more alive each day.

那我的快乐从何而来？当然是从我一天比一天更有意义的生命中来了。

Everyone reading these words is saying, “Wait a minute, last time I checked I was alive.” Yes, I know, but my question to you is: are you becoming more alive each day? This, I believe, is the key to living a happy life.

我可以想象，你们中的任何一个人在读到这里时都在想：等等，上次我自省的时候，还觉得生活是有意义的呢。是，我能理解，但我的问题是：你真的每天都过得更有意义了吗？这，就是我所坚信的，打开生活中快乐之门的钥匙。

The Incredible You

独一无二的你

What do I mean by “more alive?” I mean more and more of what you were meant to be. More of the incredible beautiful you that existed in the mind of God before you took your first breath. Some call it destiny, some call it purpose, some won’t even admit it exists, and yet there is something within each of our hearts that whispers that we are unique, that among the seven billion beings on this planet there is no one like us.

当我告诉你要“更有意义地生活”时，我到底想说什么？我是想说你每天一点一滴的积累和提高，用你的方式一点一点地升华那个刚刚出生的你在上帝眼中留下的印象。人们对此有不同的称呼：有些人称之为命运；有些人称之为目标；还有些人甚至干脆不承认它的存在。但不管你怎么想，总有个声音在内心深处告诉我们：我们是独一无二的，在同一片蓝天下的七十亿个物种中，没有任何一个物种与我们相似。

Think about what that means. What is more valuable, an art poster that Wal-mart ordered fifty thousand copies of, or a hand-signed, one of a kind oil canvas? You are that oil canvas, absolutely priceless, because there will never in the history of the universe be another YOU.

好好想想这代表了什么；想想哪个更值钱：是一份沃尔玛里卖的50000份艺术海报中的一份呢，还是一位油画家亲手签名的油画？你就是那份油画，那份无价之宝，因为纵观历史，整个宇宙里都没有与你一模一样的另一个你。

So, are you developing your uniqueness, that which is special about you, that which sets you apart from every other person on the planet? If not, then why not?

那么，你在发展你的独特之处吗？你在发展那些让你与这个星球上的其他任何人区别开来的特点吗？如果你没有，干嘛不去试一试呢？

Embrace Personal Growth

拥抱你的成长

Think of your life’s journey like a tree. What if a little sapling said to itself, “It’s so great to be a tree! I’m going to stay just like I am.” What a waste it would be if its vision didn’t realize there was so much more to being a tree than what it knew as a sapling.

想象你的一生就像一棵树。如果一棵小树苗对自己说：“做一棵树真好！我就这样长下去吧！”但如果那棵小树苗不知道自己长大后会得到比现在以为的多很多的东西，那该是多糟糕。

A sapling is meant to grow & develop, becoming more and more a tree–more and more of what it was meant to be.  One day it will be able to provide shade, fruit, stability for the earth around it, a home for animals, even fun for children to climb and play in it. Just like the sapling, you can be so much more alive than you are today, but only if you understand all of your potential and you are committed to achieving it.

一棵小树苗生来就是要成长的，也会越来越像一棵树——就像它注定要成为的那样。总有一天它能提供树荫、果实，能稳固它周围的土壤，能给动物们提供一个安身之所，甚至可以让在它身边玩耍的孩子们感到快乐。现在的你就像那棵小树苗，只要你能发现你所有的潜力，并坚定地实践，就可以享受非常有意义的生活，

Are you committed to becoming all you are destined to be? Are you focused on becoming more and more alive each day? What excuse do you have not to? Too busy paying bills? Too busy finding that special someone? Too busy advancing your career? Too busy raising the kids?

你准备好迎接你的命运了吗？你关注你生活的意义了吗？如果还没有，那是为什么呢？忙着还贷？忙着找你命中的那个真命天子？忙着在你的事业生涯里大展身手？忙着照顾孩子？

Can I say something? When you reach the end of your life, will it matter to you how many bills you paid to buy all that stuff crammed in your closets? Trying to find that special someone?— it will be a lot easier once you become a special someone yourself.

我可以插几句吗？当你到达了生命的终点，你买了多少衣服来塞满你的衣橱有什么关系吗？还有你的白马王子……为什么不干脆把自己变成白雪公主呢？

And talk about career—nothing advances a career like standing out in a crowd, being fully aware of your unique talents and fully ready to offer them. Your kids–they don’t need just a caretaker, they need a parent unlike any other on earth–someone who knows the unique gift they are to others.

