7 Ways To Find Happiness Through Simplicity
7種從簡單的生活中尋找幸福的方法
This guest post was written by Dayne, the author of TheHappySelf.com.
作者：Dayne(TheHappySelf.com的簽約作家)
Happiness can be elusive when life is too complicated.
當(dāng)生活變得過于復(fù)雜時，幸福便也難以捉摸起來。
As daily commitments multiply, we find ourselves becoming conditioned to shifting between multiple tasks, creating lengthy to-do lists and juggling complicated schedules. When we’re not overwhelmed, we may feel proud that we can keep up with it all. It’s all part of making a living, but in the end it can stand in the way of making a life.
隨著日常事務(wù)的不斷累加，我們漸漸地發(fā)現(xiàn)自己已經(jīng)習(xí)慣于在多個任務(wù)之間周旋，會建立起長期的待辦事項的清單并且有效地利用復(fù)雜的行程表。當(dāng)我們沒有被人群湮沒的時候，我們可能會因為自己的行為能與計劃保持一致而感到自豪。這一切都是養(yǎng)家糊口的一部分，但是最終它會成為你的一種生活方式。
Does your schedule leave you time for things that bring true happiness?
請問你的日程表上的安排可以給你帶來真正的幸福嗎？
These things vary for each of us, but for most people true happiness consists of spending time with loved ones and engaging in activities that reveal the richness and beauty of the world around us.
對于我們每個人來說，這些安排都是有所不同的。然而，在大部分人看來，真正的幸福是由與愛人依偎在一起看時光的流逝，以及參與可以展現(xiàn)我們周圍世界的豐富多彩的活動組成的。
To get the most out of these activities, you must approach them from a place of stillness, peace and calm.
為了從這些活動中獲得最大的收獲，你必須用一種無聲的和睦的心平氣和的方式去接近它們。
A busy life can be personally fulfilling, but it may leave you feeling too frazzled to achieve the stillness and peace that will allow you to connect with deep happiness and the underlying beauty of life. You can’t just walk away from the responsibilities that fracture your time, but you can simplify your life so that your mind is calmer and more open to the hidden treasures in life.
繁忙的生活可以使人覺得充實，但同時也可能會使你覺得過于疲憊而無法保持平和的心態(tài)，因此也就無法體會到深層的幸福和潛在的生活的美好。雖然你不能從費時的責(zé)任義務(wù)中逃脫出來，但你可以簡化你的生活從而使你的心變得更平靜，使那些隱藏在生活中的寶藏顯露出來。
Here are 7 ways to get started with simplifying your life and working towards a more peaceful state of mind.
這里有7種方法可以幫助你開始簡化你的生活，并且使你以一種更為平和的狀態(tài)去投入工作。
1.Question your dependence on material possessions. Recognize the difference between things you need and things you want. Our culture bombards us with messages about material things that will make our lives better. The reality is that most of these things will clutter our lives without bringing true happiness. Free yourself from the culture of excess and learn to be content with fewer possessions and greater simplicity.
1.問問自己，對物質(zhì)財富的依賴程度。認(rèn)清自己需要的東西和自己想要的東西的區(qū)別。我們的文明會借助有關(guān)那些能讓生活變得更好的物質(zhì)的信息來動搖我們。而事實是，這些東西大部分不會帶來真正的幸福感，卻能使我們的生活變得雜亂無章。把自己從過度的文明中解放出來吧，然后去學(xué)習(xí)滿足于更少的物質(zhì)財富，享受更加簡樸的生活。
2.Think for yourself. If you spend your life playing out a role that society or someone else defines, you’re missing out on the chance to follow your own desires. Your inner life is diminished when you are limited by conformity. Why give up your freedom and allow all of your decisions to be defined by what you think you “should” do? Become a non-conformist and think for yourself, letting your passions be your guide.
2.為自己想想。如果你花費了時間去為社會或是為其他人做貢獻(xiàn)，那么你就錯過了按照你自己意愿去做的機會。當(dāng)你被從眾的心理所束腹時，你的內(nèi)心世界將會是匱乏的。為什么要放棄你的自由而讓你的決策被“你應(yīng)該怎么做”而規(guī)定？變成一個反傳統(tǒng)的人吧，多為自己想想，讓激情成為你的向?qū)А?/p>
3.Rethink your commitments. Life is full of opportunities to earn money, give service, learn new skills and make new friends. Some of us want it all and fill up our calendars with activities and obligations. Over-committing is the surest way to banish stillness and calm from your life. Rushing from one activity to another leaves you with no time to slow down, observe and let things happen. No matter how worthy you think your commitments are, rethink and prioritize them. Keep the ones that are most important and eliminate the ones that are adding to the hectic pace of your life with little return.
3.回想一下你的責(zé)任。生活中充滿著機會讓你可以賺錢，提供服務(wù)，學(xué)習(xí)新的技巧并且結(jié)識新的朋友。我們中的一些人妄圖得到一切，用活動和職責(zé)來填滿我們的日歷。過分的約束是將平和驅(qū)逐出生活的最有效的方法。從一個活動匆忙的跑向另一個活動使你沒有時間停下腳步，去觀察，去讓事情發(fā)生。無論你覺得你的責(zé)任有多么值得去做，重新考慮并且劃分出它們的優(yōu)先順序。保留下那些真正重要的，劃去那些加重你負(fù)擔(dān)的微薄報酬。
4.Create more free time. Once you’ve balanced your commitments, find ways to increase your free time. Eliminate time wasters and re-evaluate your chores. If you spend hours each week cleaning house, see if you can do a little less and have more free time. Eliminating clutter from your home will make it easier to clean. Once you’ve created more free time, fill it with activities that develop your inner self. Spend some time alone and spend some with the people you care about most. Focus on calming activities.
