There are so many things I wish I had known while growing up. No one ever tells you the hard truths of life. Maybe it’s because they can’t stomach it, or maybe it’s because they think it’s just something you have to experience firsthand to understand. Here are twenty things nobody told you while growing up that would’ve been nice to know beforehand:
真希望我在成長(zhǎng)時(shí)能知道這些事情，可惜沒(méi)人告訴過(guò)我生活的無(wú)情現(xiàn)實(shí)。或許是因?yàn)樗麄円矡o(wú)法忍受，抑或在他們看來(lái)，一切都得靠自己經(jīng)歷領(lǐng)悟。下面這20個(gè)道理沒(méi)人在你成長(zhǎng)時(shí)告訴過(guò)你，現(xiàn)在我希望你能提前明白：
1. You’re Going to Spend A Lot of Time Figuring Stuff Out
你要花很多時(shí)間才能搞明白某些事情
Unless you’re one of the lucky few who already knows what their passion is and what you really enjoy, you will be spending a lot of time trying new things and figuring out what you’re good at and what you like. Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail at them; failing builds character. You have a lot of growing up to do in your 20s, a lot of self-examination and exploration. Use this time wisely to get to know yourself as best as you can–not that you won’t change as you continue to get older, but it’s definitely a time of discovery, getting to know oneself and what you want in this world and what you have to contribute to the world。
除非你是極少數(shù)的幸運(yùn)兒，一早清楚自己的所向所往，否則你會(huì)花很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間一直嘗試，直到最終明白自己擅長(zhǎng)什么又喜歡什么。別害怕嘗試和失敗;失敗塑造性格。20幾歲時(shí)，你有許多成長(zhǎng)機(jī)會(huì)，會(huì)經(jīng)歷無(wú)數(shù)次反省和探索。所以，請(qǐng)理智把握這段時(shí)光，盡力了解自己——因?yàn)槟昙o(jì)再大些后，你基本就定型了。這個(gè)階段，你需要去發(fā)現(xiàn)并了解自我，弄清楚自己想要什么、能為這個(gè)世界貢獻(xiàn)什么。
2. Don’t Expect Smooth Seas
別指望一帆風(fēng)順
There will be many challenges, obstacles and curve balls swung your way. Just try to take life as it comes. Don’t fight against the current because you’ll just wear yourself out. If there’s a door that is standing wide open for you and another that you’re trying to get through by knocking it down, sometimes it’s best to take the door that’s already open for you. In other words don’t try to be someone/something you’re not。
成長(zhǎng)途中會(huì)遇到無(wú)數(shù)挑戰(zhàn)、障礙和挫折，這時(shí)請(qǐng)順其自然。若逆流而上，你只會(huì)精疲力竭。如果面前有兩扇門(mén)：一扇門(mén)迎面敞開(kāi)，另一扇門(mén)卻緊閉待敲;那最好選擇已經(jīng)敞開(kāi)的那扇門(mén)。也就是說(shuō)，不要試圖成為有悖于自我的其他人。
3. Learn About Personal Finance Now
現(xiàn)在就學(xué)會(huì)個(gè)人理財(cái)
Learn how to budget and manage your money, how to open a checking/savings account, and how to use credit wisely and live within your means. Your future self will thank you for it. Buy quality items you can keep around for a long time to come, not cheap crap that breaks that you’ll have to buy again in a year. Invest in yourself, your education, your personal improvement, your health and your relationships to others。
學(xué)會(huì)預(yù)算開(kāi)支，設(shè)立儲(chǔ)蓄賬戶(hù)，在力所能及的范圍內(nèi)理智使用信用卡。以后你會(huì)受益匪淺。買(mǎi)持久耐用的高質(zhì)量產(chǎn)品，而不是那種每年都得更換的低檔貨。為個(gè)人成長(zhǎng)、教育、健康及人際關(guān)系進(jìn)行投資。
4. Assume Change Will Come
相信何時(shí)都會(huì)改變
