丹尼爾·斯科特/文　張成偉/譯

I began my professional career as an estate-planning attorney， who worked with the super wealthy and helped them plan for their death while avoiding paying as many taxes as possible. Death and taxes are famously said to be the only two certainties in life.

我的職業(yè)生涯始于遺產規(guī)劃律師，我為超級富豪工作，幫助他們準備身后事，盡可能避免繳納稅款。眾所周知，死亡和納稅是人生中唯二無法避免的大事。

Funny， because I believe that life and purpose are equally as inevitable.

我覺得這個說法很好笑，因為我認為人生和目標同樣不可回避。

While many believe that money and death are two taboo subjects that families do not like to discuss， even more taboo in my experience are conversations about the meaning of life or one’s life purpose. I cannot think of anything more important than finding one’s life purpose. I believe in its importance so much that I traded in my estate-planning hat1 some years ago to build a business that helps individuals discover their life purpose and design a life that ensures its fulfillment. I have spent most of my life and professional career pondering this very issue and asking the question： What does life purpose mean and， more importantly， how does one find and fulfill it？

雖然許多人認為金錢和死亡是家人間不喜歡討論的兩個禁忌話題，但根據我的經驗，更忌諱的是談論人生的意義或人生的目標。我想不出比找到人生目標更重要的事了。我對它的重要性深信不疑，以至于幾年前我放棄了遺產規(guī)劃師的工作，轉而成立一家公司，幫助人們找到他們的人生目標，并規(guī)劃一種確保目標實現的人生。在我人生以及職業(yè)生涯的大部分時間里，我一直在思考人生目標，也一直在問這樣一個問題：人生目標意味著什么，更重要的是，人們如何找到并實現自己的人生目標？

It has been a long journey getting to this point， and here is what I have learned so far along the way.

為得到答案，我已經歷一段漫長的旅程。以下是我在途中學到的秘訣。

1. Your life purpose is bigger than any solvable problem or circumstance.

1. 人生目標比任何可以解決的問題或客觀環(huán)境都宏大。

Your life purpose cannot be solving a particular problem or based on some circumstance that could potentially no longer exist. Otherwise， your purpose could end while you are alive and then your life will no longer have a purpose or meaning. For example， some may believe that finding the cure for cancer is their life purpose. Finding the cure for cancer may embody their life purpose and be a major accomplishment along their journey， but their life purpose is bigger and beyond cancer. The same is true of being a doctor or scientist. Nobody is “born to be” a doctor or scientist， but their life purpose may be fulfilled through that profession， at least for some time. Understanding the difference between your life purpose and opportunities that fulfill your life purpose is important because life circumstances and opportunities will change over time. That does not mean， however， that your purpose ceases to exist.

人生目標不能是解決一個特定的問題，也不能基于某種可能不再存在的情況。否則，你的目標可能會在你有生之年終止，你此后的人生將不再有目標或意義。例如，有些人可能認為找到治愈癌癥的方法是他們的人生目標。找到治愈癌癥的方法可能包含在他們的人生目標中，是他們人生之旅中的一項重大成就，但他們的人生目標更宏大，超越了找到治愈癌癥的方法。成為醫(yī)生或科學家也是如此。沒有人“天生就是”醫(yī)生或科學家，但他們的人生目標可能會通過職業(yè)實現，至少在一段時間內如此。了解人生目標與實現人生目標的機遇之間有何區(qū)別很重要，因為生活環(huán)境和機遇會隨著時間的推移而改變。然而，這并不意味著你的目標不復存在。

2. Your life purpose is a journey， not a destination.

2. 人生目標是一段旅程，而不是一個目的地。

Your life purpose is not something you can define today， nor is it something you will ever fully know or accomplish during your lifetime. Only in hindsight2， once your life has ended， will we have the full picture to be able to look back and say， “This is what that person’s life meant.” If we are unable to know what our life purpose is in advance， however， how do we live in pursuit of fulfilling it？ How do we design our lives and make the best choices that will lead to fulfilling our life purpose？ The answer is that we work with the pieces of the puzzle that we have and follow life’s clues.

