Life Is a Journey, Not a Rat-Race

Embrace and enjoy your very own path

Life is not easy, but it can be fun if we could appreciate its intricacy better. The modern world is full of gadgets and glaring objects. A new breed of social media influencers is guiding us every day to buy new objects. Our neighbor just bought a new car and a friend, a new advanced phone. Our dated possessions are making us feel lesser.

生活并非易事，然而，如果我们能更好地欣赏其复杂性，它将带来乐趣。现代世界充斥着各式各样的小玩意和耀眼的物品。新一代的社交媒体影响者每天都在引导我们购买新物品。我们的邻居刚买了一辆新车，朋友又购入了一部先进的手机。我们过时的物品让我们感到自己的地位降低。

Do we really need to feel that way?

但我们真的需要有这样的感觉吗？

But we fall into the trap. We become fixated to achieve those shiny pieces as well. We don’t want to be left behind and be perceived as ‘not enough’. Our culture has become such that display of wealth and pleasure has become mainstream. We feel gratified with our possessions. There is nothing wrong with that, except, the feeling is short-lived. Once we have it, the charm is gone. Then we focus on something new. Instead of living our own life, we become a participant in a competition. Some competition is good for our growth, but competing for the next glittering thing makes our lives miserable. Instead of living our own dreams, we start chasing someone else’s. This is the reason we never feel happy when we finally possess those shiny objects.

我们陷入了这个陷阱。我们也变得迷恋那些闪耀的物品，我们不想落后，不想被视为"不够好”。我们的文化已经变得这样，以财富和快乐为展示成为主流。我们通过拥有物质来感到满足。这没有什么错，只是，这种感觉往往是短暂的。一旦我们拥有了它，魅力就消失了。然后我们又将注意力转向新的东西。我们不再过自己的生活，而是变成了竞争的参与者。适当的竞争对我们的成长有好处，但为了下一个炫目的东西而竞争，只会使我们的生活变得痛苦。我们开始追逐别人的梦想，而不是自己的。这就是我们在最后拥有那些闪亮的物品时，却永远不会感到快乐的原因。

Life is not a competition. We all have our unique paths. We all are on our very personal journey. It has its own ups and downs. We must nurture our own dreams and work to fulfill them. When we achieve our own goals with hard work that’s when we feel true happiness.

生活并非一场竞争。我们都有自己独特的道路，我们都在自己非常个性化的旅程中。这个旅程有起有伏，我们必须培育自己的梦想，并努力去实现它们。当我们通过努力实现自己的目标时，我们才能感受到真正的快乐。

As tempting as it may be, let us not get distracted by others’ life. How can you stay engaged on your own path and have fun on the journey?

尽管他人的生活可能很吸引人，但让我们不要被他人的生活分散注意力。你如何才能专注于你自己的道路，并在旅程中享受乐趣呢？

Here are 3 simple ideas to consider -

1. Compete with yourself

Instead of focusing your energy to compete with others, focus on yourself. How can you improve yourself? Shiny possessions may be attractive, no doubt, but ask yourself what matters to you. Your goals may be different. Identify them and then figure out what you must do to achieve them. Do you have what it takes? Make a mission to become a slightly better version of yourself each day by incorporating simple doable changes that will lead you closer to your own goals.

与其将你的能量用来与他人竞争，不如专注于自我。你如何提升自己？毫无疑问，闪亮的物品可能很吸引人，但问问你自己，什么是对你真正重要的。你的目标可能会不同。找出它们，然后弄清楚你必须做什么才能实现它们。你有所需要的能力吗？每天都使自己成为更好的版本是你的任务，通过一些简单而实际的变化，这将让你更接近自己的目标。

2. Be relentless yet patient

Achieving bigger goals take time, sweat, blood, and tears. Are you ready for it? While improving yourself every day, be relentless, yet patient. You will achieve your goals when you are ready. Often there are no sustainable shortcuts in life. Reaching your destination after a toiling path gives a different kind of long-lasting pleasure that no gadget can provide.

实现更大的目标需要时间，汗水，甚至血泪。你准备好了吗？在每天提升自己的同时，要坚持不懈，但也需要耐心。当你准备好的时候，你就会实现你的目标。生活中通常没有可持续的捷径。在艰苦的道路上达到你的目的地，会带给你一种不同的，无法通过任何小玩意替代的，持久的满足感。

3. Have a long-term view of life

Finally, remember, it is your journey, not a race with anyone else. Every milepost of your journey is truly yours and will eventually pass, good or bad. You have to keep moving. Having a long-term view of life will allow you not to get stressed out when your desired milestone may take longer and you may have to go through rugged harsh terrain. In the grand scheme of your life, it is just a blip.

最后，记住，这是你的旅程，而不是与任何人的竞赛。你旅程中的每一个里程碑都真正属于你，并最终会过去，无论好坏。你必须继续前进。对生活有长远的视角会让你在追求理想里程碑可能需要更长的时间，或者需要经历崎岖的艰难地形时，不会感到压力过大。在你生命的大计划中，这只是一个小插曲。

When you shift your mindset from a rat race to accepting your own unique journey on your own unique path, this will liberate you from the stress of competing and not having things that others are having. You will attain a clear sense of your own goals which you will accomplish at the right time.

当你将思维方式从一场竞赛转变为接受你自己独特的旅程和你自己独特的道路，这将使你从竞争压力和没有他人所拥有的东西的压力中解脱出来。你将明确自己的目标，并在合适的时候实现它们。

Have the courage to own up to your own unique journey. Trust me, it will become a gratifying experience.

拥有勇气承认你自己独特的旅程。相信我，这将成为一次令人满足的经历。