Life is about change; don’t fight it and just go with it. Learn from your mistakes and grow. Let go of things you can’t change. Sometimes change will be so painful you will want to rip your heart out, but you’ll be okay if you just hang on and know that no matter what happens, you will be alright. Win, lose or draw, life will go on and you’ll get another chance to start your life over if things haven’t gone according to plan。
生活就是改變;與其抗拒，不如接受。從錯(cuò)誤中吸取教訓(xùn)并獲得成長(zhǎng)。若無(wú)力改變事情，那就請(qǐng)放手。有時(shí)改變令人痛苦、心碎不堪;但只要堅(jiān)持相信“不管怎樣，一切都會(huì)安好”，你便能闖過(guò)去。不論輸贏還是平局，生活總會(huì)繼續(xù);倘若事與愿違，總還有機(jī)會(huì)重新開(kāi)始。
5. Keep Your Plans Loose
計(jì)劃要寬松靈活
Speaking of plans, keep them loose and flexible. It’s good to have an idea of things you want to accomplish and where you want to be a couple years down the road, but honestly no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone 5 years from now. It’s fine to make some plans but be flexible and willing to change them. Remember that people change and things happen that will push you in one direction or another. Don’t waste time beating yourself up because your plans didn’t go the way you wanted. Don’t worry about things you can’t change; focus on making new plans/goals and where you will go from here。
計(jì)劃要寬松靈活。你清楚自己想要什么、幾年后要實(shí)現(xiàn)什么樣的目標(biāo)，這無(wú)可厚非;但說(shuō)實(shí)話，誰(shuí)也不能保證明天會(huì)怎樣，更別提5年后了。制定目標(biāo)雖好，但不可太死板，而應(yīng)保持靈活可變。請(qǐng)記�。喝俗兾镒�，到時(shí)候說(shuō)不定你也會(huì)改變方向。不要因?yàn)槭虑闆](méi)有完全按照計(jì)劃實(shí)施就萬(wàn)般苛責(zé)自己;不要為自己無(wú)法改變的事情糾結(jié);立足當(dāng)下，專(zhuān)心制定新的計(jì)劃和目標(biāo)吧。
6. Time Is a Limited Resource
時(shí)間是有限資源
Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy every moment that you have. Enjoy life and practice being present in the moment because it goes by extremely fast. There will be both good and bad times. The bad thing about up is there’s always a down. It’s important to really enjoy and savor the good moments in life because you’ll need those memories to reflect back on when the bad times come. The first 10 years after high school go by at a breakneck speed and before you know it you’re 28 and wondering how the time has escaped you。
世事無(wú)永恒。享受當(dāng)下?lián)碛械拿恳豢�。享受生活、珍惜此時(shí)此刻吧，因?yàn)闀r(shí)光快如白駒過(guò)隙。生活總是有喜有悲、有起有落。珍惜生活中的美好時(shí)光，當(dāng)不幸降臨時(shí)，你還能擁有美好的回憶。高中畢業(yè)后的10年過(guò)得非常快，眨眼你就到了28歲，詫異這時(shí)間到底是怎么飛逝而過(guò)的。
7. Life is Hard
生活是殘酷的
When you’re a teenager, you’re just at the beginning of your life’s lessons. Life is the toughest teacher you will ever have. “Life is a cruel teacher. She gives the test first, then the lesson。” Life will throw everything that it can at you; it will try to break you and choke you until you can’t breathe, but you can’t let it。
青春年少的你現(xiàn)在才剛剛開(kāi)始人生歷程。生活是最嚴(yán)峻的老師。“生活是嚴(yán)師，先設(shè)考驗(yàn)，后給教訓(xùn)。”生活會(huì)想方設(shè)法為難你：它打擊你、壓抑你，直到你無(wú)法呼吸。但你決不能讓它得逞。
8. You’re Only Young Once
青春稍縱即逝
