雙語美文:20多歲的你還相信處在人生最美的時期麼

摘錄：當你的薪水並不高時，從現在開始爲之後的50年存錢，可能在你的優先列表裏並不重要。即使是薪水裏的5%，你也會感覺像是一筆鉅款——有人願意將這筆錢花在爲住更好的房子和開更好的車子上。但是這樣想想：從23歲開始，即使你每個時期只存60美元，到你65歲退休的時候，你就存了超過35萬美元了。

When you were a kid, you probably imagined what life would be like when you were finally done with school, living on your own, and earning your own money. Chances are you imagine it being a bit more fun than the reality — what’s with all of these bills that keep coming in, anyway?

The truth is, your 20s are often touted as the best time of your life, but quite a few people would take exception to that. Trying to figure out your career, money, relationships, and all of the other things that come with adulthood is enough to make you want to crawl back into your childhood bed and pull the covers over your head. The good news is that you will get through it, though, and if you keep a few pieces of advice in mind, your 20s actually can be the best time of your life.

孩提時，你可能會想象當你結束了校園生活，獨自居住，自己賺錢養活自己的時候，生活會是什麼樣子。想象總是比現實有趣一些——究竟是爲何有了這般想象呢?

事實是這樣的，你20多歲的時光經常被賦予爲生命中最好的年華，然而，能在這個階段達到心之所向的人是很少的。作爲成年人，你試着估算下自己的職業，金錢，人際關係，以及身邊的其他東西，就會足以讓你羞愧得想爬回孩童時期的牀上，用被子捂住自己的頭。儘管如此，如果你腦中有一些好的人生計劃，你將會順利度過這一起，你20多歲的年華也會真正成爲生命中最美好的時光。

Your Career Seriously

“I’m keeping my options open.” How many times have you heard that? Or are you saying it yourself, as you bounce from job to job — or taking low-paying gigs — while you look for the next perfect opportunity? While on the one hand, your 20s is the time to try new things and figure out what you want to do when you “grow up,” it’s also when you’re building the foundation for your career going forward.

Author Meg Jay notes that your 20s are a defining period, since about 70 percent of wage growth happens in the first 10 years of your career. Now is the time to get serious and find the best job that you can. It also means putting in the time to expand your career options; for example, if you’ve decided on a career in nursing, now is the time to get that advanced degree to increase your earning power going forward and your attractiveness to employers.

認真對待你的職業

“我一直保持着開放的心態”這句話你聽過多少次了?在你一次次跳槽，拿着低廉的薪水，尋求下一次完美的工作機會時，你對自己也說過這句話?然而從一個方面來說，你的二十多歲是去嘗試新東西，弄清楚“成長”中，什麼是你想要的時機，同樣也是你建立事業根基的時候。

作家Meg Jay說到，你的20多歲一段決定性時光，因爲有70%的工資增長髮生在你職業生涯的前十年。現在是時候盡你所能嚴肅認真找到好工作了。這樣意味着花時間擴大你的職業選擇，比如，你已經決定了護士行業，現在就是時候提升硬件技能，吸引招聘人員的眼球。

Relationships Will Change — And That’s Okay

Your life and priorities are changing — and so are your friends. People are focusing on their careers, getting married, and (gasp!) having babies. As you move through your 20s, relationships will change, and you’ll probably see your circle of friends shrink. The good news, though, is that the friends you stay closest to are usually really great friends.

Writer Katie Racine calls this the “natural exodus” of friendship in your 20s, and it happens to everyone. So keep in touch with your old friends, but be open to new relationships — ones that don’t revolve around late-night keg parties and final exams.

你的人際關係會發生變化——沒關係 這是正常的

你的生活，以及重要的事會發生變化——也包括你的朋友。大家會把注意力放在職業，婚姻和生小孩問題上。當你步入20多歲時，人家關係會發生變化，你也可能看到朋友圈“縮水”。儘管如此，好的方面是，那時與你走的最近的朋友纔是真正的好朋友。

作家Katie Racine把這種現象稱爲20多歲時期的友誼“自然外流”現象，這種現象發生在每一個人身上。所以與你的老友保持聯繫，但是對新的關係保持開放心態——不要把重心放在深夜小型聚會和期末考試上。

Health Is Important — Guard It

It’s easy to think you’re invincible when you’re in your 20s. Many of the health issues that plague older people haven’t taken hold yet. But what you do now can prevent serious issues down the road. Not to mention, now that you’re responsible for paying for your own health care, you want to keep those costs down. That means doing your best to eat a healthy diet, making exercise a part of your life, and getting to know your doctor.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that somethings see a doctor to get baseline measurements of their health to both identify potential problems in the future, and build a relationship with him or her, so you can feel comfortable getting help when you need it later.

你的健康非常重要——一定確保這一點

當你二十多歲的時候，你很容易認爲自己堅不可摧。很多健康問題都困擾着老年人沒法應對。那麼現在你做的是預防在健康這條道路上會出現的嚴重問題。更不用說，你現在爲自己買下的醫療保健保險，你想在這方面減少花費，這就意味着你應該膳食合理，業餘時間要有鍛鍊，並且要拜訪醫生。

美國家庭醫生學會表示，有時去看醫生爲了健康尋求基礎性的辦法，確定將來會出現的潛在問題，並且與醫生們建立了友好關係，將來在你需要就健康問題尋求幫助時，你會意識到之前的準備會讓你特別方便解決這些問題。

for Retirement

When your salary isn’t that high, the idea of saving money for 50 years from now might feel low on the priority list. Even just 5 percent of your salary feels like a big chunk of change — one that could be spent on a better apartment or car. But consider this: Starting at age 23, even if you put as little as $60 per pay period , by the time you retire at age 65, you could have more than $350,000.

If you start putting money away from your first paycheck, you won’t miss it, so just do it. when you are 70, you’ll thank your 23-year-old self.

爲退休做儲蓄

當你的薪水並不高時，從現在開始爲之後的50年存錢，可能在你的優先列表裏並不重要。即使是薪水裏的5%，你也會感覺像是一筆鉅款——有人願意將這筆錢花在爲住更好的房子和開更好的車子上。但是這樣想想：從23歲開始，即使你每個時期只存60美元，到你65歲退休的時候，你就存了超過35萬美元了。

如果你已經開始存第一筆錢了，就不要停下來，繼續做下去。當你70歲的時候，你一定會感謝23歲的自己。