第1章 做自己想做的人(1)
You Will Be Master Of Yourself
上帝给了鸟儿食物，但他没有将食物扔到它们的巢里。不管你想要去哪里，不管你想要做什么，真正做决定的还是你自己。
如果我回到18岁我会对自己说……
What I'd Tell Myself If I Were 18 Again…
I like to joke that I am who I am today because I did everything wrong in my 20's. I've always been fearless， and it often got me in trou-ble.I wasn't afraid to start a business， borrow a bunch of money， or quit a well-paying job to travel the world.
At the same time， the fact that I took chances (and often failed) g ave me the wisdom that I have today. Lessons learned through failure tend to be much more meaningful than lessons learned otherwise.
Now that I'm in my 30's， life is pretty good. While I haven't learned it all， I feel my head is screwed on straight enough that life is much less stressful.I've come into my own and built the foundation for a secure and prosperous future.
Even though things are going well， I often imagine what it would be like to go back into the past and teach myself what I know now. I know e-nough to be certain that I lost most of my twenties to a struggle with debt and poor decisions.If I had done things differently， maybe I could have been where I am now at age 22.
Could you imagine？Self employed and almost financially indepen-dent at age 22？No… not almost. My expenses were much less back then… I would have been financially free！
I know it doesn't do any good to ask what if. If I had known it all at age 22， I probably would have been a little cocky.Doing things the hard way seasoned my character.I like who I am and I wouldn't change a thing.
But what if…
What I'd Tell Myself at 18？
Sometimes I imagine that I'm in a fishing boat， thousands of milesaway from the life I know， slowly drifting across a lake. As I recline at an uncomfortable angle created by the wood bench and aluminum hull， I glance over at the 18 year-old version of myself and upload my wis-dom to him.
我常开玩笑说，我之所以是现在的我，完全是因为我二十几岁时把一切事情都做错了。那个时候，我什么都不怕，所以经常惹麻烦。我不怕为了创业而借一屁股的债，又或者是辞去高薪的工作只是为了周游世界。
也正因为那时候的我抓住了很多机会（虽然经常以失败告终），才让今天的我学到了许多智慧。相较之下，从失败中吸取的教训比从其他地方学到的东西更加深刻。
现在，我过着幸福的三十岁生活。尽管我还没有掌握到生活的全部，但是我觉得已经足够让自己的生活没有太大的压力。我有自己的生活方式，并且给未来打下了安全、繁荣的基础。
尽管一切都在顺利地进行，我还是经常想象，如果我回到过去并且把我现在学到的东西教给那个时候的我，事情会变成什么样子。我非常清楚，二十几岁的我大部分时间都在和债务以及自己的糟糕决定纠缠。如果我能用另外一种方式去做事，也许在我22岁的时候就能有今天的成就。
你能够想象在22岁的时候就自己当老板并且财政独立吗？不，简直不可想象啊！我那时的花费非常的低，说不定那时我就可以得到财政自由了！
我也知道说“如果……”是没有什么意义的。如果我在22岁的时候就能知道这些了，我可能会变得有些骄傲自大。困难让我成长。我喜欢现在的我，我不打算去改变什么。
但是如果……
如果我回到18岁我会告诉我自己什么呢？
有时候我会想象我在一只渔船上，离真实的生活千里之遥，慢慢地在湖中漂荡。我不太舒服地躺在木凳上，瞥一眼18岁的自己，然后把自己现在的智慧传给他。
Here's what I say：
Don't be so Serious
Relax… You've got your whole life ahead of you. I know it can seem like the most important thing in the world is fighting the good fight， but don't let your life pass you by in the process.There'll be plenty of time for starting businesses， writing books， creating art， and solving the world's problems in your head.
It's impressive that you do those things at such a young age， but life is really about experiences. Above all， it's about sharing experiences with other people.Sometimes when you're all wrapped up in your own head， doing the things that you are determined to do， you miss a chance to con-nect with other people.
So take it easy. Have some fun.Do something crazy.Let loose.Call up some friends and share some great moments together.
Don't Be in Such a Hurry to Grow Up
A funny thing happens as you age：The older you get， the less of a hurry you're in. You'd think it would be the other way around：the less time you have， the more of a hurry you're in；but it's actually quite the opposite.
At 18， it seems like you have to rush everything before you get too old. You think you have to graduate college， get a good job， and get mar-ried before you turn 22， because (for some reason) y ou think 22 is old.
Don't take being young for granted！Being a kid without responsibil-ity is a thing of beauty. I know you don't appreciate it now， but you will when you're my age.
22 is just getting started！In fact， life gets more enjoyable as you age. As you learn more about yourself and the world， it gets easier to enjoy what the world has to offer.
Your 20's are the perfect time to explore the world and experience new things. If you grow up before you turn 22， you'll have missed a perfect opportunity.Experiences at 18 are just not the same as when you're 25.
我会告诉他：
不要太认真
放松点……人生还长着呢。我也知道，似乎世界上最最要紧的事情就是打一个漂亮仗，但是请不要与你的生活擦肩而过。对于你而言，还有大把的时间去创业、写书、创作，去解决那些你考虑的世界问题。
能够在年轻的时候就做出那些成就的确让人印象深刻，可生活的真谛在于经历。最首要的，就是和他人分享那些经历。有时候，当你自己规划好一切，做那些你决心要做的事情，却错失了和他人交流的机会。
所以，要放松点。去享受乐趣，去做一些疯狂的事情，不要把自己绷得太紧。和朋友们一起分享一些美好时光。
不要急着长大
你那个年龄是很奇妙的：你年岁越大，你越少着急。但你也许却有另外一种思路：你有的时间越少，你越着急。可是事实其实是完全相反的。
18岁的时候，看上去你必须要在自己变得太老之前急匆匆地做完一些事情。你认为自己必须要从大学毕业，找个好工作然后在22岁之前结婚，因为（不知道什么原因）你认为22岁已经老了。
不要把年轻看得那么理所当然！做一个不需要负太多责任的小孩是一件很美妙的事情。也许现在的你不太赞同，可当你到了我这个年纪的时候就会明白了。
22岁只是生命的开始。事实上，生活随着时间的流逝变得更有趣。当你对自己和世界了解得越多，就更容易去享受世界所提供的东西。
二十几岁是探索世界、体验新东西的最佳时段。如果你在22岁之前就长大了，你会失去这个最佳机会。18岁的感受绝对不会和25岁的感受一样。
Travel， art， culture， sport， and adventure take on a whole new mean-ing when you have had some experience to build on. As you add layer up-on layer， each experience is more rich than the last.
Choose Experience over Material Possessions
If you are ever faced with the choice of upgrading your lifestyle (an a-partment by yourself， a new car， new clothes， etc.) o r working less so you can experience more；chose the latter.
When I was your age， I thought I needed to have nice stuff so girls would like me. I ended up working so hard to pay for the stuff that I didn爷t have time to meet girls.
Working hard is for grown-ups. Be a kid for as long as you can， even if it means living with a roommate in a crappy apartment and riding your bike around town.
Besides， girls aren't going to like you for awhile anyway.What they really want is a man with a little confidence and life experience under his belt.Working too hard will just delay that process.