生活因变化而精彩：5种方式打造精彩生活

1. Live Below Your Means

量力消费

There will always be temptation to forsake the future for immediate gratification. We all want to buy that new piece of technology, treat ourselves to an expensive night on the town, or take out a loan for the flashy car we can’t afford. It might feel great at the time but rash spending hurts a lot later on.

总是存在一些诱惑，让你想为了眼前的满足而放弃未来。我们都想买新科技产品，去吃一顿昂贵的晚餐犒劳自己，或者贷款买那辆我们本来买不起的耀眼豪车。当时可能感觉很棒，但轻率的消费会让你之后很受伤。

Enjoy life’s simple pleasures and save as much as you can. Expensive things don’t create lasting happiness and security. Careful spending will bring you greater leisure and enjoyment in the long run.

享受生活中简单的乐趣，尽可能地节省。昂贵的东西并不会带来长久的幸福和安全感。从长远来说，慎重消费才会带给你更大的轻松和愉快。

2. Put Your Money to Work

让你的钱运转起来

Saving is great, but to make the most of your money you need to put it to work. Good investments can be the difference between retiring in your 40′s or in your 60′s.

存钱是好的，但是想要最大程度利用你的钱，你需要让它们运转起来。好的投资可以决定你的退休时间是40多岁还是60多岁。

If a person in their early 20′s invests 20% of their income in an S&P index fund, the interest they earn will equal their current salary when they reach their early 40′s. They could retire without a drop in income! Wise investing is the surest path to financial independence and it’s something everyone can work on.

如果一个人在20岁出头的时候把他工资的20%用于投资购买标准普尔指数基金，那么当他40岁出头时，他获得的利息会和他当前的工资持平。他们就可以在不减少收入的情况下退休了！明智的投资是经济独立最可靠的道路，而且每个人都可以做到。

3. Educate Yourself

自我教育

To be happy we need continuous growth. The best way to grow is life long education. This doesn’t mean you need to pursue a doctorate or spend 2 hours reading every day. Self education can be anything that takes you out of your comfort zone. The important part is keeping an open mind and searching for fresh ideas and perspectives.

为了能够幸福，我们需要持续的成长。成长最好的方法就是终身教育。这并不意味着你要去攻读博士学位或者每天读书两小时。自我教育可以是任何让你走出自己舒适区域的东西。重要的是保持开放的心态，寻求新鲜的观点和看法。

Education builds over time. It might feel like the bits of wisdom you acquire don’t mean much, but over the years they add up to form a wiser, kinder, more interesting person.

教育会让时间充实。也许你会觉得你获得的点滴智慧并没有多重要，但经过多年积累，它们会让你成为一个更睿智、更仁慈、更有趣的人。

4. Develop Lasting Personal Relationships

建立长期的人际关系

Suppose you had everything you wanted. Would you be happy without anyone to share it with? The personal relationships we develop with friends and family members are the greatest source of happiness in our lives. Don’t forget about them.

假设你拥有了你想要的一切。如果没有人和你分享，你还会快乐吗？我们和朋友家人之间建立起来的人际关系是我们生命中快乐的最大来源。不要忘记这一点。

Taking the time to cultivate and enjoy personal relationships is essential to longterm happiness. Without the people you care about you’ll probably be miserable, no matter how successful you become.

花时间打造并享受人际关系对于长久的幸福来说是必不可少的。没有那些你在乎的人，不管你有多成功，你都可能会活得很痛苦。

5. Work Towards a Dream You’re Passionate About

朝一个你怀有激情的梦想努力

Even if your life isn’t perfect, you can always build towards a goal you’re passionate about. If you aren’t building towards something, you’re probably stagnating. When this happens to me I start to feel like a victim trapped by my own life. The best way to reverse this is working towards a goal.

即使你的人生不完美，你也可以朝着自己怀有激情的目标去努力。如果你没有努力的目标，你可能会停滞不前。当我遇到这种情况时，我会觉得自己像一个被自己的生活困住的受害者。想要扭转这个局面，最好的办法就是朝着一个目标努力。

We can’t control everything about our lives, but working towards a goal gives us something positive to focus on and lays the foundation for future success. No matter what your passion is, get out there and start doing something. As Lao Tzu said, even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

我们不能控制生活中的每一件事情，但是朝着一个目标努力会给我们一些正能量，让我们专注，并且为未来的成功打下基础。不论你的激情是什么，行动起来，开始做些事情。就好像老子说的：千里之行始于足下。

Bonus: 6. Stay in Shape

附送第6点：保持身材

You only get one body. Once it’s been ruined there isn’t much you can do about it. Exercise to keep the rust off. Avoid excessive consumption of damaging substances and unhealthy foods. It may feel like terrible self denial at the time but enjoying good health in your later years is worth the sacrifice.

你只有一个身体。一旦身体受损，你做什么都于事无补。运动起来，别让身体生锈，避免过量摄入有害物质和不健康的食品。有时候也许会感到可怕的自我否定，但在晚年时拥有健康会让这些牺牲都值得。