In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke¹ of the relation of work to one’s other commitments:

几年前的大学毕业典礼演讲，可口可乐的首席执行官布赖恩戴森,谈到了工作与其他事情的关系。

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling² some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.But the other four balls family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed³, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

想象生活是一个游戏,在游戏里面你向空中抛接五只球。你把它们命名为工作，家庭，健康，朋友和精神。你把它们全都保持在天空上。你会很快就明白工作就像是一个橡皮球。如果你不幸失手弄掉它，它是会反弹回来的。但是另外四个球，家庭、健康、朋友和精神是由玻璃做成的。如果你不幸失手弄掉它们中的任何一个，它们会有不可恢复的磨损、记号、刻痕、损坏甚至会碎落一地。它们将会永远不再像以前一样。你一定要明白这个道理并且努力平衡你的生活。如何？

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

不要通过与他人对比而破坏你的价值。因为我们都是不同的，每个人都是特别的。

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

不要为自己设定别人认为很重要的目标。只有你才知道什么最适合你。

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would be your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

不要理所当然的认为与你内心最贴近的东西。坚持自己就会是你的生活,因为没有它们,生活就会毫无意义。

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

不要因为生活在过去的回忆或未来的幻想中,而让你现在的时间从指缝溜走。应当活在当下,生活在生命中的每一天。Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.不要放弃当你还能给予。没有什么真正算是结束直到你停止尝试的那一刻。

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds⁴ us to each together.

别害怕承认你并非完美。因为正是这根脆弱的细线将我们联结在一起。

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

别害怕遇到危险。我们正是在冒险中学会勇敢的。

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

不要因为担心寻找的困难而放弃了生命之中的爱情。获得爱情的最快方法就是付出，而失去爱情的最快方法则是紧紧束缚。对于爱情来说，最好的保护就是让它自由。

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

不要匆忙地度过你的一生,以至于那匆忙让你忘了自己从何处来,往何处去。

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

不要忘记人最大的情感需求是感激。

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

不要害怕学习。知识没有重量,它是你可以轻松携带的珍宝。

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved⁵.Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored⁶ each step of the way.

不要随意运用时间和言语。两者都不可能被收回。生活不是赛跑,而是旅行,每一步都宜细细品尝的。

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and Today is a gift: that’s why we call it ‘The Present’.

昨天是历史,明天是谜,今天是一份礼物:那就是我们为什么称它为“现在”。