英語(yǔ)美文朗讀 第374期 Find Your Purpose in Life

Magnum opus is a latin term that is defined as someone’s greatest life achievement. It is the highest intersection of talent, skill and hard work, when someone reaches their maximum potential at the exact right time in the exact right place.

 

"Magnum opus"是一個(gè)拉丁詞，意思是某人一生中最偉大的成就。這是天賦、技能和努力工作的完美交集，還需要天時(shí)地利人和。

 

For Michelangelo it was painting the Sistine Chapel, for Einstein it was the theory of relativity, for Lincoln Park it was Hybrid Theory, for JK Rowling it's Harry Potter, for Leo Messi it's a record-breaking season. Whatever the medium, your magnum opus is your life's greatest work and it will be your legacy long after you are gone.

對(duì)米開(kāi)朗基羅來(lái)說(shuō)，他的杰作是為西斯廷教堂作畫(huà)；對(duì)愛(ài)因斯坦來(lái)說(shuō)，是相對(duì)論；對(duì)林肯公園來(lái)說(shuō)，是專輯；對(duì)JK羅琳來(lái)說(shuō)，是《哈利波特》；對(duì)梅西來(lái)說(shuō)，這是一個(gè)破紀(jì)錄的賽季。無(wú)論是什么媒介，你的杰作是你一生中最偉大的作品，即使你離開(kāi)這個(gè)世界很久以后，它仍然是你的遺產(chǎn)。

 

Sadly not many people get to achieve their magnum opus or even make an attempt. Most people spend the vast majority of their lives in a career that falls short of inspiration. Two-thirds of employees say they are genuinely dissatisfied with their jobs, and one-fifth admit they actively hate their career.

可悲的是，沒(méi)有多少人能夠完成他們的杰作，在努力也沒(méi)有用。大多數(shù)人一生中的大部分時(shí)間，都在缺乏靈感的工作中度過(guò)。三分之二的員工表示，他們對(duì)自己的工作真的不滿意，五分之一的員工直接承認(rèn)，他們對(duì)自己的職業(yè)充滿仇恨。

 

Everyone has a massive amount of potential, whether it be an invention, a painting, a song, a journey, a book, an idea, you name it, but very few actually get to flourish and reach for that potential. When you’re a young child, you hold the belief that anything is possible, no dream is too big...so what happens between childhood and adulthood that crushes so many dreams? Why do so many settle? Is it the school system? Is it “realistic” expectations? Financial fear? Practicality? A lack of belief?

每個(gè)人都有巨大的潛力，無(wú)論是一項(xiàng)發(fā)明、一幅繪畫(huà)、一首歌、一次旅行、一本書(shū)、一個(gè)想法，但很少有人能真正獲得這種潛力并把它發(fā)揚(yáng)光大。當(dāng)你還是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，你堅(jiān)信任何事情都是可能的，再大的夢(mèng)想也能實(shí)現(xiàn)……那么，為什么人成年之后，很多夢(mèng)想會(huì)破碎？為什么這么多人會(huì)安定下來(lái)？是學(xué)校制度嗎？是“現(xiàn)實(shí)”的期望嗎？對(duì)財(cái)務(wù)狀況的恐懼？務(wù)實(shí)？缺乏信仰？

 

The reason people don’t attempt their magnum opus is because of doubt. Doubt is the ultimate crippler of ambition. In order to believe in yourself, you must have evidence to support this belief. It’s like a table. Your belief is the table-top and the legs are experiences and evidence that support the belief. Doubt is like a woodpecker, that chips away at the legs of the table. When enough doubt creeps into your mind, the table comes crashing down and you no longer believe in yourself.

