I was sitting here at my computer, pondering whether I wanted to write a post with tips about “making 2009 your best year ever”. It’s been done, and most of my tips you’ve already read before on Zen Habits.
I made a small list of things I’d recommend to anyone wanting to make 2009 their best year ever … coming up with a single life-changing goal, creating a mantra for that goal to keep them on track, simplifying their lives, making time for loved ones and themselves, learning to be in the moment … all of these are great tips, and I could come up with a dozen more that would really help people if they wanted to make positive changes.
But then I realized that there’s just one tip that’s needed. And it’s not a tip you’ll read in most personal development, productivity or self-help blogs or books.
That’s because if you implemented this one tip, you wouldn’t really need any others. It would put all of us out of business.
So, because I enjoy writing personal development posts and books for you guys, I’m counting on you to NOT actually implement this, and to keep needing other tips I give you in the future.
Kidding of course! Go ahead, put me and all the rest of ‘em out of business. I’d rather have you happy and successful, and look for another job, knowing that I did something good.
So what’s that single secret, the one thing that will not only make 2009 your best year ever, but put personal development and self-help bloggers and authors out of business?
Are you sure you’re ready to hear it?
OK, you’re ready. :) Here goes:
Stop waiting for happiness. Happiness is right here, right now.
Sounds too simple, but if you haven’t realized this, and put it into action, it can have an amazing effect on your life. Today. Right now.
My Life of Waiting
When I was young, I couldn’t wait to become an adult. Oh, the freedom! Becoming an adult would bring me happiness. I couldn’t wait.
When I became an adult, I couldn’t wait to get a good job. That would surely bring happiness. I couldn’t wait. When I got a good job, I couldn’t wait to get a raise. When I got a raise, I couldn’t wait to get married. When I got married, I couldn’t wait to buy a nicer car. Got the car, then I couldn’t wait to buy a house.
When I bought the house, I couldn’t wait to … get out of debt.
I could go on for quite awhile, but you get the point. None of my desires ever produced happiness, because I was stuck in the mindset of wanting more. When I got what I wanted, I wanted something else. My happiness was always on hold, because I was waiting to reach a goal.
Waiting for happiness.
On Goals and Desires
It’s good to have goals. I have them — it’s a part of living and working. But how much are you investing in your goals? How much of your happiness is based on your goals?
It’s also natural to have desires, but if your life is a series of desires, one after the other, and everything in you is in pursuit of those desires, you will always be striving for happiness, waiting for it.
Instead, remember: Stop waiting for happiness. Happiness is right here, right now.
Feel free to pursue goals, and desires … but don’t make your happiness dependent on them. Don’t think of happiness as something you’ll have once X happens (whatever X is right now for you).
Life is a Journey - Enjoy It!
So how do you go for goals and still have happiness right here, right now? By remembering that the important thing isn’t the destination … it’s the journey!
Remember that, always: the journey is the most important thing. Not the goal. Not the ending point.
Think about it: if you are only happy once you reach a goal, what about all the time you spend getting to the goal? That’s much more of your life than actually being at the goal. If you’re only happy when you’re at the destination, you’ll be unhappy most of the time.
What’s more, if you are stuck in that mindset, when you reach your destination, you won’t actually be happy — you’ll be looking toward your next destination.
Instead, remember: Stop waiting for happiness. Happiness is right here, right now.
How do you enjoy the journey? By appreciating life in its fullness, its wonderfulness. By not looking so much toward the future, but focusing on the present moment, right here, right now. By looking around you, and realizing that everything you need for happiness is already here!
Everything You Need for Happiness
What do you need to be happy? Do you need a fancy car and a mansion and millions of dollars? If you could have every single desire granted to you right now, would you be happy then?
Or can you be happy now, with what you have?
Can you look at the gorgeous sky, and realize what a miracle it is? Can you look at a sunset, a forest, a flower, a child, and realize the miracle of each of these things? You probably can, if you take the time to look at them fully.
And then you might realize that your eyes are a miracle, and that they allow you to see each of these other miracles. If you have your eyes, you have all you need for happiness.
