The Personal Evolutionary Process
个人进化过程
As I mentioned before, I believe that life consists of an enormous number of choices that come at us and that each decision we make has consequences, so the quality of our lives depends on the quality of the decisions we make.
就像我之前说的，人生由大量选择构成，我们的每个抉择都有相应的结果，所以生活的质量取决于我们所作抉择的质量。
We aren’t born with the ability to make good decisions; we learn it. We all start off as children with others, typically parents, directing us. But, as we get older, we increasingly make our own choices. We choose what we are going after (i.e., our goals), which influences our directions. For example, if you want to be a doctor, you go to med school; if you want to have a family, you find a mate; and so on. As we move toward our goals, we encounter problems, make mistakes, and run into personal weaknesses. Above all else, how we choose to approach these impediments determines how fast we move toward our goals.
我们不是天生就会做出明智的决策，是通过学习才拥有这种能力的。我们从小跟着大人开始生活，尤其是父母，他们指导我们做决定，但日渐长大后我们就要靠自己来选择了。我们选择追寻什么样的目标，这影响着我们成长的方向。例如，你想成为一名医生，就会攻读医学院校，你想组建家庭，就会先找到伴侣，诸如此类。实现目标的征途中，我们遇到困难，犯错，发现自 己的缺点。选择何种方式应对这些困难，决定着我们实现梦想的速度。
Of course it is true that people are born with differences in their various innate abilities. However, judgment is primarily learned.
当然，人们各种与生俱来的能力都确实存在差异，但判断力基本是靠学习获得的。
I believe that the way we make our dreams into reality is by constantly engaging with reality in pursuit of our dreams and by using these encounters to learn more about reality itself and how to interact with it inorder to get what we want—and that if we do this with determination, we almost certainly will be successful. In short:
要梦想成真，在追寻的过程中不断在现实里历练，对遇到的问题总结教训，明白如何解决现实中的问题去实现目标——如果我们能下定决心，坚持这样做，成功几乎是可以确定的。简而言之：
Reality + Dreams + Determination = A Successful Life
面对现实+梦想+决心=成功的人生
So what is success? I believe that it is nothing more than getting what you want— and that it is up to you to decide what that is for you. I don’t care whether it’ s being a master of the universe, a couch potato, or anything else—I really don’ t. What is essential is that you are clear about what you want and that you figure out how to get it.
成功是什么？我想那不过就是得到你想要的，而想要什么是自己决定的。不管是想做做宇宙之王，还是宅在沙发里电视，还是别的什么，都无所谓，重要的是清楚自己想要什么，并且知道怎么去实现这个目标。
However, there are a few common things that most people want.
然而，有些东西是大多数人都想要的。
As I mentioned, for most people success is evolving as effectively as possible, i.e., learning about oneself and one’s environment and then changing to improve. Personally, I believe that personal evolution is both the greatest accomplishment and the greatest reward.
我说过，对大多数人来说，成功是一个高效的进化过程，即了解自己和周遭环境、做出改变、 获得提高。我认为实现个人进化，即成长是最伟大的成就，也能获得最丰厚的回报。
Also, for most people happiness is much more determined by how things turn out relative to their expectations rather than the absolute level of their conditions. For example, if a billionaire loses $200 million he will probably be unhappy, while if someone who is worth $10 thousand unexpectedly gets another $2 thousand, he will probably be happy. This basic principle suggests that you can follow one of two paths to happiness:
- have high expectations and strive to exceed them, or
- lower your expectations so that they are at or below your conditions.
Most of us choose the first path, which means that to be happy we have to keep evolving.
同样，对大多数人来说，幸福感取决于同自身期望值的关联度，而非个体条件的绝对水平。例如，一个亿万富翁输了两亿美金，他可能会不开心，但如果另一个身价一万美元的人意外获得了两千美金，那他可就乐开了花。这条基本原则说明，通往幸福之路有两条：
- 期望值高，努力超越；
- 降低期望值，符合或低于自身条件。
大家一般都会选第一条路，也意味着想幸福，就得不断成长。
Another principle to keep in mind is that people need meaningful work and meaningful relationships in order to be fulfilled. I have observed this to be true for virtually everyone, and I know that it’s true for me.
另一条要牢记的原则是，充实的生活需要从事有意义的工作，需要跟值得打交道的人建立人脉。我发现这几乎是适用于每个人的一条真理，当然，对我更是如此。
As Freud put it, “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.”
弗洛伊德说过：爱情和做工是我们人性的基石。
The work doesn’t necessarily have to be a job, though I believe it’s generally better if it is a job. It can be any kind of long-term challenge that leads to personal improvement. As you might have guessed, I believe that the need to have meaningful work is connected to man’s innate desire to improve. And relationships are the natural connections to others that make us relevant to society.
做工不一定是一份职业，当然我觉得最好是一份职业。只要是一项长期挑战，可以提升自我， 就能称作是做工。我认为必须从事有意义的工作，因为想要提升自己是人类与生俱来的欲望， 所以我们在社会中才会自然而然和他人建立关系。
Regardless of others’ principles, you will need to decide for yourself what you want and go after it in the best way for you.
别的原则暂且不谈，首先你得决定自己想要追寻的是什么，并通过最适合自己的方式实现它。
原创文章，作者：创业百花谷，如若转载，请注明出处：https://www.liuwanlan.com/tools/1079
