A Letter to My Son, on Starting Out In Life （Part） Part, Starting, Son, Letter, Out

yoyo530521

Dear Seth,
You’re only three years old, and at this point in your life you can’t read, much less understand what I’m going to try to tell you in this letter. But I’ve been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I’ve learned, and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the trials that you will face in the coming years.

You won’t be able to understand this letter today, but someday, when you’re ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you.

…

Life Isn’t a Competition
You will meet many people who will try to outdo(v.超过) you, in school, in college, at work. They’ll try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, nicer clothes, cooler gadgets. To them, life is a competition — they have to do better than their peers to be happy.

Here’s a secret: life isn’t a competition. It’s a journey. If you spend that journey always trying to impress others, to outdo others, you’re wasting your journey. Instead, learn to enjoy the journey. Make it a journey of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, of love.

Don’t worry about having a nicer car or house or anything material, or even a better-paying job. None of that matters a whit(n.一点点), and none of it will make you happier. You’ll acquire these things and then only want more. Instead, learn to be satisfied with having enough — and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn money to buy those things … use that time doing things you love.

Find your passion, and pursue it doggedly（adv.顽强地，坚持地）. Don’t settle for a job that pays the bills. Life is too short to waste on a job you hate.

…

Love,
Your Dad

中文译文：

亲爱的儿子塞思，
      你才三岁, 还看不懂，也无法理解我在这封信中想要告诉你什么。但我却一直都在考虑你的未来，反思到目前为止我从生活中所学到的点滴，思考作为一位父亲我该如何为你的未来铺好路。
      现在，你还看不懂这封信；但总有一天，当你长大成人的时候，希望你可以从这些我与你分享的对生活的领悟中，得到智慧与财富。

……

生活不是攀比
      不管是在中学，在大学，还是在职场中，你都会遇到许多想要超越你的人。他们想方设法拥有更豪华的汽车，更宽敞的房子，更漂亮的衣服，更炫的小玩意。对于他们来说，生活就是互相攀比，为了使自己比同龄人更快乐，他们不得不做得更好。
      我的秘诀是：生活不是攀比。生活是一段旅程。如果你在人生的旅程中，总是想着如何引人注目，如何超越他人，你就是在浪费生命。相反，要学会享受人生的过程。在旅程中，不断学习，不断提高，使这段旅程充满欢乐、充满爱。
      别老是想着如何才能拥有更好的车房或其他什么，甚至更高收入的工作。这些都无关紧要，他们并不能使你更快乐。一旦你得到了这些东西，你会要求更多。相反，你应当学会知足。把你本打算花在赚更多钱买更好的东西上的时间，用在真正爱做的事上。
      明确你真正想要的，并坚持不懈地追求。不要接受一份工作，仅仅因为它可以付你的帐单。生命太短暂了，不要把时间花在你讨厌的工作上。

……

爱你的，
爸爸

[ 本帖最后由 yoyo530521 于 2008-11-22 01:26 PM 编辑 ]

yoyo530521

you are welceome!

情衷蓝黑

这个故事好。thangs！