最大限度地发挥你的天赋、能力和技能，比别人多付出一点，你就会赶超他们。

要注意细节，因为细节真的决定成败。达到卓越并不困难——只需要现在就下定决心，尽自己最大努力去做——你会发现生活会给你的惊人的回馈。

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

“把工作干得出色的唯一方法就是热爱自己的工作。如果尚未找到让你热爱的事业，那就接着找。不要安于现状。如同与心灵有关的其他事情一样，等你找到时，你的心自然会知道。”

I’ve got it down to four words: “Do what you love.” Seek out an occupation that gives you a sense of meaning, direction and satisfaction in life. Having a sense of purpose and striving towards goals give life meaning, direction and satisfaction. It not only contributes to health and longevity (寿命), but also makes you feel better in difficult times. Do you jump out of bed on Monday mornings and look forward to the work week? If the answer is “no”, keep looking, you’ll know when you find it.

我把这条建议浓缩为四个字：“做你所爱。”

去寻找一个让你觉得有意义、能给你指明人生方向，并带给你满足感的职业。

在心中树立目标，并为之奋斗，这样你活着才有意义，人生也才有方向感和满足感。这不仅会促进健康，延年益寿，还能使你在困难时期乐观面对。

你是否在每个周一的早上都利索地从床上爬起来，然后对一周的工作充满期待？如果答案是“不”，那就接着寻觅吧，等找到的时候你自然会知道。

“We don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make … We’re constantly taking things. It’s a wonderful feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human experience and knowledge.”

“我们吃的食物大多不是自己种的。我们穿的衣服是别人做的……我们一直在索取。创造一样东西，回馈社会，使之成为人类经验和知识的一部分，那种感觉太奇妙了。”

Live in a way that is ethically responsible. Try to make a difference in this world and contribute to the higher good. You’ll find it gives more meaning to your life. And talk to others about what you are doing. Don’t preach (说教) or be self-righteous (自以为是的)—that just puts people off, but at the same time, don’t be shy about setting an example and use opportunities that arise to let others know what you are doing.

带着道德责任感生活。尽量使这个世界有所不同，为高尚之事尽绵薄之力。你会发现这使你的生活更加有意义。

告诉别人你在做的事情。不要说教或自以为是——那只会令人反感，但与此同时，也不要羞于率先垂范，要利用出现的机会让别人了解你所做的事情。

“There’s a phrase in Buddhism, ‘Beginner’s mind.’ It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind.”

“佛教里有个词叫‘初心’。拥有初学者的心态是件美妙的事。”

It is the kind of mind that can see things as they are, which step by step and in a flash can realize the original nature of everything. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions (偏见) and expectations, judgments and prejudices. Think of beginner’s mind as the mind that faces life like a small child, full of curiosity and wonder and amazement.

这种心态能看到事物的本来面目，它会一步一步地探索，然后在一霎那间意识到万物的本性。这种心态没有先入之见，没有期望，没有武断，也没有偏见。

我们可以把初学者的心态想象成一个幼小的儿童面对生活时的心态，充满了好奇、惊叹和诧异。

“We think basically you watch television to turn your brain off, and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.”

“我们认为，基本上在你看电视时，大脑是不运转的，而当你想启动大脑时，就去用电脑。”

Academic studies over the decades have confirmed television’s pernicious (有害的) mental and moral influences. And most TV watchers know that their habit is mind-numbing and wasteful, but still spend most of their time in front of that box. So turn your TV off and save some brain cells. But be cautious, you can turn your brain off by using a computer also. Try and have an intelligent conversation with someone who plays auto race games, or role-playing games.

数十年来，学术研究已经证实了电视对心理和精神的破坏作用。大多数电视观众都知道这个习惯会令头脑变得麻木，又浪费时间，可是仍然在电视机前消磨大部分时间。

所以关掉电视吧，挽救一些脑细胞。不过要小心了，使用电脑也会使你的大脑停止运转。

不信就与玩赛车游戏或角色游戏的玩家进行一次智力对话试试看。

“I’m the only person I know that’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year… It’s very character-building.”