What if you are blind? Can you taste chocolate, or strawberries, or cinnamon, or tears, and realize what a miracle those things are? Can you hear Mozart, or John Lennon, or Jack Johnson, and have your soul fill up with happiness? Then you already have all you need for happiness.
All you need is the present moment: spend time with a loved one, talk with a friend, watch a funny movie, go swimming in refreshing water, smell fresh baked bread, go for a walk or a run, curl up with a good book, cuddle on a rainy day, give and receive a hug.
It’s true — this is the only thing you need to know: Stop waiting for happiness. Happiness is right here, right now.
But … What About My Goals?
Should you give up your goals for 2009, now that you’ve decided to be happy now? Nah. Go ahead and pursue those goals, but remember to enjoy the journey. Consider:
- Losing weight. Will you only be happy after you’ve lost weight and are slim and trim? When you have the perfect body? Screw that! Make it an enjoyable journey — exercise can be a lot of fun! Eating clean, healthy food can also be incredible, once you learn to enjoy it! Enjoy the journey to health and the great body will only be a side benefit.
- Getting productive. Do you have a desire to crank through your to-do list, stop procrastinating, and knock down your projects, one after the other? Well, that’s good, but realize that your to-do list will never ever be completed, nor will your project list. They’re never ending, and in fact they’re supposed to be that way. So you’ll never reach a destination here — all you have is the journey! Learn to enjoy your work - every minute of it — and productivity will come naturally.
- Learning a new skill. Whether you want to learn French, or to play the trombone, or to master Jeet Kune Do, will you only be happy once you’ve learned the skill? No! Learn to love the learning process! It’s an exploration not only of new territory, but of yourself. It’s wonderful.
- Simplifying. Do you want to get rid of clutter? Will you be happy only when you’ve gotten rid of all excess things? No! Enjoy the process of decluttering — it’s one of my favorite pasttimes! :) Imagine that I’m there next to you, enjoining you to “TOSS IT!” with a wildly cheerful voice.
- Writing a book. Do you want to write the Great American Novel? Don’t wait until you’re done to enjoy the book … love each moment you can spend writing. It’s a miracle.