我们再来谈谈职业生涯……没有什么比清楚地知道并充分地利用自己的特长或是在一群人中脱颖而出更能推动你的事业了。至于你的孩子们，他们所需要的可不只是一个保姆，他们需要一位与地球上别的父母都不一样的家长——一位清楚他自身的天赋的家长。

How to Live a Happy Life: 5 Principles

5条快乐生活的原则

So, I ask you again, are you committed to growing more and more alive, with each passing day?

那么，我再问你一次：你真的准备好过一天比一天更有意义的生活了吗？

“How do I do that? How do I discover and develop who I am? How do I feel more alive each day? How to live a happy life?” Well, I’m glad you asked, for here are five principles that you can put to use today:

“那我要怎么做？我要怎么发现并提高自己？我要怎么做才能使每天过得更有意义？我要怎样才能过上开心的生活？”好吧，我很高兴你问了这些问题，因为我这儿正好有5条你从今天开始就可以履行的原则：

1. Feel Like a Kid

1、把自己当小孩看

Have you ever looked at pictures of embryos? As a biology major in college, I had to spend hours at it. What was the most important lesson I learned? That each animal became more and more like itself as it developed, and that you could look back at the embryo and tell what animal it would someday be.

你有没有看过胎儿的照片？作为一个主修生物的大学生，我曾经必须在这些照片上花上好几个小时。而它们教会我的最重要的事就是：每种动物都会变得越来越像它自己。所以你可以看着它们胎儿时的照片，推断出它们会成长为什么动物。

Dogs come from dog embryos, and cats come from cat embryos. You can tell if an animal’s greatest fulfillment will be to bark or purr by just looking at its embryo.

狗曾是狗的胚胎，猫曾是猫的胚胎。我还可以看着某种动物的胚胎告诉你它以后最大的本能是狂吠还是发出咕噜声。

So what’s the application here? Look to who you were as a child, and that will tell you a great deal about who you are now meant to be. What were you fascinated by, what did you love doing, what were you good at, what made you come alive?

这种理论在这儿怎么实践呢？看看你小时候是怎么样的一个人，然后你就可以看出很多关于你将成为的人的信息。看看你曾经对什么着迷；看看你曾经都喜欢做什么；看看你曾经在哪方面特别优秀；还有，看看是什么给了你生活的意义。

So often, these clues to our true selves aren’t properly valued in childhood, either by ourselves or by those raising us.

在小时候，不论是我们自己还是我们的家长，很多人都没有看出这些指向自我的线索的价值。

When I was eight I wanted to be an inventor, and diagrammed countless inventions such as inflatable tents & multi-sensor fuel gauges. Did that mean I was meant to be an inventor? No, but it did mean I loved to create, and that I should look for ways to express my innate creativity.

当我还只有八岁时，我曾经想要做一个发明家。我想创造像充气式帐篷或多传感器燃料压力计之类的不计其数的发明。但那就表示我注定要成为一个发明家吗？当然不是。但那确实表明了我喜欢创造，所以我就该找一些途径去使用我天生的创造力。

When I was in the fifth grade I placed in a national writing contest. But since I didn’t see myself as a writer, I largely left that part of myself dormant for decades before rediscovering it in my forties.

五年级的时候，我参加了一次国家写作比赛。但当我认为自己没法成为一个作家时，我在很大程度上让那一个我休眠了许多年，直到40多岁才再次唤醒他。

So, spend some time looking back to look forward, and you may find a part of yourself that is destined to flourish.

所以，花些时间尝试从过去看向未来，你也许会发现你的一部分是注定要成功的。

2. Take a Step

迈出一小步

The opportunity to become more alive today will not be half a world away, but rather at your doorstep, right in your current sphere of influence. It’s so easy to say, “Well if I could go back and get a degree or if I had more money or if I lived in LA or if…” and sadly conclude that you can’t change or grow or become the person you were meant to be because of cruel fate.

今天那个让你的生活更有意义的机会不会在大洋彼岸等着你，相反，它可能出现在你门口的台阶上或是你能轻易够到的地方。人人都会设想“如果我可以退回过去拿一个学位或者我曾有更多的钱或者我住在洛杉矶或者……”然后呢？他们会垂头丧气地总结自己不可能仅仅因为错误的命运而成为另一个人。

The truth is that you start your journey to that far off destination of who you want to be by taking a single step right where you are now. Don’t say you can’t get there from here– you don’t know that. What you do know is that you will never get there if you never take the first step.

事实是你得通过从你现在所处之处迈出第一步来成为你想要成为的人。别告诉我你没法成为那个人——你又不知道。你知道的是，如果你不迈出第一步，那你永远也别想成为那个人。

When I started my blog six years ago, if you had told me it would one day lead to being an editor & writer for a website that tens of thousands of people around the world view, I would have just laughed at you. I didn’t plan that, I didn’t even dream of it, but I did one thing I could do: I started writing. I took that step, right where I was. It was a little step, but it was movement, and I kept taking little steps day by day, year by year, moving and learning and growing and becoming more alive all the way.

