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Principles For Success. An ultra mini-series adventure in 30 minutes, and in eight episodes.
《成功原则》——一个超精炼的迷你系列冒险之旅，30 分钟带你走完 8 集内容。
🔍 词汇解析：
prin·ciple /ˈprɪnsəp(ə)l/：a law, a rule or a theory that sth is based on 法则；原则；原理
例：There are three fundamental principles of teamwork. 团队合作有三个基本原则。
For Success：为了成功。这里是一个 介词短语，修饰前面的 "Principles"，表示这些原则的目标或用途是 “为了成功”。
📘 语法提示：Principles For Success, 这是一个简洁有力的名词短语标题，没有动词，常见于书名、标题、视频名等。
An ultra mini-series：
ultra /ˈʌltrə/：很，非常
mini-series：迷你剧、小型系列节目 👉 An ultra mini-series 整体意思是 “一个非常短小精悍的系列节目”
在许多故事结构中（尤其是神话或成长故事），“Call to Adventure” 表示一个角色面临改变人生的机会或挑战，是整个旅程的开始。
Before we begin, let me just establish the fact that I don't know much relative to what I need to know.
在我们开始之前，让我先说明一件事：相对于我需要知道的，我知道的还很少。
🔍 词汇解析：
establish the fact that...：阐明一个事实......
es·tab·lish /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/：建立、确立，这里指 “明确地说明”
relative to...：相对于……
what I need to know：我需要知道的（东西）
Whatever success I've had in life has more to do withmy knowing how to deal with my not knowing than anything I know.
无论我这一生取得了怎样的成功，更多地是因为我知道如何应对自己的无知，而不是因为我知道了什么。
🔍 词汇解析：
has/have more to do with...：与……有更大关系 👉 have to do with 是一个固定搭配，表示 “与……有关”
例：What does it have to do with you? 与你何干?
my knowing：我知道……（这里是动名词短语作名词用，表示 “我知道如何……”）
how to deal with...：如何应对……
my not knowing：我不知道的部分（同样是动名词结构，表示 “我不懂的事情”）
than anything I know：这是一个比较句，与前面的 “has more to do with…” 搭配，构成完整比较结构。
That I should be telling other people what to do sounds kind of presumptuous to me, but I'm going to do it, because I believe that the principles that have made me successful could help othersachieve their own goals.
I should be telling：我应该去告诉（should be doing 应该正在做某事：表示当前应该正在进行某项任务或活动。）
other people what to do：告诉别人该做什么（what to do 是一个宾语从句，表示 “该做什么”）
sounds kind of presumptuous to me：
sounds：听起来
kind of：有点儿（口语中经常省略成 kinda /ˈkaɪndə/）
pre·sump·tu·ous /prɪˈzʌmptʃuəs/：too confident, in a way that shows a lack of respect for other people 自负的；冒昧的；放肆的
achieve their own goals：实现他们自己的目标
I'm now at a stage in my own life: in which it is much more important to me to pass along what I've learned about how to be successful than to seek more success for myself.
What you choose to do with these principles is up to you. You have to be an independent thinker, because only you can develop your own principles based on your own values.
is up to you：取决于你，由你决定 👉 be up to someone 是固定表达，表示 “由某人决定”。
an independent thinker：一个独立的思考者
based on your own values：基于你自己的价值观 👉 based on 是常用短语，表示“以……为基础”。
This brings me to my first and most fundamental principle, which is that you need to think for yourself about what is true.
这让我引出了我第一个也是最根本的原则：你需要自己独立思考什么是真实的。
🔍 词汇解析：
This brings me to...：这让我进入到……（常用于演讲或写作中引出新主题）
my first and most fundamental principle：我第一个且最根本的原则
fun·da·men·tal /ˌfʌndəˈment(ə)l/：forming the necessary basis of sth 基础的；根本的
think for yourself：独立思考，自己判断
So let's get started. Early on, I discovered I needed principles. Principles are smart waysfor handling things that happen over and over again in similar situations.
