人生如圆，终点即是起点

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老桑说

人生就是一个大大的圆

以终为始

Begin with the end in mind

你想如何被人铭记呢？

试着从人生的结尾往回看，

你或许会惊讶，

原来你早已意识到了，

自己一生中所追求的东西是什么。

朋友，你好！我是老桑。

你是否曾思考过当你过世之后，你的悼词上都会写一些什么呢？

我有两位“朋友”都很不幸地在中年就离世了，我都参加了他们的追悼会，对此，我也有一定的感触。

第一个“朋友”是凯西。

在她的葬礼上，她的朋友为她念了悼词，以纪念和缅怀她的一生：

“凯西是个很有魅力的女人。她总是穿着stylish（时髦的）衣服，去最好的沙龙。她对自己照顾的非常细心，对于吃的东西也十分注意。因此她非常惹人注意，男人们经常想要与她约会，和她一起去旅行。她也紧跟潮流，每周都会花几个小时的时间来阅读女性杂志，是流行文化的引领者。的确，我们都会非常怀念凯西。”

另一个“朋友”是杰克。

他也很不幸地在中年就去世了，他的同事为他读了悼词：

“杰克很喜欢健身，拥有着enviable（令人羡慕）的好身材。当他和朋友一起出去喝酒的时候，他能喝完一整瓶白酒，能喝倒其他所有人。此外，他还在这座城市最昂贵的社区中拥有一个200平方米的房子。他穿着量身定制的西装，开着一辆进口的豪华轿车，并是许多五星级酒店的黄金会员。我们都会想念杰克的。”

那么，对于凯西和杰克，你怎么看呢？

在《高效能人士的七个习惯》一书中，作者斯蒂芬·科维要求人们反思自己三年后的“葬礼”，并思考一下你想让念悼词的人对 38 38888 38 14988 0 0 2955 0 0:00:13 0:00:05 0:00:08 2956你的人生做出什么样的评价。最后，你可以想一想现在的目标是否和你一生的目标相一致呢？

在我《新年反思：如何走好下一步》一文中，我与大家分享了一些如何为自己制作新年计划的技巧和策略。同时，我也向大家介绍了高效能人士的第一个好习惯就是保持proactive（积极主动）。保持这个好习惯，能够让我们的影响圈扩大，更有利于我们实现目标。

现在正是二月的第一个星期，你的新年计划进展的如何了呢？你可能encountered（遇到了）一些障碍，我相信那些也仅仅是长远旅途中的一些小颠簸。但如果你偏离了轨道，我想用高效人士的第二个好习惯来鼓励你重回正轨：

以终为始。

在建议人们幻想自己未来的葬礼时，柯维认为人们应该保持着“以终为始”的心态，把人命最后时刻的图景当作衡量其他事情的标准。当看透这一点后，你会更加清晰地发现你所追求的成功。

在论述第二个好习惯时，柯维认为相比于地图来说，人们更需要一个目的地和一个指南针。因为我们并不能总是可以预见到前面即将发生的事情，但指南针却能够为我们指出方向。此外，他还建议每个人都要写一份“个人使命”，以让人们的日常行为与的人生原则保持一致。

几乎每一个世界级的运动员和其他领域突出的人都是能够看清自己的人。他们看到了人生目标，感受到了人生原则，并且在实际做到之前曾经“经历”过了这一切。这是因为他们以终为始，把握了正确的方向。

现在，让我们回到最初imaginary（想象中的）两位“朋友”，凯西和杰克。虽然他们看起来在人生中取得了一些金钱上的成功，但似乎他们只是为自己而活，他们过着极端物质化的生活。尽管如今的社会往往对财富和名誉非常重视，但这种价值观并不一定会让我们的生活充满意义。

你或许更希望自己因为爱、慷慨和富有同情心而被人铭记，你会希望自己因为让世界变得更好而被人歌颂，你会渴望在有限的生命中做一些充满意义的事业。

因此，想象一下你的“葬礼”或许真的会对你发现人生真谛而有所帮助。

你可以想象你在生命中渴望达成的成就，这些幻想正是你内心中的指南针。

My friend，你想如何被人铭记呢？

试着从人生的结尾往回看，你或许会惊讶，原来你早已意识到了自己一生中所追求的东西是什么。

以终为始，你将会养成以长远的目光审视问题的好习惯，将眼前的困难放在长远的人生旅途中，也只不过是一段小小的颠簸。

这样做，能够更好地定位自己，实现你所渴望的成功。

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谢谢收看《老桑说》。

给你启发，激励你上进，陪伴你坚持。

敬请期待下一集。

英文版

English

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Begin with the end in mind

Hello, my friend! I’m John Smagula. 

Have you ever thought about what would be said in your eulogy? Two of my “friends” sadly passed away in mid-life, and I attended their funerals.