如果六年前我开始写博客时你告诉我，我的博客将会成为一个编辑和作家的网站的前身，并被这世界上成千上万的人浏览，我绝对会笑你。我从未打算过这样，连想都没想过。但我做了一件我力所能及的事：我开始写东西。我从我待的地方迈出了那一步。那虽然是小小的一步，但那毕竟是一步，而当我每天都坚持走一小步，日复一日，年复一年，就发现我边走边学，也在成长中变得更有意义。

In the same way, I took the opportunity last year to teach a medical student for a week while my partner was on vacation. Just one small step, right where I was. I didn’t even expect anything to come of it. But taking that one step of doing something I love (teach) has now led me to being booked for months in advance with medical students who are eager to learn and who greatly enrich my life.

同样地，去年当我的搭档度假时，我抓住了一个教内科学生的机会。这又只是很小的一步，我甚至不期望能有什么成就。但通过这一步，我做了我很喜欢的事情，而且现在那些渴望获得知识的内科学生都提前了好几个月预订我的课程。这也同样充实了我的生活。

Just don’t sit there. If you are willing to open your eyes and look around I guarantee you will see that one small step you can take today which will both make you more alive now and lead you to a life you can’t even dream of tomorrow.

所以，不要傻坐在那儿。如果你愿意睁开眼睛好好看看周围的世界，我保证你会发现今天你可以迈出的一小步不但会使你的生活更有意义，而且会在将来把你带进一个你完全没有想到的生活中。

3. Stretch Yourself

“拉伸”自己

Valuable personal growth is not quantitative, but qualitative, and you have to force yourself towards qualitative growth. In other words, ya gotta stretch yourself, get uncomfortable, get out of your comfort zone, and then keep getting out.

有价值的个人成长是定性的而不是定量的。而你必须强迫自己面对定性的生活。从另一种角度来说，你得“拉伸”自己，让自己从舒适的小窝里出来，变得不舒服，然后继续往外走。

What prevents us from getting out of our comfort zone? The biggest obstacle for most of us is fear of failure. Well guess what? You don’t have to fear whether you will fail. I can guarantee that you will fail. Again and again. But that’s okay, because failing is the ONLY path to success. Whether it’s the story of Lincoln or Edison or any person who changed the world, they will tell you that the road to success is paved with failures.

是什么阻止了我们从舒适的小窝里走出来？对大多数人来说，最大的障碍往往是挫折。但你猜怎么着？你完全不用为你是否会失败而操心，因为我可以担保你一定会失败。而且不止一次，你会接二连三地遭遇挫折。但那没关系，因为失败是通往成功的唯一道路。纵观历史，那些改变世界的伟人——不论是林肯还是爱迪生——的故事，都告诉我们：成功的道路是由失败和挫折铺成的。

Successful people realize it, and plunge in, knowing that pain and defeat come on the way to victory & success.

这是那些成功的人都懂得的道理。他们看到了路上的痛苦和挫败，但还是一头扎了进去，因为他们知道，当经历这些的时候，自己正向着成功和胜利前进呐。

If you’re not willing to risk, not willing to try something you’ve never done, you will never become more alive. When I first self-published an anthology, I had all kinds of fears and doubts.

如果你不想冒险，不想尝试一些你从没做过的事，你就永远不会变得更有意义。当我第一次自己出版文选时，我也曾有一大堆疑虑和恐惧。

I even had a friend tell me that people wouldn’t really be interested in what I had written, and implied that I was destined to be humiliated. I almost didn’t do it, but somehow I believed in what I had to offer. Now, nearly a thousand copies later, I have so many stories of people telling me how much they were blessed by my books.

我的一个朋友甚至告诉我，人们不会对我的作品感兴趣，并暗示我如果出版了作品集，我注定会遭到羞辱。我差不多已经决定放弃了，但不知怎么的，我觉得我就是该出版它。现在呢？它已经卖出了一千多册，而人们也纷纷告诉我我的书给他们带来了多大的福气。

How much joy I would have missed if I hadn’t forced myself to stretch.

如果我没有强迫自己“拉伸”的话，那我会错过多少乐趣啊。

Where can you stretch yourself today? It shouldn’t be hard to find out— it’s that place where you’re afraid to go, and yet your heart tells you that you need to. Have the courage and strength to stretch, and you will feel yourself come alive like never before.