What are you waiting for before you become happy? Can you find happiness right now, in this moment? Let us know in the comments!
译文:
一句话成就你的２００９年
坐在电脑前,我思量着要不要写一个”成就你的2009年”的专题文章,我已经写好了,大多数的建议你应该在蝉意生活上看到过。
我向所有想成就2009年的朋友们列举出了一系列建议，提出了一个改变人生的目标，创造了一个祷文来督促他们实现目标，还提出要简化生活，留出时间给自己和自己爱的人，时时刻刻学习。所有的这些都是很好的建议，如果你想积极的改变，我还能提出更多能帮到你的建议。
但是后来我意识到只要有一条就足够了，但这条你通常不会在那些讲求个人发展，自主自立的博客或书上看到。
那是因为，如果你实现了这条建议，那你就不需要其他的了，那还要我们做什么。
因此，鉴于我很喜欢为读者们写有关个人发展的专题文章和书刊，我也同样希望你们不要实现这点，这样你们以后才会继续期待我的其他文章。
这当然是玩笑啦！去吧，我们歇业也不要紧，我只希望你们开心并能成功，并且能找到新的工作，我所做的都是为了你们好。
那么那个秘密是什么呢？那个不仅会成就你的2009年还会使所有致力于个人发展和自立的博客作者歇业的秘密是什么呢？
你准备好听了么？
好的，你准备好了，让我们开始吧。
不要等待幸福，它就在身边
这听起来是那么的简单，但如果你没有意识到这点，并实践它，那么它会对你的生活有惊人的影响，就在今天，就在此刻。
我的等待生活
当我年轻时，我想成为一个成人，那样会很自由！成年会使我幸福，我迫不及待。
当我成年后，我又想有一份好工作，那样会使我幸福，我迫不及待。当我有了份好工作，我迫不及待想晋升，当我晋升了，我又想结婚，当我结婚了，我又想买辆好车，有了车，我又想买房。
当我买了房，我又想快点付清贷款。
我还能继续说下去，不过你应该已经明白我的意思了。我的心愿都不能使我幸福，因为我总是想要更多。当我得到我所想要的东西后，我就想要别的了。我的幸福总是搁置，因为我总是有一个目标要去实现。
我等待幸福。
关于目标和愿望
有目标是好事，我也有，它们是生活和工作的一部分。但是你应该投资多少在你的目标里？你的幸福多少是建立在你的目标上？
有愿望也是很正常的，但是如果你的生活里充满了一系列的愿望，一个接一个，你只知道追求这些愿望，那么你只是一直在争取幸福，等待幸福。
那么何不牢记：不要等待幸福，它就在身边。
随意的追求你的目标或愿望，但千万不要把你的幸福建立在此。不要以为幸福哪天就会发生（即使那天已经到来）。
生活是旅程，享受它！
所以当你追求目标的时候，你怎么感受到此时此刻的幸福呢？记住重要的不是目的和结果，而是旅程的过程！
所以要记住：旅程才是最重要的。并不是目标，也不是终点。
想一想，如果你只有在达成目的时才会感到幸福，那么你在追求这个目标的时候呢？追求不到目标的时间可是更多啊。如果你只有在到达终点时才幸福，那么你在大部分时候都会不幸福。
此外，如果你一直有那种心态，那当你达成目的，你也不会真正的感到幸福，因为你会开始寻求下一个目标。
那么何不牢记：不要等待幸福，它就在身边。
怎么享受旅程呢？欣赏生活的充实与精彩，不要对未来期望太多，重视现在，重视此时此刻，看看你周围，你会知道幸福它已经在存在。
幸福的因素
怎样才能使你幸福？一辆好车？一间大房子？几百万？如果现在你的愿望都成真，你会幸福吗？
或者，你会为你现在所拥有的而感到幸福吗？
你可否看一看美丽的天空，它是多么奇妙；你可否看一看日落，森林，花朵，孩子，感受它们的美妙。你可以，只要你愿意用心去观察它们。
然后你会发现你的眼睛才是最奇妙的，它让你能看到其他一切美妙的事物。如果你有双眸，你就有了幸福。
假使你看不见呢？你可否尝一尝巧克力，或草莓，或肉桂，或茶，感受它们的奇妙？你可否听一听莫扎特，或约翰列侬，或杰克约翰逊，你的灵魂是否会被幸福包围？那你就有了你所追求的幸福。
你所需要的只是这一刻：和爱人在一起，和朋友谈心，看一部有趣的电影，在清澈的水中游个泳，闻一闻新鲜出炉的面包香，散个步或跑跑步，读一本好书，在雨天有依偎，拥抱与被拥抱。
这千真万确，所以你只要明白：不要等待幸福，它就在身边。
但是…我的目标又怎么样呢？
既然你已经决定感受现在的幸福，那么2009你应该放弃你的目标吗？不，你还是要继续追求这些目标，但是也要记住享受过程。考虑一下吧。
· 减肥. 当你瘦身成功后变得苗条时你幸福吗？当你有完美的身材时呢？振作一下，让减肥变成一个另人享受的过程，锻炼会很有乐趣！一旦你学会享受这个过程，吃干净，健康的食物也是极妙的。享受健康的旅程，那么完美的体形只会变成附带利益罢了。
· 富有成效.你有想过快点做完你计划的事情吗，不拖延，解决一个又一个计划？那很好，不过要知道你的待办事项和计划是永远不会被完成的。它们好象永无止尽，一直是那样。所以你永远无法到达终点，你一直在旅程中。学着享受你的工作，享受每分每秒，成效会自然而然产生。
· 学个新手艺. 你是否想学点法语或长号还是跆拳道？当你学会这些你会幸福吗？不！你要学会的是享受学习的过程。这不仅是在新的领域内探索，更是自我探索。那感觉很妙。
· 简约.你想消除喧闹吗？消除了一切过度的东西你会快乐吗？不！享受简化的过程，它是我业余时间最喜欢做的事！想象一下我就在你后面，用无比兴奋的口吻对你说“丢过来吧”。
· 写本书. 你想写本伟大的美国小说吗？不要等到你读到这本书的时候，而是要热爱你写作的过程，那是很奇妙的。
· 在你变得幸福之前你在等什么呢？你能在此时此刻找到幸福吗？让我们看看评论吧！