Enjoy being young while you are still young! Enjoy being young as much as possible. Enjoy the metabolism and the fun times. Cross stuff off your bucket list while you’re young because no one knows how much time you truly have. Don’t wait until you’re old and can’t or may not be able to do the things you really want to experience. Seriously, you may be broke while you’re young, but that doesn’t matter. You’ve got time to make money and settle down. Travel, explore and do what your heart desires now. You can still get married, have children and a household and career starting in your 20s if you want, but you should try to balance your life with equal amounts of responsibility and fun. The last thing you want to do is look back on missed chances。
趁著年輕趕緊享受吧!盡情享受青春時(shí)光，經(jīng)歷成長(zhǎng)、感受快樂(lè)。趁著年輕趕緊實(shí)現(xiàn)你的愿望清單，因?yàn)闀r(shí)間稍縱即逝。不要等老了無(wú)法去做時(shí)才追悔莫及�；蛟S，年輕的你一窮二白，但那又怎樣，你還年輕，總有時(shí)間掙錢(qián)安家置業(yè)�，F(xiàn)在，你應(yīng)該去旅行、去探索、去追尋內(nèi)心的渴望。只要你想，你也可以在20幾歲時(shí)結(jié)婚生子、成家立業(yè);但你也可以嘗試平衡生活，在擔(dān)負(fù)責(zé)任的同時(shí)也能找點(diǎn)樂(lè)趣。最不該的就是任由機(jī)會(huì)流逝空悲切。
9. Make Your Health a Priority, Not an Option
健康是必選，不是可選
Once you get into your late 20s and early 30s your body is going to start losing metabolism and energy. You’re going to start going to bed earlier. Start eating better and exercising. Don’t think of it as a choice. Start developing a healthier lifestyle and soon it will become habit. Take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually。
一旦到了二十大幾、三十出頭，人體新陳代謝就會(huì)變慢，精力也會(huì)慢慢下降。你會(huì)變得容易疲倦，必須早些上床睡覺(jué);你要開(kāi)始健康飲食、規(guī)律運(yùn)動(dòng)。不要覺(jué)得這些可有可無(wú)。開(kāi)始嘗試健康的生活方式，很快就會(huì)養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣。不論是生理還是心理，都請(qǐng)照顧好自己。
10. Attitude Determines Your Altitude
態(tài)度決定高度
Attitude is everything and that’s not something they teach you in school. Having a good attitude can make all the difference in your life. It makes life easier and happier when you have a positive outlook and are able to keep your attitude light and flexible when dealing with other people and with life’s challenges。
態(tài)度決定一切。這里的態(tài)度不同于你在學(xué)校學(xué)到的東西。良好的態(tài)度能讓生活與眾不同。如果你積極樂(lè)觀，與人交往或 面對(duì)困難時(shí)能靈活自如，生活也會(huì)變得更舒暢更開(kāi)心。
11. How You Treat People Matters
待人接物很重要
Treating people with respect and decency can get you a long way in the world. Remember that “honey attracts more flies than vinegar。” Being nice to people really does actually matter to people. You won’t get anywhere tearing other people down or blaming others for anything. Take responsibility for yourself, your actions and your feelings。
禮貌得體待人可以使你走得更長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)。請(qǐng)記�。�“蜂蜜比酸醋招蜂多。”善待他人真的非常重要。不論在什么場(chǎng)合、為了什么事情，都不要挖苦責(zé)備他人。請(qǐng)為自己的言行情緒負(fù)責(zé)。
12. Relationships Don’t Come Easy
親密關(guān)系不易形成
Choosing a life partner/spouse is hard. Relationships in general are hard, not just romantic ones but friendships and family relations as well. Stay in touch with people who you really care about and who really care about you. Make an effort to stay an active person in their life if you really care. You will not have as many close friends as you get older and you will probably lose some friends as well. Remember that it is okay, not everyone who comes into your life is meant to stay forever; let them go and cherish the people who are still in your life。
