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“There are two things to aim at in life： first， to get what you want； and after that， to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. ”
—Logan Pearsall Smith注1
I recently overheard[偶然听到] something that surprised me. I heard that people who win the lottery[彩票] are happy for about three weeks. Yes！ Only three weeks， and then they go back to their previous[以前的] state of being， before they won the money. This really did surprise me. I thought that they would have been happy about something so amazing as that for much longer than three weeks.
Did you know that 90% of all people who win the lottery are broke[破产的] within one year， and that most of those wish they had never won it in the first place？
I think the reason for this is that anytime we try to change how we feel by using something outside of ourselves， like winning the lottery， or getting a new car or house， it never works. The resulting feelings of euphoria[幸福愉快感] are often only fleeting[飞逝的]. We cannot sustain[维持] them for very long. Perhaps， in some way， that is a good thing. It reminds us that happiness really does come from within and is available[可得到的] to us at any moment. True happiness has very little to do with what is happening on the outside， it is an inside job. Happiness is a choice. It is a state of BEING.
We can make the decision to BE happy for one day， when we wake up in the morning， every morning. We can find something that brings us great pleasure， like sitting outside in the garden under an old tree and listening to the birds sing， or watching the dog or cat play， and just savoring[尽情享受] the moment. Happiness is always available to us. It is our natural state and we need only allow it in. At any moment， we can stop， take a deep breath， and remember who we really are， and why we came here， and that truly is to experience joy and the aliveness[活力] of being.
“Happiness is like a butterfly which， when pursued[追求]， is always beyond our grasp[抓住]， but， if you will sit down quietly， may alight[飞落] upon you. ”
—Nathaniel Hawthorne注2
So， dear heart， today， no matter what is going on in your own life， take a few moments to breathe deeply and just decide to BE happy， whatever that means to you.
“人生有两大追求目标：首先，得到你想要的；继而，享受你所得到的。只有最明智的人才能达到第二个目标。”
——洛根·皮尔索尔·史密斯
最近我无意间听到一件令我震惊的事。我听说中了彩票的人只会快活大约三周。是的！仅仅三周，在那之后他们又会回到赢钱之前的状态。这确实令我大吃一惊。我原以为他们为如此神奇的事情而开心的时间会远远超过三周。
你知道吗？中彩票的人中百分之九十的人会在一年之内破产，而且大部分人希望他们从未中奖。
我认为个中缘由是，无论什么时候我们试图利用某些身外之物来改变自身的感觉，比如中彩票，或得到一辆新车或者一间新房子，统统不管用。由此而产生的愉悦感往往转瞬即逝，难以维持长久。或许，从某种意义上来说，这是件好事。它提醒我们，快乐真的是发自内心的，并且在任何时刻都可能降临在我们身上。真正的快乐与外界所发生的事没有太大关系，这属于我们的内心世界。快乐是一种选择，是一种“存在”的状态。
每天清晨，当我们睁开眼睛，我们可以选择快乐一整天。我们可以寻找给我们带来莫大愉悦的事，比如坐在花园里的老树下聆听鸟儿的歌唱，或者看着小猫小狗嬉戏玩耍，然后尽情享受这一刻。快乐总在我们身边。这是我们的自然状态，而我们所需要做的就是接受它。在任何时候，我们都可以停下脚步，深呼吸，想想我们到底是谁，我们为什么来到这个世界，这样才能真真正正地体会到生存的快乐与活力。
“快乐就像蝴蝶，当你追逐它，它总是从我们手中溜走，但当你静静坐下，它也许会飞落在你身上。”
——纳撒尼尔·霍桑
所以，亲爱的人儿啊！今天无论你的生活遇到了什么，花几分钟坐下来深呼吸，只需要决定快乐起来，无论快乐对你意味着什么。
—Logan Pearsall Smith注1
I recently overheard[偶然听到] something that surprised me. I heard that people who win the lottery[彩票] are happy for about three weeks. Yes！ Only three weeks， and then they go back to their previous[以前的] state of being， before they won the money. This really did surprise me. I thought that they would have been happy about something so amazing as that for much longer than three weeks.
Did you know that 90% of all people who win the lottery are broke[破产的] within one year， and that most of those wish they had never won it in the first place？
I think the reason for this is that anytime we try to change how we feel by using something outside of ourselves， like winning the lottery， or getting a new car or house， it never works. The resulting feelings of euphoria[幸福愉快感] are often only fleeting[飞逝的]. We cannot sustain[维持] them for very long. Perhaps， in some way， that is a good thing. It reminds us that happiness really does come from within and is available[可得到的] to us at any moment. True happiness has very little to do with what is happening on the outside， it is an inside job. Happiness is a choice. It is a state of BEING.
We can make the decision to BE happy for one day， when we wake up in the morning， every morning. We can find something that brings us great pleasure， like sitting outside in the garden under an old tree and listening to the birds sing， or watching the dog or cat play， and just savoring[尽情享受] the moment. Happiness is always available to us. It is our natural state and we need only allow it in. At any moment， we can stop， take a deep breath， and remember who we really are， and why we came here， and that truly is to experience joy and the aliveness[活力] of being.
“Happiness is like a butterfly which， when pursued[追求]， is always beyond our grasp[抓住]， but， if you will sit down quietly， may alight[飞落] upon you. ”
—Nathaniel Hawthorne注2
So， dear heart， today， no matter what is going on in your own life， take a few moments to breathe deeply and just decide to BE happy， whatever that means to you.
“人生有两大追求目标：首先，得到你想要的；继而，享受你所得到的。只有最明智的人才能达到第二个目标。”
——洛根·皮尔索尔·史密斯
最近我无意间听到一件令我震惊的事。我听说中了彩票的人只会快活大约三周。是的！仅仅三周，在那之后他们又会回到赢钱之前的状态。这确实令我大吃一惊。我原以为他们为如此神奇的事情而开心的时间会远远超过三周。
你知道吗？中彩票的人中百分之九十的人会在一年之内破产，而且大部分人希望他们从未中奖。
我认为个中缘由是，无论什么时候我们试图利用某些身外之物来改变自身的感觉，比如中彩票，或得到一辆新车或者一间新房子，统统不管用。由此而产生的愉悦感往往转瞬即逝，难以维持长久。或许，从某种意义上来说，这是件好事。它提醒我们，快乐真的是发自内心的，并且在任何时刻都可能降临在我们身上。真正的快乐与外界所发生的事没有太大关系，这属于我们的内心世界。快乐是一种选择，是一种“存在”的状态。
每天清晨，当我们睁开眼睛，我们可以选择快乐一整天。我们可以寻找给我们带来莫大愉悦的事，比如坐在花园里的老树下聆听鸟儿的歌唱，或者看着小猫小狗嬉戏玩耍，然后尽情享受这一刻。快乐总在我们身边。这是我们的自然状态，而我们所需要做的就是接受它。在任何时候，我们都可以停下脚步，深呼吸，想想我们到底是谁，我们为什么来到这个世界，这样才能真真正正地体会到生存的快乐与活力。
“快乐就像蝴蝶，当你追逐它，它总是从我们手中溜走，但当你静静坐下，它也许会飞落在你身上。”
——纳撒尼尔·霍桑
所以，亲爱的人儿啊！今天无论你的生活遇到了什么，花几分钟坐下来深呼吸，只需要决定快乐起来，无论快乐对你意味着什么。