“新年新高度”（摘自《环球邮报》）

加国无忧

摘自卑诗华人社区，送交者 : 胡司令  
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零二年，最有价值的人是那些让周围世界变得更美好的人。


作者：迈克·里普金
二零零一年十二月三十一日

译者：胡司令
二零零二年元月五日


那么，二零零二年了，生活对你有什么期望呢？更进一步说，你对你自己有什么期望？好吧，我们看
看新年的真正涵义是什么：我们大家都被一个更高的标准所约束。放纵的年代在“九一一”结束。现
在是责任的年代。

因此，这里有十条最好的“新年决心”可以让你考虑。

一）毫不动摇地保持乐观。在任何困难中都看到光明和机会，在任何情况下都期待最好结果。无论你
寻求什么，你都终将找到它。我们要么变得更好，要么变得痛苦；取决于我们是否吸取经验教训。乐
观主义象电能一样——没有它很难办事。明白这个道理吧：面对前所未有的挑战，你会前所未有地左
右逢源。遇到真正的紧急需求，真实的你也就会出现。

二）认识到自己能为他人所做的最大好事并付诸行动。肖伯纳说，“生活的目的是有目的的生活”。
你的生活目的是啥呢？你个人的精力投放在哪里：是自保还是为他人增值？有个著名的悖论：如果你
只关心自己，你不会照顾好自己。只有帮助他人你才能成功。

三）不断提高自己的生气活力。生活的游戏不是关于谁正确，而是关于谁离去。我们当中百分之六十
以上的人超过三十六岁。新世纪真正的货币不是现金，而是生命力。这是一年中每月、每周、每日保
持充沛体力和神韵的能力。对周围的人而言，你就是一个能源，你无法给与你自己没有的东西。如今
百分之九十以上的成年人根本不做身体锻炼。我们当中过半数的人超重。三分之一的人仍在吸烟。因
此今年要下决心提高身体、感情和精神的活力。只要迈开一小步，你就会首先让自己惊奇，然后所有
其他人也跟着惊讶。

四）养成慷慨给予的习惯。成功不是因为你去追求她而得到的 , 她是因为你成为你自己而为你所吸引
的。你自己付出越多，别人越愿意帮你。人在内心深处都想知恩必报。所以要下决心寻找有助于他人
的方式。有一句有趣的格言：生活在标准线之上。如果这根线代表他人对你的期望，你应该总是比别
人期望的做得更好。你逐渐会有如商业作者肯·布兰卡所谓的“口碑迷”，成为为你一路竞相传颂的
活广告。

五）精神食疗法。棍子和石头能敲折你的骨头，而语言却能留下一辈子的伤痕。人不如大象，不会遗
忘。所以要下决心用调和的语言，不用对立的语言。要忍住不对他人发泄消极的东西。相反，多说些
热爱生活和人际联系的事情。

六）当世界公民，做地球村的一员，全面接受其他民族的文化和影响。我们每个人的安康福祉同我们
对其他民族思想和文化的开放程度之间有着直接关联。如果别人的观点不同，他也可能是对的。绝对
真理不复存在，要欢迎不同意见。成为你自己的百家冠军吧。你不但会交到更多朋友 , 而且能集思广
益有助于解决自己的难题。

七）把握自己的目的。不要忙于生计而忘记生活。你想成为什么人，你想成就什么事，做出抉择然后
大胆迈向你的目标。人类今天最宝贵的必需品就是信心。

八）加强与他人的联系。谁的人际关系最好，谁就得胜。人际圈子越广，机会就越多。这就是信任的
问题，也是个形象的问题——你在要紧的人脑袋里留下的印象。所以要拿出至少十分之一的时间拓宽
自我影响的范围。将自己圈子里的机会介绍给其他人：让人的潜力异花受粉。跟别人在一起时，让每
次相遇成为愉快的记忆。当你倾听时，全心全意去听。让热情融化对拒绝的恐惧。

九）放弃熟悉旧事物，加强创新能力。昨天是最遥远的。每天尝试用新鲜的眼光看待世界。正如萨尔
曼·汝希第写道：今年永远是明年的石器时代。听从直觉，跟随本能，与其绞尽脑汁，不如让直觉和
本能告诉你怎么办。你在某个方面是毕加索或爱因斯坦。找出是在哪方面然后最大限度地发挥。

十）成为你自己，不模仿他人。当我们都是真我时，你我才是最佳状态。当我们未经琢磨、真实自发
时我们才处于最佳状态，因为那才是我们将所有精力集中于人或事之时。在一个极度竞争的世界，我
们负担不起事后聪明的代价。新新时代的成功就是速度的问题。所以马上要行动，此时不动，更待何
时？

这些就是十条新年新决心，助你二零零二年活得更好。下定决心，然后行动吧。


迈克·里普金是来自多伦多的作者。

明天：另一种决心。

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"Next year next level" (from Globe and Mail)

In ought-two, the most valuable people will be those who enhance the world around them.


