The Art of Improvement｜你值得拥有更美好的生活
英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等
You Deserve a Greater Life
"Nurture great thoughts. For you will never go higher than your thoughts." – Benjamin Disraeli
Do you aim high? It sounds like an obvious question – and maybe it is – but if you do, that's great, because most people set their sights below their capabilities. Most people play it safe. I get it. Amidst the turmoil of a global pandemic, this doesn't exactly seem like the time to push the boat out.
The safe option seems like a pretty good one. And goals do need to be rooted in some sort of reality, otherwise we're wasting our time. You can't be an Olympic sprinter if you're not built for it. You can't write a (good) novel if you don't enjoy playing with words.
But we too often play small because we're afraid of being judged, or laughed at, or failing, or – sadder still – because we don't think we deserve it, which is wrong. We all deserve the best life has for us. But we can't sit back and wait for "The Good Life" courier pack to turn up on the doorstep. We have to play our part, too. Here's how.
To have the great life you deserve, do these 6 things:
1. Believe you are worthy.
Seriously, if you don't believe you deserve good things – and a good life – they won't come to you. You will (unconsciously) sabotage what's good in your world – and you'll end up settling for less. This is true of work, money, relationships – everything. You deserve good things and good people in your world. Own it.
2. The universe is your ATM.
I credit author Kathrin Zenkina for this line. It's true, but only if you make deposits – a lot of them. If you sit back and expect the Great ATM of Life to keep spitting out the goodies at you (without you putting in any hard yards), you need a reality check.
Life is a give, as well as take, arrangement. More give. So aim to do some good in the world. Be a friend, or do a favour, a kindness, an act of service. In one way or another, it will return to you.
3. Create time to think and dream.
Thinking and dreaming doesn't just mean staring into the void – although most of us have done plenty of that in the past year. Active thinking and dreaming is more productive. So set aside some time to think and dream into a notebook, your laptop or your phone. Capturing your ideas is important. They won't always be great ones, some of them will be awful, but – somewhere in there – you'll find a golden nugget.
4. Minimise the toxic input.
We all devote too much time and energy to things – and people – that aren't good for us. So run a critical eye over your own landscape and note what and who is hurting you or holding you back. It may be hard to wipe toxicity out altogether, but at least point yourself in the right direction by cutting back on it. You'll be amazed at how freeing it is.
5. Get off the couch and act.
Over-thinking is a rabbit hole. As humans, we have a tendency to spend too much time in our own heads and paying attention to our own wayward thoughts, which, ultimately, just spins us around in circles.
Action is the best circuit-breaker for this. When we take action on our ideas or goals, we drag our thoughts and feelings along for the ride. And that ride takes them to a healthier and more productive destination.
6. Know who the real judge is.
We too often limit our lives by worrying about what others think of us: whether they will criticise us or talk about us behind our backs, which is weird because people will do that anyway, even if we do nothing much with our lives. But the sad thing is worrying about the opinions of others stops us from dipping into our own curiosities, and venturing into the unknown.
So throw off the shackles and live the best and biggest way you can. The only person you should allow to judge you is you. And, even then, you shouldn't be too mean.
词汇表
nurture [ˈnɜːtʃə(r)] 养育，培养，滋养
capability [ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti] 能力，才能；性能
play it safe 谨慎行事，不冒险，求稳
turmoil [ˈtɜːmɔɪl] 混乱，骚动，动荡
push the boat out 冒险行事；大手笔花钱；大肆庆祝
be rooted in [ˈruːtɪd] 扎根于，深植于
sprinter [ˈsprɪntə(r)] 短跑运动员
play small 畏缩不前，束手束脚；低调行事
sit back 袖手旁观；不采取行动
courier [ˈkʊriə(r)] 快递员，信使
doorstep [ˈdɔːstep] 门阶，家门口
unconsciously [ʌnˈkɒnʃəsli] 无意识地，不知不觉地
sabotage [ˈsæbətɑːʒ] 蓄意破坏，捣乱
own it [əʊn] 接受它，承认它
ATM 自动取款机（Automated Teller Machine的缩写）
make deposits [dɪˈpɒzɪts] 存款，存钱
spit out [spɪt] 吐出；厉声说出
goody ['ɡʊdi] 好东西，吸引人的东西
put in hard yards [ jɑːdz] 付出努力，下苦功
reality check [ˈriːəlti tʃek] 现实检验，认清现实
void [vɔɪd] 空白，空虚
set aside [set əˈsaɪd] 留出，抽出（金钱或时间）
golden nugget [ˈɡəʊldən ˈnʌɡɪt] 有价值的东西，珍品
run a critical eye over 审视，仔细检查
hold back 阻碍，阻止，抑制
toxicity [tɒkˈsɪsəti] 有害因素；毒性，毒力
wipe out [waɪp] 彻底消灭，摧毁
cut back on 削减，减少
rabbit hole 兔子洞（指令人深陷其中的困境或复杂情况）
wayward [ˈweɪwəd] 任性的，难以驾驭的，反复无常的
spins around in circles [spɪnz əˈraʊnd ɪn ˈsɜːklz] 原地打转，毫无进展
circuit-breaker [ˈsɜːkɪt ˈbreɪkə(r)] （文中指）打破局面的事物；（电流）断路器
dip into [dɪp] 探究；涉猎；动用（款项等）
venture into [ˈventʃə(r)] 冒险 (从事活动)
throw off the shackles [θrəʊ ɒf ðə ˈʃæklz] 挣脱束缚
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