There are principles for everything, from skiing to parenting to cooking, and so on.
世间万事万物都有其原则，从滑雪、育儿到烹饪，等等。
🔍 词汇解析：
from skiing to parenting to cooking：从滑雪到育儿再到烹饪
and so on：等等，诸如此类（表示还可以继续列举）
I'm going to share some of my most important, overarching, life principles that influence how we approach everything that we do.
我将分享一些我最重要、最具有统领性的人生原则，它们影响着我们如何面对生活中的每一件事。
🔍 词汇解析：
over·arch·ing /ˌoʊvərˈɑːrtʃɪŋ/ very important, because it includes or influences many things 非常重要的；概莫能外的；总体性的，统领一切的（这是一个高级词，表示影响范围广）
life principles：人生原则
ap·proach /əˈproʊtʃ/ to start dealing with a problem, task, etc. in a particular way 着手处理；对付
I didn't start out with principles. I acquired them over a lifetime of experiences. Mostly, from making mistakes and reflecting on them.
一开始并没有原则。我是通过一生的经历慢慢获得这些原则的，大多是通过犯错并从中反思得来的。
🔍 词汇解析：
start out：开始（人生或某段经历）
ac·quire /əˈkwaɪər/：获得，习得（正式表达，常用于“习惯、技能、知识”的获得）
over a lifetime of experiences：在一生的经历中 👉 over：这里表示 “贯穿”（表示持续过程）
reflect on：反思，认真思考（某件事情）
My life principles are simple, but they're not complete. I still struggle tomake the best decisions, and I still make mistakes and learn new principles all the time.
我的人生原则很简单，但还不算完善。我仍在努力做出最好的决定，也依然会犯错，并不断学到新的原则。
🔍 词汇解析：
still struggle to...：做某事仍然有困难
make the best decisions：做出最好的决定
make mistakes：犯错
all the time：一直，经常（这里表示持续的状态）
This is the reality. At the beginning, I needed to escape the conventions that surrounded me, which meant that I needed to think for myself.
这就是现实。一开始，我需要摆脱包围着我的传统观念，这就意味着我必须学会独立思考。
🔍 词汇解析：
This is the reality：这就是现实
at the beginning：一开始，起初
es·cape /ɪˈskeɪp/：逃离、摆脱
con·ven·tion /kənˈvenʃ(ə)n/：the way in which sth is done that most people in a society expect and consider to be polite or the right way to do it 习俗；常规；惯例
that surrounded me：包围着我的，在我的周围
which meant that...：这就意味着……（“which” 引导非限定性定语从句，解释整个前句）
think for myself：独立思考，为自己做决定
Unless you want to have a life that is directed by others, you need to decide for yourself what to do, and you need to have the courage to do it.
除非你愿意过一种由别人主导的人生，否则你就必须自己决定该做什么，并且要有勇气去做。
🔍 词汇解析：
have a life that is directed by others：过一种由他人操控的人生 👉 directed by others：被他人引导、控制（被动语态）
decide for yourself：自己做决定，自己拿主意
have the courage to do it：有勇气去做这件事
But I didn't know that at first. I only learned that from going on my adventure.
但起初我并不知道这一点。我是通过自己的冒险经历才了解到的。
🔍 词汇解析：
at first：起初，一开始
from going on my adventure：通过踏上我的冒险之旅 👉 go on an adventure：出发去冒险，这里隐喻 “人生的探索、试错与成长”
Looking back on my own journey, I now see that time is like a river that carries us forward into encounters with reality that require us to make decisions.
looking back on...：回顾……，省略主语 “I am”，是一种典型的现在分词短语作状语
my own journey：我自己的人生旅程
time is like a river：比喻句，把时间比作一条河
carry us forward：把我们向前带（河流推动人前进）
into encounters with reality：进入与现实的遭遇 👉 en·coun·ter /ɪnˈkaʊntər/ a meeting, especially one that is sudden, unexpected or violent（意外、突然或暴力的）相遇，邂逅，遭遇，冲突
require us to make decisions：要求我们做出决定 👉 require sb to do sth：要求某人做某事
We can't stop our movement down this river, and we can't avoid the encounters.
