My advice, do whatever you can while you're young, it really does get harder as you get older,
我的建議是，趁年輕去做自己想做的任何事，隨著年歲增長，你會越來越難于抽身去做這些事。

and there comes a point in your life when you stop looking forward at the possibilities of what you could be,
在生命中某個(gè)特定的時(shí)刻，你不再對未來充滿期望，不再憧憬自己會變成什么模樣。

and start looking forward at the inevitability of what will be.
而是開始預(yù)測，不可抗拒的命運(yùn)會給你帶來什么。

Nobody lives forever.
沒有人能夠長生不死。

Reach far, take chances, risk a lot, but always have a backup plan.
走向遠(yuǎn)方，抓住機(jī)遇，承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，但一定要有備用計(jì)劃。

You might think that nothing can harm you,
你可能會認(rèn)為自己所向披靡，

but reaching for dreams that you have no chance of attaining can harm you,
可是，徒勞的追求一個(gè)你不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的虛幻夢境卻可能傷害你。

you can end up depressed, stuck in a rut because you can't make any progress forward, etc.
你可能會陷入抑郁，停滯不前，因?yàn)槟阋呀?jīng)走進(jìn)了死胡同，無法再向前走。

It's important to reach, but also to have a plan that can actually work, idle dreams are dangerous.
為理想奮斗固然重要，但做好切實(shí)可行的計(jì)劃更加重要。虛幻的夢想十分危險(xiǎn)。

Things that are going to happen happen step by step, in manageable steps, they don't happen by magic,
事情都是一個(gè)階段一個(gè)階段發(fā)展變化的，每個(gè)階段都是可以人為操控的，而不是魔法變幻出來的。

so break big goals down into steps and if you get stuck on a step for any period of time,
所以，你應(yīng)該把大的目標(biāo)分解成一個(gè)一個(gè)小步驟，如果你在此過程中，在某個(gè)步驟上卡住了，

it's time to re-evaluate what's going on and figure something else out
此時(shí)你應(yīng)該做的，是重新評估事情的進(jìn)展，想想還有什么其他的方案

- either to adapt and overcome, or make a realistic appraisal of the situation and decide what to do.
或者適應(yīng)新形勢，克服難關(guān)，或者對此時(shí)的處境做一番客觀的評估，決定自己的去留。

People say never give up on your dreams, but that's unrealistic.
人們常說，永遠(yuǎn)不要放棄自己的夢想，但這并不現(xiàn)實(shí)。

Sometimes you outgrow your dreams, or achieve enough of them
有時(shí)你會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己長大了，不再相信兒時(shí)的夢想，或者你已經(jīng)實(shí)現(xiàn)了夢想，

that you lose motivation to achieve the rest because the reward isn't enough for the effort, etc,
卻失去了繼續(xù)下去的動力，因?yàn)槟阌X得自己的收獲不值得自己付出的艱辛勞動

so it's important to be steadfast and dogged enough to push until you reach that point,
所以說，你必須步調(diào)沉穩(wěn)，信念堅(jiān)定，才能支持自己走到最后，

then to re-evaluate and make sure you actually want to continue on,
然后重新審視一下當(dāng)下的成果，確信自己真的想要繼續(xù)走下去，

and either recommit to your dreams, alter your plans, or be honest with yourself and choose to go in a different direction.
接下來，你可以重新點(diǎn)燃逐夢的激情，或者調(diào)整自己的計(jì)劃，抑或誠實(shí)的面對自己，選擇一條截然不同的道路

Blind allegiance and steadfast determination can put you into a situation of fighting for things you don't really want anymore.
對一個(gè)夢想的愚忠和頑守可能會讓你走進(jìn)誤區(qū)，去為自己已經(jīng)不想要的東西而奮斗。

There's a middle ground that you want to shoot for where you don't stay the party longer than is right for you,
在這個(gè)中間地帶，你可能會想找到那個(gè)時(shí)間點(diǎn)，你知道，你會到此為止，過了這個(gè)時(shí)間點(diǎn)，你便不會再多停留。

but you also aren't a flake who gives up at the first sign of trouble.
不過，你也不能走向反面，剛看到障礙即將出現(xiàn)的跡象就鳴鼓收兵。

Re-evaluate all the time, every year, every month, even ever week to make sure you still want what you think you want,
你要時(shí)常重新審視當(dāng)下的局面，每年，每個(gè)月，甚至每個(gè)星期，以此確認(rèn)自己的心意，確定自己仍然想到得到過去心儀的東西。

and that you are still making progress.
并且，你正朝著目標(biāo)前進(jìn)。

The most important skill is finding your way when all hope is lost.
除此之外，最重要的技能是，在你深陷絕望時(shí)，如何找到出口，

It's easy to wander in darkness without a way forward, to become depressed and despondent when your dreams don't come true, or as likely .
當(dāng)你的夢想已經(jīng)破滅，或者發(fā)生了類似的情況，你可以放棄抵抗，任自己在絕望的黑暗中游蕩，停滯不前，失魂落魄，灰心喪氣。

when your dreams DO come true and they weren't everything that you had hoped.
又或者，你的夢想真的實(shí)現(xiàn)了，你卻發(fā)現(xiàn)，自己想要的不在于此。

The ability to give up, in tears, crying on your bed because you have no idea what to do,
要有選擇放棄的勇氣，即使你會淚流滿面，趴在床上痛哭不止，不知道自己該怎么做

throwing your hands in the air and asking the Universe for guidance is a vastly under rated skill.
讓自己兩手懸空，探問神秘的宇宙，請求一絲啟示，這是一種調(diào)試自己的方式，人們大大低估了這種方式的作用。

Sometimes the only way to find a way forward is to admit defeat,
有的時(shí)候，唯一能讓你向前走的方式就是承認(rèn)自己已經(jīng)失敗了，

to surrender yourself to the fact that you're just a person and that you don't know what is going on most of the time,
向現(xiàn)實(shí)妥協(xié)，接受殘局，承認(rèn)自己只是個(gè)凡夫俗子，大多數(shù)時(shí)候，不可能掌控全局

and cry a lot until you feel better and find new direction.
放縱自己盡情哭泣吧，直到你心情好轉(zhuǎn)，找到了新的方向

Be honest with yourself about your motivations –
誠實(shí)的面對自己，找到真正能激勵自己的東西，

are you really doing something for yourself to become a better, more capable person, to improve your situation, etc,
你努力的目標(biāo)究竟是什么？是為了讓自己變得更好，更有能力，為了改善自己的生活處境，

or are you trying to impress someone ?
還是僅僅為了讓某個(gè)人刮目相看？

Be careful about seeking the approval and the admiration of others, ultimately that kind of success is illusory .
如果你追求的只是其他人的肯定和贊揚(yáng)，請多加小心，這樣的成就，最終都是幻影。

Treat yourself at least as good as you treat other people.
如果你習(xí)慣善待他人，請同樣善待自己，

Even the smallest change is important .. don't despise the day of small things.
不要小看變化，即使最微小的改變也是十分重要的，別低估了生活中那些微不足道的事物。

That's all I can think to say at the moment except that I love you.
此時(shí)此刻，我已經(jīng)將自己能想到的盡數(shù)傾吐了，祝福你，年輕人。

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翻譯：小木