8种埋没才能的生活方式，你中了几枪？

小时候，我们学过一篇古文《伤仲永》

讲了一个名叫方仲永的神童

童年时期天资过人

却因为没有注重后天的教育和努力

成年后沦为平庸之辈

这样的故事在生活中也一点都不少见

数不清的聪慧少年在成长过程中埋没了才华

究其原因，多半要怪自己不努力

下面这8种埋没才能的生活方式，你中了几枪？

1

 总是旧事重提，而不着眼当下

Harp on the past 

instead of focusing on the present

有些人总是活在过去的时光里。他们为时过境迁而悲伤，为曾经的辉煌而伤神，为未竟的事业而悔恨。但是，过去已然过去，无论我们用了多久来哀叹，它也不会有任何改变。浪费时间为了过去的事情而郁郁寡欢，会毁掉本来的你。

Some people spend their lives living in the past.  They lament about what has been, what they could have done, and why they didn't do that.  However, the past is the past, and no matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about it, it doesn't change anything.  To spend time moping about what has been is to waste the person you can be.

lament v. 悲叹，悔恨

mope v. 忧郁

2

为琐事发愁，还是着眼大局？

Get caught up in the details 

V.S. the big picture

如果你是一个完美主义者，你会发觉自己经常在处理一些小细节。你会用许多时间在编辑些基本的细节，保证所有的事情都会是完美无暇的，所有的事情都按设想的那样呈现出来。但花费许多时间在细节上，你也并没有最好地利用时间。因为根据80/20原则，80%的结果得益于20%的时间。为了得到最后的20%结果以达到完美的100%，我们必须要耗费80%这么多的努力！着眼大局可以帮助你看清什么更重要，然后你可以根据重要性重新分配精力。

If you're a perfectionist, you might find yourself caught up with perfecting details on a regular basis. you spend a lot of time editing the nitty-gritty, so that everything can be perfect and the way they envision it to be. However, by spending all your time on the details, you are not making the best use of your time.  According to the 80/20 principle, 80% of the results we can achieve comes from 20% of our actions.  In trying to achieve the remaining 20% to get the perfect 100% outcome, we have to spend 80% more effort! By looking at the big picture, it helps you realize what does matter and what doesn't so that you can then channel your energy accordingly.  

perfectionist n. 完美主义者

nitty-gritty n. 基本事实，细节

3

容易被小事所影响

Easily be affected by minor issues 

有些时候我们也许会被一个伤人的言论所影响，或者一个小挫折而阻碍。虽然产生的情绪是正常的，可是在长远来看这些事情通常并不重要。一种去检验这个事情是否值得去想的方法就是问自己：'一年后我还会在意这个事情么？三年后呢？五年后呢？甚至十年后和三十年后呢？'如果答案是否定的话，那这件事就很可能并不值得你的精力去思考这件事情。把注意力集中在那些长远来看很重要的事情上吧。

Sometimes we may be affected by a hurtful comment or discouraged by a small setback.  While these emotions are justified, often times these events are insignificant in the long run.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: 'Will this matter in one year's time?  Three years?  5 years?  10 years?  30  years?'  If not, then it's probably not worth your energy to think about these things.  Concentrate on things that do matter in the long run instead.

setback n. 挫折

concentrate v. 集中注意

4

将你的困境归咎于别人

Blame others for your plight

你有多大可能实现梦想取决于你承担了人生中的多少责任。当你责怪了别的人或者别的东西，你就在否认承担责任。你赋予别人的权利超过了你自己的。譬如，当你责怪你父母导致了你的肥胖，你还会继续这么胖下去，因为你认为他们才是导致肥胖的原因。你永远不会行使自己的权力去改变这个情况直到有一刻你承担了这个责任。当你为你的生命承担起100%的责任，无论是你的事业情况，健康状况，爱情，财务状况，还是友情等等，那一刻你就在着手实现人生梦想了。

The extent to which you can live your dream life depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame someone/something for what you're going through, you deny responsibility.  You give others power over that part of your life.  For example, if you blame your parents for your obesity, you'll continue to remain obese because in your mind they are the reason why you're obese.  You'll never have the power to change the situation until you take responsibility for it.  When you take 100% responsibility for your life, be it your career status, your health, your relationship status, your finances, your friendships, etc, that's when you're set to achieve the life of your dreams.