我们无法停止顺流而下，也无法避免现实的遭遇。
🔍 词汇解析：
can't stop our movement down this river：无法停止我们在这条“河流”上的前行 👉 这里延续前文 “time is like a river” 的比喻，river 代表 “时间”
movement down this river：顺流而行
avoid the encounters：避免遭遇（现实中的挑战、选择等）
We can only approach them in the best possible way. In your lifetime, you will face millions of decisions. The quality of your decisions will determine the quality of your life.
de·ter·mine /dɪˈtɜːrmɪn/ to make sth happen in a particular way or be of a particular type 决定；形成；支配；影响
Over the course of my lifetime, the most valuable thingsI've learnedwere the results of mistakes I reflected on to help form principles, so I wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
the most valuable things：最有价值的东西（things 复数，泛指 “经验、教训、知识”等）
I've learned = I have learned：现在完成时，表示 “到目前为止学到的”
be the results of...：是……的结果
mistakes I reflected on：我反思过的错误 👉 这是一个省略了关系代词的定语从句：mistakes (that) I reflected on
These principles took me from being a very ordinary middle class kid from Long Island to becoming very successful as judged by conventional measures.
这些原则让我从一个来自长岛、非常普通的中产阶级孩子，成长为一个在传统标准下被认为非常成功的人。
🔍 词汇解析：
took me from… to…：让我从……变成……
a very ordinary middle class kid：一个非常普通的中产阶级孩子
or·din·ary /ˈɔːrd(ə)neri/：普通的，平凡的
middle class：中产阶级
from Long Island：来自纽约长岛（美国中产阶级常见地域标签）
to becoming very successful：变得非常成功（注意这里用 becoming 而非 become，因为前面是 from… to… 的结构，from, to 介词后要用名词或动名词）
as judged by…：根据……的评判标准
conventional measures：传统的衡量标准（如财富、职位、地位等）
They also gave me the meaningful work and meaningful relationships that I value even more than these conventional successes.
它们还带给我有意义的工作和人际关系，这些，是我比传统意义上的成功还要珍视的。
🔍 词汇解析：
conventional successes：传统意义上的成功（如财富、地位等）
People often ask me how I did it. I can assure you it wasn't because of my uniqueness as a person. It was the result of a unique approach to life I believe almost anybody can adopt.
In my case, I wanted my life to be great, and I feared boredom and mediocrity more than I feared failure.
就我而言，我希望自己的人生是精彩而伟大的， 我比害怕失败更害怕无聊和平庸。
🔍 词汇解析：
In my case：就我而言，在我身上，如同我个案
bore·dom /ˈbɔːrdəm/：无聊
me·di·oc·rity /ˌmiːdiˈɑːkrəti/：平庸、普通
Since I didn't start out with money, and I didn't need much more than a bed to sleep in and food to eat, I could skew my decisions to pursue my adventures.
例：She skewed her schedule to prioritize family. 她调整了日程以优先考虑家庭。
pursue/pərˈsuː/：追求，追逐
So ever since I was a kid, I ran after the things I wanted, crashed, got up and ran again, and crashed again, and each time I crashed, I learned something, got better, and crashed less.
By doing thatover and over again, I learned to love this process, even the crashing part of it.
通过一遍又一遍地这样做，我学会了热爱这个过程，甚至爱上了其中摔倒的部分。
🔍 词汇解析：
by doing that：通过那样做 👉 by + 动名词：表示 “通过……方式”
例：By practicing daily, she improved quickly. 通过每天练习，她进步很快。
over and over again：一遍又一遍，反复地
even the crashing part of it：甚至是其中“摔倒”的部分
Through it, I encountered reality, and I learned how to deal with it, which inspired another one of my most fundamental principles which is that truth is the essential foundation for producing good outcomes.
By truth, I don't mean anything more than the way the world works. I believe that we were given the laws of reality by nature.