By MIKE LIPKIN

December 31, 2001


So what does life expect of you in 2002? Better yet, what do you expect of yourself?
Well, here's the defining truth of the new year: we are all being held to a higher
standard. The age of indulgence ended on Sept. 11. It's now the age of accountability.

So here are 10 of the best New Year's resolutions you can make.

1. Resolve to stay brutally optimistic. See the opportunity in every difficulty and
anticipate the most favorable outcome out of every situation. Whatever you look for,
that's what you'll find. We can get better or we can get bitter; it all depends on the
lessons we draw from each experience. Optimism is like electricity -- very little happens
without it. Know this truth: you have all the resources you'll ever need to handle all
the challenges you'll ever have. It's in the true emergencies that the true you emerges.

2. Resolve to identify the most powerful benefit you offer to the people around you and
then deliver it. "The purpose of life," said George Bernard Shaw, "is a life of purpose."
What's yours? Where are you investing your personal energy: self-preservation or adding
value to others? Here's the well-being paradox: if you're only concerned about yourself,
you cannot take care of yourself. Only by helping others can you succeed.

3. Resolve to pump up your personal vitality. In the game of life it's not about who's
right, it's about who's left. Over 60 per cent of us are more than 36 years old. The real
currency of the new century is not cash, it's vitality. It's the ability to keep going
every day of every week of every month of the year with vigour and verve. All you are to
the people around you is a source of energy and you cannot give what you don't have.
Ninety per cent of all adults do no physical exercise at all. More than half of us are
overweight. A third of us still smoke. So, this year, resolve to enhance your physical,
emotional and mental vitality. Take just a small step. First you'll amaze yourself and
then you'll amaze everybody else.

4. Resolve to be habitually generous. Success is not something you pursue, it's something
you attract by what you become. The more you give of yourself, the more favours you
attract from others. People have a deep-rooted drive to give back. So resolve to search
for ways to contribute to others. Here's an interesting aphorism: Live above the line. If
the line represents others' expectations of you, consistently surpass those expectations.
You'll develop what the business author Ken Blanchard calls "raving fans," people who
become walking billboards for you.

5. Resolve to go on a mental diet. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can
scar you for life. It's humans, not elephants, who never forget. So resolve to use the
language of conciliation, not the language of confrontation. Avoid the temptation to
vent your negativity on others. Instead, use words that express your joie de vivre and
connection with others.

6. Resolve to be a global citizen, fully open to the cultures and influences of others.
There is a direct correlation between personal well-being and openness to other peoples'
ideas and cultures. If someone has a different point of view, they're probably right as
well. There are no absolutes anymore, so welcome different opinions. Become a one-person
champion of plurality. Not only will you make lots of new friends, but you'll also gather
multiple reference points to help you resolve personal challenges.

7. Resolve to take control of your destiny. Don't be so busy trying to make a living that
you forget to make a life. Decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve and then
stride boldly towards your vision. The most precious human commodity today is confidence.

8. Resolve to increase your human connectedness. The person with the best connections
wins. The wider your network, the more opportunities you generate. It's all about trust.
And it's all about profile -- your presence in the minds of the people who matter. So
invest at least 10 per cent of your time broadening your sphere of influence. Connect
other people to opportunities within your network: cross-pollinate their potential. When
you are with others, make every encounter a pleasurable one. When you listen, truly
listen. And burn your fear of rejection.

9. Resolve to increase your creativity by letting go of the familiar. Nothing is as far
away as yesterday. Try to see the world through fresh eyes every day. As Salman Rushdie
writes, every year is the Stone Age to the year that follows it. Listen to your intuition
and follow your instincts, they'll tell you what to do before your head has had a chance
to figure it out. You are a Picasso or Einstein at something. Discover what it is and
then develop it to the maximum.

10. Resolve to be you because others are already taken. You and I are at our best when
we're being authentic. We're at our best when we're being positively spontaneous because
that's when all our energy is being invested in the person in front of us or the task at
hand. In a hyper-competitive world, we cannot afford to second-guess ourselves. Success
in the new, new age is all about speed. So act now, because if not now, when?

So there you have it, 10 New Year's resolutions to help improve your life in 2002. So
decide. And act.


Mike Lipkin is a Toronto-based author.

Tomorrow: Another kind of resolution.