選擇生活伴侶并不容易。親密關(guān)系都不易形成：不僅是戀愛(ài)關(guān)系，朋友關(guān)系和親人關(guān)系也是如此。選擇真正在乎你而你又非常喜歡的人。如果你當(dāng)真在乎，那請(qǐng)?jiān)谒麄兊纳罾锉３址e極樂(lè)觀。親密朋友不會(huì)隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)而變得越來(lái)越多，相反，你甚至?xí)ヒ恍┡笥�。但你也不必太介意，畢竟生活中不是所有人都能一直陪伴身�?離開(kāi)的姑且離開(kāi)，現(xiàn)有的更應(yīng)珍惜。
13. Be Prepared To Deal With Changes in Relationships
關(guān)系有變時(shí)，要懂得處理
Look at your time with exes and be thankful; even though it didn’t work out, at least you got to experience it and learn from it. You rolled the dice and lost, but at least you took a chance! Don’t think that just because something wasn’t meant to be for your entire life doesn’t mean it didn’t add value and was right where you needed to be at the time。
回望與前任的時(shí)光，請(qǐng)心存感激;雖然你們有緣無(wú)分，但至少你擁有過(guò)、收獲過(guò)。雖然賭輸了，但你至少抓住了機(jī)會(huì)!不要因?yàn)槭虑槲幢M人意就片面否定當(dāng)時(shí)的價(jià)值與意義。
In your 20s, especially if you have a family, it gets harder and harder to spend time with friends because of so many different time demands. You will be pulled in every direction and it’s up to you to decide what your priorities are. Having a couple of close friends you can rely on can make a difference in your life. As they say “shared joy is doubled, shared sorrow is halved。”
20幾歲時(shí)，如果你還建立了家庭，那么跟朋友廝混的時(shí)間會(huì)越來(lái)越少，因?yàn)檎紩r(shí)間的事情變多了。事情四面八方涌來(lái)，你必須決定優(yōu)先次序。如果能有幾個(gè)好友，那會(huì)大有不同：因?yàn)榕笥?ldquo;既可以使快樂(lè)翻倍，又能讓悲傷減半”。
14. Take Every Chance You Get
把握每一次機(jī)會(huì)
Life is about taking chances, grabbing opportunities and taking risks. Don’t be afraid to try something new, move somewhere new, work somewhere new, meet new people and learn something new。
生活就是要把握機(jī)遇、勇于冒險(xiǎn)。別害怕嘗試新鮮事物、移居陌生地方、進(jìn)入新工作環(huán)境、認(rèn)識(shí)新朋友或?qū)W習(xí)新東西。
15. Let Go of Expectations
拋開(kāi)期望
Expectations ruin everything and most of the time our expectations are too high for those around us and for ourselves. No one is perfect and nothing is ever going to be perfect. The faster you can learn this and let go of too high or false expectations, the easier life will come to you. Expectations bring heartache and only cause harm. Expect nothing and appreciate everything。
期望搞砸一切。我們對(duì)自己及周?chē)说钠谕�。人無(wú)完人、金無(wú)足赤。若你能及早明白這一道理，放棄過(guò)高或離譜的期望，生活會(huì)輕松很多。期望使人緊張受傷。停止期望、享受一切。
16. Life Is Complex. Try Not to Worry
生活復(fù)雜，請(qǐng)勿自擾
Don’t worry because everyone has ups and downs. It’s just how life is. Life is extremely messy and complicated, but don’t despair because things will work out in the end. Keep living and keep on doing what you enjoy. Don’t be too hard on yourself。
每個(gè)人都會(huì)經(jīng)歷起起落落，請(qǐng)不要糾結(jié)煩惱。生活原本如此——混亂而復(fù)雜。所以，請(qǐng)不要感到絕望，事情最后總歸會(huì)柳暗花明。繼續(xù)生活，繼續(xù)做自己喜歡的事。何必把自己逼得太緊。
17. You Get What You Put In
種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆
