《失控》的作者凯文·凯利(Kevin Kelly)在 2020 - 2022 接连三年在自己生日当天写一些给年轻人的建议,发布在个人网站上,加起来有 270 条。以下是这些建议的原文,及获得 KK 认同的中文翻译。
2020 年的 68 条建议
原文68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice,译文KK 在 68 岁生日时给出的 68 条建议。
• Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.
学着从那些你不认同甚至是冒犯你的人身上学习。看是否能从他们所信奉的东西中找到真相。
• Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points.
充满热情抵得上 25 点智商。
• Always demand a deadline. A deadline weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. It prevents you from trying to make it perfect, so you have to make it different. Different is better.
做任何事都应该设个 deadline。它可以帮你排除那些无关紧要之事,并避免追求尽善尽美,而是努力去做到与众不同。差异胜于完美。
• Don’t be afraid to ask a question that may sound stupid because 99% of the time everyone else is thinking of the same question and is too embarrassed to ask it.
不要担心自己问的问题听起来很傻。99% 的情况下,其他人都有和你一样的问题,只不过羞于问出口而已。
• Being able to listen well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them “Is there more?”, until there is no more.
善于倾听是一种超能力。倾听你所喜欢的人时,要不时地追问「还有吗」,直到他们没有更多东西可讲。
• A worthy goal for a year is to learn enough about a subject so that you can’t believe how ignorant you were a year earlier.
一个有意义的年度目标是去充分了解一个话题。这样,(到了年底的时候,)你就会对一年前的无知感到难以置信。
• Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at.
感恩可以解锁其他所有美德,也是你能做得更好的一件事情。
• Treating a person to a meal never fails, and is so easy to do. It’s powerful with old friends and a great way to make new friends.
不管是旧识还是新交,请他吃饭都是一个既简单又行得通的办法。
• Don’t trust all-purpose glue.
别信有什么万能药。
• Reading to your children regularly will bond you together and kickstart their imaginations.
经常为你的孩子读书既能巩固你们的感情,也能开启他们的想象力。
• Never use a credit card for credit. The only kind of credit, or debt, that is acceptable is debt to acquire something whose exchange value is extremely likely to increase, like in a home. The exchange value of most things diminishes or vanishes the moment you purchase them. Don’t be in debt to losers.
永远不要用信用卡去透支。唯一可接受的透支或负债,应该用来获取那些极可能增值的事物。绝大多数事物在你买下它的那一刻起就开始贬值了。别为那些没有未来的事物而透支。
• Pros are just amateurs who know how to gracefully recover from their mistakes.
所谓高手,不过是善于从跌跤中优雅起身的菜鸟而已。
• Extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence to be believed.
非同寻常的观点要有非同寻常的证据,才能令人信服。
• Don’t be the smartest person in the room. Hangout with, and learn from, people smarter than yourself. Even better, find smart people who will disagree with you.
别成为一群人里最聪明的那个。和那些比你聪明的人待在一起,向他们学习。如果能找到和你观点相左的聪明人,那就更好了。
• Rule of 3 in conversation. To get to the real reason, ask a person to go deeper than what they just said. Then again, and once more. The third time’s answer is close to the truth.
对话的“数字 3 原则”:想要摸清一个人的真正意图,请他就刚才所说再深入一些,如此反复,直到第三遍,你所得到的就近于真相了。
• Don’t be the best. Be the only.
别做最好的。做唯一的。
• Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them, they are waiting for you to send them an email, they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead.
大家其实都很羞涩。没准儿人们正等着你去向他们做自我介绍,或是给他们发邮件,或是约他们见面。大胆往前走。
• Don’t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.
如果被别人拒绝了,别往心里去。假设他们和你一样忙,一样腾不出手来,一样无暇分心。稍后再试一次。第二次的成功率超乎你想象。
• The purpose of a habit is to remove that action from self-negotiation. You no longer expend energy deciding whether to do it. You just do it. Good habits can range from telling the truth, to flossing.
习惯的意义在于无需再为某类行为纠结,不用再为要不要做它而费思量。做就是了。讲真话和用牙线都属于好习惯。
• Promptness is a sign of respect.
及时回应是表示尊重的一种方式。
• When you are young spend at least 6 months to one year living as poor as you can, owning as little as you possibly can, eating beans and rice in a tiny room or tent, to experience what your “worst” lifestyle might be. That way any time you have to risk something in the future you won’t be afraid of the worst case scenario.
在你年轻的时候,至少花六个月到一年的时间,尽可能穷地过日子,尽可能少地拥有身外之物,居陋室而箪食瓢饮,以体验你可能会经历的最穷困潦倒的生活。这样,当你在将来需要行冒险之事时,就不至于为最糟糕的情况而忧心不已。
• Trust me: There is no “them”.
相信我,这世上没有“他们”。(注:出自爱尔兰摇滚乐队 U2 的一首歌 Invisible,"There's no them / only us"。)
• The more you are interested in others, the more interesting they find you. To be interesting, be interested.
你越有兴趣了解他人,他人就会发现你越有趣。要成为有趣的人,先要对别人感兴趣。
• Optimize your generosity. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away.
尽你所能行慷慨之事。没人会在死前后悔给出去太多。
• To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.
想做好一件事,做就是了。想把一件事做到令人称颂,那就再来一遍,再来一遍,再来一遍。把事情做到极致的秘诀在于不停地重做。
• The Golden Rule will never fail you. It is the foundation of all other virtues.
“设身处地”是待人接物之道。它是所有其他美德的基石。(注:英文中,“黄金法则”是指应该用自己希望被对待的方式来对待他人。)
• If you are looking for something in your house, and you finally find it, when you’re done with it, don’t put it back where you found it. Put it back where you first looked for it.
如果你在房间里遍寻某样东西并最终找到的话,那么用完后不要放回你找到它的地方,而是放到你最初找它的地方。
• Saving money and investing money are both good habits. Small amounts of money invested regularly for many decades without deliberation is one path to wealth.
存钱和投资都是好习惯。几十年如一日不假思索地进行定期小额投资,是一条致富之道。
• To make mistakes is human. To own your mistakes is divine. Nothing elevates a person higher than quickly admitting and taking personal responsibility for the mistakes you make and then fixing them fairly. If you mess up, fess up. It’s astounding how powerful this ownership is.
犯错乃是人性。难的是责己。承认错误,勇于担责,并尽力弥补——没有什么比这更可贵的了。是自己搞砸的,就该坦承。这反而能彰显你的强大。
• Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
永远不要在亚洲陷入地面战争。
• You can obsess about serving your customers/audience/clients, or you can obsess about beating the competition. Both work, but of the two, obsessing about your customers will take you further.
你既可以专注于服务你的客户或听众,也可以专注于打败你的竞争对手。两者都行得通。但专注于服务你的客户会让你走得更远。
• Show up. Keep showing up. Somebody successful said: 99% of success is just showing up.
