英语美文：选择向左，还是向右？

 Life from seven coup¹生活中取长补短的七大妙招

  Alternative Wisdom: 7 Ways to Zig When Everyone Else is Zagging

      二选一的智慧：众人取长，吾短求之，献上七个建议

      The world is whizzing by and your head's spinning.

      世界变化莫测，你的脑袋也得滴溜溜的转得快点。

      Change isn't just constant. It's freaking relentless². The information flow's a gusher³. The order of the day? Chaos⁴. Let's see. What was that plan you made to stay sane⁵?

      改变不是固定的模式，这非常残忍。信息量泛滥成灾。秩序在哪里？到处是一片混乱。让我们看看，如何在这种环境下保持清醒。

      You could just join the nearest crowd or take your place in the longest line. After all, there's safety and comfort in numbers.

      你可以选择就近扎堆，或者是在最长的队伍里找到自己的位置。毕竟数字让人觉得有安全感和比较舒服。

      But here's something to consider. One cool way to cut through the madness is to forge your own trail. Cutting left when everyone's heading right can be a great adventure. Alternative wisdom is the backbone⁶ of every great breakthrough.

      但是这里还要考虑的一些东西，一种打破混乱的局面，开辟自己的轨迹的最佳方法。当大家选择向右转谓之“取长”时，左进往往是通往西天取经之险径。二选一的智慧有助于让你成为每一次巨大成就的中流砥柱。

      Think Einstein. Think Curie. Think Picasso. Think.

      成功的例子有爱因斯坦，居里夫人，毕加索，还有……

      Ready to move in your own new direction? Here are:

      准备好进入自己全新的领域吗？这就是：

      7 Ways to Zig When Everyone Else is Zagging 取长补短的七大妙招：

      1. Steady your pace when everyone else is accelerating. 大家冲锋陷阵的时候，你选择步步为营

      Faster, faster. It's the call of the modern age. We have the need for speed, or so we think.

      快点，再快点，现代化呼唤我们加快步伐。我们需要速度，也因此而思考。

      But while you're pushing the pedal to the metal just to keep up with the Joneses, ask where everybody's going and why they're in such a hurry.

      当你马不停蹄，只为跟上大队伍的时候，问问大家都去哪，为什么那么匆忙？

      A lot of people got behind the wheels of some pretty dumb loans and drove them down the drag strip towards ridiculous homes they couldn't afford. Everyone was high on the exhaust fumes⁷, until they crashed and burned. The winners, much to our dismay, are the ones who took the slow road, saved their money, and lived within their means. Hmm. Interesting.

      许多人傻呼呼的去贷款而栽跟头，莫名其妙的就被拉到房奴的行列。每个人都像热锅上的蚂蚁一样，焦虑万分，精疲力竭，粉身碎骨，直到崩溃。最后没有惊喜，胜利永远属于选择路漫漫的节省族，他们往往量入为出。恩，这很有趣。

      It's an old saying, but it's still true. Slow and steady wins the race. Find your pace and know where you're headed. It's better than getting nowhere fast.

      坚持就是胜利，这句古话还是很有道理。找到自己的步伐，知道你要去哪里。总比盲目乱飞的苍蝇强。

    2. Follow your instincts when everyone else is following trends. 大家顺应潮流的时候，凭自己的直觉做事。

      When I was in college, I made a dumb move. I tried to be practical. Turns out, I suck at it.

      我在大学的时候，做了一个让我沮丧的举动。我尝试选择了比较实践的，结果却适得其反。

      I read the career guide magazines, the ones that blathered on about the hottest industries and the top ten careers for anyone with a brain. Those magazines left out a few things like interests, passion, and strengths. Following their advice, I ended up banging my head against the work for the next two decades.

      我当时翻阅了职业规划杂志，一些报道对最热门的行业瞎编乱造，什么有脑之人必选的十大职业。这些杂志压根没有提到一些东西，例如兴趣，激情和强度。采取他们的建议，我在接下来的20年为了工作，跟人竞争得头破血流，

      Those years are gone, but I still have today and so do you. If the hot trends leave you cold, follow the trend from within. It's the surest way to a path that keeps you warm.

      那些日子算是过去了，最起码我还和你一样捱到今天。涉水而行，何不顺流而上？顺水推舟是让你事倍功半的方法。

       3. Work on mastering the pieces when everyone else is working on a masterpiece. 大家都在为了成为大师而努力的时候，先掌握真功夫。

      Everyone wants to be a master, but mastery takes practice and that just bores some folks to tears.

      每个人都想成为大师，大师们都是从反复练习扎马步开始的，一些人也因为枯燥无味而泪如雨下。

      Some want to write the great American novel, but won't take the time to craft a great sentence. Others dream of being millionaires, but would never dream of doing all the stuff that millionaires do.

