'If one wanted to crush and destroy a man entirely, to mete out to him the most terrible punishment... all one would have to do would be to make him do work that was completely and utterly devoid of usefulness and meaning.' -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“ 如果你想彻底摧毁一个人,想给他最严厉的惩罚……只需要让他做毫无用处和毫无意义的工作。”──费奥多尔•陀思妥耶夫斯基
The fate described by Dostoyevsky is a nightmare we all hope to escape. But we're surrounded by naysayers who deride that hope as unrealistic.
陀思妥耶夫斯基所描述的命运是我们都希望能够逃脱的梦魇,但我们周围都是消极的声音,嘲笑这种希望是不现实的。
'You hate your job?'they ask. 'Everyone hates their job!'
他们问道:“你讨厌自己的工作吗?所有人都讨厌自己的工作!”
No. Not everyone hates their job. If you have the spirit to dream about your career, then you have the spirit to make your dream come true.
不。并非所有人都讨厌自己的工作。如果你敢于梦想自己的职业,那么你就有机会将梦想变为现实。
My dear friend Maureen Kindel once was a full-time wife and mother. Like many people, she was bored with her job. Unlike many, she took charge of her life and did something about it.
我的好友莫琳•金德尔(Maureen Kindel)曾是一位全职太太和母亲。和许多人一样,她厌倦自己的工作。和许多人不同的是,她掌控着自己的生活并做了些改变。
She started involving herself in volunteer projects around the community. Through her volunteer work, Maureen over the years developed her leadership skills, and started impressing the powerful people in Los Angeles with her ability to inspire and organize people.
她开始参与社区的志愿者项目。通过多年的志愿活动,莫琳开发了自己的领导能力,其激励及号召他人的能力开始令洛杉矶的大人物们刮目相看。
When she was 42, Los Angeles elected a new mayor, and he appointed Maureen to a high-ranking position in city government. People jealously wondered how a mere housewife could have been appointed to such an important position.
在她42岁时,洛杉矶选举了一位新市长,他任命莫琳担任市政府的一个高级职位。人们在羡慕之余不禁想知道一个全职家庭主妇如何能够被委任以如此重要的职位。
But Maureen excelled in her role, and after a decade of accomplishment, she left government to form a consulting firm. She led that firm until at age 67, she sold it to a global company, and formed a new firm.
但莫琳做得很出色,十年后,她离开政府,开了一家咨询公司。她领导着这家公司,直到67岁将其卖给了一家全球公司,接着又成立了一家新公司。
Then at age 68, Maureen decided to fulfill her longtime passion for education, and went back to school for a master and then a doctorate degree in education.
68岁时,莫琳决定满足自己长期以来对教育的激情,她回到学校读了一个硕士学位,接着读了一个教育博士学位。
Last year at age 74, Maureen became Dr. Maureen. She now plans to devote her remaining professional years to improving America's education system.
去年,74岁的莫琳成为了莫琳博士。她现在打算利用自己剩下的职业生涯改善美国的教育体系。
Maureen naturally attracts new friends and opportunities
莫琳天生有吸引新朋友和新机会的能力
I have to tell you a story which gives you a sense of Maureen's life force.
我想讲一个能够让人了解莫琳生命力的故事。
It was at Maureen's 70th birthday dinner, and her closest friends were gathered around a table set for 10. The room was lit by candles. Maureen looked like an angel, her blonde hair forming a halo around her head. We called for a speech.
那是在莫琳的70岁生日晚宴上,她最亲近的朋友聚在一张十人餐桌上。房间里点着蜡烛。莫琳看上去就像一个天使,她的金发在头上形成了一个光晕。我们要求她讲话。
'Well!' She began. 'After all these years, the only thing that surprises me...'
她说道:“嗯!这么多年来,唯一让我惊讶的事情……”我们都探身向前,期待她讲出什么智慧箴言。
'... is that I am still SUCH a FOX!'
“是我还是这么一只迷人的妖精(fox)!”
Maureen was still such a fox. As she still is today. Maureen is one of those women who fascinate men. She's at an age where there truly are few available men, and yet those available all flock around her.
莫琳当时的确还是一只“妖精”,现在也是。莫琳是那种能让男人着迷的女人。像她这个年纪单身男人真的不多了,但他们都愿意围绕在她身边。
Women also want to be near her. Everyone wants to be friends with and work for and with Maureen. She's never applied for a job. For decades she simply has exerted a centripetal pull in the universe, sucking toward her the most interesting people and opportunities.
女人也想接近她。每个人都想成为她的朋友,想为她工作,想和她在一起。她从未申请过工作。几十年来,她只是运用她的向心力,把最有趣的人和最有趣的机遇吸引到自己的身边。
You find your dream career by creating it
创造梦想职业,才能找到梦想职业
Now is the perfect time to create the career of YOUR dreams.
现在正是创造梦想职业的最佳时间。
How?
如何创造?
Find a way to use your skills in service of something more important than you. You don't need your employer's permission to do this. If your day job doesn't offer the opportunity you need, and if like most of us you need to support yourself financially, start your dream career as a side project.
不要只为自己,要设法运用自己的技能为他人或社会服务。你不需要雇主的批准才能这样做。如果你的日常工作给不了你需要的机会,并且和大多数人一样,你需要在经济上支撑自己,那就先把梦想事业当副业做。
What useful endeavor would you pursue even if you didn't get paid for doing it? That's a good test for whether it*s something you love to do.
有哪样工作是你拿不到报酬也会愿意去做的?这点能很好地检验你是不是喜欢做这件事。
If you love writing software, work with friends to write an app to solve a problem. If you love writing period, then start a blog on a topic that the world could use more discussion about. Or volunteer with an organization that needs a skill that you can provide.
如果你喜欢做软件,那么就和朋友一起做个能解决某个问题的软件。如果你喜欢写作,那就开设一个博客,就一个大家可以展开热烈讨论的话题写点东西。或者去一个需要你技能的组织做志愿者。
Then as you get better and better in this new area, and as you become known for it, gradually spend more time doing it.
随着你在这个新的领域做得越来越好,随着你慢慢引人注目,可以逐渐地在这上面花更多地时间。
That's how Maureen created for herself three dream careers. (And that's how I created for myself three dream careers!)
这就是莫琳为自己创造三个梦想职业的过程(也是我为自己创造三个梦想职业的过程)。
When work becomes fun and fun becomes work
当工作变成乐趣,当乐趣变成工作
Maureen now is making a much bigger impact on America's education system than any other first-year doctoral graduate. That's because an advantage of starting a career when you're older is that you get to jumpstart it with all the experience and wisdom you*ve developed over the years.
莫琳目前对美国教育体系的影响比其他任何从事第一年研究的博士后都大得多。这是因为年纪较大时开始一份新的职业有一个优势,你可以用过去多年来取得的经验和智慧迅速起步。
People often look at Maureen in amazement and ask 'Where do you get all that energy? '
人们经常诧异地看着莫琳并问道:“你哪儿来的那么多精力?”
Well, the beauty of creating a career based on what you love is that work becomes fun and fun becomes work. Rather than draining you of energy, work GIVES you energy.
根据爱好创造职业之所以美好,就在于工作成为了乐趣、乐趣成为了工作。工作能给你能量,而不是消耗你的能量。
By creating a life filled to the brim with meaning, passion and fun, Maureen has discovered the fountain of youth.
通过创造充满意义、激情和乐趣的生活,莫琳找到了青春之泉(the fountain of youth)。
And you can do the same.
你也可以做到。