我所说的“真相”，只不过是指世界运行的方式。我相信，大自然赋予了我们现实运行的法则。
🔍 词汇解析：
by truth：我所说的 “真相” 👉by... 引导解释说明，表示 “就……而言”、“我所指的是……”
例：By success, I mean personal fulfillment.我说的成功，是指个人的满足。
I don't mean anything more than...：我不过是指……而已 👉 否定句中 not anything more than... 相当于 “仅仅是、不过是”
the way the world works：世界运作的方式，指的是自然规律、因果逻辑、现实机制
the laws of reality：现实的法则 👉 law /lɔː/：the fact that sth always happens in the same way in an activity or in nature 规律；法则；原理
Humans didn't create them, but we can use them to foster our own evolution and achieve our goals.
人类并没有创造这些法则，但我们可以利用它们来促进自身的进化，并实现我们的目标。
🔍 词汇解析：
foster /ˈfɑːstər/：促进，培育，培养
evolution/ˌevəˈluːʃən/：进化，演变，不仅限于生物进化，也可泛指人的成长与发展
Realizing that made me a hyper-realist, by which I mean I became someone who has discovered the great rewards of deeply understanding, accepting, and working with reality as it is, and not as I wish it would be.
When I say I'm a hyper-realist, people sometimes think I'm saying that dreams can't come true. That's absolutely not true. Without pursuing dreams, life is mundane.
What I mean is that, to me, hyper-realism is the best way to choose one's dreams and then achieve them.
我的意思是：对我来说，超级现实主义是选择梦想并最终实现它们的最佳方式。
🔍 词汇解析：
What I mean is that...：我的意思是…… 👉 这是一个常用句型，用于解释或澄清刚才说过的话。
hyper-realism：超级现实主义，即：高度认清现实本质，接受并利用它，而不是逃避或幻想
is the best way to...：是……的最佳方式
Having big dreams, plus embracing reality, plus having lots of determination will bring you a successful life.
拥有远大的梦想、拥抱现实、再加上坚定的决心，这三者结合起来，会带给你成功的人生。
🔍 词汇解析：
having big dreams：拥有远大的梦想
plus：在这里是口语化连接词，等于 “+”，“加上”
embracing reality：接受现实
having lots of determination：拥有大量的决心 👉 de·ter·min·ation /dɪˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ the quality that makes you continue trying to do sth even when this is difficult 决心；果断；坚定
I believe this formula is true for everyone. But what does a successful life look like?
我相信这个公式对每个人都适用。但，什么才算是成功的人生呢？
🔍 词汇解析：
for·mula /ˈfɔːrmjələ/ 公式，指的是前面那一整句的 “成功三要素”
what does... look like?：……看起来是什么样子？ 👉这是一个极常用的句型结构，用于询问 “......具体表现形态”
例：What does happiness look like to you? 对你而言，幸福是什么样子？
We each have to decide for ourselves what success is.
我们每个人都必须自己决定，什么才是成功。
🔍 词汇解析：
We each：我们每一个人，是一个常用结构，等于 “Each of us”
I don't care whether you want to be a master of the universe or to live under a palm tree, or anything else. I really don't.
我不在乎你是想成为世界的主宰，还是想躺在棕榈树下过日子，或是别的什么。我真的不在乎。
🔍 词汇解析：
a master of the universe：宇宙的主宰，这是一种夸张表达，代指 “权力、金钱、影响力的巅峰”
live under a palm tree：在棕榈树下生活，暗示一种热带海滩、慵懒、悠闲、无欲无求的生活
Each of us chooses goals based on our values and decides onthe best path to achieve them.
我们每个人都会根据自己的价值观选择目标，并决定实现目标的最佳路径。
🔍 词汇解析：
based on our values：基于我们的价值观
decide on sth：决定某事
the best path：最合适的路径
But we all need approaches to making decisions that work well, especially when facing problems, mistakes, and weaknesses that stand in our way.
