優美文章：關於快樂的幾條法則

摘要：讓我們來談談幸福吧。到底怎樣纔算幸福呢?相信很多人都會贊成——要想幸福，就得積極樂觀地面對生活。話雖如此，那到底怎樣纔算是“樂活”呢?或許，我們可以多去接觸美好事物。

So let's talk about happiness, or rather how we can go toward that goal. I think we can all agree that to be happy we should live a positive life. That makes sense. So, how then, can we make sure that we live positively? One way is to surround ourselves with positive things and positive experiences. Read good books, see good movies, have beautiful artwork hanging on our walls. We should eat delicious food, buy ourselves fresh flowers to greet us when we get home and attend all kinds of concerts frequently. . . .

讓我們來談談幸福吧。到底怎樣纔算幸福呢?相信很多人都會贊成——要想幸福，就得積極樂觀地面對生活。話雖如此，那到底怎樣纔算是“樂活”呢?或許，我們可以多去接觸美好事物，比如，讀本好書，看場精彩的電影，或者用不凡的藝術品裝飾我們的家居;再比如，我們也可以享用美味大餐，買束鮮花美美地放在家裏，抑或多赴幾場音樂會……

It is important to remember why we are living on this earth. What are our priorities: our family and friends or getting that extra bonus by working 100 hours a week? Which really and truly makes us happier? We only have one life, so let's treat ourselves well, with massages and bubble baths. Never pass a playground without stopping to swing. Throw away our watches and maybe even try living without a planner for a day.

多想想我們爲什麼要活在這個世上，而我們的優勢又在哪裏?是親朋好友重要呢，還是拼命加班掙點辛苦錢重要?到底哪一個更讓我們快樂呢?一輩子有限，何不對自己好點，享受一下按摩和泡泡澡呢?路過操場時就蕩下鞦韆吧!別再爭分奪秒趕時間做計劃，偶爾試着放鬆放鬆吧!

Find the little things, like sunrises and sunsets, or tequila shots and pet rocks, that make a day worth living. And always, always, always have a reason to get out of bed in the morning--whether it's the brownies you baked the night before or the realization that Thursday means "ER" is on at 10:00.

日出日落、一杯美酒、一枚寵物石……去細微觀察品味，用心過好每一天吧。而且，一定要有一個激勵自己起牀的動力：哪怕只是爲了吃塊昨晚烤的巧克力餅，或者僅僅是因爲ER就在每週二10:00更新。

That way of positive living doesn't sound too bad, does it?

這種樂活方式聽上去還不錯，對吧?

But I'd like to introduce another way of living positively. This previous way is inward-looking. The goal is to bring positive or happy things of the world into our lives. A second manner of positive living is more outward-focused. The goal is to direct our own positivity (if I can take the liberty of inventing a word) on the world. To perhaps even seek out the negative things in this world and work to make them positive.

不過，我要講的卻是另一種樂活方式。前一種方式偏向於“內聚型”，要求人們把外界的美好正能量融入自己的生活中去;而第二種方式更側重於“外散型”，就是把我們自身的正能量傳播給外界，甚至需要我們善於發現負能量，然後努力把它轉化爲正能量。

This lifestyle might not appear so much fun, at first. We no longer can claim that it is for "positive" reasons that we don't read the bad news in the newspaper. To the contrary, we must open our eyes and ears to what is happening in all corners of this world that is our global community. Sure it does no good to numb ourselves to all the horrors of the world by repeated contact. But we cannot solve problems without knowing they are there.

當然，剛開始這種生活方式可能不那麼有趣。我們沒必要爲了求得正能量而刻意不看報紙上的負面新聞，相反，我們更應該睜大眼睛留意世界各地的情況變化。當然，總這麼做我們或許也會變得麻木，但只有知道問題的存在，纔有可能去解決問題，對不對?

In this life, maybe instead of going to a concert, you will perform for others. Maybe instead of buying cut flowers, you will plant flowers in a vacant lot for others to enjoy. Maybe you will teach, heal, counsel, or write policy that changes the world. Building a house with Habitat for Humanity may come before that weekend at the spa. But look at what you've made at the end of a day! When you take responsibility for the world, bubble baths sometimes have to wait.

你這一輩子，或許不必去參加別人的音樂會，而選擇自己演一場給別人看;或許不必買剪切的鮮花，而是在空地上種一片花海，給別人帶去賞心悅目;又或許，你可以教書育人、救死扶傷、諮詢顧問，甚或編寫改變世界的法規政策。週末在享受SPA之前，或許你可以加入“仁愛之家”，爲他人添磚加瓦。等這一天結束後，你會發現生活是那麼充實美好!當肩負起整個世界的責任後，你會發現泡泡澡也不是那麼重要了。

But once again, I ask you to think about why we are here on earth and what is really important in life. What is the most positive way you can lead your life? As I said before, the key to a positive life is to always, always, and always have a reason to get up in the morning.

但是話說回來，我希望你能用心思考：人爲什麼要活在世上?生活中最寶貴的又是什麼?你的樂活方式又是怎樣的呢?就像我在前面說的，樂活的關鍵就是——早上永遠有一個叫醒你的理由!