在场。坚持在场。某个成功人士说过:99% 的成功只不过是因为在场。
• Separate the processes of creation from improving. You can’t write and edit, or sculpt and polish, or make and analyze at the same time. If you do, the editor stops the creator. While you invent, don’t select. While you sketch, don’t inspect. While you write the first draft, don’t reflect. At the start, the creator mind must be unleashed from judgement.
将创造和改进分开。你不可能在写做的同时进行编辑,也不可能在凿刻的同时进行打磨,更不可能在制造的同时进行分析。如果你这么做,求善之心就会打断创造之意。创新时就要忘掉已有方案;勾勒草图时就不能太着眼于细处。写作时,先打草稿而不要去抠细节。在新事物之初,创意的思想必须得到无拘无束的释放。
• If you are not falling down occasionally, you are just coasting.
如果你从未跌倒过,那么你也就从未努力过。
• Perhaps the most counter-intuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others, the more you’ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.
也许宇宙中最违反直觉的真理就是,你给予他人越多,你收获的就越多。这是智慧的起点。
• Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.
朋友胜过金钱。用钱能办到的事情,朋友可以做得更好。很多时候,自己有条船不如有个有船的朋友。
• This is true: It’s hard to cheat an honest man.
相信我,你很难欺骗一个诚实的人。
• When an object is lost, 95% of the time it is hiding within arm’s reach of where it was last seen. Search in all possible locations in that radius and you’ll find it.
当你找不到一样东西时,它往往就在上次现身之处的一臂之内。仔细搜寻这个范围,你就能找到它。
• You are what you do. Not what you say, not what you believe, not how you vote, but what you spend your time on.
你的所作所为定义了你——既不是你所说的,也不是你所信的,更不是你所支持的,而是你花费时间于其上的。
• If you lose or forget to bring a cable, adapter or charger, check with your hotel. Most hotels now have a drawer full of cables, adapters and chargers others have left behind, and probably have the one you are missing. You can often claim it after borrowing it.
如果你把电源线、充电器什么的丢在或落在某个地方,不妨去问问你的酒店。绝大多数酒店都会有满满一抽屉的电源线、数据线和充电器——都是其他人落下的,没准儿其中就有你的。酒店也并不介意你借用后随身带走。
• Hatred is a curse that does not affect the hated. It only poisons the hater. Release a grudge as if it was a poison.
仇恨是一种对被仇恨者并无卵用的诅咒。它只会毒害仇恨者。把你的怨恨当作毒药一样丢掉吧。
• There is no limit on better. Talent is distributed unfairly, but there is no limit on how much we can improve what we start with.
没有最好,只有更好。个人的天分有高有低,但不论高低,自身的提升都永无止境。
• Be prepared: When you are 90% done any large project (a house, a film, an event, an app) the rest of the myriad details will take a second 90% to complete.
任何一项大工程(修房子、拍电影、开发 app)完成度为 90% 的时候,你都要做好心理准备:剩余的大量细节工作会占掉你另一段与之前相当的时间。
• When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation.
离世时,除了名声,你什么都带不走。
• Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear, and listen. Nobody talks about the departed’s achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving.
上岁数之前,尽可能多地参加葬礼并听听人们的谈话。没人会谈论死者的成就。人们记住的只有死者的人品。
• For every dollar you spend purchasing something substantial, expect to pay a dollar in repairs, maintenance, or disposal by the end of its life.
你购买实体商品时所花的每一元钱,将来都要再花一元钱去维修、保养,或是在它报废后处理掉它。
• Anything real begins with the fiction of what could be. Imagination is therefore the most potent force in the universe, and a skill you can get better at. It’s the one skill in life that benefits from ignoring what everyone else knows.
任何真实之物都源于虚构之意。想象是宇宙中最强大的力量,也是你能够日益精进的能力。生命中可以因不知众人所知而获益的能力,仅此一项。
• When crisis and disaster strike, don’t waste them. No problems, no progress.
当危机和灾难来袭时,别错过他们。没有问题,就没有进步。
• On vacation go to the most remote place on your itinerary first, bypassing the cities. You’ll maximize the shock of otherness in the remote, and then later you’ll welcome the familiar comforts of a city on the way back.
度假时,先跳过城市,去路线中最偏远的地方。这样你就能最大程度地体验到异域风情带给你的冲击。而在返程的路上,你则可以享受熟悉的城市所带给你的舒适。
• When you get an invitation to do something in the future, ask yourself: would you accept this if it was scheduled for tomorrow? Not too many promises will pass that immediacy filter.
当你被邀请在未来的某个时间点做某件事情时,问问自己:如果这件事情明天就启动,你会否接受?绝大多数邀约都经不住这种迫切性检验。
• Don’t say anything about someone in email you would not be comfortable saying to them directly, because eventually they will read it.
不要在邮件里对他人品头论足——如果这些话你不会当面说给那些人听的话。要知道,他们早晚会读到你的这些评论。
• If you desperately need a job, you are just another problem for a boss; if you can solve many of the problems the boss has right now, you are hired. To be hired, think like your boss.
如果你只是迫切需要一份工作,那么对老板来说,你不过是又一个问题。如果你能解决老板的很多问题,那你自然能得到这份工作。要得到一份工作,需要像老板一样去想问题。
• Art is in what you leave out.
艺术藏身于你所遗漏之处。
• Acquiring things will rarely bring you deep satisfaction. But acquiring experiences will.
拥有物品很少能带给你极大的满足感。但拥有体验则能。
• Rule of 7 in research. You can find out anything if you are willing to go seven levels. If the first source you ask doesn’t know, ask them who you should ask next, and so on down the line. If you are willing to go to the 7th source, you’ll almost always get your answer.
研究的“数字 7 原则”:当你愿意就一个问题深入七层时,总能找到你想要的答案。如果你求教的第一层人不知道,那么就问问他们应该去找谁。如此追索下去。到第七层时,通常都会如愿以偿。
• How to apologize: Quickly, specifically, sincerely.
如何道歉?快速,具体,真诚。
• Don’t ever respond to a solicitation or a proposal on the phone. The urgency is a disguise.
不要在电话上答应任何请求或提议。所谓的紧急不过是个假象。
• When someone is nasty, rude, hateful, or mean with you, pretend they have a disease. That makes it easier to have empathy toward them which can soften the conflict.
当一个人对你粗鄙、无礼、刻薄、甚至是无耻下流时,当他们有病就好。这有利于你对他生出同情心,从而缓解冲突。
• Eliminating clutter makes room for your true treasures.
清除杂物,为真正重要的东西腾出空间。
• You really don’t want to be famous. Read the biography of any famous person.
你绝不会想要出名。不信的话,随便找本名人传记读读。
• Experience is overrated. When hiring, hire for aptitude, train for skills. Most really amazing or great things are done by people doing them for the first time.
经验往往被高估了。招募的时候,要看资质,技能则可以培训。许多令人惊奇和赞叹的事情,都是由第一次做的人做出来的。
• A vacation + a disaster = an adventure.