但是我们所有人都需要有效的决策方法，特别是在面对阻碍我们前进的问题、错误和弱点时。
🔍 词汇解析：
approaches to making decisions：决策策略 👉 这里 to 是介词，后面跟动名词 making
例：an approach to solving problems 解决问题的方式
problems, mistakes, and weaknesses：问题、错误和弱点
stand in our way：挡住我们的路，成为阻碍
例：Don't let fear stand in your way. 别让恐惧阻碍你。
To succeed, we must embrace all our realities, especially the harsh realitiesthat we wish weren't true.
要成功，我们必须接受我们所有的现实，尤其是那些我们希望不真实的残酷现实。
🔍 词汇解析：
the harsh realities：残酷的现实 👉 harsh /hɑːrʃ/ cruel, severe and unkind 残酷的；严酷的
that we wish weren't true. 定语从句，修饰前面的 harsh realities
At first, looking at these harsh realities caused me a lot of pain.
一开始，直面这些残酷的现实让我感到非常痛苦。
🔍 词汇解析：
look at：注视、面对
cause /kɔːz/ to make sth happen, especially sth bad or unpleasant 使发生；造成；引起；导致
a lot of pain：很多痛苦
But I learned that this pain was just psychological, and that my seeing things differently made all the difference.
但是我意识到，这种痛苦只是心理上的，而我换个角度看待事情才真正改变了一切。
🔍 词汇解析：
psy·cho·logic·al /ˌsaɪkəˈlɑːdʒɪk(ə)l/ connected with a person's mind and the way in which it works心 灵的；心理的
my seeing things differently：我用不同的角度看待事物 👉 seeing 在这里是动名词作主语
made all the difference：改变了一切，起决定性作用，使大不相同
I came to view problems like puzzles that would reward me if I could solve them. They would help me deal with the problem at hand, and they would give me principles for dealing with similar problems in the future.
re·ward /rɪˈwɔːrd/ to give sth to sb because they have done sth good, worked hard, etc. 奖励；奖赏；给以报酬
at hand：固定表达，意为 “手头的，当前的，眼前的”
similar problems：类似的问题
I learned to treat pain as a cue that a great learning opportunityis at hand, which led me to realize that pain plus reflection equals progress.
我学会了把痛苦当作一个信号，表示一次很好的学习机会正在眼前，这使我意识到：痛苦加反思就等于进步。
🔍 词汇解析：
treat pain as a cue：把痛苦当作一个信号 👉 cue/kjuː/：提示、信号（来自舞台表演用语，表示“该行动了”）
a great learning opportunity：一个很好的学习机会
be at hand：固定表达，形容 “某件事情（在时间或空间上）很近”
pain plus reflection equals progress：痛苦 + 反思 = 进步
Meditation has been invaluable in helping me see things that way. I found that when I calmed myself down and embraced my realities, and dealt with them, the rewards brought me pleasure, and the pain faded.
Each of us has the unique capability to think logically, to reflect on ourselves, and our circumstances, and to direct our own personal evolution.
我们每个人都有独特的能力去进行逻辑思考、反思自己及自身处境，并引导自身的发展与进化。
🔍 词汇解析：
cap·abil·ity /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ the ability or qualities necessary to do sth 能力；才能
logically /ˈlɑːdʒɪkli/ 合乎逻辑
reflect on ourselves：反思自身
circumstances /ˈsɜːrkəmstæns/ the conditions of a person's life 境况；境遇
dir·ect /dəˈrekt/：引导、指引
personal evolution：个人成长、蜕变、不断进步的过程
Doing this well is just a matter of following a simple five-step process.
要把这件事做好，其实只需要遵循一个简单的五步流程。
🔍 词汇解析：
a matter of...：是关于……的事；本质上是……
例：It’s just a matter of time. 那只是时间问题
a simple five-step process：一个简单的五步流程
We've discussed how important it is to reflect carefully after experiencing pain.