人們不嘗試創(chuàng)作自己杰作的原因是懷疑。懷疑是野心的摧毀者。為了樹(shù)立信心，你必須找到證據(jù)來(lái)支持這個(gè)信念。就像一張桌子，你的信仰是桌面，桌腿是經(jīng)驗(yàn)和證據(jù)，它們負(fù)責(zé)支撐這個(gè)信仰。懷疑就像一只啄木鳥(niǎo)，把桌子腿啄開(kāi)。當(dāng)足夠多的懷疑潛入你的腦海，桌子就要塌下來(lái)，你就不再相信自己了。

 

The key is to reverse this process. Move toward beliefs that empower you, then find role models, experiences, stories and evidence to support the new empowering belief. Most importantly, do not listen to the doubters. Doubters are cynical people who have never attempted what you’re setting out to do. Buddha said, “we are what we think, all that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” Achieving your goal starts with the mental belief that it can be done. Attitude is far more important than IQ.

關(guān)鍵是要扭轉(zhuǎn)這個(gè)過(guò)程。朝著賦予你力量的信念前進(jìn)，然后找到榜樣、經(jīng)驗(yàn)、故事和證據(jù)來(lái)支撐這個(gè)信念。最重要的是，不要聽(tīng)?wèi)岩烧叩脑?。懷疑者是憤世嫉俗的人，他們從?lái)沒(méi)有嘗試過(guò)你要做的事情。佛陀說(shuō)：“我們就是我們所想的，我們所擁有的一切都是由我們的思想而產(chǎn)生的。用我們的思想，我們來(lái)創(chuàng)造世界。”實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)，首先要有這樣一種精神信念：它是可以實(shí)現(xiàn)的。態(tài)度遠(yuǎn)比智商重要。

 

It may seem scary and unfamiliar, for the path to your magnum opus is never easy. You will have to be willing to take risks, sacrifice, and to go the extra mile. At the end of this short life, you want to look back and say, i gave it my all. I took a shot, and left it all on the line.

這可能看起來(lái)可怕和陌生，因?yàn)橥ㄍ愕慕茏髦窂膩?lái)都不容易。你必須愿意承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，做出犧牲，并且付出更多的努力。當(dāng)這短暫的一生結(jié)束時(shí)，你會(huì)回首往事，說(shuō)：我付出了我的一切，我拼盡了全力。

 

This simple exercise can help you focus your energy and home in on your magnum opus journey. Write down things you love to do, things you’re good at and things people will pay you to do. The intersection of these 3 categories is your “sweet spot”. Perhaps you can combine things from all 3 categories. The key to reaching your magnum opus is to find your sweet spot and take action.

這個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的訓(xùn)練可以幫助你集中精力，直接聚焦到你的杰作上。寫(xiě)下你喜歡做的事，你擅長(zhǎng)的事，人們會(huì)付錢(qián)給你的事。這三件事的交叉點(diǎn)就是你的“最佳位置”。也許你可以將這三件事的內(nèi)容結(jié)合起來(lái)。實(shí)現(xiàn)你的杰作的關(guān)鍵，是找到你的最佳位置并采取行動(dòng)。

 

So give yourself a year, give yourself one year to pursue your magnum opus, give yourself one year to take that trip, build that farm, climb that mountain, or start that business. Give yourself one year to tune out fear and doubt, be unreasonable, be impractical. If people don't laugh at your dreams, then your dreams are not big enough, give yourself one year to follow your passion and leave your mark on the world. Find your sweet spot, the worst possible scenario is that you come right back to where you are now. You owe it to yourself to take a chance.

所以給自己一年時(shí)間，給自己一年時(shí)間去追求你的杰作，給自己一年時(shí)間去旅行，建農(nóng)場(chǎng)，爬山，或者創(chuàng)業(yè)。給自己一年的時(shí)間來(lái)消除恐懼和懷疑，不按常理出牌，不切實(shí)際。如果人們不嘲笑你的夢(mèng)想，那么你的夢(mèng)想就不夠大，給自己一年時(shí)間來(lái)追隨你的激情，在世界上留下你的印記。找到你的最佳位置，最糟糕的情況也就是回到你現(xiàn)在的狀態(tài)。你應(yīng)該給自己一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)！