英语美文：好习惯是成功的一半

11. Manage your money before it starts to manage you. 

积极理财，别反被金钱束缚。

Too many people buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t know. Don’t be one of them. Bottom line: It’s easier to find long-term wealth by needing and spending less, instead of making more. So spend less than you earn, and always go without until you have the cash in hand. Keep six months of your salary in an emergency savings¹ account just in case you lose your job or have an emergency that prevents you from working for a prolonged period of time. And keep a few extra hundred dollars on hand for unexpected expenses, such as car and home repair. 

很多人为了讨好别人，会花过多的钱去买并不需要的东西。别做这种人。心中要有底线：和“花得多赚得就多”相比，“日积月累能致富”更靠谱。所以，节俭生活，出门时能少带钱就少带。把6个月的薪水当做“紧急账户”存起来，以防突然被炒鱿鱼，或遭遇某事而导致你在未来几月内无法工作赚钱。同时手头也要有些现金储蓄以备不时之需，比如修车、装修房间之类的。

12. Let the wrong people go. 

对错误的人放手。

You can try your hardest, you can do everything and say everything, but sometimes people just aren’t worth trying over anymore, and they aren’t worth worrying about. It’s important to know when to let go of someone who only brings you down. The moment someone tells you that you’re not good enough is the moment you know you’re better off than they are, and better off without them.

是的，你可以拼命努力争取，也可以无所不用其极，但有时候并不是每个人都值得你去奋力追求的，他们不值得你如此费心。对于那种只会让你难过失落的人，放手吧。如果有人对你说“你还不够好”，那么，离开他/她，因为这恰好证明了你非常好，并且没有了他/她的影响你会变得更优秀。

13. Appreciate your true friends, and return the favor. 

对朋友心存感激，并记得回报。

A friend who understands your tears and troubles is far more valuable than a hundred friends who only show up for your smiles and joys. Because a true friend accepts who you truly are, and also helps you become who you are capable of being. Friendships like this require more than just finding the right person, they also require you to be the right person. When someone believes in you enough to lift you up, try not to let them down. True friendship is a sweet responsibility to be nurtured², not an opportunity to be exploited.

一个能理解你苦痛的朋友，比一百个狐朋狗友来得更为珍贵。因为只有真正的朋友才能接受你本身的样子，才会会帮助你变成更好的自己。这种友谊是双方的：你不仅需要去找到那个“对的朋友”，你也要做对方那个“对的朋友”。因此，若有人对你展现了足够的信任，请别让他们失望。真正的友谊是需要时常用爱心和责任浇灌的。

14. Do everything with a touch of kindness. 

做任何事都要心存善意。

Whatever can be done, can be done more effectively when you add kindness. Whatever words are spoken, will always be more compelling when expressed with kindness. The kind deeds you exert in just one moment can have a positive impact that lasts a lifetime. Your days will be brighter and your years fuller when you add kindness to your purpose. Choose to be kind every day, and you’re truly choosing to live in a better world.

当一件事被加上了善意，那么它就能完成得更好。当一句话被加上了善意，就能变得更为动听。有时候，一瞬间突发的善意能不经意地带来一辈子的良好影响。生命将从此变得更为光明，而你本人也能包含着友善去生活。请日行一善，这样的话，你就能生活在一个更美好的世界里。

15. Choose happiness.

选择快乐。

If you can find joy in doing nothing, you can find it in everything. Realize that happiness and joy are not always the result of good things, oftentimes they are the cause of good things. There is nothing you need in order to be happy other than the choice to be. So let go of the worries you have for what may or may not come your way. Focus instead on the good things that you can give, create, inspire and choose to experience, right here, right now. Don’t allow the world to pull you down with its negativity. Choose to transform the world around you with your own positivity.

假如连什么也不做都能给你带来快乐的话，那么任何事都可以让你快乐。你会明白，有时候快乐不仅仅是好事的结果——它也可以是带来好事的原因。想得到快乐，那么自己要先学会快乐。丢掉那些无谓的烦恼吧，去关注能给你带来收获、创造力、美好经历的事物。对，就从现在开始。别让世界的阴暗面影响你，而应该让自己的光明面去影响世界。

16. Learn to cope with anger effectively. 

学会有效应对愤怒。

When you’reinfuriated with someone else, take a few deep breaths, sit quietly, and think for a moment. Acknowledge the true source of your anger. Anger bleeds from the inside out. Remember that we need to fix ourselves first before we attempt to fix or influence others. Trying to change others is a common recipe for prolonging the suffering. Taking responsibility for changing yourself, and how you deal with the actions of others, is a recipe for growth, freedom, and happiness.

