【励志】我希望自己20年前就能明白的5件事

5 Things I Wish I'd Known 20 Years Ago

1) BE YOURSELF

Take some time off, and think about who you are and what you really want to do with your life.Honor what your heart tells you, who you truly are, and what you dream of, no matter what anyone else says.

2) "LOVE" YOURSELF IN WAYS YOU WON'T REGRET

Learn to take deep care of yourself. If you're overweight, a double fudge sundae （奶油巧克力圣代）when you "deserve" it is not a gift to your body - it takes you farther away from your goals and dreams. If treating yourself through a spending spree(n.放肆，狂欢) on your credit card pushes you more into debt, it's not doing you any favors and you'll likely regret it later.

Think hard about what really nurtures you and moves you towards your goals, instead of focusing on what feels good in the moment (that you might regret later).That's loving yourself.

3) LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

When you get sick your body is trying to tell you something. Maybe you need to start saying no to something, or someone. Maybe you're going down the wrong path. Maybe you just need some down time（故障中断事件）, or a break, or need to play more. Stop and ask yourself, when your body acts up(出现故障) and gets your attention. You will have the answer.

4) WHEN YOU ARE RIGHT WITH YOURSELF, MR. (OR MISS) RIGHT WILL SHOW UP

It wasn't until a few years ago that I finally realized the great ironic(adj.讽刺的) truth: I would not get a relationship to work, and my life wouldn't work, until I stopped focusing on finding Mr. Right and focused on doing what needed doing in my own life, instead. When you stop looking outside for fulfillment, that's when the real magic starts to happen. Usually, that's when the guy will finally show up or come around.

5) ACTIVELY CREATE YOUR LIFE, DON'T LET IT JUST HAPPEN TO YOU

So many of us pick a safe but unfulfilling(adj.未满足的) career, crash and watch mindless TV when we get home from work, see an entertaining movie on the weekends, take a week or two of vacation a year, and on it goes. The years start to just blend into each other.

My life became what it is today when I started to play more, indulged my creative side and took risks by following where my heart led me. Who would you be if you played a little more, did something wildly creative, or took a few more risks with your life?

参考翻译：

1）做自己

抽点时间出来，想想你是谁，想想你真正想为自己的人生做些什么。倾听你内心所述，了解真实的自我，拾起你的梦想，不要去管别人说什么。

2）用你不会后悔的方式爱自己

学会精心照料自己。如果你超重了，你理所应当应该得到的那份双层奶油巧克力圣代对你的身体来说并不是什么好礼物——它让你远离你的目标和梦想。如果你纵容自己拿着信用卡挥霍无度，会让你背上更沉重的债务。这对于你来说没有什么好处，你之后很有可能会后悔。

认真想一想对你真正有所促进的东西是什么，什么能令你靠近目标，而不是关注于一时之快（随后可能后悔）。这就是爱自己。

3）倾听你的身体

你不舒服的时候你的身体是想要告诉你一些事情。也许你需要开始对某事或某人说不了。也许是你用错了方法。也许你需要停下来歇一会儿，或者需要多玩一些。当你的身体感到不适引起你的注意时，停下来问一下自己吧。你会得到答案。

4）当你对自己好的时候，你的真命天子就会出现

直到若干年以前我才最终意识到这个充满讽刺意味的事实：除非我停止把注意力集中在寻找白马王子上，并关注于那些我自己需要做的事情，我是找不到一段有进展的关系的，我的生活也不会运转顺畅。当你停止在外寻找满足感时，就是真正神奇时刻来临之时。通常，这时候你的真命天子将会出现或者正在到来。

5）积极创造你的人生，不要坐等它降临到你身上

我们当中有太多的人选择了安全但没有成就感的职业，下班回家后就自甘堕落，观看没有思想的电视，周末看看娱乐电影，每年花一两周时间去度度假。 年复一年，周而复始。

当我开始玩得更多，沉湎于我创造性的一面，肆意发挥并追随我的内心去冒险的时候，我的生活开始变得像今天这样(精彩)。如果你发挥得更多，做一些疯狂的有创造性的事情或者对你的生活冒一点点的险，你将会成为谁？