“I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.” My friend’s father used to say that all the time. He was in his mid-40s.
“我還不知道自己長(zhǎng)大了想干什么?！蔽遗笥训睦习忠郧翱傔@么說(shuō)。他已經(jīng)人到中年了。

A lot of people live their lives having no clue what they want. They usually follow the American Dream without a second thought, just because that’s what’s expected of them.
很多人渾渾噩噩過(guò)日子，不清楚自己想要什么。他們通常想都不想就追隨所謂的“美國(guó)夢(mèng)”，因?yàn)檫@就是他們被寄予的期望。

If you ask me, that’s a pretty lousy way to live your life. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I’d like to point out that you have only one life; make the most out of it and do things that make you happy. And you should start right now!
在我看來(lái)，這種生活方式很不好。雖然聽(tīng)上去俗套，但我還是想說(shuō)：人只有這一輩子，何不盡情享受并努力過(guò)得開(kāi)開(kāi)心心呢？而且，你現(xiàn)在就可以開(kāi)始！

If you don’t know what you really want in life, you’re not alone. Thousands, if not millions, of people wander the earth every day without a quest. If you don’t want to spend your life wandering aimlessly, you can use the following 7 tips to find out exactly what you want in life.
其實(shí)，不只是你不清楚自己真正想要什么，成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)人每天都在茫然度日。如果你不想毫無(wú)目標(biāo)地混日子，那就試試下面7個(gè)貼士，弄清自己在生活中想要什么吧。

1. Be selfish
自私一點(diǎn)

You can’t pinpoint exactly what you want in life if you’re constantly sacrificing your time and dreams for other people. You have to put yourself first. Ask yourself: If you weren’t tied down by your job, family, friends, or anything else, then what would you be doing right now? Always remember that it’s okay to put yourself first, because if you don’t, then no one else will.
如果你總為他人犧牲時(shí)間和夢(mèng)想，那你很難準(zhǔn)確發(fā)掘自己的真正渴望。你得先把自己放在第一位。捫心自問(wèn)：如果不受工作、家庭、朋友或其他羈絆，那你現(xiàn)在可能在干什么？請(qǐng)記?。耗憧梢?xún)?yōu)先考慮自己，因?yàn)槌阒猓僖矝](méi)有人會(huì)這么對(duì)你了。

2. Regret nothing
永不后悔

Don’t feel bad for being selfish. It’s your life. It’s time for you to live it exactly the way you want to. If you constantly regret things you did or didn’t do in the past, then you won’t be able to move forward. Don’t live in the past. Live in the present…and the future!
不要因?yàn)樽运揭稽c(diǎn)而感到不安。這是你的人生，你應(yīng)該按自己的意愿去生活。要是總為過(guò)去的事后悔，那你會(huì)很難繼續(xù)前行。不要沉溺于往事?；钤诋?dāng)下，看向未來(lái)！

3. Figure out what you need
明白你需要什么

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what you need. Sit down and think about what you need the most. Is it your family? The freedom to express yourself? Love? Financial security? Something else? If it helps, you can make a list of priorities. Also think about the kind of legacy you want to leave behind.
有時(shí)要明白自己需要什么并不容易。請(qǐng)坐下來(lái)仔細(xì)想想你最需要什么：家庭、自由表達(dá)自己、關(guān)愛(ài)、經(jīng)濟(jì)安全，抑或其他？可行的話(huà)，你可以列一張次序清單。另外，也考慮一下自己希望留下什么遺產(chǎn)。

4. Determine what really bothers you
搞清什么最讓你心煩

You can soar only by pushing back against something you don’t want. Figure out what upsets you, and be specific about it. Don’t just say that you hate your office job. Pinpoint exactly why you hate it. Could it be your micromanaging boss? Your workload? Your meaningless job title? Or all of the above? What bothers you, and how can you fix it? How much do you want to fix it?
只有拋開(kāi)討厭的東西，你才能振翅飛翔。想想什么使你心煩，一定要具體。不要簡(jiǎn)單說(shuō)你討厭上班，而應(yīng)具體弄清究竟討厭上班哪一點(diǎn)：是因?yàn)榇得蟠玫睦习鍐?？工作量太大？職稱(chēng)不起眼？或全都有？什么使你心煩并該如何應(yīng)對(duì)？你又愿意付出多少去解決？

5. Determine what makes you truly happy
發(fā)現(xiàn)什么讓你真正快樂(lè)

There’s no waste to life if you’re happy living it. Your happiness is the root of your desires. So take a few moments and really think about what makes you happy. Is it traveling? Being around children? Owning a successful business? Your significant other? Financial freedom? Once you pinpoint the one thing that makes you happy the most, you’ll have a pretty clear idea of what you should strive for in your life.
開(kāi)心度過(guò)的生活才算完滿(mǎn)。快樂(lè)是愿望之源。所以，花點(diǎn)時(shí)間想清楚什么使你開(kāi)心——旅行？和小孩玩樂(lè)？事業(yè)有成？伴侶？還是經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立？一旦找到最讓你開(kāi)心的那件事，你便能明確知道自己該努力過(guò)怎樣的生活。

6. Let people around you know what you’re trying to achieve
讓身邊的人知道你的目標(biāo)

Don’t keep your goals and desires to yourself. Voice it all out! If you tell people what you’re trying to accomplish, they will most likely support you and give you new ideas. Sometimes mother does know best!
不要將目標(biāo)和愿望藏在心里。講出來(lái)吧！如果你把目標(biāo)告訴別人，他們很可能會(huì)支持你并給你出主意。有時(shí)別人確實(shí)知道什么才最好！

7. Stay positive.
保持積極

Life doesn’t always go how you want it. Don’t feel dismay as your plans stray. Take control. Instead of freaking out, try your best to roll with the changes. You will get there someday. You’re just taking a little detour. Sometimes a positive attitude is all you need to keep going.
生活并不總是如你所愿。就算計(jì)劃泡湯也不要沮喪。要穩(wěn)住。不要驚慌失措，而應(yīng)努力順應(yīng)變化。總有一天你會(huì)實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的。只是目前遇到一點(diǎn)挫折罷了。有時(shí)積極心態(tài)才是你最需要堅(jiān)持的。