“燃”起你的未来

Perhaps you’ve heard this already: In 1979, researchers surveyed new graduates from Harvard University’s MBA program and found that 84 percent of them had no specific goals. Only 3 percent had set long-term targets and made plans how to achieve them. It turned out 10 years later that the 3 percent were earning, on average, 10 times more than the other 97 percent put together.

或许你已经听说这件事了：1979年，研究人员对哈佛大学工商管理学硕士的毕业生进行了调查，发现他们当中84%的人没有具体目标。只有3%的人设定了长远目标，并制定计划来实现它们。10年之后，这3%的人的平均收入，是剩下97%的人收入总和的十倍。

College is the time when you’re expected to commit to your path in life. But it’s also the time when you’re the least equipped to have any long-term perspective. Brian Fetherstonhaugh, CEO of the US-based digital marketing company Ogilvy-One Worldwide,offers some tips on how to aim your sights into the future.

在大学时代，你应当为自己的人生道路而奋斗。但大学同时也是人们最欠缺长远规划的时期。美国数字化营销公司奥美互动的首席执行官布赖恩·费瑟斯通豪就如何规划未来提供了一些建议。

The whole process can be divided into three stages. The first is “gathering fuel”.

整个过程可以被分为三个阶段。第一阶段是“收集燃料”。

This means building up your skills, learning from different experiences and developing a network of people who you trust and who trust you. You want to work hard, always, but you shouldn’t hope to reach your peak straight away. This is a *phase in life that requires patience and a willingness to identify your own weaknesses and work on them.

这意味着培养自己的技能，从不同的经历中学习以及建立起彼此信赖的人际关系网。你总是想要努力工作，但你不能指望立刻就达到人生巅峰。在这个人生阶段中，你需要耐心，并愿意发现自身缺点，不断改进。

If you complete this stage with a growing sense of what you love to do and what you’re good at and what the world appreciates – you’re winning.

如果你完成了这个阶段，越来越清楚地认识到自己喜欢做什么，擅长做什么，以及世界期望你做什么 —— 那么你就成功了。

The second stage is when you start burning that fuel.

第二个阶段是你开始燃烧那些燃料的时候。

This is the time to identify, feed, and bet on your strengths. You improve the skills you’ve obtained through experiences, the people you’ve met along the way and the recognition of what you should do.

在这个阶段，你需要发现、培养以及投注自己的优势。你要不断加强从经历中习得的技能，运用好一路上建成的人际关系，更清楚地认识到自己应该做什么。

It seems that most of us try to jump straight to the second stage. We want to launch fast and get where we’re going in a hurry, but that rarely works. “*Chill out a bit, take this long view,” Fetherstonhaugh says. “You should make smaller daily, monthly, yearly moves and choices that position you for the really big stuff, which is longer-term success.”

我们大多数人似乎都直接跳到了第二阶段。我们想要快速地开始，匆匆忙忙地赶到我们所要去的地方，但这么做很少奏效。“冷静一点，目光要放长远，”费瑟斯通豪表示。“你应该以每天、每月、每年为单位行动，做出能够让你真正干成大事的选择，这是更长远的成功。”

The final part is about staying current and maintaining your skills. In a nutshell, it’s about staying strong and relevant, while turning an eye toward what lies ahead.

最后一部分是关于紧跟潮流，维持好你的技能。简单来说，就是关于保持强大，与时俱进，同时目光要向前看。

The *crux of this stage: “It’s a surprisingly long journey and most people vastly *underestimate it.” You can’t expect an ideal life to happen by itself or through *sheer force of will. You must recognize – regardless of where you are on the path – that each step is there to teach you something, feeding you that fuel.

这一阶段的关键在于：“这是一段相当长的旅程，大多数人大大低估了它。”你不能指望理想的生活从天而降，或者沉浸在空想中。你必须意识到 —— 不论你在人生道路的何处 —— 你走的每一步都能教会你些东西，为你增添燃料。

If you’re not doing what you want, you need more fuel – so go out and get it. And if you are doing what you want, don’t just coast. Keep moving, and don’t settle.

如果你并没有在干自己想做的事，那么你会需要更多的燃料 —— 所以走出门去获得燃料吧。如果你正在干自己想做的事，那么不要只是得过且过。不断前进，不要停下来。