双语：30岁弄明白的30个道理

 　　Marc刚过完他的30岁生日，并分享了他近几年刚刚明白的30个道理。

　　These are simple lessons about life in general that he picked up while traveling, living in different cities, working for different companies (and himself)， and meeting remarkable¹ and unusual people everywhere in between。

　　这些简单的人生经验之谈，都是他从旅行中，从不同城市、不同公司的生活和工作经历中，从与世界各地优秀人物的交往中拾取的。

　　1. There comes a point in life when you get tired of chasing everyone and trying to fix everything,   but it's not giving up. It's realizing you don't need certain people and things and the drama they bring。

　　2. If a person wants to be a part of your life they will make an obvious effort to do so. Don't bother reserving a space in your heart for people who do not make an effort to stay。

　　3. If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down – which is not always as obvious and easy as it sounds。

　　4. Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing。

　　5. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You don't fail by falling down. You fail by never getting back up. Sometimes you just have to forget how you feel, remember what you deserve, and keep pushing forward。

　　6. When you get to know people with different ethnic² backgrounds, from different cities and countries, who live at various socioeconomic levels, you begin to realize that everyone basically wants the same things. They want validation³, love, happiness, fulfillment and hopes for a better future. The way they pursue these desires is where things branch off, but the fundamentals are the same. You can relate to almost everyone everywhere if you look past the superficial facades⁴ that divide us。

　　7. The more things you own, the more your things own you. Less truly gives you more freedom. Read The Joy of Less。

　　8. While you're busy looking for the perfect person, you'll probably miss the imperfect person who could make you perfectly⁵ happy. This is as true for friendships as it is for intimate relationships. Finding a companion or a friend isn't about trying to transform yourself into the perfect image of what you think they want. It's about being exactly who you are and then finding someone who appreciates that。

　　9. Relationships must be chosen wisely. It's better to be alone than to be in bad company. There's no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason。

　　10. Making a thousand friends is not a miracle. A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you。

　　11. Someone will always be better looking. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be more charismatic. But they will never be you – with your exact ideas, knowledge and skills。

　　12. Making progress involves risk. Period. You can't make it to second base with your foot on first。

　　13. Every morning you are faced with two choices: You can aimlessly stumble through the day not knowing what's going to happen and simply react to events at a moment's notice, or you can go through the day directing your own life and making your own decisions and destiny. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People。

　　14. Everyone makes mistakes. If you can't forgive others, don't expect others to forgive you. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you。

　　15. It's okay to fall apart for a little while. You don't always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn't be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it's healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again。

　　16. We sometimes do things that are permanently⁶ foolish just because we are temporarily upset. A lot of heartache can be avoided if you learn to control your emotions。

　　17. Someone else doesn't have to be wrong for you to be right. There are many roads to what's right. You cannot judge others by your own past. They are living a different life than you. What might be good for one person may not be good for another. What might be bad for one person might change another person's life for the better. You have to allow people to make their own mistakes and their own decisions。

　　18. Nobody is perfect, and nobody deserves to be perfect. Nobody has it easy. You never know what people are going through. Every one of us has issues. So don't belittle⁷ yourself or anyone else. Everybody is fighting their own unique war。

　　19. A smile doesn't always mean a person is happy. Sometimes it simply means they are strong enough to face their problems。

　　20. The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation. And oftentimes they are also the cause of happiness in others – me in particular。

　　21. You can't take things too personally. Rarely do people do things because of you. They do things because of them。

　　22. Feelings change, people change, and time keeps rolling. You can hold on to past mistakes or you can create your own happiness. A smile is a choice, not a miracle. True happiness comes from within. Don't make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along and make you happy。

　　23. It's much harder to change the length of your life than it is to change the depth of it。

　　24. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did。

　　25. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you。

　　26. One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that's trying to make you like everyone else。

　　27. Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. Read The Book of Awesome⁸。

　　28. Anyone can make a difference. Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world。

　　29. Everything is a life lesson. Everyone you meet, everything you encounter, etc. They're all part of the learning experience we call 'life.' Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don't go your way. If you don't get a job that you wanted or a relationship doesn't work, it only means something better is out there waiting. And the lesson you just learned is the first step towards it。

　　30. Regardless of how filthy⁹ your past has been, your future is still spotless. Don't start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every day is a fresh start. Each day is a new beginning. Every morning we wake up is the first day of the rest of our life。

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 validation   

n.确认

参考例句：

• If the countdown timer ever hits zero, do your validation processing. 处理这种情况的方法是在输入的同时使用递减计时器，每次击键重新计时。如果递减计时器变为零，就开始验证。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Although the validation control is a very widespread idiom, most such controls can be improved. 虽然确认控件是非常广泛的习惯用法，但还有很多有待改进的地方。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 facades   

n.（房屋的）正面( facade的名词复数 )；假象，外观

参考例句：

• Terraces of asphalt are placed by the building's south and west facades. 沥青露台位于建筑的南面和西面。 来自互联网
• Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. 保存历史建筑或是保持它们普通的正面增长。 来自互联网

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

7 belittle   

v.轻视，小看，贬低

参考例句：

• Do not belittle what he has achieved.不能小看他取得的成绩。
• When you belittle others,you are actually the one who appears small.当你轻视他人时， 真正渺小的其实是你自己。

8 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

9 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。