I used to suck at basketball. Gym class in middle school was the worst. I was always the last kid to be picked. The only reason I was even picked at all was because I was good friends with the best player in the class. I still remember how he would let out a heavy sigh of defeat before acknowledging, "I got Kevin."
True friendship.
我之前籃球打得很差。中學的體育課對我來說極其糟糕。誰都不愿意挑我當隊友，唯一能被挑中的理由就是我跟班里打得最好的家伙是好朋友。至今我都不會忘記當他垂頭喪氣地說出“那我選Kevin吧”那一聲沉重的嘆息。真朋友，監定完畢。
In the eighth grade, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being a scrub. I dedicated that entire summer to getting better. I spent every day playing basketball, practicing for hours in the gym. I remember playing pick-up games with one group of kids until they all eventually got tired and left. Then a whole different group of kids would come in and I'd play with them too.
八年級時，我終于決定不想再當一個無用之人。我用了整整一個暑假來練球讓自己變得更好。我每一天都在練習，在運動館里一練就是好幾小時。我記得和一群孩子“組隊友”打比賽直到他們打累離開，然后我和另一群人繼續比賽練習。
After months of this dedicated routine, something amazing started to happen. People began passing me the ball. They trusted me to take the shot. They even started picking me first to be on their team! The last game of organized basketball I ever played was the culmination of all my hard work. Against a team far more talented than mine, I scored 27 points. We still lost, but I walked away from that game feeling like a total champion.
在持續數月的投入的每天雷打不動的練習后，有一些令人驚訝的事開始發生了。有人開始把球傳給我，他們信任我讓我來投球。他們甚至第一個挑選我來當隊友。我打過的最后一場組織賽堪稱我所有努力成果的凝結，對手強于我們太多，我一人獨得26分，雖然最后還是輸了，但我離開戰場的時候感覺自己像個冠軍。

What I learned from those years of rejection and waiting to be picked was that life really isn't any different. Most of us spend our lives waiting for opportunities to land in our laps. What's worse, sometimes we feel entitled to them. And when things don't go our way — when no one picks us — we find something or someone to blame.
這些年我從被拒絕到一直等待被挑選的經歷中領悟到生活并沒有什么不同。大多數人花費一生等待著機會垂青，更糟糕的是，有時候我們甚至委身于此。一旦事情沒有如愿，沒有人挑選我們，我們就會歸咎于一些人或一些事。
I could have complained when no one wanted me on their team. I could have convinced myself that I deserved to be picked. But I didn't. Instead, I took matters into my own hands and put in the work to become better.
當無人選我入隊時，我本可以抱怨。我也可以說服自己令自己堅信我是值得被挑選的。但是我沒有。相反，我掌握了主動權，努力讓自己變得更好。
The problem with TV shows like American Idol and America's got talent is that these fool us into thinking we have to gain the approval of people who supposedly have the ability to determine our worth. That if we work hard and go through the motions, maybe our resume will catch the attention of that hiring manager; maybe our song will be picked up by that record label; maybe someone will give our dreams a fighting chance.
我們的電視節目諸如《美國偶像》和《美國達人秀》存在一些問題，它們總是誤導我們我們相信我們必須獲得認可，獲得那些可能有能力決定我們價值的人的認可。比如只要我們努力工作，走個過場，敷衍一下，也許我們的簡歷就會吸引那個應聘經理的注意，也許我們的歌曲就會被唱片公司挑中，也許有人就會給我們的夢想一次奮斗的機會。
Is that any way to live? To have our fate controlled by a few people who in most cases don't even know us? I certainly don't think so. We have a choice. We can choose to create something meaningful, to move forward with our ideas. There's nothing stopping us from doing what we want to do. And here is how.
就這樣活著嗎？把我們的命運拱手交給那些少數人，大多數情況下他們甚至根本不了解我們。我絕不同意這觀點。我們自己掌握決定權，我們可以選擇創造一些有意義的東西，用想法帶領自己前行。沒有人和事可以阻礙我們做自己所想。那么，怎么去做呢？看下面
1) Stop making excuses!
停止給自己找借口
Do any of these sound familiar?
下面這些聽著耳熟嗎？
• I can't find a job because the economy is terrible.
我找不到工作因為經濟太差了
• I'm not in good shape because I have bad genetics.
我身材不好因為我基因不行呀
• I can't work on my passion because I don't have enough time/money/motivation.
我沒法充滿激情地工作因為我沒時間/沒錢/沒動力
Maybe you've thought those things yourself recently. However, here's the truth...
也許你最近確實想過這些事，但，事實是……
No one is going to save you. Waiting on someone to hand you a golden ticket means waiting forever. But choosing yourself—forging your own path and creating your own opportunities — that means you can make things happen today.
沒人來救你。等著有人來給你一張“金色入場券”意味著你就永遠這樣等下去吧！但是你來選擇——找到你自己的路，為自己創造機會，這就意味著你今天就能做點兒什么。
2)Stop fantasizing!
停止空想吧！
When people for example say, "I want to have my own business one day" but do nothing to move forward with their goals, because they are 'too busy', they're fantasizing. People choose to fantasize because it's easier to put off the work, but fantasizing gets you nowhere, it is dreaming of the impossible. Impossible, not because you're incapable of achieving it, but because you have no intention of doing the work required. Life is always going to hand us a bunch of "mandatory" crap, and it's up to us to make room for the things that matter.
比如有人說：我希望有一天能有自己的生意。但是說了之后什么也不做，沒有為自己的目標推進任何，因為他們“太忙了”。這樣的人就是在做夢而已。人們愿意幻想，因為嘴上說說并不需要付諸努力。但是空想能讓你成就什么？只不過是在做著一個不可能的夢而已。所謂的不可能，不是因為你能力達不到，而是因為你根本無意于動手去行動。生活總是會給我們一堆廢物，不過一切取決于我們自己要不要給更好的想法留點空間。
3) Success isn't what you think it is!
成功不是你想的那樣
The most common fear for anyone pursuing their dreams is, "What if I'm not successful?" The problem with that question is that most people's perception of success is skewed. We need to stop thinking of success as something that happens in the future. Success is doing, not just fantasizing. It's choosing to steer your ship and refusing to relinquish your fate to others. We can choose to be successful every single day. The results aren't the focus here. The process is.
大多數追逐夢想的人都有一種共同的恐懼：“如果我沒成功怎么辦？” 這個問題的錯誤在于大多數人關于成功的看法是扭曲的。我們需要停止認為成功是某種發生在未來的事。成功就是現在行動，而不是空想，是主動駕駛你的航船，拒絕將自己的命運拱手讓與他人決定。每一天我們都可以選擇成為成功的人。過程重于結果。
4)Take action!
馬上行動
Want to be successful? Pick something you want to accomplish, then set a deadline for yourself every day. If you want to be a writer, start writing. If you want to be a music producer, start producing music. It's never been easier to command your destiny. There's no need to ask for permission, no need to wait for the nod of approval from industry executives, no need for anyone to give you a green light. Ironically, it's when we begin to pick ourselves that others start to pick us.
想要成功？找一些你想要達成之事，每天都給自己設一個“最后期限”。如果想當作家，就開始寫作，如果想當音樂制作人就開始制作音樂。掌握自己的命運也不是那么難。不需要去征得誰的同意，不需要去等待業內人士點頭認可，不必等待任何人給你綠燈放行。諷刺的是，一旦我們開始為自己做主時，別人對你的認可也就來了。