致二十歲的我

by Nic Haralambous

翻譯：箐舞

Feature / 專題

致二十歲的我

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

by Nic Haralambous

翻譯：箐舞

還記得2014年1月號的CT讓同學們“給未來的自己寫一封信”嗎？2015年1月號，我們來換個思路吧！逆向思維，由穿越未來變為回到過去，來看看踏入三十歲的作者給二十歲的自己提的建議把！時光不會倒著走，我們也不能回頭。然而時光不會欺騙我們，磕磕絆絆走過的十年所帶來的是沉甸甸的血一般的教訓。同學們也許能從中得到莫大的啟發呢。

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[評估]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[責任]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[視力]or in other people’s meetings. Spend time fguring out[解決，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[職業]

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 na?ve[天真的]. Some people are out to[設法]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[對……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[重新評估]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.

譯文

我最近剛跨入30歲。出于一些奇怪的原因，我現在還沒有適應過來。但當我開始回顧自己的二十代時，我意識到自己原來犯過如此多的錯誤。這十年里，原來我已經學會了這么多東西。

我花了一點時間給自己寫了一些建議。

1.多去旅行

你幾乎不需要承擔什么責任，所以去旅行吧！當你踏入30歲，你就想擁有一次略微與眾不同的旅游經歷：花多一點錢，做一些開銷稍微大點的事情，去稍微好點的飯店用餐。所以努力工作一年，攢下足夠的錢去節儉地體驗這個世界吧！

如果你連外面的世界是怎么樣的都不知道，那你又怎么知道自己想要做什么呢？

別只去那些標志性的景點旅游。

到條件艱苦的地方去旅行。

在旅行中學習。

在旅行中發現。

到那些有挑戰性的地方去旅行吧，它們會讓你思考自己想成為怎樣的人。

2.構建自己的世界

別花太多時間考慮別人的視線，或活在他人的世界里。花一些時間弄清楚你自己的世界觀是什么，以及你自己想要怎樣的生活吧（參照第一點）。

會議是扼殺創意的地方。

如果你發現自己在一家你老想要離開的公司工作的話，那就離開吧。離開吧。如果你還沒找到工作，參照第五點。

3.多讀書

每天都閱讀。讀一切你能讀到的東西。別只看那些你已經知道的東西，多看和人有關的東西。學會看人。

4.別再看電視了

現在！停止吧！這并不能幫助你更好地做事。

5.關于工作

別在那家公司工作。絕對不要（參照第二點）。

6.學會信任

即使它會扼殺你的人際關系，即使它會毀了你的想法，即使你會因此失去朋友，即使這意味著你最終會受傷。（但是——）

相信他們，除非他們給了你一個不再相信的理由。

但是別太天真，有些人會設法傷害你。

7.關于身邊的人

人這個因素對你來說可能是最好的，也可能是最壞的。有些人會幫助你走得更遠、更快；有些人會把你拉低到他們的水平，讓你一敗涂地。大多數人都不錯。很多人都是中等水平。有些人很優秀。

有些人會永遠地改變你的一生。找到他們吧。

你不需要很多朋友，也不需要很多人圍在你身邊。你需要的是一些了不起的人，他們能像你對待他們那樣對你。

這真的很容易辨別。當你需要被人照顧時，很多普通朋友會讓你感到孤獨。

8.珍惜時間

不要在你不信任的人身上浪費時間；不要在對你不忠的戀人身上浪費時間；不要在沒有像你一樣真心對待他們的人身上浪費時間（參照第七點）。

不要遲到。

珍惜其他人的時間。這意味著如果你遲到了，你不關心他們或者他們的時間。你認為自己更有價值，所以就讓他們等你。

有些人會跟你說，遲到了沒關系。其實不是這樣的。有些人會告訴你，他們天性如此，那你就要重新評估一下他們了（參照上面第七點）。

9.關于失敗

多次失敗；經常失敗；失戀；社交受挫；交友受挫；工作失意；生意失敗；家庭不和。

失敗吧！但過程要快，并且從中吸取教訓。

如果每次失敗你都不能從中吸取經驗教訓，那么你所做的事都是失敗的。如果你從中學到了東西，那么你就成長了。每一次成長，每一次學習，每一次失敗，你都能更清楚地知道怎樣走向成功。

1 0.關于成功

你不會有絕對的成功時刻，至少不會在你二十幾歲的時候出現。永遠不會。

接受這個事實吧！開始構建自己的世界吧（參照第二點）。

1 1.保持耐心

要有耐心。沒有一件值得做的事是很快就能完成的；沒有一個值得建造的建筑是在匆忙中竣工的；沒有一個有價值的東西是在一分鐘內形成的。

數載籌謀，經年苦思，累月耕耘，日積跬步。