Happiness, love and confidence come from within. Life is what you make of it and what you put into it. You can create whatever life you want, and if you create that life and it doesn’t work for you anymore, guess what? You can create a whole new life that does work. You may not have a choice in things that happen to you but you have a choice in how you react to them. Try to stay positive no matter what life throws at you and get through the tough times by talking to friends, family and a counselor if you need to。
快樂(lè)、愛(ài)與自信源于內(nèi)心。你付出什么，生活就會(huì)反饋給你什么。你可以隨心創(chuàng)造自己想要的生活，如果創(chuàng)造的生活不盡人意，那你完全可以從頭再來(lái)!你或許奈何不了周?chē)l(fā)生的事情，但你至少可以選擇如何應(yīng)對(duì)它們。不論生活發(fā)生什么，請(qǐng)保持積極樂(lè)觀;遇到困難時(shí)，可以跟朋友、家人或者咨詢(xún)?nèi)藛T傾訴。
18. You Will Face Rejection
你會(huì)遭遇拒絕
You will be rejected at some point in your life. Rejection hurts at the very core of your being, but try not to take it too personally. Oftentimes, when you’re rejected it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the person rejecting you. Take it in stride, let it slide off your back and move on. I know this is easier said than done, but it will go a long way in making you feel better and happier。
你會(huì)在生活的某個(gè)時(shí)刻遭遇拒絕。拒絕讓你大受打擊，但你不可太往心里去。有時(shí)候，被拒絕并不是你的問(wèn)題，而是對(duì)方的責(zé)任。所以，請(qǐng)?zhí)谷幻鎸?duì)、一笑而過(guò)，然后繼續(xù)前行。我知道，說(shuō)起來(lái)容易做起來(lái)難，但它能使你更舒心快樂(lè)。
19. You Will Not Have Everything Figured Out Anytime Soon
你不可能任何時(shí)候都能很快想通一切
If you don’t have everything figured out by the time you’re 30, you’re not alone. If you’re not where you want to be in your life or career, don’t sweat it, you still have time. Some people never figure out what they really want to do with their lives, but they get a lot of great experience, learn new things and can transfer their skills to many types of jobs. If you know what you want to do in life, start doing it immediately, practice it as much as possible and you will get better at it。
到了30歲還沒(méi)弄明白一切?不止你一個(gè)人這樣。如果還沒(méi)得到渴望的生活或職業(yè)，也請(qǐng)不要焦躁，你還有時(shí)間。有些人從沒(méi)想清楚自己真正想要什么，但他們卻能不斷嘗試新鮮事物、積累豐富經(jīng)驗(yàn)、學(xué)習(xí)各式崗位的技能。如果你清楚知道自己要的是什么，那就立刻去做，只要不斷磨練，總能越做越好。
20. Love More and Keep Your Heart Open
敞開(kāi)心懷，多付愛(ài)心
Love is all that really matters in the end.Give of yourself more than anything. Try to be patient, empathetic, understanding, caring and gentle with other people. Get to know people better by asking questions and listening attentively. People usually like to talk about themselves and questions are a great way to get conversations going. Love people for who they are, just as they are, and realize that everyone is a work in progress! Life is a continual work in progress. We’re all just trying to find our way, and we’re all confused and looking for contentment. Life is a journey, and happiness is not a destination to arrive at, but a way of living。
愛(ài)是最后的真諦，比任何東西都重要。請(qǐng)學(xué)會(huì)耐心、悲憫和理解，請(qǐng)關(guān)心并溫柔對(duì)待他人。有疑而問(wèn)、悉心傾聽(tīng)，以此更進(jìn)一步了解他人。人們通常都喜歡談?wù)撟约海釂?wèn)是展開(kāi)話題的好方法。熱愛(ài)人們本真的模樣，發(fā)掘每個(gè)人的進(jìn)步!生活本身就在不斷進(jìn)步，我們都在努力追尋、都心存困惑、也都渴求慰藉。生活是場(chǎng)旅程，幸福并不是理應(yīng)到達(dá)的目的地，而只是一種生活的狀態(tài)。