blame v. 指责，归咎

obesity n. 肥胖

5

爱抱怨

Too much complaint

抱怨一两次去发泄感情当然无可厚非，但是如果总是抱怨会让你成为一个负极磁场。无论何时只要你去抱怨，你就在给宇宙注入能量。你用来抱怨的每一秒钟，都本应是用于创造更美好的生活的。如果你可以为了改善生活而采取的措施，而不是一味地抱怨。这样，你便向你的梦想跨进了一步。

It's okay to complain once in a while as a way to vent, but doing it too often makes you a magnet for negativity.  Whenever you complain, you give your power away to the universe.  For every second you spend complaining, that's one second you could have spent creating the life you want.  Rather than lament, think about the actions you can take to improve your situation instead.  Every time you do, that's one step toward the life you've been dreaming about.

magnet n. 磁铁

negativity n. 消极性，否定性

6

总把不开心藏在心里

Bottle up unhappiness

封锁情绪就好像在设置一个炸弹，它们迟早都会爆炸的。每一次你放进去一些情绪，你的行李就会沉重一些。处理情绪最好的方法，就是无论开心或者不开心，都要把它们公开或者表现在脸上。不要把你的问题藏起来。如果你这样做，就是让自己逃避问题。我找到一个很好的方法去清除感情行李就是练习用大脑去甩掉它们，这样你可以在10-15分钟内去除这些情绪。尝试一下，你马上就会觉得很轻松！

Bottling up your emotions is like creating a bomb that will eventually self-implode.  Every time you bury an emotion, you're weighing yourself down with baggage.  The best way to deal with your emotions, whether happy ones or unhappy ones, is to lay them out on the table and face them.  Don't hide from your problems.  When you do you're just hiding from yourself.  I found a great way to clear emotional baggage is to use the brain dumping exercise, where you dump your emotions in a journal for about 10-15 minutes.  Try it - you'll feel lighter almost immediately.

emotional adj.情绪的

dump v. 倾倒，卸下

7

觉得自己无法做到

Think that you cannot do it

正如亨利福特所言，'无论你觉得你行不行，你都是对的。'世界上没有什么比我们的信念更加强大有力了。这些信念就是我们来聚焦这个世界的镜头。如果我们觉得自己不具备这个能力，那大脑就会找到证据来证明这个想法。如果我们觉得自己有能力达到它，那同样地，我们的大脑也会自动地锁定一些证据来支持这个想法。我们的极限和这个世界、社会、人类或者其他什么东西都无关，只和我们自己的信念有关。有志者，事竟成。没有什么不能做到。

As Henry Ford put it, 'Whether you think you can or think you can't – you are right.'  There is nothing more powerful in the world than our beliefs.  Our beliefs are the lenses we use to see the world.  If we think we don't have the power, then our minds will find the evidence to support that thought.  If we think we have the power to achieve what we want, then similarly, our minds will automatically lock down on all the evidence that supports that thought. Our limitations have little to do with the world, society, people, or anything like that – our limitations have always been within us – our beliefs. As long as there's the will, there's always a way. Nothing is impossible to achieve in this world. 

limitation n. 限制，极限

lens n. 镜头

8

拖延你的目标

Procrastinate on your goals

拖延是埋葬潜能最好的方法。你想让你的目标永远不要被实现么？如果你想，那你就尽情地拖延吧。在我的生活里我从来都没见过一个快乐的拖延者。每一个我认识的爱拖延的人都背负着一个沉重的包袱。因为延缓了追逐目标的脚步，减慢了实现梦想的速度。所以不要拖延了。最开始只要你确定了自己的兴趣所在，然后就努力去做。只要你在做你热爱的事情，你就永远都不会出问题。

Procrastination is the best way to bury your potential.  Do you want your goals to never come true?  Sure, procrastinate on them.  I've never in my life seen a happy procrastinator.  Everyone I know who procrastinates usually holds a heavy heart, because deep down they want to achieve their goals.  Deep down they know they are meant to live their dreams.  So stop procrastinating.  Start by first identifying what you're passionate about, then go from there.  As long as you're doing what you love, you can never go wrong.

procrastination n. 拖延

identify v. 识别，辨认