假期 + 灾难 = 冒险。
• Buying tools: Start by buying the absolute cheapest tools you can find. Upgrade the ones you use a lot. If you wind up using some tool for a job, buy the very best you can afford.
买工具时,起步阶段一定要买最便宜的。升级那些使用频次高的工具。如果你的工具是用于工作,那么买你能买得起的最好的。
• Learn how to take a 20-minute power nap without embarrassment.
学会毫不尴尬地打 20 分钟小盹儿。(注:20-minute power nap 通常指午后 20~30 分钟的小憩。近期有研究表明,20-minute power nap 有助于提振情绪,提升专注度和创造力。)
• Following your bliss is a recipe for paralysis if you don’t know what you are passionate about. A better motto for most youth is “master something, anything”. Through mastery of one thing, you can drift towards extensions of that mastery that bring you more joy, and eventually discover where your bliss is.
在你不知道自己真正的激情所在时,追寻心之所向往往会带你误入歧途。对年轻人来说,更好的格言是:“精通一件事,任何事。”在精通一件事的过程中,你可以顺着带给你更多快乐的方向继续深入,并最终发现你的心之所向。
• I’m positive that in 100 years much of what I take to be true today will be proved to be wrong, maybe even embarrassingly wrong, and I try really hard to identify what it is that I am wrong about today.
我敢肯定,我今天确信的很多事情在 100 年后都会被证明是错误的,甚至是错得离谱。而我非常努力在做的事情,就是去识别我对今天的错误认知。
• Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.
从长远来说,未来取决于乐观主义者。成为一个乐观主义者并非要对我们制造的问题视而不见,而是要想象如何提升我们解决问题的能力。
• The universe is conspiring behind your back to make you a success. This will be much easier to do if you embrace this pronoia.
整个宇宙都在背后为你而谋划。要相信,天助人愿。(注:pronoia 是 paranoia 的反义词。Paranoia 可以译为“迫害妄想症”,也即觉得所有人、所有事都与自己为敌的心理状态。)
2021 年的 99 条建议
原文99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice,译文凯文·凯利的 99 条不请自来的人生建议。
• That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult — if you don’t lose it.
让你在小时候显得很怪的东西,反而会让你在长大后成为一个很棒的人——如果你还没有失去它的话。
• If you have any doubt at all about being able to carry a load in one trip, do yourself a huge favor and make two trips.
如果你对自己是否能一次搞定怀有任何疑虑的话,就对自己好点,分两次搞定吧。
• What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. At your funeral people will not recall what you did; they will only remember how you made them feel.
实现目标后的结果,远没有实现目标过程中的成长重要。在你的葬礼上,人们不会去回忆你的功绩;他们只会记得你带给他们的感觉。
• Recipe for success: under-promise and over-deliver.
成功的配方:少承诺,多给予。
• It’s not an apology if it comes with an excuse. It is not a compliment if it comes with a request.
如果道歉夹带了借口,那就算不上是道歉。如果称赞夹带了要求,那就算不上是称赞。
• Jesus, Superman, and Mother Teresa never made art. Only imperfect beings can make art because art begins in what is broken.
耶稣、超人与特蕾莎修女从不创作艺术。只有不完美的人才能创作艺术,因为艺术始于残缺。
• If someone is trying to convince you it’s not a pyramid scheme, it’s a pyramid scheme.
如果某人试图说服你,想让你认为那不是传销,那么它就是传销。
• Learn how to tie a bowline knot. Practice in the dark. With one hand. For the rest of your life you’ll use this knot more times than you would ever believe.
学会怎么打称人结。而且要摸黑练习、单手练习。在今后的日子里,你根本想不到它有多有用。
• If something fails where you thought it would fail, that is not a failure.
如果在你能预计到的情况下失败了,那就算不上是失败。
• Be governed not by the tyranny of the urgent but by the elevation of the important.
不要被紧迫性的专横牵着鼻子走,做事应该要基于对重要性的评估。
• Leave a gate behind you the way you first found it.
你穿过的门原来是什么样子,走过去以后也要保持那个样子。
• The greatest rewards come from working on something that nobody has a name for. If you possibly can, work where there are no words for what you do.
最高的奖赏来自于那些人们还不知道叫什么的东西。如果可以的话,去做那些人们还不知道怎么描述的工作。
• A balcony or porch needs to be at least 6 feet (2m) deep or it won’t be used.
阳台或者门廊应该至少有两米深,不然就用不上。
• Don’t create things to make money; make money so you can create things. The reward for good work is more work.
不要为了赚钱而创造,而要为了创造而赚钱。工作优秀的奖赏是更多的工作。
• In all things — except love — start with the exit strategy. Prepare for the ending. Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.
所有的事情——除了爱——都应该从退出策略开始。要对结束做好准备。几乎所有事情都是进入容易抽身难。
• Train employees well enough they could get another job, but treat them well enough so they never want to.
把你的员工训练到可以让他们找到另一份工作的水平,但同时也要善待他们,这样他们就永远不会想去找另一份工作。
• Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.
不要试图让别人喜欢你;尝试让他们尊敬你。
• The foundation of maturity: Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility.
成熟的基础:不是你的过错并不代表就不是你的责任。
• A multitude of bad ideas is necessary for one good idea.
需要很多坏主意才能带来一个好主意。
• Being wise means having more questions than answers.
所谓智慧,就是拥有的问题比答案多。
• Compliment people behind their back. It’ll come back to you.
在背后夸奖别人。这会传回到你自己那里。
• Most overnight successes — in fact any significant successes — take at least 5 years. Budget your life accordingly.
大多数的一夜成功——实际上是任何重要的成功——都需要至少5年的努力。请以此来规划你的人生。
• You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind.
只要能够改变你自己的头脑,你就可以永远保持年轻。
• Assume anyone asking for your account information for any reason is guilty of scamming you, unless proven innocent. The way to prove innocence is to call them back, or login to your account using numbers or a website that you provide, not them. Don’t release any identifying information while they are contacting you via phone, message or email. You must control the channel.
假定任何人因为任何原因向你索要账户信息的做法都是想要欺骗你,除非他们被证明是无辜的。证明无辜的方法是给他们回电,或者使用你的(而不是他们提供)号码或网站来登陆自己的帐号。不要在他们联系你的电话、消息或邮件中暴露任何个人信息。你必须控制途径。
• Sustained outrage makes you stupid.
持续的愤怒会让你变蠢。
• Be strict with yourself and forgiving of others. The reverse is hell for everyone.
严于律己,宽以待人。反过来对谁都是灾难。
• Your best response to an insult is “You’re probably right.” Often they are.
对待侮辱最好的回应就是「你可能是对的」。而事实经常确是如此。
• The worst evils in history have always been committed by those who truly believed they were combating evil. Beware of combating evil.
历史上最坏的罪恶往往都来自那些自以为是在打击罪恶的人。留心自己打击罪恶的想法。
• If you can avoid seeking approval of others, your power is limitless.
