励志演讲:亚马逊国王杰夫·贝索斯母校演讲(3)
How will you use these gifts?
你们要如何运用这些天赋呢?
And will you take pride in your gifts or pride in your choices?
你们会为自己的天赋感到骄傲，还是会为自己的选择感到骄傲?
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago.
16年前，我萌生了创办亚马逊的想法。
I came across the fact that Web usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year.
彼时我面对的现实是互联网使用量以每年2300%的速度增长，
I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast,
我从未看到或听说过任何增长如此快速的东西。
and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles,something that simply couldn't exist in the physical world,was very exciting to me.
创建涵盖几百万种书籍的网上书店的想法令我兴奋异常，因为这个东西在物理世界里根本无法存在。
I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year.
那时我刚刚30岁，结婚才一年。
I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most startups don't,
我告诉妻子MacKenzie想辞去工作，然后去做这件疯狂的事情，很可能会失败，因为大部分创业公司都是如此，
and I wasn't sure what would happen after that.
而且我不确定那之后会发生什么。
MacKenzie ，also a Princeton grad and sitting here in the second row)，told me I should go for it.
麦肯琪告诉我，我应该放手一搏。她也是从普林斯顿大学毕业的，现在就坐在第二排那里。
As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor.
在我还是一个男 孩儿的时候，我是车库发明家。
I'd invented an automatic gate closer out of cement-filled tires, a solar cooker that didn't work very well out of an umbrella and tinfoil, baking-pan alarms to entrap my siblings.
我曾用水泥填充的轮胎、雨伞和锡箔以及报警器制作了一个自动关门器。
I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.
我一直想做一个发明家，MacKenzie支持我追随内心的热情。
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people,
我当时在纽约一家金融公司工作，同事是一群非常聪明的人，
and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired.
我的老板也很有智慧，我很羡慕他。
I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet.
我告诉我的老板我想开办一家在网上卖书的公司。
He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me,
他带我在中央公园漫步良久，认真地听我讲完，
and finally said, "That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job."
最后说：“听起来真是一个很好的主意，但是对那些目前没有谋到一份好工作的人来说，这个主意会更好。”
That logic made some sense to me,and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision.
这一逻辑对我而言颇有道理，他说服我在最终作出决定之前再考虑48小时。
Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but ultimately, I decided I had to give it a shot.
那样想来，这个决定确实很艰难，但是最终，我决定拼一次。
I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing.
我认为自己不会为尝试过后的失败而遗憾，
And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
倒是有所决定但完全不付诸行动会一直煎熬着我。
After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I'm proud of that choice.
在深思熟虑之后，我选择了那条不安全的道路，去追随我内心的热情，我为那个决定感到骄傲。
Tomorrow, in a very real sense, your life -the life you author from scratch on your own -begins.
明天，非常现实地说，你们从零塑造自己人生的时代即将开启。
How will you use your gifts?
你们会如何运用自己的天赋?
What choices will you make?
你们又会作出怎样的抉择?
Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions?
你们是被惯性所引导，还是追随自己内心的热情?
Will you follow dogma, or will you be original?
你们会墨守陈规，还是勇于创新?
Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?
你们会选择安逸的生活，还是选择一个奉献与冒险的人生?
Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?
你们会屈从于批评，还是会坚守信念?
Will you bluff it out when you're wrong, or will you apologize?
你们会掩饰错误，还是会坦诚道歉?
Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?
你们会因害怕拒绝而掩饰内心，还是会在面对爱情时勇往直前?
Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?
你们想要波澜不惊，还是想要搏击风浪?
When it's tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?
你们会在严峻的现实之下选择放弃，还是会义无反顾地前行?
Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?
你们要做愤世嫉俗者，还是踏实的建设者?
Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?
你们要不计一切代价地展示聪明，还是选择善良?
I will hazard a prediction.
我要冒险做一个预测.
When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story,
在你们80岁时某个追忆往昔的时刻，只有你一个人静静对内心诉说着你的人生故事，
the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made.
其中最为充实、最有意义的那段讲述，会被你们作出的一系列决定所填满。
In the end, we are our choices.Build youself a great story.
最后，是选择塑造了我们的人生。为你自己塑造一个伟大的人生故事。
Thank you and good luck!
谢谢，祝你们好运!
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