致二十岁的我

by Nic Haralambous

翻译：箐舞

Feature / 专题

致二十岁的我

Advice from 30-Year-Old Me to 20-Year-Old Me

by Nic Haralambous

翻译：箐舞

还记得2014年1月号的CT让同学们“给未来的自己写一封信”吗？2015年1月号，我们来换个思路吧！逆向思维，由穿越未来变为回到过去，来看看踏入三十岁的作者给二十岁的自己提的建议把！时光不会倒着走，我们也不能回头。然而时光不会欺骗我们，磕磕绊绊走过的十年所带来的是沉甸甸的血一般的教训。同学们也许能从中得到莫大的启发呢。

I recently turned 30. For some very odd reason I’ve not warmed to the idea of it just yet. However as I began to evaluate[评估]my 20s, I realised how many mistakes I’ve made and things I’ve learned in a decade of life.

I took some time to write myself some advice.

1. Travel

You have very little responsibility[责任]so go and travel. When you get to 30, you’re going to want to travel slightly[稍微]differently, spend a little more, do slightly more expensive things, eat at slightly better restaurants. So work for a year and save enough money to experience the world on the cheap.

How do you know what you want to do if you don’t know what’s out there to do?

Don’t just travel to the obvious places.

Travel to the tough places.

Travel to learn.

Travel to discover.

Travel to the places that will challenge who you think you want to be.

2. Build Things

Don’t spend too much time working on other people’s visions[视力]or in other people’s meetings. Spend time fguring out[解决，想出]what your own world view is and where you want to take your own life (see point 1).

Meetings are where ideas go to die.

If you find yourself in a corporate[公司的]job that you wish you could leave then do it. Leave. If you don’t have a corporate job yet, see point 5.

3. Read

Read every day. Read everything you can. Don’t just read about things you know about. Read about people. Read people.

4. Stop Watching Television

Right now. Stop it. It’s not helping you get better at anything.

5.Career[职业]

Do not take that corporate job. Just don’t do it (see point 2).

6. Trust

Even if it kills your relationships. Even if it destroys your ideas. Even if you lose your friends. Even if it means you end up getting hurt.

Trust people until they give you a reason not to.

But don’t be naïve[天真的]. Some people are out to[设法]hurt you.

7. People

People are the best and worst thing that will happen to you. Some will help you go further, faster. Others will pull you down to their level and help you lose. Most are OK. Many are average[平均的，普通的]. Some are excellent.

A few people will change your life forever. Find them.

You don’t need a lot of friends or people around you. You need amazing people who do for you as you do for them.

It’s simple really, a lot of average friends will leave you feeling alone when you need to feel surrounded by people who care.

8. Value Time

Don’t waste time on people who you don’t trust. Don’t waste time with lovers who cheat on[对……不忠]you. Don’t waste time with friends who don’t treat you the way you treat them (see point 7).

Do not be late.

Value other people’s time. That means that if you’re late, you don’t care about them or their time, and that you think you’re worth more and therefore can keep them waiting.

Some people will tell you that it’s OK to be late. It’s not. Some people will tell you that it’s just the way they are. Then you need to reevaluate[重新评估]them (see point 7 above).

9. Fail

Fail a lot. Fail often. Fail at love. Fail at socializing[社交]. Fail at making friends. Fail at work. Fail at business. Fail with family.

Fail. But do it quickly and learn a lesson.

If you don’t learn something every time you fail, then all you’ve done is failed. If you learn something, then you’ve grown. Every time you grow and learn and fail, you get better at fguring out how to succeed.

1 0. Success

There is no point at which you will have succeeded. Not in your twenties. Not ever. Get over[使……被接受]that fact and start building things (see point 2).

1 1. Patience

Be patient. Nothing worth doing is worth doing quickly. Nothing worth building is worth building in a rush[急急忙忙地]. Nothing of value is formed in a minute.

Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months. Live in days.

译文

我最近刚跨入30岁。出于一些奇怪的原因，我现在还没有适应过来。但当我开始回顾自己的二十代时，我意识到自己原来犯过如此多的错误。这十年里，原来我已经学会了这么多东西。

我花了一点时间给自己写了一些建议。

1.多去旅行

你几乎不需要承担什么责任，所以去旅行吧！当你踏入30岁，你就想拥有一次略微与众不同的旅游经历：花多一点钱，做一些开销稍微大点的事情，去稍微好点的饭店用餐。所以努力工作一年，攒下足够的钱去节俭地体验这个世界吧！

如果你连外面的世界是怎么样的都不知道，那你又怎么知道自己想要做什么呢？

别只去那些标志性的景点旅游。

到条件艰苦的地方去旅行。

在旅行中学习。

在旅行中发现。

到那些有挑战性的地方去旅行吧，它们会让你思考自己想成为怎样的人。

2.构建自己的世界

别花太多时间考虑别人的视线，或活在他人的世界里。花一些时间弄清楚你自己的世界观是什么，以及你自己想要怎样的生活吧（参照第一点）。

会议是扼杀创意的地方。

如果你发现自己在一家你老想要离开的公司工作的话，那就离开吧。离开吧。如果你还没找到工作，参照第五点。

3.多读书

每天都阅读。读一切你能读到的东西。别只看那些你已经知道的东西，多看和人有关的东西。学会看人。

4.别再看电视了

现在！停止吧！这并不能帮助你更好地做事。

5.关于工作

别在那家公司工作。绝对不要（参照第二点）。

6.学会信任

即使它会扼杀你的人际关系，即使它会毁了你的想法，即使你会因此失去朋友，即使这意味着你最终会受伤。（但是——）

相信他们，除非他们给了你一个不再相信的理由。

但是别太天真，有些人会设法伤害你。

7.关于身边的人

人这个因素对你来说可能是最好的，也可能是最坏的。有些人会帮助你走得更远、更快；有些人会把你拉低到他们的水平，让你一败涂地。大多数人都不错。很多人都是中等水平。有些人很优秀。

有些人会永远地改变你的一生。找到他们吧。

你不需要很多朋友，也不需要很多人围在你身边。你需要的是一些了不起的人，他们能像你对待他们那样对你。

这真的很容易辨别。当你需要被人照顾时，很多普通朋友会让你感到孤独。

8.珍惜时间

不要在你不信任的人身上浪费时间；不要在对你不忠的恋人身上浪费时间；不要在没有像你一样真心对待他们的人身上浪费时间（参照第七点）。

不要迟到。

珍惜其他人的时间。这意味着如果你迟到了，你不关心他们或者他们的时间。你认为自己更有价值，所以就让他们等你。

有些人会跟你说，迟到了没关系。其实不是这样的。有些人会告诉你，他们天性如此，那你就要重新评估一下他们了（参照上面第七点）。

9.关于失败

多次失败；经常失败；失恋；社交受挫；交友受挫；工作失意；生意失败；家庭不和。

失败吧！但过程要快，并且从中吸取教训。

如果每次失败你都不能从中吸取经验教训，那么你所做的事都是失败的。如果你从中学到了东西，那么你就成长了。每一次成长，每一次学习，每一次失败，你都能更清楚地知道怎样走向成功。

1 0.关于成功

你不会有绝对的成功时刻，至少不会在你二十几岁的时候出现。永远不会。

接受这个事实吧！开始构建自己的世界吧（参照第二点）。

1 1.保持耐心

要有耐心。没有一件值得做的事是很快就能完成的；没有一个值得建造的建筑是在匆忙中竣工的；没有一个有价值的东西是在一分钟内形成的。

数载筹谋，经年苦思，累月耕耘，日积跬步。