人生目標不是你今天就可以定義的，也不是你有生之年能完全了解或實現的。只有在你的生命結束后，我們回顧過去才能了解你完整的人生，才能說出：“這就是他（她）的人生意義?！比欢?，如果我們不能提前知道自己的人生目標，我們又該如何為實現它而生活呢？我們該如何規(guī)劃人生，并作出最好的選擇來實現人生目標？答案是，我們要利用已有的拼圖碎片并遵循人生給出的線索。

3. Play to your strengths.

3. 發(fā)揮長處。

We are not capable of being all things to all people3. You were born with certain natural talents and abilities—use them. Develop your natural talents into skills by studying， exercising and practicing those talents. There is nothing wrong with trying to learn new things， but the likelihood is that you were born with the abilities needed to fulfill your life purpose.

我們不可能做到八面玲瓏。你生來具備某些天賦和能力——利用它們吧。通過學習、鍛煉和實踐，把你的天賦發(fā)展成技能。嘗試學習新事物沒有錯，但很可能你天生就具備實現人生目標所需的能力。

4. Pursue your passions.

4. 追隨激情。

For whatever reason， we all feel passionate about certain things in life. In order to live your life purpose， you must become completely immersed in whatever it is， which means it must be something you are passionate about. Otherwise， you will be damned to doing something that ultimately makes you miserable and resentful， in which case it will be impossible to perform at the highest level. Your purpose cannot be something you will resent or resist doing， which leads to my next point.

無論出于何種原因，我們都對生活中的某些事物充滿激情。為了實現人生目標，你必須完全沉浸其中，這意味著那必須是你熱愛的東西。否則，你將被迫做一些最終讓你痛苦和怨恨的事情。在這種情形下，你就不可能發(fā)揮出你的最高水平。你的目標不能是你反感或抗拒做的事情，這就引出了下一個秘訣。

5. Do what makes you happy.

5. 做讓你開心的事。

Living your life purpose will undoubtedly bring you joy and a sense of personal fulfillment. Ask a roomful of people what the meaning of life is and most answers will come back to happiness. Positive Psychology—the study of happiness or well-being—ascribes five elements to well-being： positive feelings， engagement， relationships， meaning （or purpose） and accomplishments （commonly referred to by the acronym “PERMA”）. Each of these elements is naturally achieved and increased when you commit to living in pursuit of your life purpose.

實現人生目標無疑會給你帶來快樂和個人成就感。如果問一屋子的人他們人生的意義是什么，大多數人的答案都會歸結到幸福。積極心理學——研究幸福或快樂的一門學科——把幸福歸納為五大要素：積極感受、參與、關系、意義（或目標）和成就（通常用首字母縮寫PERMA來表示）。當你致力于追求自己的人生目標，這五大要素中的每一個都會自然而然地得以實現和提升。

6. Go where you are needed.

6. 去需要你的地方。

Opportunity is the most revealing4 clue to living your life purpose. A purpose， after all， must be served. There is a need for you to fill that you must discover. The opportunities you have in life are how the world tells you where you are needed. The trick is making sure that you choose the opportunities that best align with your talents， skills and passions. Opportunity is tricky because often you must instigate opportunity. In other words， some doors require you to knock （and sometimes more than once） before you realize they are open. Nevertheless， whether that door ultimately opens requires someone letting you in—the final decision of which is always beyond your control.