4.創(chuàng)造更多的空余時間。一旦你做到了合理地平衡你的工作，接下來你就應(yīng)該要設(shè)法增加自己的空余時間。消除浪費時間的工作，并且重新去評價你的日常事務(wù)。如果你每星期都花費時間清理房子，看看你是否能適當(dāng)?shù)纳僮鲆恍?，這樣就會有更多的空暇時間了。把你的屋子整理整理會使清掃工作進(jìn)行的更順利些。當(dāng)你擁有了更多的空閑時間，就用那些可以開發(fā)內(nèi)在自我的活動去填充它。然后花一些時間獨處，再花一些時間和你最在乎的人待在一塊兒。要專注于那些可以使你內(nèi)心平靜下來的活動。
5.Savor the simple pleasures. How often do you prepare a healthy and delicious meal and then savor every bite of it? Instead of rushing through meals, barely tasting what you’re eating, take time to enjoy them. Invest time in other simple pleasures – work in your garden, take a relaxing soak in a hot tub or bath, bike or hike through a nature preserve. Unless you’re retired, you probably can’t do these things every day, but fitting them into your schedule even once or twice a week will have a calming effect on your life.
5.享受簡單的快樂。你隔多久會準(zhǔn)備一頓健康而美味的飯菜，并且一口一口的慢慢品嘗，而不是飛快的進(jìn)食，幾乎沒有嘗到食物的味道？花一些時間去享受這些美食吧！投資一點時間去收獲簡單的快樂-在花園里干干活，泡個澡放松放松，到大自然中去騎騎車或是散散步。除非你已經(jīng)退休，否則你不可能天天都只做這些事情，但是把它們安排進(jìn)你的行程表，每周僅僅一兩次，也會對你的生活有平心靜氣的作用。
6.Focus on the present moment. When you’re over-committed, you can end up rushing from one thing to the next without enjoying or even being very conscious of the world around you. There’s always the hope that when things slow down you’ll have time to enjoy life. Maybe you look forward to the weekend or an annual vacation, thinking that you’ll be able to find a way to slow down. Instead of looking to the future, learn to focus on the present moment. Enjoy what you’re doing in the here and now. You can find serenity in even the most mundane task if you really give it your attention and do it mindfully.
6.專注于現(xiàn)在。當(dāng)你疲憊不堪的時候，你會匆忙結(jié)束一項工作而轉(zhuǎn)到另一項，期間你不會享受，甚至都不會去關(guān)注你身邊的事物。人們總是希望世界可以放慢腳步，這樣就會有時間去享受生活。也許你正期待著這個周末或者是年休假，想著你將會找到一種方式來減壓。其實你應(yīng)該學(xué)習(xí)專注于現(xiàn)在，而不是期待于未來。請享受你此時此刻在做的事吧！即使是最平凡的工作一旦被給予了你的關(guān)注，在有意識地去完成的過程中，你也會找到平和的心態(tài)。
7.Give up some control. No matter how much we plan, we can never predict what the future will bring. Trying to exercise too much control can just lead to frustration, in addition to frustrating the people around you. Since you never know what the future will bring, it’s futile to try to control events. Instead of attempting to control the outcome of events, learn to relax and enjoy the journey. Letting go of the need to control will give you more freedom to live in the moment. By planning less, you’ll be more open to unforeseen opportunities that come your way. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still have goals, but that your focus shifts from the ends to the means.
7.放棄一些控制權(quán)。無論我們計劃的如何多，我們依然無法預(yù)測未來將發(fā)生些什么。試圖行使太多的控制只會導(dǎo)致失敗，并且使你周圍的人感到失望。既然你永遠(yuǎn)不知道未來將發(fā)生什么，試圖去控制事件的發(fā)生是沒有意義的。學(xué)習(xí)放松，并且享受旅程吧，以此去代替想要控制事情結(jié)果的嘗試。讓那些需要控制的事情自然地發(fā)展吧，這樣你將會得到更多的自由生活的時間。計劃得少一些，你也可能會因此獲得一些意想不到的機會。當(dāng)然，這不意味著你不應(yīng)該有目標(biāo)，而應(yīng)該把專注的對象轉(zhuǎn)移到過程中，而不是結(jié)果上。
Remember that simplicity is a process, not a destination.
記住吧，簡單的生活只是一個過程而并非是真正的目的。
For most of us, there is no escaping the inherent complexity of our lives. However, by deciding to simplify your life and spend more time seeking true happiness, you’ve started on a road that can lead to profound changes in your life.
對于我們中的大部分人來說，是無法逃脫生活固有的復(fù)雜的。然而，當(dāng)決定要簡單的生活，尋求真正的幸福時，你就已經(jīng)走上了一條會使你的生活發(fā)生巨大改變的路。
There is no final destination at the end of this road.
在這條路的盡頭沒有終點。
Because life is forever changing and evolving, and you are evolving along with it, you will never reach a point of perfect simplicity and endless happiness. But each moment you spend on the path to simplicity does have the potential to bring more serenity and happiness into your life.
生命永遠(yuǎn)是在不斷地變化和發(fā)展的，你也會隨之不斷地發(fā)展，所以你永遠(yuǎn)也無法得到最完美的簡單生活和無窮盡的幸福。但是在走向這個目標(biāo)的過程中的每一刻都會潛移默化地帶給你更多的平和和幸福。
“If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap. If you want happiness for a day – go fishing. If you want happiness for a month – get married. If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.” – Chinese Proverb
“如果你想快樂一小時，那么打個盹吧。如果你想一天快樂 ，就去釣魚吧。如果你想要一個月的幸福，就去結(jié)婚吧。如果你想一年的幸福 ，繼承一筆財富吧。如果你想要得到一輩子的幸福，那么就去幫助別人吧！”----中國諺語
