2-Follow your heart

 Follow Your Heart          顺心而为

   My third story is about death.

 When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for   the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

   Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important thing I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,because almost everything--allxternal expectations, all pride,all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

     Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

 【参考译文】 

    我的第三个故事是关于死亡的。  

    当我十七岁的时候,我读到了一句话:“如果你把每一天都当作生命中最后一天去

生活的话,那么有一天你会发现你是正确的。”这句话给我留下了一个印象。从那时开始,

过了33年,我在每天早晨都会对着镜子问自己:“如果今天是我生命中的最后一天,你

会不会完成你今天想做的事情呢？”当答案连续多天是“No”的时候,我知道自己需要

改变某些事情了。  

     “记住你即将死去”是我一生中遇到的最重要的箴言。它帮我指明了生命中重要的

选择。因为几乎所有的事情,包括所有的荣誉、所有的骄傲、所有对难堪和失败的恐惧,

这些在死亡面前都会消失。我看到的是留下的真正重要的东西。 

    你有时候会思考你将会失去某些东西, “记住你即将死去”是我知道的避免这些想

法的最好办法。你已经一无所有了, 你没有理由不去顺心而为。