怎样充分利用新年的开始？

 　　"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." --- BuddhaWe're several days into the New Year, and many of us are still basking¹ in the glow of a fresh start.

　　Every new year brings renewed optimism for change, for a better life, for a better you. And that's a wonderful thing.

　　It's wonderful, because this fresh start gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. It allows us to reinvigorate ourselves, to shed the baggage of the previous year and do anything. Anything is possible!

　　That is a gift, my friends, and I suggest we make the most of this gift. Not just by creating and sticking to resolutions (here's my guide for doing that), but by reinventing the way we live.

　　Here's how.

　　1. Let go.  

Many times we are held back by the tangled² web of previous failures, commitments, emotions, barriers. We cannot change careers because we're used to what we're doing and it's too hard to change. We cannot find time to get healthy and fit because we have all these other things to do. We cannot find time for our loved ones because we have too many commitments.

　　This is all old baggage. A fresh start demands a clean slate³. Let everything from the past go (easier said than done, I know). Clear your plate and your palate.

　　Let go of attachments⁴ to what you've been doing for the past year, or years. Let go of failures. Let go of fears you've built up. Let go of reluctance⁵. Let go of your ideas about what your life has to be like, because that's the way it's evolved so far. Let go of long-held beliefs and habits.

　　You have a fresh start. Let go of last year, and start anew.

　　2. Decide what matters most today.

　　Forget about your goals for all of this year. Instead, decide: what do you want to do today?

　　What matters most to you, to your life? What are you most passionate⁶ about, right now? What excites and invigorates you? What would give you the most fulfillment?

　　Often the answer is in creating something, making something new, helping⁷ other people, becoming a better person, working on a project that will be an accomplishment⁸ to be proud of. But whatever your answer, have it clear in your mind at the beginning of the day.

　　This might be something you work on all year, or it might just last a month, or it might last a week or a few days, or just today. It doesn't matter. What matters is today — that you're going to work on this with all your heart, today. Tomorrow … we'll decide on that tomorrow.

　　3. Clear away distractions⁹ and focus.

　　Clear away email and Facebook and Twitter and your favorite blogs and news websites and social forums¹⁰, clear away the iPhone or Blackberry or Android or cell phone, clear away all the little nagging¹¹ work and chores and errands that pull at your attention, clear away the clutter¹² that surrounds you (sweep it off to the side to deal with later).

　　In fact, if you can, shut off the Internet for a while. You can come back to it when you take a break.

　　Now, find focus. Even if only for 15 or 20 minutes at first, but preferably for 30-60 minutes. You can take a break and check your email or whatever after you've focused. Focus on the thing that matters most. Do it for as long as you can, until you're done if possible. Feel free to take breaks, but always return to your focus.

　　When you're done, focus on the next thing that matters most, and so on.

　　4. Find happiness now.

　　Don't look at happiness as something that will come when you're done with this goal, or when you've attained¹³ a certain accomplishment or certain amount of wealth or material goods. Don't look at happiness as a destination, something that you'll get later.

　　Happiness is possible right now. Always remember that. When you push it back until later, it'll never come. When you learn to be happy now, it'll always be here.

　　When you're doing whatever you're passionate about, whatever matters most, whatever you decide is worthy¹⁴ of your time and heart and focus … be happy! You're doing what you love. And that is truly a gift.

　　5. Reinvent yourself, every day.

　　Every day, you are reborn. Reinvent yourself and your life, every day. Do what matters most to you, that day.

　　It might be the same thing that mattered most yesterday, or it might not be. That isn't important. What's important is today — right now. Be passionate, be happy, right now.

　　You'll have a fresh start every single day — not just on January 1. And that, my friends, is the best thing ever.

1 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

3 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

4 attachments   

n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物

参考例句：

• The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
• It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。

5 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

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。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

9 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

11 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

13 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

14 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。