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What are some of the things you enjoy most in life? What do you value most? 生活中你最喜欢的事情是什么？你最看重什么？

What kinds of activities are on your list of the most favorite things you do? 你最喜欢做的事情又是什么？

I’m guessing that making repairs, paying bills, managing investments, shopping for insurance, filing paperwork, or dealing¹ with problems aren’t anywhere near the top of your list. 我想保养维修、支付账单、管理投资、购买保险、填写表格、解决麻烦一定远不在你的回答之列吧。

If you’re like me, they don’t even make the cut. 如果你和我一样，这些根本都不会想到。

For me it's spending my time with my wife and children. Going for long walks on the beautiful beaches of the Gulf² of Mexico. 对我来说重要的是和我的妻子和孩子在一起。在美丽的墨西哥沙滩散步；

Relaxing in the majestic³, serene⁴ Smoky Mountains where there’s no phone or Internet service. 在广袤、静谧的大烟雾山中放松身心，远离电话和网络。

Today’s lesson is about recognizing the advantages that a simple life has to offer. 今天的课程要让大家认识到简单生活能够带来的好处。

And I truly believe that a simple life is about making decisions that result in your ability to spend more time doing the things you enjoy—the activities that bring you happiness and fulfillment. 我深信，简单的生活就是，你做出的决定能够让你有更多的时间做你喜欢做的事，能给你带来幸福感和满足感的事。

Over the years, I have learned that it is the accumulation of things that prevents us from doing what we enjoy. 这些年来，我发现，我们无法做自己喜欢事情的一个原因是我们总是想积累一些东西。

I know this having lived both kinds of lifestyles—one of material affluence⁵ and a simpler, unencumbered life.  这是我对这两种生活方式——物质富足的生活和简单无负担的生活——都有所经历之后得出的结论。

I can tell you with certainty that a simple life is a better life. 我可以肯定地告诉你简单的生活更好。

From the earliest days, my goal was to make enough money so that I could invest wisely, retire early, and have plenty of time to devote to the things that bring me the most joy. 最开始，我的目标是赚足够的钱，这样我就可以明智地做一些投资、早点退休、然后就有足够的时间做我最喜欢做的事。

Ironically, I ended up getting trapped (temporarily) by the very things I purchased to make me happy. 但是讽刺的是，正是我心心念念想要买到的东西最后让我陷入了窘境。

As most people do when they achieve a certain level of financial success, I made a list of things to purchase, including a dream home, new cars and a boat. 和大部分人一样，当我在经济上获得一定的成功之后，我把自己想要买的东西列了一个心愿单，包括梦想之家、新的车子甚至一艘船。

I succumbed⁶ to the false notion that having bigger and better things—jet skis, properties, and yes, even a Harley Davidson motorcycle—would lead to more happiness. 我陷入了一个误区，认为拥有更大更好的东西，比如：摩托艇、房产，对还有哈雷摩托车，就会更幸福。

What I quickly discovered was that when you accumulate more than you need, you pay a much higher price for these things in terms of your time, worry, frustration⁷, and emotional energy. 当我收敛的东西逐渐超出我的需要之时我很快发现我为这些东西付出的代价，包括时间、心力，过于昂贵了。

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