今天你可以上哪儿拉伸呢？这地方不应当很难找到——事实上，这就是一个你害怕却又必须去的地方。鼓足你的勇气和力量来“拉伸”自己，然后你就会感觉到，你比以前任何时候都活得更有意义。

4. Make a Contribution

做出你的贡献

I admit it. I am hooked on playing Boggle on my iPhone. And you know what? I really enjoy it, and I’m getting better every week. If I keep at it, I might even become a world class Boggle player.

我得承认我被我iPhone上的“超级拼字”游戏迷住了。我真的很喜欢它，而且我每星期都能变的更好。如果我能保持这种趋势，我也许甚至可以成为一个世界级的拼字玩家！

But am I going to devote all my spare time to it? I don’t think so. But why not? Couldn’t that be my destiny, couldn’t that be my unique contribution to the human race?

但我会把全部的空闲时间都消磨在拼字上吗？我觉得不会。但为什么不呢？为什么那不能成为我的命运，不能成为我的一份给世界的特殊贡献？

You may be laughing, but my extreme example underscores a problem: what do I devote myself to? My answer is tied to one special word in the last paragraph, the word contribution. You know you are on the right path when you are making a contribution to others.

你可能在笑。但我的极端例子却指出了一个问题：我们要把自己奉献给什么？我的答案就是上一段的一个词：贡献。当你正在为他人做出贡献时，你就已经找对了路。

Why am I putting in the hours to write this article? Yes, I get a zing from writing, but my real payoff is envisioning someone reading these words and making a positive change because of them. And I know I’m on the right path, because over and over I’ve had people tell me that something I wrote was exactly what they needed at precisely the time they needed it.

为什么我要花上好几个小时写这篇文章？是，我是拿到了这篇文章的积分（按中国语言习惯——译者注），但我真正的报酬却是希望那些看到这篇文章的人能变得更好一些。而我也知道我在干正确的事，因为我不止一次地听到人们对我说，他们看到我的文章时正好是他们需要它的时候。

As you become more and more alive, the breadth and the depth of your contribution will grow and grow, and so will your joy. Let yourself live and grow so that your whole life flows to love and serve others.

在你的生活变得更加有意义的时候，你所贡献的东西连同你的快乐也会不断增加。让自己成长吧，而你的生命之河也会渐渐流淌着爱和对他人的服务。

5. Get In a Habit

养成一个习惯

Ok, this last principle is the one that will actually make growth happen day after day. We all read an inspiring article, get caught up in its vision, and make a change. For a day. Maybe two. I know. It’s happened to me too.

好吧，最后一条原则会让我们每天都成长一点。我们都读过一些鼓舞人心的文章，并被那些文字里描绘的美好图景所感动而改变我们自己。改变可能是一天，也可能更久。这我能理解。因为在我身上，它也一样发生着。

So how do you sustain change and growth? There’s only one way: committing to it daily. Committing to it daily will instill direction, hope, and vision. Each day when you take that small step, you will see it not as just a small step, but as one more step on the path that leads you without fail towards your destination. Each day will build momentum, until each step gets easier, more confident, and more sure.

要怎么坚持改变呢？只有一条路可走：每一天都改变一点。在每天那一点点的改变中，你将看到方向，未来以及希望。当你每天都去走一小步，你会意识到那不仅仅是一小步，更是你去往目的地的路上迈出的一步。每天你都会更有冲劲，而且渐渐地每一步都会变得更简单，更有信心，而且更坚定。

Take one part of yourself, and make an easy commitment. If you write, commit to writing at least five minutes a day. If you give, pledge to give something unique of yourself each day. Or just promise yourself that you will consciously look for a new opportunity to learn, or grow, or love, or whatever it is you do– every day. Once you commit to a daily habit, you will be surprised at the positive energy that will help you on your way.

选取你的一部分兴趣，做一个简单的承诺吧。如果你想写作，向自己保证你每天至少写五分钟的字；如果你要给予，向自己保证你每天都会给予别人自己的一些独特的东西；或者你也可以向自己保证每天都自觉地寻找一些学习，成长或爱的机会。一旦你养成了一个习惯，你一定会对这习惯给予你的正面力量感到惊讶，而这些力量也肯定会在你的旅途中帮到你。

So there you have it: feel like a kid, take a step, stretch yourself, make a contribution, and get in a habit. I guarantee you that following these principles will not only make you feel more alive today, but will lead you to the life you were born to live.  So seize today, and live it.

现在你有了五条原则：把自己当成小孩，迈出一小步，“拉伸”自己， 做出贡献和养成习惯。如果你遵守这五条原则，我保证它们不仅仅会让你的今天更有意义，还会把你带到你应该有的生活里。所以今天就抓住这个机会吧，并在以后的生活中履行它。