Sticking your neck out and taking charge of your career is no trivial matter. Whether that’s switching careers, going back to school, or walking away from a j-o-b to start your own business, it takes a lot of guts.
冒險(xiǎn)接管自己的事業(yè)是非同小可的。不管是改變職業(yè)方向、回歸校園，還是放棄常規(guī)工作開始自己創(chuàng)業(yè)，都需要很大的勇氣。

But guts will only get you so far. Once you build up the nerve and make the leap, you’re no more than 5% of the way there. You still have to succeed in your new endeavor, and trying to succeed is when your worst fears (the ones that made you hesitate in the first place) will come true.
但勇氣只能讓你走這么遠(yuǎn)。一旦你下定了決心并開始行動(dòng)，你就又前進(jìn)了5%。在新的努力下，你還是要取得成功。當(dāng)你最嚴(yán)重的擔(dān)憂（讓你最初猶豫的事情）出現(xiàn)時(shí)，嘗試克服它。

I’m going to assume you’re like me and don’t have a brilliant mentor, a rich uncle, or some other person who is going to show you the ropes and explain each step you need to take to take charge of your career.
假設(shè)你和我一樣，沒有杰出的導(dǎo)師，沒有富裕的叔叔，也沒有其他能給你引路并為你解釋管理事業(yè)所需的每一步的人。

You see, it’s been almost 20 years since I last had a boss. I went from working in a surf shop to striking out on my own, eventually starting TalentSmart (with a partner) before I’d finished grad school.
你看，自從我上一次有老板已經(jīng)過去20年了。我從一個(gè)沖浪器材店出來開始單干，最終在研究生畢業(yè)之前創(chuàng)立了TalentSmart公司（和一個(gè)同伴一起）。

When I set out on my own, I had all the gumption and appetite for risk that I needed to take charge of my career. At the time I thought that was all I needed to succeed.
當(dāng)我開始管理自己的事業(yè)時(shí)，我有對(duì)自己事業(yè)負(fù)責(zé)的進(jìn)取心和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)容量。那時(shí)候我以為這就是成功所需要的全部。

It wasn’t. I also needed guidance. Without it, I learned some difficult (and often painful) lessons along the way.
其實(shí)并不是，我還需要指導(dǎo)。沒有了指導(dǎo)，我一路上吸取了許多困難（也很痛苦）的教訓(xùn)。

I’d like to share some of my biggest lessons learned with you so that they can help you as you take charge of your career (in whatever form that takes). As I look back on these lessons, I realize that they’re really great reminders for us all.
我想分享一些最實(shí)用的經(jīng)驗(yàn)給你們，以便于日后你們?cè)诠芾碜约旱氖聵I(yè)時(shí)能得到幫助（不管是任何形式）。當(dāng)我回首這些經(jīng)驗(yàn)時(shí)，我意識(shí)到它們對(duì)我們來說是非常好的提醒。

1. Confidence Must Come First
1. 首先要自信

Successful people often exude confidence—it’s obvious that they believe in themselves and what they’re doing. It isn’t their success that makes them confident, however. The confidence was there first.
成功的人往往散發(fā)出自信——很明顯他們相信自己，也相信自己在做的事情。不是他們的成功讓他們自信，相反，他們先有自信。

Think about it:
想想看：

1. Doubt breeds doubt.Why would anyone believe in you, your ideas, or your abilities if you didn’t believe in them yourself?
1. 懷疑導(dǎo)致懷疑。如果連你自己都不相信的話，為什么別人要相信你、你的想法，或是你的能力？

2. It takes confidence to reach for new challenges. People who are fearful or insecure tend to stay within their comfort zones. But comfort zones rarely expand on their own. That’s why people who lack confidence get stuck in dead-end jobs and let valuable opportunities pass them by.
2. 迎接新的挑戰(zhàn)需要信心。恐懼或不安的人傾向于待在他們的舒適區(qū)。但舒適區(qū)往往不會(huì)自己擴(kuò)大。這就是為什么缺乏自信的人會(huì)被困在沒有前途的工作中，讓有價(jià)值的機(jī)會(huì)與他們擦肩而過。

3. Unconfident people often feel at the mercy of external circumstances.Successful people aren’t deterred by obstacles, which is how they rise up in the first place.
3. 不自信的人經(jīng)常感覺被外部環(huán)境所擺布。成功的人不會(huì)被困難阻礙，這也是他們?nèi)绾卧谧畛蹰_始的。

