80岁时你会后悔的7件事：别等到老了再后悔

 　　There are so many things I want to do in the short time I'm here. Some of these things scare me, some will challenge me and others are just plain fun.

　　在我短暂的一生里有许多想做的事。有些令我畏惧，有些却是挑战，还有些就只是为了玩乐罢。

　　Unfortunately, life is very short and the older I get the quicker time seems to pass. I'm quickly realizing that I probably won't fit everything in. So how do I choose? How do I pick which things to go for wholeheartedly and what things to leave to someone else? It comes down to a simple question: "When I'm 80, will I regret___?"遗憾地是，生命实在太短暂，随着年龄的不断增长时间飞逝得越快。我很快意识到在这短暂的时光里不可能将所有想做的事做完。那我如何选择呢？我如何判断哪些事是我该专注去做的，哪些是该交给其他人完成的？这一切可以用一个问题来回答：“当我80岁时，我会因为___后悔吗？”

　　Next time you find yourself struggling over whether or not you're going to do something ask yourself that very question: "Will I regret this decision when I'm 80?" If the answer is no then go ahead with your decision. If it's yes think about how you can make it happen or stick it out until you're done. Live your life to your best capability¹. Here are a few areas that you could try to challenge yourself in.

　　下次你在为某件事纠结的时候，问问自己这个问题：“当我80岁时我会后悔这个决定吗？” 若回答是否定，那就按照你的决定继续下去。若回答是肯定的，请思考如何坚持自己的决定，让其最后实现。充分发挥自己的能力，过好每一天。看看下面这几件事，想一想到了80岁你会后悔吗？

　　1. Work

　　工作

　　Have you ever changed jobs? Have you thought about changing jobs? How about your career? The possibilities are endless when it comes to how you make a living. Maybe you've toyed with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur² and working for yourself. Will you regret not giving it a chance? Or will you regret going for it?

　　你换过工作吗？或者你有过换工作的想法吗？你的职业规划是怎样的？若提到如何赚钱谋生，可能性就太多了。或者你根本没认真思考过做个企业家为自己打工。你会不会后悔没有给自己一个创业的机会？或因为选择了创业而懊恼？

　　2. Food

　　饮食

　　Have you been eating the same food for the past 20 years? Have you always wanted to try something new but haven't got around to it yet? Are too afraid to try it because "Oh I don't like chickpeas". Go out on a limb³ and give it a shot. Get a cookbook full of exotic⁴ recipes and work your way through it. Make a point of going to different types of restaurants when you go out for dinner.

　　在最近20年你是否一直在吃相同的食物？你或许想要尝尝鲜却还是迟迟没有尝试？你会不会因为“我不喜欢鹰嘴豆”这种想法而放弃尝试呢？冒次险试试吧！找本外国食谱自己下厨做菜。记得到不同餐馆吃饭时，多留个心观察它们之间的风格差异。

　　3. Exploration

　　探索

　　Do you spend most of your time in the office only to leave your chair to travel back home again where you sit down, watch TV, and "relax"? Try getting out more. Turn off the TV and get outside. Go on a walk or a hike or a drive. Is there somewhere local that you've never been? Too often we see a lot more of foreign places than we do of our own back yard.

　　你是不是把大部分时间花在办公室，然后离开办公椅到家又坐下看看电视，进行所谓的“放松”？多去外面走走吧！关掉电视走出门去，散散步，徒步旅行或自驾旅行都好。当地是否有些地方你从未涉足过？走出后院，我们将会看到更多未曾见过的景色。

　　4. Risk

　　冒险

　　Like to play it safe? Worried about things going wrong? It's been my experience that everything always works⁵ out. Try something risky⁶ like changing careers or quitting your job and working for yourself. Pick up and move half way around the world and see what it's like in another culture, another country or another hemisphere⁷.

　　更青睐安定的生活？害怕变化？其实据我经验证明，怎么选择生活都可以过得很好。试试冒次险吧：跳槽，辞职，或是自己创业。收拾好心情重新开始，去到世界另一端，拜访不同的国家甚至是另一个半球，体验那里不同的文化风韵。

　　5.Doing something crazy

　　做点疯狂的事

　　Walk home in the rain in your business suit. Join a polar bear club or sing along with a busker in the streets and see what happens. Be a back up dancer at a karaoke bar. There are a lot of crazy things you can do. Keep it clean, be respectful⁸ and I'm sure you'll find you get a burst of energy and excitement from doing it.