我们已经讨论过：在经历痛苦之后认真反思是多么重要。
🔍 词汇解析：
how important it is to reflect carefully：认真反思有多重要 👉 这里的 it 是形式主语，to reflect carefully 是真正的主语
ex·peri·ence /ɪkˈspɪriəns/ to have and be aware of a particular emotion or physical feeling 感受；体会；体验 👉 这里是动名词形式，作介词 after 的宾语
When I did this, I was usually able to discover principles that would prevent me from repeating the same mistakes in the future. And I could see that being successful simply consisted of five steps.
Step one is to know your goals and run after them. What is best for you depends on your nature, so you need to really understand yourself and know what you want to achieve in life.
Step two is to encounter the problems that stand in the way of getting to your goals. These problems are typically painful. If handled badly, some of them can lead to your ruin. But to evolve, you need to identify those problems and not tolerate them.
getting to your goals：实现你的目标；get to：到达 👉 这里 getting 是动名词短语，作介词 of 的宾语
typ·ic·al·ly /ˈtɪpɪkli/sthusually happens in the way that you are stating 通常；一般
lead to：导致，引发
your ruin：你的毁灭、失败、彻底崩溃
identify those problems：识别这些问题
tol·er·ate /ˈtɑːləreɪt/ 容忍，忍受
Step three is to diagnose these problems to get at their root causes. Don't jump too quickly to solutions. Take a step back and reflect in order to really distinguish the symptoms from the disease.
jump too quickly to solutions：字面意思是 “太快跳到解决方案上”，实际意思是 “太快开始想怎么解决”
take a step back：后退一步，引申为 “冷静一下、抽身而出，以更高视角看问题”
dis·tin·guish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ A from B：区分 A 和 B
symp·tom /ˈsɪmptəm/：症状（表面的表现，如拖延、争吵、财务困难）
dis·ease /dɪˈziːz/：疾病（根本的原因，比如害怕失败、沟通不良、财务规划混乱）
Step four is to design a plan to eliminate the problems. This is where you will determine what you need to do to get around them.
第四步是设计一个计划来消除这些问题。在这一步，你将决定如何绕开这些问题。
🔍 词汇解析：
elim·in·ate /ɪˈlɪməˌneɪt/：消除，根除
get around：绕过，避开（问题）
And step five is to execute those designs, pushing yourself to do what's needed to progress toward your goal. A successful life essentially consists of doing these five steps over and over again.
第五步是执行那些计划，督促自己完成实现目标所需的事情。成功的人生，本质上就是不断重复这五个步骤。
🔍 词汇解析：
exe·cute /ˈeksɪˌkjuːt/：执行，落实
push yourself：督促自己，强迫自己努力
pro·gress /ˈprɑːɡres/：进步，前进
toward your goal：朝着你的目标前进
This is your personal evolution, and you see this process everywhere. It's just a law of nature.
这就是你个人的进化过程，而且你会在任何地方都能看到这个过程。这不过是大自然的法则。
🔍 词汇解析：
law of nature：自然法则，自然规律
Think of any product, any organization, or any person you know, and you will see that this is true for them. Evolution is simply a process of either adapting, or dying.
想想你认识的任何产品、组织或个人，你都会发现这对他们同样适用。进化不过是一个适应或消亡的过程。
🔍 词汇解析：
either... or...：要么……要么……
adapt：做出改变去适应环境
die：死亡，消亡
Conceptually, it looks just like the five-step process I've described. As you push through this often painful process, you'll naturally ascend to higher and higher levels of success.
as·cend /əˈsend/：to rise; to go up; to climb up 上升；升高
I found that when I did it better, my struggling never became easier, because the more capable I became, the greater the challenges I would take on.
我发现，当我做得更好时，挣扎并没有变得更轻松，因为我变得越有能力，承担的挑战也就越大。
🔍 词汇解析：
struggling：挣扎，努力克服困难
the greater the challenges I would take on：我承担的挑战也越大 👉 take on 承担或处理某项任务或责任
Because different people are strong and weak at different things, most people can't do all five steps well.
