Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical¹ eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

Absurdly Driven是一项关于带有怀疑的眼光及根深蒂固的口是心非看待商业世界的研究。

You're a lot more sensible than I am.

你比我更明智。

You look ahead and plan out the beautiful trajectory² of your career. You know where you want to be in a year's time, in two years' time and in five.

你前瞻性地计划了美好的职业轨迹，也知道在一年的时间、两年的时间里甚至五年的时间里想要到达哪里。

You make contingency³ plans, though.

你因而制定了应急计划。

You have a Plan B in case Plan A stands for Plan Abominable⁴.

在A计划让人难受时，你还有B计划。

I admire you. I wasn't even competent enough to have a Plan A.

我很仰慕你。我甚至都还没有能力有A计划。

Science, on the other hand, is suddenly looking dimly on your good sense.

另一方面，科学突然看淡你的判断力。

New research perpetrated by Jihae Shin of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Katherine Milkman from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that having a Plan B may be detrimental⁵ to your chances of success.

美国威斯康星大学威斯康星商业院Jihae Shin和宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院Katherine Milkman的最新研究表明B计划会损害你成功的机会。

I know this because the research is entitled How Backup Plans Can Harm Goal Pursuit: The Unexpected Downside Of Being Prepared For Failure.

我是因为一项研究而知道这些的。该研究被称为《备用计划是如何伤害追求目标的：为失败作准备未预料到的负面效果》。

The researchers confess that having a Plan B makes you feel psychologically more secure.

研究者们承认，B计划使你心理上感觉到安全。

But, and it's a big but: "We propose that the mere⁶ act of thinking through a backup plan can reduce performance on your primary goal by decreasing your desire for goal achievement."

但是，这是一个很大的但是：“我们提议，对备用计划的思考将降低你实现目标的渴望，进而降低你最初目标的效果。

There's that word in which so many believe. You have to want to achieve that goal. You really have to want it.

如此多的人相信那个单词。想要实现目标，你确实想要它。

I've known plenty of people, however, who really wanted it, but -- whether through poor execution or annoyingly bad luck -- got bupkis.

然而，我知道很多人确实想要它，但因为糟糕的执行或令人烦恼的坏运气，最后什么也没得到。

The researchers say they executed three studies.

研究者说他们进行了三项研究。

These were simpler studies involving rewards like free food, rather than a successful career that gave you billions of dollars and oodles of fame.

这些简单的研究包括给予免费食物的奖赏,而不是给你数十亿美元和许多荣誉的成功的职业生涯。

Research has its limits. One of them is budget.

研究有它的限制。其中一项就是经费。

Shin and Milkman do distinguish between work in which effort is the primary driver and work in which skill or fortune matter most.

Shin与Milkman研究的不同在于，一个研究努力是首要驱动力的工作，还有一个研究能力或财富最为重要的工作。

They say that when effort is the main driver, that's when a Plan B can leech⁷ upon your mental energies.

他们说当努力是主要驱动力时，B计划可能榨干你的脑力。

The researchers even posit⁸ the notion of outsourcing your backup plan, so that you don't have to think about it.[/en

研究者甚至假设外包备用计划，因此你可以去不想它们。

This only works if you have at least a small organization at your disposal. Or, perhaps, a lover who can keep a secret.

这只在至少有一个小组织供你调配时会起作用。或者，可能，有一个保守秘密的爱人。

Time for Plan B? OK, darling. Pack Your Bags. I've Bought Us A Hut On Huahine. We're Going To Live As Fisherpeople.

到B计划了？好的，亲爱的。背上你的背包。我已经在Huahine为我们买了一个小屋。我们将像渔民一样生活。

The research does make some emotional sense, though.

虽然这项研究没有产生情感意识。

Indeed, Shin is living proof. The Washington Post reports that this research came out of the fact that she herself only had a Plan A in her career thinking.

事实上，Shin是活着的证据。华盛顿邮报报道，这项研究来源于她自己在职业生涯规划上只有A计划的事实。

And here is the research proving that if you don't have a Plan B, you can create interesting research.

并且这项研究证实，如果没有B计划，你可以创造有趣的研究。

But think about your own life.

但是想一下自己的人生。

If you're in a relationship and you have a Plan B, doesn't that make you a touch less committed to your relationship?

如果你正在恋爱，且有B计划，这岂不意味着你在恋爱中没全心投入？

Doesn't it, in fact, suggest that you don't have a lot of faith in your relationship at all?

实际上，这岂不也显示你对恋爱并没有一点信念？

It has made fortunes not merely from a Plan B, but from Plan C, Plan D and let's not forget Plan Z

它不止从B计划挣钱，而且从C计划、D计划，也不要忘记Z计划中挣钱。

You, though, are a touch more genuine.

你比天才还天才。

You dream, you tear up at movies about dreams fulfilled and you read at least three self-help books a week.

你梦想，你撕碎关于实现梦想的电影并且你每周阅读至少三本自助的书籍。

It's not as if they make movies about pursuing your Plan B, is it?

这不像他们制作的关于你追求B计划的电影，不是么？