英語美文-以終為始

今天，依舊分享《高效能人士的七個習慣》中的經典篇章，這一章節中，著重闡述了“以終為始”的重要性。培養好這個習慣，了解了這個做事的原則，會讓我們更加清楚自己內心真正的訴求，并為自己真正想要的東西，或是達成的目標而奮斗。掌握這個原則，不僅會讓我們少走彎路，并且在達到目標時，也能充滿幸福感。

New Words:
academician n. 院士；大學生；
plumber n. 水管工；
blueprint n. 藍圖，設計圖；
mortar n.灰漿

To Begin with the End in Mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It
means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.
以終為始說明在做任何事之前,都要先認清方向。這意味著你對現在自己的方向和處境了如指掌，這樣當你行動的時候，就不至于誤入歧途。

It's incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and
harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall. It is possible to be busy -- very busy -- without being very effective.
人生旅途的岔路很多,一不小心就會走冤枉路。許多人拼命埋頭苦干,到頭來卻發現追求成功的梯子搭錯了墻 ,就算你很忙很忙，也未必出成果。

People often find themselves achieving victories that are empty, successes that have come at the
expense of things they suddenly realize were far more valuable to them. People from every walk of life -- doctors, academicians, actors, politicians, business professionals, athletes, and plumbers – often struggle to achieve a higher income, more recognition or a certain degree of professional competence, only to find that their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really mattered most and now are gone.
很多人功成名就之后,反而感到空虛,發現自己犧牲了許多更寶貴的東西。上至達官顯貴、富蒙巨賈,下至平頭百姓、凡夫俗子,無一不在追求更多的財富，更大的勢力或更高的聲望,而這些目標常常蒙蔽了對于他們來說真正重要的事情, 等回過頭時，才發現，早已人去樓空。

How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and, keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most. If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster. We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective only when we Begin with the End in Mind.
當我們了解生命中最重要的事情時,生活將會不同。頭腦中要時刻牢記：每天希望自己成為什么樣的人,什么對于自己來說才是最重要的。如果通往成功的梯子一直搭錯墻,那每一次行動無疑加快了失敗的步伐。我們也許會很忙, 也能很高效，但是唯有心中牢記以終為始，才能算作真正的高效。

"Begin with the End in Mind" is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There's a
mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.
“以終為始”的一個原則基礎是“任何事都是兩次創造而成”。我們做任何事都是先在頭腦中構思,即智力上的或第一次的創造，然后付諸實踐,即體力上的或第二次的創造。

Take the construction of a home, for example. You create it in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. You try to get a very clear sense of what kind of house you want. If you want a family-centered home, you plan a family room where it would be a natural gathering place. You plan sliding doors and a patio for children to play outside. You work with ideas. You work with your mind until you get a clear image of what you want to build. Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. All of this is done before the earth is touched. If not, then in the second creation, the physical creation, you will have to make expensive changes that may double the cost of your home.
以建筑為例,在拿起工具建造之前,你需要先在腦海中構思每一細節。你需要很清楚地知道你想要什么樣的房子。如果你想要一個以家人為中心的家，那么你在設計房間的時候，它將會是一個天然的聚會場所。你會為孩子們規劃好滑門和露臺。你要不斷地想，直到這些想法在你腦中變成清晰的，你真正想要的畫面。接著你將這一切變成設計圖，進而變成施工方案。這一切都要在開始施工之前完成。如果沒有，那么在二次實際的創作中， 你將不得不為一些改動付出昂貴的代價，甚至可能會讓你整體的價格翻倍。

The carpenter's rule is "measure twice, cut once." You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you've thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. Each day you go to the construction shed and pull out the blueprint to get marching orders for the day. You Begin with the End in Mind.
木工的法則是“量兩次，切一次”。你必須確保你的藍圖，就是第一次創造是你真正想要的，你已經將一切細節考慮在內。你才能開始施工。接著，你每天都去工棚，拿著你的藍圖指揮當天的行動。這就叫做以終為始。

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