In our societies, we used the word "success" a lot. And we think we know just what it means: money, status, fame, and power. But take a look at the dictionary, and things start to look, thankfully, a lot more complicated, because success is, in truth, rather more neutral and less value-laden than we tend to assume.

在我们的社会中，我们常常用「成功」这个词。我们自认了解它的意思：金钱、地位、名声和权力。但查查字典上的意思，谢天谢地，事情看起来开始变得复杂许多，因为事实上，成功比我们通常预想的更中性，且承载的价值观也更少。

 

It just means doing anything well, excelling at something, and that might encompass¹ a lot of different activity: running 100 meters, for sure, selling your app for a lot of money, okay, but also stranger, less heralded² things, like, listening a lot, very attentively³ to a child, or being extremely kind to strangers, or filling your mind with interesting ideas and associations, or knowing just when to put an arm around someone when it's too much for them. People who triumph here are also big success stories.

成功就只是指能做好任何事、在某方面很擅长，而那可能包含很多不同的活动：当然包括百米赛跑，卖出你的 app 然后赚了很多钱也算，但也有更奇特、鲜少被大肆宣扬的事情，象是长时间专注聆听一个孩子的心声，或对陌生人非常好，或将你的脑袋装满有趣的点子和联想，或知道什么时候该搂搂一个快承受不住压力的人。在这里成功的人也都是很棒的成功故事。

 

No one can be successful at everything; whatever they tell us, it's almost impossible to succeed with a career and a family, or with popularity and integrity. There are always sacrifices.

没有人可以样样成功；不管他们怎么说，要在事业和家庭方面同时成功几乎是不可能的，或同时兼顾名气和正直。总有某方面会牺牲。

 

It's great to be successful. It's even better to make sure you followed your own distinctive⁴ and not necessarily always obvious path to the success that can truly fulfill⁵ you.

成功很棒。但更棒的是，能确定自己跟随自己独特但不见得总是明显的道路，那条通往能够真正充分发挥自我的成功道路。

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