对别人感到愤怒时，请先深呼吸，安静地坐下并思考一会儿。找出愤怒的真正原因，因为愤怒是来自内心的。请记住，改变自己比尝试改变他人更重要。一味地想改变他人只会延续自己的痛苦。不如先从反省自己开始，试着适应他人不同的行为方式，这样能让自己变得更成熟、自由和快乐。

17. Accept some responsibility for the way others treat you. 

别人对待你的态度，部分取决于你自己。

Yes, on occasion you will run into someone who is downright wicked, but for the most part, others will look to you for direction on how you want to be treated. They will test you to see what is acceptable, and then treat you the way you let them treat you. Remember, you can’t control them, but you can control what you tolerate.

的确，我们时不时会遇到特别不讲理的人。但除此之外的绝大多数人都是经过试探你的表现后才决定如何对待你的。他们会挑战你的底线，并用你能接受的方式来对待你。记住，我们不能控制他人，但我们可以控制自己的底线。

18. Work on your inner beauty too. 

除了外在美，内在美也要重视。

Our outward acts are a manifestation³ of who we are on the inside. Let’s remind ourselves to love who we are from the inside out – to be pretty happy, handsomely kind, pretty smart, handsomely unique, pretty loving, handsomely lovable, pretty quirky, handsomely funny, pretty cool – and not just pretty and handsome.

有句话说的是“相由心生”。要爱那个原本的自己，由内而外，你不只有张帅气或漂亮的皮囊，你有更多的东西，比如快乐、友善、聪慧、独特、真挚、可爱、古灵精怪、有趣、酷！

19. Introduce a little variety into your routine. 

给平淡生活一些多彩的变化。

Remember that the way you’ve always done it isn’t the only way. It’s unlikely that one of the things you’ll regret when you’re 70 is not having consumed enough beer in your 20s, or not having bought enough $6 lattes from Starbucks, or not having frequented the same night club for years. But the regret of missing out on opportunities is a real, toxic⁴ feeling. You’ve figured out drinking and going out. You’ve had enough lattes. It’s time to figure something else out. Every corner you turn or street you walk down has a new experience waiting for you. You just have to see the opportunity and be adventurous⁵ enough to run with it.

生活并不总是一成不变的。等到了70岁，你后悔的肯定不会是“20多岁没喝够啤酒”，或“星巴克的廉价拿铁还没买够”，或“常去的那个小酒吧应该更多去去”这类。真正错失了一个机会能让人心如刀割，喝酒、买咖啡、出去玩……这种事你早就做得够多了。现在是该找点新乐趣的时候了。每条街的转角处，也许都有一个新机会、新体验等着你。你所需要做的，是抓住机会，并勇敢地体验它。

20. Always keep in mind that life is somewhat unpredictable. 

永远要记住：生命是不可预见的。

Some of the great moments in your life won’t necessarily be the things you do; they’ll be things that happen to you. That doesn’t mean you can’t take action to affect the outcome of your life. You have to take action, and you will. But don’t forget that on any day, you can step out the front door and your whole life can change in an instant – for better or worse. To an extent, the universe has a plan that’s always in motion. A butterfly flaps its wings and it starts to rain – it’s a scary thought, but it’s part of life’s cycle. All these little parts of the machine, constantly working – sometimes forcing you to struggle, and sometimes making sure you end up exactly in the right place at the right time.

生活中发生的一些重大事件，并不是我们根据平日所为能预料到的。有时它们就是突然发生了。但是这并不代表我们对生活就此束手无措。你需要采取行动——是的，我知道你会这样做。同时也请记住，一瞬间发生的事也许会彻底改变你的人生——无论越好或越坏。总的来讲，宇宙是永远在变动中的。蝴蝶轻扇翅膀，也许就会带来一场大雨——想想真恐怖，不过，这就是生命轮回的一部分。就像机器的每个小零件，它们会一直迫使你前进、挣扎，偶尔还会收获恰到好处的惊喜。

1 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

2 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

3 manifestation   

n.表现形式；表明；现象

参考例句：

• Her smile is a manifestation of joy.她的微笑是她快乐的表现。
• What we call mass is only another manifestation of energy.我们称之为质量的东西只是能量的另一种表现形态。

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。