双语 ● If It's a Good Idea...Don't Do It 如果事情只是个好主意——别去做
If It's a Good Idea...Don't Do It 如果事情只是个好主意——别去做
◎ Jonathan
For a long time, I’ve held the belief that if something is a good idea, it’s worth doing.
在很长一段时间里，我一直信奉一个信仰：如果有一个好主意，那就值得去做。
Now, I completely reject that notion.
现在，我完全反对这种观念。
I just can’t operate that way anymore. I know better and my brain can’t be fooled.
我再也不能遵循这种模式了。我有了更深刻的了解，我的大脑再也不能被骗了。
In 2007 Tim Ferriss coined the term “work for work’s sake”. Since then, something worse has emerged: “improving for improvement’s sake.” (Honestly, this conundrum has probably been around for centuries. I just came up with it now because I desperately want to coin a phrase of my own, so I can be cool, too.) In other words: “improving for improvement’s sake” is doing something just because it’s a “good idea”.
2007年，蒂姆·费理斯提出了“为工作而工作”的概念。之后，更糟糕的观点也出现了：“为改善而改善。”（老实说，这个难题可能已经流传了好几个世纪了。我现在提出来是因为我也急着想要造一个词，这样我也可以“酷”一回了。）换句话说，“为改善而改善”之所以能被接受，正是因为它是一个“好主意”。
Yeah, I’ve been there, and what is neatly packaged as a “good idea” is often OCD and egotism in disguise.
是的，我感同身受，那些被巧妙包装为“好主意”的东西常常是强加上的且是自以为是的。
It’s at that point where passion is ransacked and Ego reigns king of the hill.
结果，激情遭到蹂躏，自我膨胀到了极点。
There are many instances where passion can turn into just a good idea...
下面的诸多例子说明激情能变成“只是个好主意”……
1．Passions turns into obsession. When I first started learning Jeet Kune Do, I was incredibly excited. I’ve wanted to study martial arts since I first saw The Karate Kid at the ripe age of seven. So when I was presented the opportunity to learn the style of martial arts that Bruce Lee formed, I could barely contain my excitement (and, I’ll be honest, my nervousness at the thought of possibly sucking really bad). But when my ego got hold of me, it became hard to practice just because I felt I should; just because it was a “good idea”. In other words: I forgot about my passion and started aiming to improve simply for the sake of improvement.
① 激情变成困扰。当我开始学习截拳道时，我极其兴奋。自从我第一次在七岁已能看懂《空手道小子》的时候，我就一直想学武术。所以当我有机会学习李小龙武术招式时，我几乎无法抑制我的兴奋（而且，老实告诉你，一想起来我的神经紧张得几乎要崩溃）。但是，当自我的自负情绪将我包围以后，练习就几乎没办法再进行下去，而这仅仅因为我觉得我本该可以做好的，做这样的练习本该是一种“好主意”。换言之，我忘了我的激情，满脑子只是“为了强壮而强壮”。
2．Your love becomes your job. This seems like the most backward thing, right? I mean, in the beginning we complain that we don’t have enough time to do what we really care about, but when we’re presented the opportunity to make money from it, it becomes a turnoff. At first, it might seem exhilarating and thrilling for the chance to do what we love for a living. But after a while, that excitement tends to wear off and it becomes a chore. It’s a must instead of a fun option kind of thing. (A little later in this article we’ll get into why this happens and how to can get out of it.)
② 喜爱成为工作。这似乎是最丢人的事情，对不？我的意思是，在最初的时候，我们抱怨没有足够的时间去做我们真正关心的事情，但当我们一有机会可从中获利，它就不再是原来的那回事了。乍一看，这似乎是令人兴奋和刺激的机会，能为谋生去做我们所喜爱的工作。但是过了一段时间，那种兴奋感逐渐消退后，它就往往变成一件苦差事了。它成为一件必须做的，而不是可以自由选择的或是有趣的事情（稍后，在这篇文章中，我们会解释这种事情发生的原因以及如何才能摆脱它）。
3．You mistake avoidance for apathy. We often think that because we’re avoiding doing what we love, it must not matter enough to us. Of course it matters! That very avoidance and fear is a sign that it does matter. But it’s hard not to let that fear discourage you and lead you to believe that because you’re avoiding it, you must not want it bad enough. If you let that happen, you forfeit your passion and the worst happens... It turns into just a good idea.
③ 错误回避冷漠。我们通常认为，因为我们回避做我们喜欢的事情，这对我们没有太大的影响。当然它的影响大着呢！那种刻意的回避和恐惧恰恰就是“有影响”的信号。但是，这很难不让恐惧阻止你并且让你相信，因为你避开它，事情一定不会变得更糟。如果你让这一切发生的话，你会丧失热情，而最糟糕的事情也会发生……因为它只是一个“好主意”。
What’s happening here is one of two things: A.) Your passion is getting stifled somewhere along the way, or B.) You’ve simply lost interest.
下面的两件事情哪一件会发生呢？A）你的热情正在逐步被扼杀。B）你只是失去了兴趣。
If the latter is the case and you’re supposed true love (with your new career pursuit, or whatever it may be), was simply infatuation, then you can safely let it go. There’s no point in clinging to goals that no longer serve you.
如果是后一种情况，而你真正喜爱的（你新的职业追求或可能的追求）只是一种迷恋而已，那么你大可放心地让它去。没有必要执著于那些对你不再有用的事情。
If you can honestly say that you truly are passionate about whatever you’re aspiring to—and your spark was simply extinguished somewhere along the way—there is hope for you yet.
如果你可以真诚地说，你真正专注于你所渴望做的事情——而你的激情之火花只是在这过程中熄灭了，那你仍然是有希望的。