如果你可以不去寻找别人的认同,那么你的力量就是无穷的。
• When a child asks an endless string of “why?” questions, the smartest reply is, “I don’t know, what do you think?”
当一个孩子问出一连串的「为什么」的时候,最聪明的回复就是「我不知道,你是怎么想的呢?」
• To be wealthy, accumulate all those things that money can’t buy.
想要变得富有,就去积攒所有那些金钱买不来的东西吧。
• Be the change you wish to see.
成为你自己想要看到的那种改变。
• When brainstorming, improvising, jamming with others, you’ll go much further and deeper if you build upon each contribution with a playful “yes — and” example instead of a deflating “no — but” reply.
头脑风暴、即兴以及与其他人合奏的时候,如果你可以充满兴致地表示「是的,而且……」并愿意在彼此的基础上更进一步,而不是令人泄气地表示「不是,而是……」的话,那么你将会走得更远更深。
• Work to become, not to acquire.
工作是为了「成为」,而不是「获得」。
• Don’t loan money to a friend unless you are ready to make it a gift.
不要借钱给你的朋友,除非你愿意把借出去的钱当成礼物。
• On the way to a grand goal, celebrate the smallest victories as if each one were the final goal. No matter where it ends you are victorious.
在追求远大目标的过程中,要像完成最终目标那样去庆祝哪怕最微小的胜利。这样无论你最后可以走多远,你都是胜利的。
• Calm is contagious.
沉稳是具有传染性的。
• Even a foolish person can still be right about most things. Most conventional wisdom is true.
即使是一个愚蠢的人,在大多数事情上仍然可以是正确的。大多数传统的智慧都是真的。
• Always cut away from yourself.
切东西的时候不要冲着自己。
• Show me your calendar and I will tell you your priorities. Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you where you’re going.
给我看看你的日程表,我就能知道你的优先顺序。告诉我谁是你的朋友,我就可以知道你要去往何处。
• When hitchhiking, look like the person you want to pick you up.
搭便车的时候,你得看上去像一个你自己也愿意接上车的人。
• Contemplating the weaknesses of others is easy; contemplating the weaknesses in yourself is hard, but it pays a much higher reward.
打量别人的弱点很容易。打量自己的弱点很难,但却会给你更高的回报。
• Worth repeating: measure twice, cut once.
这值得说两遍:量两次才切一次。
• Your passion in life should fit you exactly; but your purpose in life should exceed you. Work for something much larger than yourself.
你人生的热情应该恰到好处;但你的人生目标应该超越自己。为那些远比你更宏大的东西而工作。
• If you can’t tell what you desperately need, it’s probably sleep.
如果你不知道自己急切需要的是什么,那很可能就是睡觉。
• When playing Monopoly, spend all you have to buy, barter, or trade for the Orange properties. Don’t bother with Utilities.
玩《大富翁》的时候,把你所有的钱都用来购买、交换或交易橙色物业。不用管那些公共设施。
• If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up.
如果你借了什么东西,试着在归还的时候把它变得比你借到时的状态更好。清洁它、打磨它、填充它。
• Even in the tropics it gets colder at night than you think. Pack warmly.
即使在热带地区,晚上的气温也比你想象的要凉。打包得暖和一点。
• To quiet a crowd or a drunk, just whisper.
想要让人群或醉汉安静下来的话,只需要小点声说话就行。
• Writing down one thing you are grateful for each day is the cheapest possible therapy ever.
最便宜的疗愈方法,就是每天写下一件让自己感恩的事情。
• When someone tells you something is wrong, they’re usually right. When someone tells you how to fix it, they’re usually wrong.
当有人告诉你某件事是错的时候,他们通常都是对的。当有人告诉你如何解决这个错误的时候,他们通常都是错的。
• If you think you saw a mouse, you did. And, if there is one, there are more.
如果你觉得你看到了一只老鼠,那么你肯定就是看到了。而且,如果有一只的话,就会有更多。
• Money is overrated. Truly new things rarely need an abundance of money. If that was so, billionaires would have a monopoly on inventing new things, and they don’t. Instead almost all breakthroughs are made by those who lack money, because they are forced to rely on their passion, persistence and ingenuity to figure out new ways. Being poor is an advantage in innovation.
金钱被高估了。真正新鲜的事物很少会需要很多钱。不然的话,百万富翁们应该早就垄断了对新事物的发明了,但他们并没有。相反,几乎所有的突破都来自那些缺钱的人,因为他们被迫不得不依靠自己的热情、坚持与才智,去找到新的方法。贫穷是创新上的优势。
• Ignore what others may be thinking of you, because they aren’t.
忽略别人可能对你持有的看法,因为他们压根没有在想你。
• Avoid hitting the snooze button. That’s just training you to oversleep.
尽量别用贪睡功能,它会训练你睡过头。
• Always say less than necessary.
言多必失。
• You are given the gift of life in order to discover what your gift in life is. You will complete your mission when you figure out what your mission is. This is not a paradox. This is the way.
你得到生命这份馈赠,是为了发现你生命中的天赋。你的使命就是找到自己的使命是什么。这不是一个悖论,此乃正道。
• Don’t treat people as bad as they are. Treat them as good as you are.
对待别人的标准,不是他们有多坏,而是你自己有多好。
• It is much easier to change how you think by changing your behavior, than it is to change your behavior by changing how you think. Act out the change you seek.
「通过改变行为来改变你的想法」要比「通过改变想法来改变你的行为」更容易实现。把你所追求的改变付诸行动。
• You can eat any dessert you want if you take only 3 bites.
你可以吃任何想吃的甜品——如果你可以只吃三口的话。
• Each time you reach out to people, bring them a blessing; then they’ll be happy to see you when you bring them a problem.
每次联络别人的时候,要给他们带去一个祝福;这样他们才会在你给他们带去麻烦的时候感到开心。
• Bad things can happen fast, but almost all good things happen slowly.
不好的事情总是发生得很快,而几乎所有好事都发生得很慢。
• Don’t worry how or where you begin. As long as you keep moving, your success will be far from where you start.
不要担心自己如何开始或是在哪里开始。只要你继续前行,你就会比你开始时更加成功。
• When you confront a stuck bolt or screw: righty tighty, lefty loosey.
当你面对一个拧不动的螺栓或螺丝钉的时候:右转是拧紧,左转是拧松。
• If you meet a jerk, overlook them. If you meet jerks everywhere everyday, look deeper into yourself.
如果你碰到一个混蛋,忽略他们。如果你总是到处碰到混蛋,那就得好好看看你自己了。
• Dance with your hips.
用臀部来跳舞。
• We are not bodies that temporarily have souls. We are souls that temporarily have bodies.
我们不是短暂拥有灵魂的躯体。我们是短暂拥有躯体的灵魂。
• You can reduce the annoyance of someone’s stupid belief by increasing your understanding of why they believe it.
总有人会持有一些愚蠢的信念,但你可以通过提高自己对这些人背后原因的理解,来降低这一现象的讨厌程度。
• If your goal does not have a schedule, it is a dream.
