改善我们生活的四种途径

FOUR FOOLPROOF W AYS TO IMPROVE OUR LIVES, TODAY

当今改善我们生活的四种途径

So, my life is perfect. (Y eah.I wish!) Well, it isn't too bad. But can it be better? I've been asking myself this question for several years. The answer is simple:Yes, it can!

这样看来，我的生活是完美的，（是的，我也希望如此！）其实我的生活也不差，但是可以更好吗？这几年来我我一直在问自己这个问题．答案和简单：是的，它可以！

I don't care what we are doing or how we're doing it, there is always a way to improve upon our lifetyle.

我不介意我们在做什么和怎么做，总有改善我们生活方式的方法．

How can it be better? Well, I can share some things I've done that helped me. And, hopefully, if you're dealing with the same chalenges or situations in life, these ideas might help you.

怎样使我的生活变得更好呢？我可以和你们分享我的方法．如果你们在生活中也面对同样的情况或挑战的话，希望这些想法可以给你们一些帮助．

Here are four rules I've come to live by:

以下是我生活的四条生活法则

First, do what I love

首先，做自己喜欢的事情．

If I don't enjoy something, I get rid of it or don't do it. Sounds crazy, right? I worked for three years to build up a one-man band act with my saxophone, a keyboard, and my flute. Then, one day, after doing the gig for a corporate Christmas party, I decided that the one-man band act might pay enough, and might be fun, but it would not be the musical outlet I was truly seeking: that of interacting with other musicians and touring around the country (or world). So I stopped doing it. I sold most of my gear, including my P.A. system, flute, and keyboard, for pennies on the dollar. Then, I focused on talking to people about my aspiration to play in a band, to front a band, and make great things happen musically. Two years later,I met Dino, and we started a band called The Olive Club. We;re playing music we enjoy and the band is growing into the type of band I had envisioned.

如果我不喜欢一些事，我就摆脱它或不做它．这听起来很荒唐，是吧？我花了三

年的时间组织一个由萨克管、电子琴和长笛组成的一人乐队。然而，有一天，在为一个公司的圣诞晚会做了表演之后，我认为这个一人乐队虽然收入颇丰且充满乐趣，但是我真正在寻找的是音乐上的出路：我应该在全国（或是全世界）做巡回演出并和其他音乐家合作。于是我停止表演。我廉价出售了我的乐器，包括我的Ｐ.Ａ.系统、长笛和电子琴。然后，我把重点放在告诉众人我想在乐队表演，想担任一支乐队的领奏，想让伟大的事情像音乐一样发生。两年后，我遇见了笛努并和他开创了一支叫橄榄俱乐部的乐队。我们演奏我们喜欢的音乐，乐队朝着我们心目中的样子成长。

However, achieving this vision might have been possible even if I had continued doing the one-man-band act.Some roads, after all, do lead to the same destination-they just take longer to arrive there. My position on our decisions is to just make them and don't look back. Why have regrets? Regret doesn't help us with where we are today. Nor does it help us with where we are going. What does help is to make a decision, and move on, and be satisfied that is was right, no matter what we did.

然而，也许一个人的乐队也能够达到这个目标。毕竟有些道路是殊途同归的－－只是它要花更长的时间到达目的地而已。在作决定的时候，我的立场是一旦做出决定就绝不后悔。为什么要有遗憾呢？遗憾不能够对我们今天的境况有任何帮助，也不能在我们前进的道路上有任何帮助。能够帮助我们的就是决定，继续前进，无论做什么都坚持它是正确的并为此感到满意。

Second, do the hardest things first.

第二、先做最难的事情。

I know that when I do the hard things first that my life seems so easy I wonder how it counld have been any other way. Just doing the easy things caused our life to become cluttered. We might as well face our challenges head-on and then cruise through the easy part.

我知道当我把难的事情做完了后，我的生活就变得简单，我就可以想想改变生活的方法。知识做简单的事情会使我们的生活变得混乱。我们也许得先面对生活的挑战，才能够悠闲地穿过简单的部分。

Third, allow myself to feel emotions.

第三，容许自己感受各种感情

When I'm happy, I like being happy and laughing. If I get angry, I gave myself permission to scream or break something. Go ahead, really,it is okay to feel! I once heard Kevin Ryerson say, " I believe we were supposed to have emotions. Such as joy, anger, happiness,sorrow. As the Old Testament said, "I am a loving God, I am a jealous God, I am an angry God, etc."--if it is good enough for God, it is good enough