“我曾经一年损失了2.5亿美元，除我之外，我还不知道谁有过这种遭遇……这种经历非常有利于塑造性格。”

Don’t equate making mistakes with being a mistake. There is no such thing as a successful person who has not failed or made mistakes. There are successful people who made mistakes and changed their lives or performance in response to them, and so got it right the next time. They viewed mistakes as warnings rather than signs of hopeless inadequacy. Never making a mistake means never living life to the full.

不要将犯错等同于错误。没有哪个成功人士是不曾失败或犯过错的。

成功的人都是犯了错误之后，针对这些错误改变自己的生活或表现，这样下次就不至于再犯错了。

他们把错误视为一种警告，而非无可救药的无能的标志。从没犯过错误，意味着从未真正活过。

“I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.”

“我愿以我所有的技术来换取与苏格拉底共度一个下午。”

Cicero (西塞罗，古罗马政治家) said of Socrates that, “He called philosophy down from the skies and into the lives of men.” So use Socrates’ principles in your life, your work, your learning, and your relationships. It’s not about Socrates, it’s really about you, and how you can bring more truth, beauty and goodness into your life everyday.

西塞罗这样评价苏格拉底：“他从天上唤来哲理，使之进入凡人的生活。”在你的生活、工作、学习和人际关系中运用苏格拉底的原则。

这不是关于苏格拉底，其实是关于你自己，以及你如何给自己每日的生活带来更多的真、善、美。

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

“人生在世就要给宇宙留下一个印记。难道还有其他原因吗？”

Did you know that you have big things to accomplish in life? We were all born with a gift to give in life, one which informs all of our desires, interests, passions and curiosities. This gift is, in fact, our purpose. And you don’t need permission to decide your own purpose. No boss, teacher, parent, priest or other authority can decide this for you. Just find that unique purpose.

你可曾知道你要在此生成就大事？我们生来都有一种天赋，使我们在生活中能付出，使所有人都了解我们的愿望、兴趣、激情和好奇心。

这种天赋其实就是我们的目标。你不需要别人的许可来决定自己的目标。

老板、老师、父母、牧师或其他任何权威都不能替你做主。只需找到这独特的目标。

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”

“人生有涯，不要过别人的生活，以免浪费时间。要有勇气去追随自己的心灵和直觉。你的心灵和直觉已经知道你真正想成为怎样的人。”

Are you tired of living someone else’s dream? No doubt, it’s your life and you have every right to spend it in your own individual way. Give yourself a chance to nurture your creative qualities in a fear-free and pressure-free climate. Live a life that YOU choose and be your own boss.

你是否厌倦了为别人的梦想而活？毫无疑问，这是你的生活，你完全有权利以自己的方式来度过此生。给自己一个机会，在没有恐惧和压力的环境里培养自己的创造力。过你自己选择的生活，做你自己的老板。

- 关于A轮学堂 -

初创企业从天使轮迈向A轮过程中，会面临形形色色难题，诸如如何撰写商业计划书、如何与VC谈估值以及完成A轮融资等。创始团队需要系统的知识和培训以及更精准的圈子来面对融资的挑战。“A轮学堂”旨在打造国内首家以A轮融资为主题的创投社区，为创业企业和投资人提供线上直播、线下培训等服务。“A轮学堂”云集国内创业与投资大咖，已奉献近百期线上直播，同时已完成十期“Founders Class”，汇聚近300位优秀的早期创始人。社会上A轮融资成功率仅1%，通过十期培训近35%学员企业成功完成下轮融资。A轮学堂旗下AC创服主要服务于学员企业，帮助学员企业对接优质的FA和潜在投资人，目前已累计服务近二十家学员企业成功完成后轮融资。