　　比如穿着工作服冒着风雨散步回家，参加北极熊俱乐部或是和街头艺人一起唱歌，又会发生什么呢？你还可以做卡拉OK的后备舞者！有太多疯狂的事可做了，请单纯且尊敬地对待这些疯狂举动，我相信你将会从中激发丰富的热情和活力！

　　6.Being nice

　　善待他人

　　Do something nice for someone else out of the blue and just because. Don't expect anything in return. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate food and toys to an animal shelter. Plant an extra row of vegetables in your garden and donate the produce to a charity. We all think we're nice people but actions really do speak louder than words. Think about it.

　　为别人做点好事：帮助那些苦恼的人从困难中走出来，不要期待任何回报。去赈济所作志愿者，为动物收容所捐赠食物和玩具，在你花园里多种植一排蔬菜，将收获的作物送给慈善机构。我们都觉得自己很善良，但最好用实际行动证明吧！考虑下这个提议。

　　7. Quitting something

　　懂得取舍

　　We all know that when we say yes to one thing we are saying no to something else. If that committee you're on isn't providing you a sense of fulfillment or accomplishment⁹ as it once did, quit. Quit the soccer team if it's no longer fun, quit grad school if it's no longer what you want to do. Quitting is usually seen as a negative thing and to be avoided. However, being deliberate¹⁰ and thoughtful¹¹ in what you are resigning from will open a large chunk¹² of time that could be better spent.

　　我们都明白，接受一些东西就意味着拒绝其他很多。若你所做的承诺已经不再像以前般给你成就感，就果断舍弃它。离开不再有趣的足球队，舍弃不是你真正所需的研究生学习。人们一直不愿选择舍弃，感觉那是一种消极负面的举动。但如果一直为本应该舍弃的东西思前想后，就会白白浪费大把可以被更好利用的时间。

　　There are a lot of areas of our lives that unless we really take time to think about them we keep with the status quo. Living life on auto-pilot can be boring and may lead to a life with relatively¹³ few rich experiences. I have made it my mission¹⁴ to live deliberately¹⁵ and with purpose so I can look back with, hopefully, no regrets. So far so good.

　　生活中有许多领域可以改变自我，除非我们真正花时间去思考，否则只能维持现状。被设置了“自动驾驶装置”的生活，将是多么枯燥乏味，它缺少经历去点缀和填充。我给自己的使命就是谨慎有目的地生活，当我回顾往昔时才不会后悔。到目前为止，一切都进展顺利。

 

1 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

2 entrepreneur   

n.企业家，主办人

参考例句：

• The entrepreneur has become a news figure.这位企业家变成了新闻人物。
• The entrepreneur takes business risks in the hope of making a profit.企业家为追求利润而冒险。

3 limb   

n.树枝，四肢，枝干，边缘；vt.切断手足，切断树干

参考例句：

• She sat on a limb of the tree and looked down.她坐在一根大树枝上往下看。
• His refusal to agree left him out on a limb.他拒不表示同意，致使自己处于孤立地位。

4 exotic   

adj.奇异的，异乎寻常的，外（国）来的，外国产

参考例句：

• There are some exotic words in English language.英语中有一些外来词。
• She likes to wear exotic clothes.她喜欢穿奇装异服。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

8 respectful   

adj.恭敬的，对...表示尊敬的

参考例句：

• He is respectful to his elders.他对长辈很尊敬。
• She received guests with a respectful attitude.她恭恭敬敬地接待了客人。

9 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

10 deliberate   

adj.故意的，深思熟虑的；v.仔细考虑

参考例句：

• You should deliberate over the question before you respond to it.回答问题之前你应该慎重考虑。
• His actions were clearly the result of deliberate calculation.他的行动显然是精心策划过的。

11 thoughtful   

adj.思考的，沉思的，体贴的，关心的

参考例句：

• She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
• This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。

12 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

13 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

14 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

15 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。