      有些人想成为美国小说巨匠，却不肯花费时间去琢磨字句。还有些人梦想成为百万富翁，却吝啬于和百万富翁一样付出努力。

      While everyone else has their eyes on the prize, focus your sights on the hundred and one steps it takes to win it, and master them one at a time. You'll need to learn to draw a straight line before you can paint the Mona Lisa.

      大家都盯着奖杯的时候，你应该看到迈向成功的101个台阶，一个萝卜一个坑。在你可以画蒙娜丽沙以前，最起码你应该学会画直线吧。

      4. Speak softly when everyone else is shouting.  大家吵得声嘶力竭的时候，轻声细语保持实力。

      When every thing's printed in bold red letters, a message written in small italics stands out. When everyone is clamoring for attention, you can't help but notice the quiet and the calm.

      在通篇红色粗宋体的印刷作品里，用小隶手写的信息最抢眼不过了。当大家吵闹喧嚷，为了引人瞩目时，你无可奈何，反而留意到安静一隅。

      Do what it takes to build a quiet brand of confidence and people will take notice. In the midst of all that noise, some peace and sensibility is precisely⁸ what people will be looking for.

      自信满满而显得平静稳重，更容易引起关注。嘈杂中的平静，更让人向往。

       5. Decide who you're going to be when everyone eles is deciding what to do next. 大家都在决定下一步的时候，想想你应该和谁一起。

      A whole lot of people are looking for instructions, a set of blue prints, for the seven steps to everything.

      一个团队里当大部分人都在等待指令，囊括所有并列明ABCD的一套蓝图。

      Have you looked at the self-help section of your local book store? Looks like everybody's got some secrets and they're selling them for 19.95.

      去过你居住地书店的自己取阅柜吧？看起来每个人都得到一些秘密，代价只需要19.95美元。

      Few, however, take the time to ask, “Who am I?” or “Who do I want to be?”  Figure that out, and the doing comes natural.  It's like you have an inner filter. You know what works and what mucks things up. You know what to let in and what to keep out. You know what to do and what not to do.

      然而只有很少人静下来问自己，“我是谁？”或者“我想成为谁？”找到答案后，就会自然而然的去实现它。就像你有一个内置的过滤器。你会给它们分离出来，有效的和杂乱的，精华和糟粕，该做的和不该做的。

      While others are looking for the secrets of success, take the time to define what success actually means to you. Achieving it will be less of a mystery.

       当大家都在寻求成功的诀窍的时候，花点时间给自己定义成功于吾何意？获得成功就不会虚无缥缈。

       6. Seek to build relationships when everyone else is seeking to build a fortune. 大家都在创造财富的时候，建立一些关系。

      If you really want to feel rich, accept all forms of payment. When it comes to happiness, studies show that beyond a certain point, money's just added padding.

      如果你真的只是想变得富有，只要接受各种付款就可以了。但是研究表明如果你想得到幸福，拥有财富这一点是远远不够的，钞票只是填充物。

      Love is the real gold standard. Connection, interaction, contribution, and intimacy⁹, believe it or not, are better than a three car garage and a big screen TV.

      爱是真金无价。不管你信不信，经常联络，真心交流，无私奉献和亲密无间带给你的满足感，胜过拥有三个车库和一个大屏幕的电视。

      While the others are counting their assets, be one to the people around you. You'll get a greater return on investment.

      当其他人在数财产的时候，做一个和身边的人一起的人。你会得到更大的回报。

       7. Focus on being purposeful while everyone else is focusing on being productive. 当大家为别人而努力时，你应该为自己而活。

      It's great to be productive if your productivity has a purpose, but a lot of people are burning their way through to-do lists like it's an Olympic sport and they're going for the gold.

      有目的的去做一件事是很棒的，但是很多人为了准备要多什么的清单而精疲力竭，就像是为了取得奥运会金牌一样。

      “Look at all the things I got done!” they shout, “Now, what was the mission?”  But if you've steadied your pace and followed your instincts, practiced the pieces and built that quiet brand of confidence, know precisely who you are and use that knowledge to be an asset to the people you meet, you'll know what your mission is.

      “看我取得的成就！”他们嚷道，“接下来什么任务？”但是如果你坚定信念，跟随自己的想法，做好每个细节部分，树立坚强意志，知道自己是谁并用自己的知识成为你想做的人，你就会知道你的任务是什么。 

      Better than a list of things you've done, you'll have a list of reasons for why you do anything and you can use that to guide you.

      清单上显示需要完成的任务，不如列明你做任何事情的原因，并指引你前进。

      So, What Will It Be?

      所以，会变得怎样呢？

      Are you gonna zag, or are you gonna zig?

      你要选择向左转，还是向右转？

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

3 gusher   

n.喷油井

参考例句：

• We endeavour to avoid the old,romantic idea of a gusher.我们力图避免那种有关喷油井的陈旧的、不切实际的计划。
• The oil rushes up the tube and spouts up as a gusher.石油会沿着钢管上涌，如同自喷井那样喷射出来。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

6 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

7 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

8 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

9 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。