如果你的目标没有时间表,那它就只是一个梦想。
• All the greatest gains in life — in wealth, relationships, or knowledge —come from the magic of compounding interest — amplifying small steady gains. All you need for abundance is to keep adding 1% more than you subtract on a regular basis.
生活中所有最重要的收益——财富、关系或知识——都来自复利可以放大稳定微小收益的魔法。你只需不断稳定地净增1%,就可以达到富足。
• The greatest breakthroughs are missed because they look like hard work.
人们之所以会错过最伟大的突破,就是因为它们看上去就很难。
• People can’t remember more than 3 points from a speech.
人们能在一次演讲中记住的观点不会超过三个。
• I have never met a person I admired who did not read more books than I did.
我遇到的那些让我钦佩的人,无一例外都比我读的书多。
• The greatest teacher is called “doing”.
最好的老师就是「行动」。
• Finite games are played to win or lose. Infinite games are played to keep the game going. Seek out infinite games because they yield infinite rewards.
有限的游戏是为了输赢。无限的游戏是为了让游戏继续。应该去寻找无限的游戏,因为它们会产出无限的收益。
• Everything is hard before it is easy. The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a stupid idea.
任何事情在变容易之前都是困难的。在某个东西成为一个突破之前,它都只是一个愚蠢的想法。
• A problem that can be solved with money is not really a problem.
能用钱解决的问题,都不是真的问题。
• When you are stuck, sleep on it. Let your subconscious work for you.
如果你被困住了,去睡一觉。让你的潜意识来帮你解决问题。
• Your work will be endless, but your time is finite. You cannot limit the work so you must limit your time. Hours are the only thing you can manage.
你的工作是无穷无尽的,但你的时间是有限的。你无法限制你的工作,所以你必须限制自己的时间。时间是你唯一可以管理的东西。
• To succeed, get other people to pay you; to become wealthy, help other people to succeed.
想要成功,就让别人付钱给你;想要富有,就去帮助别人成功。
• Children totally accept — and crave — family rules. “In our family we have a rule for X” is the only excuse a parent needs for setting a family policy. In fact, “I have a rule for X” is the only excuse you need for your own personal policies.
孩子完全接受——甚至渴望——家规。「在我们家,我们对 X 有一个规矩」是家长设立家庭规范时所需的唯一理由。事实上,「我对 X 有一个规矩」是你给自己设定规范所需的唯一理由。
• All guns are loaded.
所有的枪都上了膛。
• Many backward steps are made by standing still.
很多退步都来自停步不前。(逆水行舟,不进则退。)
• This is the best time ever to make something. None of the greatest, coolest creations 20 years from now have been invented yet. You are not late.
现在是去创造一些东西的最好时机。未来 20 年最伟大、最酷的发明都还没有出现。你并没有迟到。
• No rain, no rainbow.
不经历风雨,怎么见彩虹。
• Every person you meet knows an amazing lot about something you know virtually nothing about. Your job is to discover what it is, and it won’t be obvious.
你遇见的每一个人,都对某些你一无所知的东西了如指掌。你要做的就是去发现那是什么东西,当然那并不会很明显。
• You don’t marry a person, you marry a family.
和你结婚的,不只是一个人,而是一个家庭。
• Always give credit, take blame.
永远要分享荣誉,承担责备。
• Be frugal in all things, except in your passions splurge.
永远保持节俭,除非是为了自己的热情。
• When making something, always get a few extras — extra material, extra parts, extra space, extra finishes. The extras serve as backups for mistakes, reduce stress, and fill your inventory for the future. They are the cheapest insurance.
做东西的时候,总要多备上一些——额外的材料、额外的部件、额外的空间、额外的饰面。 这些额外的东西可以为错误提供备份、减轻压力,还可以为未来储备资源。它们是最便宜的保险。
• Something does not need to be perfect to be wonderful. Especially weddings.
有些东西不需要达到完美,就已经足够精彩了。特别是婚礼。
• Don’t let your email inbox become your to-do list.
不要让你的收件箱变成代办清单。
• The best way to untangle a knotty tangle is not to “untie” the knots, but to keep pulling the loops apart wider and wider. Just make the mess as big, loose and open as possible. As you open up the knots they will unravel themselves. Works on cords, strings, hoses, yarns, or electronic cables.
打开纠缠在一起的绳结的最好方法,不是要去「解开」绳结,而是要不断地把松动的部分拉得更宽。尽可能把那团乱麻弄大、弄松、弄开。当你打开绳结的时候,它们就会自行解开。这招适用于绳索、线、软管、毛线或者电线。
• Be a good ancestor. Do something a future generation will thank you for. A simple thing is to plant a tree.
做一个良善的先人。做一些让未来世代感激你的事情。其中一件简单的事情就是去种一棵树。
• To combat an adversary, become their friend.
要想打败对手,就成为他们的朋友。
• Take one simple thing — almost anything — but take it extremely seriously, as if it was the only thing in the world, or maybe the entire world is in it — and by taking it seriously you’ll light up the sky.
去拿一个很简单的东西——几乎任何东西都行,但是极其认真地对待它,就好像它是世上唯一的东西一样,或者就像整个世界都在它里面一样。通过认真对待这件东西,你将会点亮天空。
• History teaches us that in 100 years from now some of the assumptions you believed will turn out to be wrong. A good question to ask yourself today is “What might I be wrong about?”
历史教育我们,你现在相信的假定在 100 年后很可能会被证明是错的。一个在今天就可以问自己的好问题就是「我可能错在哪里了?」
• Be nice to your children because they are going to choose your nursing home.
对你的孩子好一点,因为他们未来会给你选养老院。
• Advice like these are not laws. They are like hats. If one doesn’t fit, try another.
这些建议都不是定律。它们更像是帽子。如果其中一顶不合适的话,就试试另一顶。
2022 年的 103 条建议
原文103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known,译文凯文·凯利70岁生日写的103条人生忠告
• About 99% of the time, the right time is right now.
99%的时间里,真正关键的时刻就是此刻。
• No one is as impressed with your possessions as you are.
除了你以外,没有人会真的记得你拥有什么东西。
• Dont ever work for someone you dont want to become.
一定不要为你不希望成为的人工作。
• Cultivate 12 people who love you, because they are worth more than 12 million people who like you.
好好耕耘12个爱你的人的关系,因为这12个人远比1200万人喜欢你重要得多。
• Dont keep making the same mistakes; try to make new mistakes.
不要一直重复犯错;试着去犯新的错。
• If you stop to listen to a musician or street performer for more than a minute, you owe them a dollar.
如果你在街上停下来聆听音乐人或街头艺人的表演一分钟,那么你欠他们一美元。
• Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.
“但是”之前的话都是废话。
• When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.
