献给20几岁正在迷茫的人

 　　1.If you can make a reasonable living doing what you love, DO WHAT YOU LOVE. You may not get rich, but you’ll get to do what you love, and that’s priceless。如果你能以你喜欢做的事为职业，尽情投身其中吧。你可能不会赚很多钱，但做你想做的事是无价的。

　　2.Don’t merely exist… LIVE. Do not become overly comfortable with TV and YouTube as your primary sources of entertainment. Go places. Try new things. Follow your curiosities and passions. Take chances. Don’t let fear and complacency stop you from a truly rewarding life. 不要只是生存在这个世界上——要努力生活。别把电视和YouTube当成主要的娱乐项目。去旅游、尝试新事物、追随你的好奇心和激情、冒险。别让惧怕和自满阻碍了你本该精彩无限的人生。

　　3.The biggest disappointments in life are the result of misplaced expectations. Tempering unrealistic expectations of how something ‘should be’ will greatly reduce unnecessary frustration¹。人生最大的失望是抱有不该有的期待。减少理所当然的期望会大大减少不必要的沮丧。

　　4.Life is significantly easier when you’re honest with yourself and others. This doesn’t mean you should be rude and inconsiderate, but it’s better to be upfront when you have to rather than concealing² things and letting them fester。当你诚恳对己对人时，生活会更简单。这并不表示你要表现粗鲁、考虑不周，但当不得不面对时，把事情烂在心里还不如坦诚相待。

　　5.Buy fewer things. When you feel the need to splurge, buy knowledge and EXPERIENCES instead。少买东西。当你想挥霍时，那就”买“知识和经验吧。

　　6.Set up a safety fund. Yes, I know the savings³ account interest rates are insanely low right now, but having at least six months of expenses in readily accessible cash can save you a lot of hassle on a rainy day。建一个安全金账户。我知道现在储蓄利率非常低，但是至少六个月可随时取出开销的现金可以帮你在急用时省去很多麻烦。

　　7.Loan money to friends and family judiciously⁴. 借钱给朋友和家人时要慎重。

　　8.Everything in moderation. Don’t be a slave to any substance, especially food。无论何事都要把握”度”。不要变成任何事的奴隶，尤其是食物。

　　9.Avoid fatty, sugary foods. Eat your vegetables. Stick to a healthy balanced diet。少吃油腻、糖分高的食物，多吃蔬菜。保持健康的饮食习惯。

　　10.Staying in shape is simpler than most people make it. Body fat is dictated⁵ by what you eat and your activity. In most cases, if you’re overweight you’re eating too much and/or not exercising enough. 保持身形其实很容易。脂肪来自你的饮食和活动习惯。在很多情况下，发胖是因为你吃太多和/或锻炼不够。

　　11.Drama is never worth putting up with. If someone over age eighteen can’t be a reasonable, reliable adult on a regular basis, avoid this person。戏剧化不值得推崇。如果某些超过18岁的人不是通情达理、可以信赖的成年人，那还是离他远些吧。

　　12.Always do what you feel in your heart is right。事随心动。

　　13.Read more. And not just blogs。多阅读。不只是看博客。

　　14.Invest time and energy in yourself every day. When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory⁶ of your life. You are simply the product of what you know. The more time and energy you spend acquiring pertinent⁷ knowledge, the more control you have over your life。花时间和精力打造自己。投资自己永远不会有损失，而且经年累月你的人生轨迹就会改变。你是自己所知所想的产物。你花更多的时间学习相关知识，就更能掌控自己人生。

　　15.Learn some basic, modern survivability skills – how to change a tire, jumpstart a car, safely bust⁸ a car window if you’re stuck, render first aid, etc。学习基本的、现实的求生技能——怎么换轮胎、怎么发动汽车、当被困车内时怎么破窗以及急救方法等等。

　　16.Help your fellow neighbor. The whole “what goes around comes around” concept is the truth. You may be on top of the world right now – feeling untouchable. You may have all the tools at your disposal to do and say whatever you want. But life is a circle that eventually comes back around. So be polite, be courteous⁹, and at least dream that civilization can be civil. 帮助你周围的人。“十年风水轮流转”这句话是很有道理的。你可能正高处不胜寒般站在世界之巅，做一切想做的事，毫无顾忌的发表言论。但是生活是个圈，你总会有落到低谷的时候。所以礼貌些、谦恭些，至少相信社会是文明的。

　　17.You actually die twice in this world. Once when you stop breathing, and a second time several years later when somebody says your name for the last time. So do things that matter; leave a legacy¹⁰. Time is running out。你实际上会“死亡”两次。一次是心跳停止时，另一次是若干年后你的名字被最后一次提起时。所以做有意义的事吧，留下宝贵的遗产，时间已经不多。

1 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

2 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

3 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

4 judiciously   

adv.明断地，明智而审慎地

参考例句：

• Let's use these intelligence tests judiciously. 让我们好好利用这些智力测试题吧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His ideas were quaint and fantastic. She brought him judiciously to earth. 他的看法荒廖古怪，她颇有见识地劝他面对现实。 来自辞典例句

5 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

7 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

8 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

9 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。