At Kathy’s funeral, her friend delivered the eulogy, recalling what she would be remembered for:

“Kathy was an attractive woman. She always wore stylish clothes and went to the finest salons. She took very good care of herself and watched what she ate. Men often noticed her, wanting to invite her on dates and take her on trips. She followed fashion trends, spent hours each week reading women’s magazines, and was a model of popular culture. Indeed, we’ll all miss Kathy.”

Jack also passed away in mid-life. His colleague delivered his eulogy, saying:

“Jack loved to go to the gym and had an enviable body. When he went out drinking with friends, he could finish an entire bottle of baijiu, out-drinking anyone else at the table due to his superior alcohol tolerance. He also bought a 200 square-meter home in the city’s most expensive neighborhood. He wore tailored suits, drove an imported luxury car, and was a gold-level member at many 5-star hotels. We’ll all miss Jack.”

What do you think of Kathy and Jack?

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey asks you to reflect on your own funeral, three years from now, and think about what you would like the speakers to say about you and your life. Are your current goals aligned with what you hope will be your life’s achievements?

In my New Year Reflection: What’s Next? article, I shared some strategies on how to create a New Year’s resolution. I also shared the first habit of highly effective people, to be proactive. This habit, of expanding your center of influence, will better position you to achieve your goals.

We’re now in the first week of February. How have you been progressing on your New Year’s resolution? You may have encountered some obstacles, many of which are just bumps in the road. If you got off track, I’d like to encourage you with the second habit of highly effective people:

Begin with the end in mind.

In inviting us to reflect on our own funerals, Covey says you should begin today with the image of the end of your life as your criterion by which everything else is examined. If you consider this carefully, you will find your definition of success.

In the second habit, Covey says we need a destination and a compass more than we need a roadmap, as we can’t always foresee the terrain ahead. The inner compass gives direction. He also recommends drafting a personal mission statement, and then conforming your daily actions to your life principles.

Almost all world-class athletes and other peak performers are visualizers. They see it; they feel it; they experience it before they actually do it. They begin with the end in mind.

Now, let’s get back to our imaginary “friends” Kathy and Jack. Although it appears they achieved some financial success in their lives, it seems they just lived for themselves. They lived very materialistic lives. Even though society often values the rich and famous, they don’t necessarily lead meaningful lives.

You will probably want to be remembered for being loving, generous, and compassionate. You’ll want to be known for leaving the world a better place. You’ll want to be known for doing something meaningful.

Reflecting on your own eulogy may help you to find your life’s purpose.

You can visualize what you want your life’s accomplishments to be, and those images can become your inner compass to lead you ahead.

My friend, how do you want to be remembered? 

Try writing your own eulogy, and you’ll be surprised at how much you already know about what you want to achieve in life. 

By beginning with the end in mind, you’ll develop the habit of seeing in the long-term, placing short-term obstacles in perspective, and better positioning yourself to live up to your vision.

今日英文速记卡

01.Stylish

a)含义：adj. 时髦的；潇洒的；现代风格的

b)例句：

i.Kathy always wears stylish clothes and goes to the finest salons, because she is a stylish woman.

凯西常常穿着时髦的衣服，去最好的沙龙，因为她是一个时髦的女人。

ii.We all have the freedom to be shy or extroverted, brainy or ditzy, stylish or sloppy.  

我们每个人都可以自由自在地做人：腼腆或外向、有头脑或没头脑、时髦或邋遢。

c)近义词：modern, fashionable

02.Enviable

a)含义：adj. 值得羡慕的；引起忌妒的

b)例句：

i.Jack has an enviable body because he really loves to go to the gym.

杰克拥有着令人羡慕的好身材，这是他热爱健身房的结果。

ii.He acquired an enviable reputation in literary and art circles for his artistic ability. 

他的艺术才能使他蜚声文艺界。

c)近义词：desirable

03.Proactive

a)含义：adj. 有前瞻性的；积极主动的

b)例句：

i.You just have to be proactive and have a plan for what you want your future to look like. 

你仅仅需要有一些前瞻性，并为你想要的退休生活和未来制定一个计划。

ii.Being more proactive and less negative may not fix everything, but it can improve your situation. 

更多的积极主动和更少的消极虽然不会解决所有问题，但能改善你的状况。

c)近义词：active, positive, prospective

04.Encounter

a)含义：n./v.遭遇, 遇到

b)例句：

i.You may have encountered some obstacles, many of which are just bumps in the road. 

你可能遇到了一些障碍，我相信那些也仅仅是长远旅途中的一些小颠簸。

ii.If you take on this project, you are bound to encounter difficulties. 

如果你承接这项工程的话，免不了会遇到许多困难。

c)近义词：confront, bring up against, fell in with

05.Imaginary

a)含义：adj.想象中的, 虚构的

b)例句：

i.Our imaginary friends Kathy and Jack give us meaningful suggestions about life.

我们虚构的朋友凯西和杰克给了我们一条非常有意义的人生建议。

ii.Although all the characters in the books were imaginary, he liked them very much.  

虽然书中的人物都是虚构的，他还是非常喜欢他们。

c)近义词：fictitious, invented

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Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you. 

See you next time.

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老桑说

John Smagula

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