译文欣赏：You Are the Only One Who Can Make You Happy 你的幸福你负责
你的幸福你负责
◎ Chantal Beaupre
“You are the only one who can make you happy.” We have all heard that so many times in our lives.
“你是唯一可以让自己幸福的人。”我们总是听到别人这么对我们说。
There are times it is a pretty tough pill to swallow. In reality, the people that surround you have a huge impact on your current mood. When your children are grumpy in the morning, you find a nice pile the dog left you over night, you hit the road and the traffic won’t allow you your normal speed, then when you get to work and your co-worker called in sick... these are all things that might contribute to your overall Happiness of the day.
有时生活就像一块坚硬苦涩的药，让人难以接受。实际上，你周围的人对你的心情有很大的影响。比如早上你的孩子不听话，你的狗晚上给你留下一堆特殊的东西，车子撞上墙后交通限速，工作时你的同事打电话来请病假……这些都会对你一天的幸福感产生影响。
However, moods and temporary emotions are not the same as happiness. Happiness exists when you look at the overall picture of your life and you smile that is happiness. You know those times when you can’t wait for your children to go to bed, then later you check on the kids and you almost cry because they look exactly like angels...YOU’RE ANGELS, sleeping so sweetly and soundly. You can hardly remember a time of irritation with them. That is Happiness.
但是，情绪和暂时的情感都和幸福是不同的。幸福是你看见自己生活的整个画面时，你面带微笑。你的笑容那是幸福。你知道，你没能等孩子去睡觉，但当你去检查孩子睡得是否安稳时你几乎流泪，因为他们确实像天使一样睡得那么香……这是你那美丽的天使。你不会记得他们惹你生气的时候。这就是幸福。
As life progresses and changes, we realize that who we are, (what makes us, us)... that is what we are responsible for. We know that immediate gratification or irritation only pacifies or deteriorates our emotional stimuli short term. Our global view of how we see ourselves determines our state of mind. Our state of mind determines our happiness.
随着生活的变化和进展，我们意识到我们自己是谁（是什么造就了现在的我们，我们）……我们的责任是什么？我们知道暂时的满足和烦恼只会让我们的情绪得到短暂的安宁或是恶化。我们对自己的看法才会决定我们的精神状态，而精神状态决定着我们的幸福。
So, how do we take control of our emotions and find the path of happiness? This seems to be the million dollar question. There are tons of books on or related to the subject. You could read and practice until you are completely confused. Or, we could spend the rest of our life introspectively evaluating what makes us happy. Which might take more time and energy and actually frustrate us more.
所以，我们应怎样控制自己的情绪，去寻找通向幸福的捷径呢？这是一个很值得探讨的问题。已经有很多的书籍对这个问题进行了说明。你可以去阅读这些书并付诸实践，直到你完全被搞糊涂了。或者，我们可以用闲暇时间思量并确定，是什么让我们得到幸福。这可能花去我们更多的时间和精力，并带给我们更多的挫败感。
How about this? What if we looked at ourselves and decided what we liked and didn’t like and set about making changes. It doesn’t have to be major alterations. Maybe you are tired of your house but can’t afford to move. Try painting the living room or buying flowers to set on the kitchen table. If you haven’t had a vacation for awhile and just can’t afford to take that cruise, go camping instead.
如果我们这么做呢？如果我们首先自己评估一番，确定什么是我们喜爱的，什么是我们不喜爱的，然后开始改变。不一定要是很大的变化。例如，你厌倦了现在的房子，又没有钱买新的，那么你可以试着给自己的房子刷新油漆，或是买一些花放在餐桌上。如果你没有一个完整的长假去旅行，那么你可以试着去露营。
Maybe the issues are more personal or internal. Do you get mad too easily? Learn yoga or meditation. Are you having marital problems? Visit a counselor. Are the kids having discipline issues? Determine the major issues, establish guidelines on how you are going to correct the problem and stick to it.
这些问题或许会涉及更多的隐私。你很容易就发火吗？那就学习瑜伽，或是冥想吧！你有婚姻问题吗？那就去咨询婚姻顾问吧！你的孩子有纪律问题吗？那就找出问题的关键，然后建立指导方针，列出你如何纠正问题的要领，并坚持下去。
You may be saying, “Sure, that sounds so easy but...” Of course it sounds easy. Problems are always easier to talk about than to take the obvious actions to fix them. But, for the most part, things are as difficult or as easy as we determine them to be. Sometimes we just make things harder than necessary.
或许你会说：“当然可以，这听起来容易，但是……”当然，说来容易，做起来很难。但是，问题是难还是简单，在于我们解决它的决心是大还是小。或许有时是我们把问题复杂化了。
If your unhappiness stems from a situation beyond your control then find other ways to compensate. If, for example, money is so tight and no apparent windfall is coming your way any time soon, find inexpensive entertainment. Backyard ballgames, picnics in the park, movie night with popcorn and snacks in your bedroom are a few alternatives to an expensive night out. If the issues are more serious and you feel powerless, that is the time to seek professional help.
如果你的不快乐源于情况超出你的控制，那么你可以寻找其他方式来补偿。例如，如果你的钱很紧张，也不太可能会突发横财，那就找些便宜的娱乐方式。在后院踢足球，到公园去野餐，边吃爆米花边看电影，或是在卧室吃零食，做一些事情来替代一次昂贵的外出。如果问题更为严重，而你又力不从心，你可以向专业人士寻求帮助。
Otherwise, look in the mirror and be glad. If you don’t like what you see, change it. Make the solution that simple!
照照镜子就喜乐。如果你不喜欢你看到的，那就去改变它。方法就是这么简单！