当你原谅其他人的时候,他们不一定会知道这件事,但你自己却会被治愈。原谅不是我们给予他人的东西;而是我们给自己的礼物。
• Courtesy costs nothing. Lower the toilet seat after use. Let the people in the elevator exit before you enter. Return shopping carts to their designated areas. When you borrow something, return it better shape (filled up, cleaned) than when you got it.
礼貌几乎没有成本。上完厕所之后,把马桶座放下。进电梯之前,让里面人先出来。把购物车推回到商场指定的位置。借了别人的东西,让它以比借到的时候更好的状态(比如把消耗了的材料装满,比如把东西清洁好)还回去。
• Whenever there is an argument between two sides, find the third side.
无论什么时候,看到争论基于两个对立面进行时,要找到第三个面。
• Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.
“效率”被过度高估;“偷懒”被过度贬低。有规律地安排休息日、休假、度假、小憩、漫无目的地散步和暂停时间对任何一种高产出状态都至关重要。最佳职业伦理需要具备一个好的休闲伦理。
• When you lead, your real job is to create more leaders, not more followers.
当你在领导时,你真正的任务是创造出更多领导者,而不是更多追随者。
• Criticize in private, praise in public.
私下批评,公开赞扬。
• Life lessons will be presented to you in the order they are needed. Everything you need to master the lesson is within you. Once you have truly learned a lesson, you will be presented with the next one. If you are alive, that means you still have lessons to learn.
人生的课程将以它们需要的顺序出现在你面前。任何你需要掌握的课程其实都在你身上。当你真正掌握了一节课之后,下一节课就会出现。如果你还活着,这就意味着你还有课程需要学习。
• It is the duty of a student to get everything out of a teacher, and the duty of a teacher to get everything out of a student.
学生的责任是从老师身上学会一切,老师的责任是从学生身上学会一切。
• If winning becomes too important in a game, change the rules to make it more fun. Changing rules can become the new game.
如果在一个游戏中,获胜变得过于重要,那么我们可以修改游戏规则以便从中获得更多乐趣。而修改规则本身就可以成为一个新的游戏。
• Ask funders for money, and they’ll give you advice; but ask for advice and they’ll give you money.
当你跟投资人要钱的时候,他会给你建议;而如果你跟他要建议,他会给你钱。
• Productivity is often a distraction. Don’t aim for better ways to get through your tasks as quickly as possible, rather aim for better tasks that you never want to stop doing.
生产力反而经常分散我们的注意力。不要试图寻找更快完成任务的方法,而是把精力放在你根本不想停下来的任务上。
• Immediately pay what you owe to vendors, workers, contractors. They will go out of their way to work with you first next time.
及时支付你的欠款给卖主,员工,承包商。下一次你他们会第一时间跑来跟你合作。
• The biggest lie we tell ourselves is “I dont need to write this down because I will remember it.”
我们对自己说的最大的谎言就是:“我不需要把这些写下来,我会记得的。”
• Your growth as a conscious being is measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations you are willing to have.
你作为一个意识生物的成长,将以你愿意接受的令人不舒服的对话的次数来衡量。
• Speak confidently as if you are right, but listen carefully as if you are wrong.
自信地发言就像你是对的一样,仔细的聆听就像你是错的一样。
• Handy measure: the distance between your fingertips of your outstretched arms at shoulder level is your height.
方便的测量方法:双手展开与肩膀平齐,此时从左手指尖到右手指尖的长度就是你的身高。
• The consistency of your endeavors (exercise, companionship, work) is more important than the quantity. Nothing beats small things done every day, which is way more important than what you do occasionally.
你的努力(锻炼、陪伴、工作)的一致性远比数量重要。没有什么可以击败每天坚持做的小事,这比偶然做的事情重要得多。
• Making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. If you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us.
艺术创造并不自私;它是为我们其他人而作的。如果你不好好创作,你就是在欺骗我们。
• Never ask a woman if she is pregnant. Let her tell you if she is.
永远不要问一位女士她是否怀孕了。等她自己告诉你。
• Three things you need: The ability to not give up something till it works, the ability to give up something that does not work, and the trust in other people to help you distinguish between the two.
你必须具备的三种能力: 在确认一件事情能运作之前永不言弃的能力,在确认一件事情无法工作下去时放弃他的能力,以及信任能帮助你区分二者的人。
• When public speaking, pause frequently. Pause before you say something in a new way, pause after you have said something you believe is important, and pause as a relief to let listeners absorb details.
公开演讲的时候,常作暂停。开始讲新内容的之前暂停一下,讲完你觉得重要的内容之后暂停一下,把暂停作为让听众吸收内容的缓冲。
• There is no such thing as being “on time.” You are either late or you are early. Your choice.
“准时”从不存在。你要嘛迟到要嘛早到。这是你的选择。
• Ask anyone you admire: Their lucky breaks happened on a detour from their main goal. So embrace detours. Life is not a straight line for anyone.
请教一位你崇拜的人: 他们的幸运转折往往来自于跟主要目标无关的弯路。所以拥抱这种弯路。对任何人来说,人生都不是一条直线。
• The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you.
在互联网上寻找正确答案的最佳实践是发布一个明显错误的答案,然后等待其他人纠正你。
• You’ll get 10x better results by elevating good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior, especially in children and animals.
奖励好行为比惩罚坏行为带来的结果要好上十倍,尤其对象是小孩和动物时。
• Spend as much time crafting the subject line of an email as the message itself because the subject line is often the only thing people read.
要花跟写邮件正文一样的时间来雕琢邮件标题,因为很多时候邮件标题是人们唯一会读的东西。
• Don’t wait for the storm to pass; dance in the rain.
不要等着暴风雨自己过去;要在雨中跳舞。
• When checking references for a job applicant, employers may be reluctant or prohibited from saying anything negative, so leave or send a message that says, “Get back to me if you highly recommend this applicant as super great.” If they don’t reply take that as a negative.
老板/雇主在查看求职者的推荐信时,一般不太愿意或者被禁止说出负面评价。这时候你可以留言说:“如果你觉得这位求职者很不错的话请通知我哦。”如果他们没有回复的话那就是负评价。
• Use a password manager: Safer, easier, better.
使用密码管理器: 更安全,更易用,更好。
• Half the skill of being educated is learning what you can ignore.
教育的一半作用是学习哪些东西可以被忽略。
• The advantage of a ridiculously ambitious goal is that it sets the bar very high so even in failure it may be a success measured by the ordinary.
设定一个野心得荒谬的目标的好处是,上限足够高,这样即使最后失败了,以通常的标准来衡量也可以算某种程度上的成功。
• A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others.
了解自己的一个好办法是,仔细地分析自己做的会惹怒其他人的每一件事情。
• Keep all your things visible in a hotel room, not in drawers, and all gathered into one spot. That way you’ll never leave anything behind. If you need to have something like a charger off to the side, place a couple of other large items next to it, because you are less likely to leave 3 items behind than just one.
