The secrets to happiness

 　　我们一直在寻找，寻找幸福的密码，走上幸福的阶梯，开启幸福的大门。可是，什么是幸福呢？是腰缠万贯？众星捧月？还是平平淡淡才是真？就让我们一起来解读幸福的秘密吧。

　　The secrets to happiness

　　通往幸福的秘密

　　We all know that money can’t buy happiness … but many times we act as if we

　　’d be happier with a bit more money. We are conditioned to want to be rich

　　(when we know the rich aren’t happy either); we are trained to want the

　　latest gadget¹ or style that television tells us to want; we want to earn more

　　money because then we’ll have the good life.

　　我们都知道金钱买不来幸福，但我们都表现出如果我们的钱再多点就会更幸福的样子

　　。我们习惯于想要变的更有钱(当我们知道富人也并不快乐);在电视看到些最新的玩意儿

　　或是最潮的风格，我们也想要赚更多的钱因为那样我们将会拥有更好的生活。

　　But none of that will bring us happiness. No matter how much we earn, no

　　matter how much we have in the bank, no matter how nice our clothing or cars

　　or toys, none of it will make us happier. And the sad thing is that it could

　　take us decades of pursuing wealth and luxury items before we realize this.

　　但那些都不会带给我们幸福。不管我们挣多少钱，不管我们在银行拥有多少存款，不管

　　我们的衣服汽车玩具有多好，它们都不会让我们更快乐。令人难过的是在我们明白这一点

　　之前，它会让我们一直追求财富和奢侈品。

　　So what will bring us happiness? Luckily, it’s three things that don’t

　　cost a thing. These three things have been proven by research — surveys of

　　hundreds of thousands of people about what they have, what their lives are

　　like, and how happy they are.

　　那么，究竟什么能带给我们幸福呢?幸运的是，有三样东西，它们不需要花费其他任何。

　　这三样是被研究证明的——这项研究调查了数以十万的人们，包括他们拥有什么，他们的

　　生活怎么样以及他们有多快乐。

　　Here they are, the Three Secrets to Happiness:

　　那么，下面就是幸福的三个秘密：

　　1. Good relationships. We have a human need to be close, to be intimate,

　　with other human beings. Having good, supportive friendships, a strong

　　marriage or close and loving relationships with our family members will make

　　us much more likely to be happy.

　　Action steps: Take time, today, to spend time with your loved ones, to tell

　　them what they mean to you, to listen to them, and develop your relationship

　　with them.

　　1、良好的关系。我们同他人的亲近、亲密是人类的需求。拥有良好的、支持性的友谊

　　、牢固的婚姻或是同家庭成员紧密有爱的关系会使我们更可能快乐。

　　动作步骤：今天就花时间同你爱的人在一起，告诉他们他们之于你的意义，倾听他们所

　　说的，进一步发展同他们的关系。

　　2. Positive thinking. I’m obviously a big proponent² of positive thinking as

　　the best way to achieve your goals, but it turns out that it can lead to

　　happiness too. Optimism and self-esteem are some of the best indicators³ of

　　people who lead happy lives. Happy people feel empowered, in control of their

　　lives, and have a positive outlook on life.

　　Action steps: Make positive thinking a habit. In fact, this should be one of

　　the first habits you develop. Get into the habit of squashing all negative

　　thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Instead of “I can’t” think

　　“I can”. It may sound corny, but it has worked for me, every time.

　　2、积极的思考。积极思考是达成你目标的最佳方式，我很显然是这一想法的强烈支持者

　　，但同时它也能指引你走向幸福。乐观和自尊是快乐生活的人们的最佳写照。快乐的人们

　　感到充满活力，能够控制他们的生活，同时积极看待生活。

　　动作步骤：把积极思考培养成习惯。事实上，这应该是你首先培养的习惯之一。养成

　　粉碎你的负面想法并用积极的想法替代它们的习惯。用“我能”的想法替代“我不能”。

　　尽管听起来毫无新意，但对我来说每次都很奏效。

　　3. Flow. This is a popular concept on the Internet these days — the state we

　　enter when we are completely focused on the work or task before us. We are so

　　immersed in our task that we lose track of time. Having work and leisure that

　　gets you in this state of flow will almost undoubtedly⁴ lead to happiness.

　　People find greatest enjoyment⁵ not when they’re passively mindless, but when

　　they’re absorbed in a mindful challenge.

　　Action steps: Find work that you’re passionate⁶ about. Seriously — this is

　　an extremely important step. Find hobbies that you’re passionate about. Turn

　　off the TV — this is the opposite of flow — and get outside and do something

　　that truly engages you.

　　3、流动。这是最近网络上一个流行的概念——当我们全神贯注于眼前的工作和任务

　　时我们进入的状态。我们太过沉浸于我们的任务以至于没了时间观念。拥有工作和休闲会

　　让你出于流动的状态，这几乎毫无疑问会让你幸福。当人们被动地没有意识时不会找寻到

　　巨大地愉悦感，这种感觉只有当他们专注于挑战时才能获得。

　　动作步骤：找一份你热爱地工作。这是至关重要地一步。在找一个你有兴趣地爱好。关掉

　　电视机(这是流动的反面)，走到户外，进行些你能够真正参与进去的活动。

　　You’ve been given the Three Secrets to Happiness. Don’t waste them!

　　你已经获得了通往幸福的三个秘密，请不要浪费它们！

1 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

2 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

3 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

4 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

5 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

6 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。