因为每个人在不同的方面有强项和弱项，所以大多数人无法把这五个步骤都做得很好。
🔍 词汇解析：
strong at：擅长某事，有优势
weak at：不擅长某事，有弱点
Not facing this reality means you could stretch further than you should. And as the heights get greater, your falls could also be greater.
不面对这个现实，意味着你可能会过度挑战自己。而随着高度变高，跌倒的风险也会更大。
🔍 词汇解析：
Not facing this reality：不面对这个现实
stretch further than you should：直译是 “拉伸得比你应该的更远”，引申为 “超出自己能力范围”，“承担过多压力或责任”
as the heights get greater：随着高度变高
falls：跌倒，失败
Sometimes terrible things happen to all of us in life. They can ruin us, or they can profoundly improve us, depending on how we handle them. Something like this happened to me in 1982.
pro·found·ly /prəˈfaʊndli/ in a way that has a very great effect on sb/sth 极大地；深刻地
We progress forward until we encounter setbacks.
我们不断前进，直到遇到挫折。
🔍 词汇解析：
for·ward /ˈfɔːrwərd/ 向前
set·back /ˈsetbæk/ a difficulty or problem that delays or prevents sth 挫折；阻碍
Whether or not we get out of them and continue forward or spiral downward depends on whether or not we're willing to face the failure objectively, and make the right decisions to turn the loop upward again.
Something terrible happened to me in 1982, when I bet everything on a depression that never came.
1982年，我经历了一件糟糕的事情——我把所有赌注押在了一场从未到来的经济萧条上。
🔍 词汇解析：
bet everything on：押上全部在......上
de·pres·sion /dɪˈpreʃ(ə)n/ 经济衰退
The period between 1979 and 19821 was one of extreme turbulence, for the global economy, the markets, and for me. And I believed that the US economy, with the world economytied to it, was headed toward a catastrophe.
This view was extremely controversial. I wanted the great upside, and very publicly took a big risk and was wrong, dead wrong.
这个观点极具争议。我渴望巨大的成功机会，并且公开承担了巨大的风险，但我错了，完全错了。
🔍 词汇解析：
con·tro·ver·sial /ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃ(ə)l/ causing a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement引起争论的；有争议的
up·side /ˈʌpsaɪd/：the more positive aspect of a situation that is generally bad（糟糕局面的）好的一面，光明的一面，正面
dead wrong：完全错误，大错特错
After adelay, the stock market began a big bull market that lasted 18 years, and the US economy enjoyed the greatest growth periodin its history.
经过一段延迟后，股市开始了一场持续了18年的牛市，美国经济经历了其历史上最辉煌的增长期。
🔍 词汇解析：
a delay： 一段延迟期
the stock market：股市
bull market：牛市，指股票价格普遍上涨的时期
the greatest growth period：最辉煌的增长期
in its history：在其历史上
This experience was like a blow to my head with a baseball bat. I had to cut my losses so that my company, Bridgewater, was left with one employee, me.
这次经历就像被棒球棒狠狠打了一下头。我不得不止损，结果我的公司桥水基金只剩下一个员工，我自己。
🔍 词汇解析：
a blow to my head with a baseball bat：用棒球棒击打我的头部
cut losses：减少损失，避免亏损扩大
I was so broke, I had to borrow $4,000 from my dad to pay my bills.
我当时非常穷，甚至不得不向爸爸借了4000美元来付账单。
🔍 词汇解析：
broke 是口语中形容 “没钱” 的意思
pay my bills：用来支付我的账单 👉 这里指日常生活或工作需要支付的费用
But even worse was having to let go the people I cared so much about.
但更糟糕的是，我不得不让那些我非常关心的人离开。
🔍 词汇解析：
let go：本意是 “放手，放开”，这里指 “让某人离开”，“解雇员工”
the people I cared so much about：那些我非常关心的人
I wondered whether I should give up my dream of working for myself and play it safe by working for someone else in a job that would require me to put on a tie and commute everyday.
Though I knew that for me, taking less risk would mean having a less great life. Being so wrong, and especially being so publicly wrong, was painfully humbling.