住酒店的时候记得把所有的东西都放在可以看得到的地方,不要放进抽屉里,都堆在一个地方。这样你在离店的时候永远不会忘记任何东西。如果有些东西需要放在一边的,比如充电器,那你可以放多两件大的东西在它隔壁,因为相比起一件东西,你更不可能同时忘记拿三件。
• Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks, even if you believe it is not deserved.
拒绝或转移别人的赞美是不礼貌的。可以用感谢接受它,即使你相信你根本不值得这个赞美。
• Always read the plaque next to the monument.
纪念碑旁的那块说明,必读。
• When you have some success, the feeling of being an imposter can be real. Who am I fooling? But when you create things that only you — with your unique talents and experience — can do, then you are absolutely not an imposter. You are the ordained. It is your duty to work on things that only you can do.
当你获得某种成功的时候,你可能会有种自己的能力不配这个位置,自己是个骗子感觉。我在骗人吗?但如果你创造了某种只有你独特的天赋与经验才做得到的东西,那你就绝对不是一个骗子。你是注定要做这件事情的。做好只有你才能做的事情,这是你的责任所在。
• What you do on your bad days matters more than what you do on your good days.
你在低谷时做的事情比在好日子时做的更重要。
• Make stuff that is good for people to have.
做对人有益的东西。
• When you open paint, even a tiny bit, it will always find its way to your clothes no matter how careful you are. Dress accordingly.
当你打开一罐油漆时,无论你有多么小心,你的衣服一定会沾上一点,即便只是很小一点。所以记得穿合适的衣服。
• To keep young kids behaving on a car road trip, have a bag of their favorite candy and throw a piece out the window each time they misbehave.
在汽车旅行的路上让小孩子乖乖听话的办法:捎一袋他们最喜欢的糖果,每次只要不乖就扔一把出去。
• You cannot get smart people to work extremely hard just for money.
你无法让聪明的人只为了钱而特别努力地工作。
• When you don’t know how much to pay someone for a particular task, ask them “what would be fair” and their answer usually is.
当你不知道应该为了某件工作给人支付多少费用的时候,你可以问他“你觉得给多少是合适的”,他们通常会给出合适的报价。
• 90% of everything is crap. If you think you don’t like opera, romance novels, TikTok, country music, vegan food, NFTs, keep trying to see if you can find the 10% that is not crap.
所有东西的90%都是垃圾。如果你觉得自己不喜欢歌剧,浪漫小说,抖音,乡村音乐,素食,NFTs,那你可以试试看自己能否找出不是垃圾的10%。
• You will be judged on how well you treat those who can do nothing for you.
你如何对待那些对你无能为力的人,将成为评价你的标准。
• We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can achieve in a decade. Miraculous things can be accomplished if you give it ten years. A long game will compound small gains to overcome even big mistakes.
我们向来高估了一天能做的事情,也低估了十年能达成的事情。只要给十年时间,奇迹也能达成。长期坚持能累计大量小成就,攻克大问题。
• Thank a teacher who changed your life.
感谢改变了你人生的那位老师。
• You cant reason someone out of a notion that they didn’t reason themselves into.
你无法说服一个人接受一个他自己也无法说服他自己的理念。
• Your best job will be one that you were unqualified for because it stretches you. In fact only apply to jobs you are unqualified for.
最好的工作是你需要努力跳起来都不一定够得着工作。其实最好只申请你的能力尚不匹配的工作。
• Buy used books. They have the same words as the new ones. Also libraries.
购买二手书。它们和新书有一样的文字。图书馆的书也是。
• You can be whatever you want, so be the person who ends meetings early.
你可以成为任何你想成为的人,所以让自己成为那个早点结束会议的人吧。
• A wise man said, “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”
一个智者曾经说过,“在你开口之前,先让你的语言经过三道门的检验。第一道门是问你自己,‘这是真话吗?’第二道门是‘这是必要的吗?’第三道门是‘这是善的吗?’”
• Take the stairs.
走楼梯。
• What you actually pay for something is at least twice the listed price because of the energy, time, money needed to set it up, learn, maintain, repair, and dispose of at the end. Not all prices appear on labels. Actual costs are 2x listed prices.
你支付给某样东西的钱事实上是它标价的两倍,因为你还需要付出额外的能源,时间,和金钱来安装它,学习使用它,维护它,修复它,以及最后丢掉它。不是所有的价格都打在标签上。真正的付出是标价的两倍。
• When you arrive at your room in a hotel, locate the emergency exits. It only takes a minute.
当你到达你酒店房间时,记得看一眼紧急出口在哪里。只需要一分钟。
• The only productive way to answer “what should I do now?” is to first tackle the question of “who should I become?”
”我现在该做什么?”的唯一有效回答是,先找出“我想成为什么人?”的答案。
• Average returns sustained over an above-average period of time yield extraordinary results. Buy and hold.
在一段超过平均水平的时间里,一直保持平均水平的回报,也会产生超凡的结果。买入并一直持有。
• It’s thrilling to be extremely polite to rude strangers.
对粗鲁的陌生人表现得特别礼貌是一件令人毛骨悚然的事情。
• It’s possible that a not-so smart person, who can communicate well, can do much better than a super smart person who can’t communicate well. That is good news because it is much easier to improve your communication skills than your intelligence.
一个不太聪明但能很好沟通的人,是可以做得比很聪明但不善沟通的人更好的。这是一个好消息,因为提高你的沟通技巧要比提高智力容易得多。
• Getting cheated occasionally is the small price for trusting the best of everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they generally treat you best.
偶尔被骗是信任所有人的一个很小的代价,因为当你以最大诚意信任其他人的时候,他们通常会给你最好的对待。
• Art is whatever you can get away with.
艺术是你无论如何都能超然避世的东西。
• For the best results with your children, spend only half the money you think you should, but double the time with them.
为了让你的孩子获得最好的成长,你应该只花你认为应该花的一半的钱给他们,但花两倍的时间陪他们。
• Purchase the most recent tourist guidebook to your home town or region. You’ll learn a lot by playing the tourist once a year.
购买你的家乡或所在区域的最新的旅游指南。你会在每年的旅游中学会很多。
• Dont wait in line to eat something famous. It is rarely worth the wait.
不要排长队等着吃某样很有名的东西。因为几乎没有哪样出名的食物值得这份等待。
• To rapidly reveal the true character of a person you just met, move them onto an abysmally slow internet connection. Observe.
想要快速了解一个刚认识的人的真实性格,让他们使用一个超级慢的网络,然后观察他们。
• Prescription for popular success: do something strange. Make a habit of your weird.
达成世俗成功的良方:做点奇怪的事情。培养自己独特的奇怪的习惯。
• Be a pro. Back up your back up. Have at least one physical backup and one backup in the cloud. Have more than one of each. How much would you pay to retrieve all your data, photos, notes, if you lost them? Backups are cheap compared to regrets.
要成为一个专家。记得备份你的备份。至少有一份物理备份与一份云端备份。每个备份不要少于一份。当你丢失了你的数据,照片,与笔记时,你愿意花多少钱把他们找回来呢?相比于后悔,备份一定是更便宜的选项。
• Dont believe everything you think you believe.