Confidence is a crucial building block in a successful career, and embracing it fully will take you places you never thought possible. No one is stopping you from what you want to accomplish but yourself. It’s time to remove any barriers created by self-doubt.
信心是成功事業(yè)中一個(gè)非常重要的模塊，完全接納它會(huì)讓你到達(dá)從未想過的地方。除了你自己，沒有人會(huì)阻止你去實(shí)現(xiàn)自己想要的事情。是時(shí)候移除自我懷疑所制造的障礙了。

2. You’re Living The Life That You’ve Created
2. 你在過自己創(chuàng)造的生活

You are not a victim of circumstance. No one can force you to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to your values and aspirations. The circumstances you’re living in today are your own—you created them. Likewise, your future is entirely up to you. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s probably because you’re afraid to take the risks necessary to achieve your goals and live your dreams.
你不是環(huán)境的受害者。沒有人能強(qiáng)迫你對(duì)違反自己價(jià)值觀和愿望的事情做決定或采取行動(dòng)。你今天所生活的環(huán)境是你自己的——你創(chuàng)造了他們。同樣地，你的未來也完全由你決定。如果你感覺陷入了困境，很可能是因?yàn)槟愫ε聻榱藢?shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)和夢(mèng)想所必須要冒的險(xiǎn)。

When it’s time to take action, remember that it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of one you don’t.
該采取行動(dòng)的時(shí)候，記住一件事：待在想要攀登的梯子底部要好過待在不想攀登的梯子頂部。

3. Being Busy Does Not Equal Being Productive
3. 忙碌并不等于高效

Look at everyone around you. They all seem so busy—running from meeting to meeting and firing off emails. Yet how many of them are really producing, really succeeding at a high level?
看看你身邊的每一個(gè)人。他們都看起來很忙碌——不停地開會(huì)、發(fā)郵件。但是他們之中有多少人真正高效地工作并取得成功呢？

Success doesn’t come from movement and activity. It comes from focus—from ensuring that your time is used efficiently and productively. You get the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. Use yours wisely. After all, you’re the product of your output, not your effort. Make certain your efforts are dedicated to tasks that get results.
成功不是來源于移動(dòng)和行動(dòng)，它來源于專注——確保你的時(shí)間被有效利用。每個(gè)人每天都擁有相同的時(shí)間，明智點(diǎn)使用吧。畢竟，是最后的結(jié)果造就了你，而不是努力。確保你的努力是專注于工作的，并且取得了成果。

4. You’re Only As Good As Those You Associate With
4. 你只是和那些你交往的人一樣好

You should strive to surround yourself with people who inspire you, people who make you want to be better. And you probably do. But what about the people who drag you down? Why do you allow them to be a part of your life? Anyone who makes you feel worthless, anxious, or uninspired is wasting your time and, quite possibly, making you more like them. Life is too short to associate with people like this. Cut them loose.
你應(yīng)該努力與能激勵(lì)你、能讓你變得更好的人在一起。你可能確實(shí)是這樣做的。但是那些拖累你的人呢？為什么要讓他們成為你生活的一部分？任何讓你感覺自己沒有價(jià)值、焦慮或者不受鼓舞的人都是在浪費(fèi)你的時(shí)間，并且很可能讓你變得更像他們。生命短暫，不要和這些人在一起，離開他們吧。

5. Don’t Say Yes Unless You Really Want To
5. 別輕易答應(yīng)，除非你真的想這么做

Research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression, all of which make it difficult to take charge of your career. Saying no is indeed a major challenge for many people. “No” is a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield. When it’s time to say no, avoid phrases like “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.
舊金山加州大學(xué)發(fā)布的研究顯示，越難說“不”，越有可能經(jīng)歷壓力、倦怠、甚至是沮喪，這些都讓你很難照顧到自己的事業(yè)。說“不”對(duì)于很多人來說的確是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。“不”是一個(gè)很強(qiáng)大的詞，不要害怕去使用它。該說“不”時(shí)，避免“我不認(rèn)為我可以”或者“我不確定”這樣的語句。對(duì)新的承諾說“不”可以兌現(xiàn)已有的承諾，也給了你成功完成它們的機(jī)會(huì)。

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