機會是實現人生目標最具啟示性的線索。畢竟，目標必須實現。你必須找到需要你去滿足的需求。你在生活中擁有的機會就是世界在告訴你哪里需要你。訣竅是確保你選擇的機會最符合你的才能、技能和喜好。機會是讓人捉摸不定的，因為你往往必須主動創(chuàng)造機會。換句話說，有些門需要你主動去敲（有時不止敲一次），然后你才能意識到門開了。然而，那扇門最終是否會打開，取決于是否有人讓你進去——最終決定總是在你的控制范圍之外。

7. Focus on what you can control.

7.專注于可以掌控的事情。

If there is one lesson I have lived repeatedly in my life， it is that there is only one thing you can control： yourself. No matter how hard you try， no matter how much your actions may be based on intended or expected outcomes， you absolutely cannot control the results of your actions. All that we can do in life is put forth our best efforts. That means cultivating your mind， body and spirit to achieve your greatest potential and always acting with the best of intentions. The path to living your purpose is paved with good intentions and continual self-improvement.

如果說一條我在生活中屢屢感悟的經驗，那就是你能掌控的只有你自己。無論你多么努力，無論你的行動在多大程度上基于預期的結果，你都絕對無法控制行動的結果。我們在生活中能做的就是盡自己最大的努力。這意味著提升你的思想、身體和精神，以發(fā)揮你最大的潛力，并始終以最強烈的意愿行事。實現目標的道路由良好的意愿和不斷的自我完善鋪就。

8. Embrace your creativity.

8. 擁抱你的創(chuàng)造力。

We are all capable of producing something that is both original and of value to the world. Those two components—originality and value—make up the definition of creativity. I am not talking about being artistic， which is one form of creativity. I am talking about tapping into5 the unique lens through which you view the world and the value your perspective can add. Of course， when you focus on cultivating your talents and immerse yourself in what you are passionate about， creativity comes easily.

我們都有能力創(chuàng)造出既有獨創(chuàng)性又對世界有價值的東西。這兩個組成部分——獨創(chuàng)性和價值——構成了創(chuàng)造力的定義。我不是在談論藝術，雖然藝術確實是創(chuàng)造力的一種形式。我說的是利用你看待世界的獨特視角，以及你這視角能夠帶來的價值。當然，當你專注于提升自己的才能，沉浸在自己熱愛的事物中時，創(chuàng)造力很容易產生。

9. Listen to your Muse.

9. 傾聽繆斯之聲。

You do not choose your purpose in life any more than you choose your ideas. The creative process has always fascinated me because it feels so unintentional. You do not choose to create something; you are compelled to create something. Whether it is a melody， painting， invention or business idea， the idea just seems to come to you from some magical place that feels equally a part of you as it does separate. It is like looking in a mirror and suddenly your reflection is telling you to say or do something. I call this your Muse because it is your source of inspiration.

你不能選擇人生目標，同樣也不能選擇自己的想法。創(chuàng)作的過程一直讓我著迷，因為感覺非常隨心所欲。你不是選擇創(chuàng)造什么，而是感覺必須創(chuàng)造什么。無論是一首歌、一幅畫、一項發(fā)明，還是一個商業(yè)創(chuàng)意，這個想法似乎是從某個神奇的地方來到你的身邊，它好像既是你的一部分，又獨立于你而存在。就像照鏡子，鏡子里的你突然告訴你要說什么或做什么。我稱之為繆斯女神，因為它是靈感的源泉。

Get to know your Muse. Try to identify what your Muse is saying through you， what it is expressing and stands for. Most importantly， when your Muse speaks， listen. I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to pull the car over to write down an idea that just came to me. These are important moments. Pay very close attention.

你要了解你的繆斯女神。試著去理解繆斯通過你在訴說什么、表達什么、代表什么。最重要的是，當你的繆斯女神說話時，你要傾聽。我說不清有多少次不得不靠邊停車，寫下我剛剛冒出的一個想法。這些都是重要的時刻。一定要多加重視。

（譯者單位：常州信息職業(yè)技術學院）

1 hat職位；角色。

2 hindsight事后的領悟，此處指人們回顧逝者的一生。? 3 be all things to all people〈習語〉使人人高興；八面玲瓏。

4 revealing透露內情的；有啟迪作用的。

5 tap into利用，開發(fā)，挖掘（已有的資源、知識等）。