不要相信你认为你相信的一切。
• To signal an emergency, use the rule of three; 3 shouts, 3 horn blasts, or 3 whistles.
发出紧急信号请使用“三次法则”: 三次大喊,三次喇叭,或三次口哨。
• At a restaurant do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? Do you make what you know will sell or try something new? Do you keep dating new folks or try to commit to someone you already met? The optimal balance for exploring new things vs exploiting them once found is: 1/3. Spend 1/3 of your time on exploring and 2/3 time on deepening. It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1/3.
你在一家餐馆里会点吃过的好吃的菜,还是尝试新的?你会做你知道有销路的东西,还是会尝试新的?你会一直跟新的人约会还是会尝试跟已经认识的人确立关系?最理想的探索新事物与找到了之后在其中深耕的平衡是: 1/3。用 1/3 的时间去探索,用 2/3 的时间去深耕。随着年龄的增长,花时间去探索新事物会越来越难,因为那看起来并不高效,但试着做到 1/3 吧。
• Actual great opportunities do not have “Great Opportunities” in the subject line.
真正的好机会不会在额头上大书“好机会”三个字。
• When introduced to someone make eye contact and count to 4. You’ll both remember each other.
在你被介绍给别人的时候,看着对方的眼睛,数到四。这样你们都会很好地记住对方。
• Take note if you find yourself wondering “Where is my good knife? Or, where is my good pen?” That means you have bad ones. Get rid of those.
在你思考“我的好刀在哪里?或者我的好笔在哪里?”时,记下来。这意味着你还有坏的刀或笔。把它们都丢掉吧。
• When you are stuck, explain your problem to others. Often simply laying out a problem will present a solution. Make “explaining the problem” part of your troubleshooting process.
当你在某件事情卡住了时候,试着给其他人描述你的问题。经常你只需要简单地把问题描述出来,答案就会自然呈现。把“描述这个问题”作为你解决问题的的一部分。
• When buying a garden hose, an extension cord, or a ladder, get one substantially longer than you think you need. It’ll be the right size.
在购买一根花园水管,一根延长线,或者一把梯子的时候,选那个比你认为需要长度更长的。通常那个就是正确的尺寸。
• Dont bother fighting the old; just build the new.
不要和旧事物作斗争;直接建设新的。
• Your group can achieve great things way beyond your means simply by showing people that they are appreciated.
你只需要向大家赞扬你的团队做得很好,他们就会做出远超预期的成就。
• When someone tells you about the peak year of human history, the period of time when things were good before things went downhill, it will always be the years of when they were 10 years old — which is the peak of any human’s existence.
当一个人跟你提起人类历史的巅峰一年,那段时间所有的事情都极其美好,然后就开始走下坡路。这一年永远是他们10岁的时候──这也是人类个体的巅峰。
• You are as big as the things that make you angry.
你跟那些惹怒你的事物一样大。
• When speaking to an audience it’s better to fix your gaze on a few people than to “spray” your gaze across the room. Your eyes telegraph to others whether you really believe what you are saying.
当你对着听众们演讲时,眼神注视某几个人比扫描全场更好。你的眼神会告诉在场的人,你是不是真的相信你所说的东西。
• Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Dont focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.
习惯远比灵感来得可靠。要为培养习惯而努力。不要关注身材变好的样子,要专注成为那个永不缺席训练的人。
• When negotiating, dont aim for a bigger piece of the pie; aim to create a bigger pie.
当你跟别人谈判的时候,不要把目光瞄准蛋糕中最大的一片;要瞄准如何把蛋糕做大。
• If you repeated what you did today 365 more times will you be where you want to be next year?
如果你重复今天你做的事情365天,那一年后你会成为你想成为的人吗?
• You see only 2% of another person, and they see only 2% of you. Attune yourselves to the hidden 98%.
你只能看到其他人的 2%,别人也只能看到你的 2%。所以调整好自己的 98%。
• Your time and space are limited. Remove, give away, throw out things in your life that dont spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.
你的时间和空间都是有限的。移除,送人,或者直接丢掉那些在你的人生中不再带来幸福的东西,把时间与空间留给那些能带来幸福的。
• Our descendants will achieve things that will amaze us, yet a portion of what they will create could have been made with today’s materials and tools if we had had the imagination. Think bigger.
我们的后代将创造令我们惊叹的成就,但其实只要我们有足够的想象力,他们会创造的部分东西,用今天的材料和工具就已经能实现了。所以,要想得更大一点。
• For a great payoff be especially curious about the things you are not interested in.
为了丰厚的回报,请对你完全不感兴趣的事物保持好奇。
• Focus on directions rather than destinations. Who knows their destiny? But maintain the right direction and you’ll arrive at where you want to go.
专注于方向而不是目的地。毕竟有谁能知道他的命运终点呢?但只要保持一个正确的方向,你终会到达你想到的地方。
• Every breakthrough is at first laughable and ridiculous. In fact if it did not start out laughable and ridiculous, it is not a breakthrough.
所有的突破在一开始都是看起来很可笑和荒谬的。事实上如果它在一开始看起来不够可笑和荒谬的话,它也称不上是一种突破。
• If you loan someone $20 and you never see them again because they are avoiding paying you back, that makes it worth $20.
如果你借给别人 20 美元并且你再也见不到这个人了,因为他不想还钱,那么这 20 美元花得值。
• Copying others is a good way to start. Copying yourself is a disappointing way to end.
重复别人是一个很好的开始。重复你自己则是一个令人失望的终点。
• The best time to negotiate your salary for a new job is the moment AFTER they say they want you, and not before. Then it becomes a game of chicken for each side to name an amount first, but it is to your advantage to get them to give a number before you do.
找工作跟别人商量薪酬的最佳时机是在他们说要请你了之后,而不是之前。从这时开始就变成了一场胆小鬼博弈,双方都等着对方先开口报价,但这时你的优势就是可以让对方先开出价码。
• Rather than steering your life to avoid surprises, aim directly for them.
与其让你的人生规避“出人意料”,还不如直接瞄着它们而去。
• Dont purchase extra insurance if you are renting a car with a credit card.
如果你是用信用卡租的车,不要购买额外的保险。
• If your opinions on one subject can be predicted from your opinions on another, you may be in the grip of an ideology. When you truly think for yourself your conclusions will not be predictable.
如果你关于一个主题的意见可以根据你另一个主题的意见预测得出,那你可能陷入了某种意识形态的掌控。如果你认真审视你自己的意识,你的结论其实是无法预测的。
• Aim to die broke. Give to your beneficiaries before you die; it’s more fun and useful. Spend it all. Your last check should go to the funeral home and it should bounce.
争取在死前破产。在你死掉之前,把你所有的财产交给你的受益人;这很有趣而且很有用。把所有的财产花光。你的最后一张支票应该支付给殡仪馆,它应该会被退回。
• The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.
防止变老的最佳实践是保持惊讶。
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