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I am a writer. Writing books is my profession but it's more than that, of course.
我是個作家，寫作不僅僅是我的職業，
It is also my great lifelong love and fascination. And I don't expect that that's ever going to change.
更是我一輩子的摯愛與迷戀，我認為這是永遠不會改變的事情。
But, that said, something kind of peculiar has happened recently in my life and in my career,
盡管如此，最近在我的生活工作中，發生了一個特殊事件。
which has caused me to have to recalibrate my whole relationship with this work.
使我不得不重新思考我與我的工作之間的關系。
And the peculiar thing is that I recently wrote this book, this memoir called "Eat, Pray, Love" which,
這個特殊事件就是：我最新出版的那本回憶錄《美食、祈禱、愛》，
decidedly unlike any of my previous books, went out in the world for some reason, and became this big, mega-sensation, international bestseller thing.
與我以前那些普普通通的作品大不一樣，不知怎么的，它成了一本轟動一時、令人激動的國際暢銷書。
The result of which is that everywhere I go now, people treat me like I'm doomed.
結果是，現在不論我到哪里，人們都覺得我這一輩子就這樣了。
Seriously -- doomed, doomed! Like, they come up to me now, all worried, and they say, "Aren't you afraid you're never going to be able to top that?
真的，就這樣了，徹底地，沒救了，玩完了！他們會非常憂慮地過來跟我說：“你不怕嗎? 不怕你這輩子都超越不了那本書了嗎?”
Aren't you afraid you're going to keep writing for your whole life and you're never again going to create a book that anybody in the world cares about at all, ever again?"
“你不怕你會這樣寫一輩子，卻永遠再也寫不出世人熱愛的作品了嗎？”
So that's reassuring, you know. But it would be worse, except for that I happen to remember that over 20 years ago,
他們可真是會安慰人呀，我的日子本來會很難熬，幸運的是，我想起了20年前決定成為作家的事情。
when I was a teenager, when I first started telling people that I wanted to be a writer, I was met with this same sort of fear-based reaction.
那時我才十幾歲，我當時遭遇到了同樣的質疑，
And people would say, "Aren't you afraid you're never going to have any success?
人們說：你不怕永遠都不會成功嗎？
Aren't you afraid the humiliation of rejection will kill you?
你不怕拒絕的恥辱會把你擊垮嗎？
Aren't you afraid that you're going to work your whole life at this craft and nothing's ever going to come of it
你不怕努力終身卻一無所成嗎？
and you're going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams with your mouth filled with bitter ash of failure?"
你最后會在支離破碎的夢想中絕望死去，滿含著失敗的痛楚，你最后會在支離破碎的夢想中絕望死去。
