Obama’s 16 Tips
for His Daughters
奥巴马给女儿的16条箴言
Life is short. It may feel like it takes forever sometimes, but the reality is that you live, and a short time later, you die. It happens so quickly, many people don’t even realize they had a life until it’s already over.
生命短暂。有时或许会觉得生命无休无止，但现实是，你现在活着，过不了多久，就会死去。生命转瞬即逝，很多人直到濒临死亡的那一刻才意识到。
1
Stop Doubting Yourself
不要怀疑自己
If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. Success starts in your mind, and if all you’re doing is putting yourself down and predicting failure, it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of doubting yourself, think positively. Not only will you be happier and more successful, you’ll spread it to everyone around you.
如果连你自己都不相信自己，那不会有人相信你。成功始于你的内心，如果你所做的只是不断看扁自己，预言失败，那就真的会成为现实。与其怀疑自己，不如积极思考。这不仅会让自己更加开心和成功，还能感染周围的人。
2
Stop Being Negative
不要消极
Now that you’re done doubting yourself, stop doubting others. You don’t like when people are critical of you, so stop being critical of others. Think about how you make other people feel – even if you have good intentions, people don’t like hearing negativity.
既然不再怀疑自己，也就不要再怀疑他人。你不希望别人对你过分挑剔，那你也不要去挑剔他人。想想你给别人带来的感受——即使你的出发点是好的，人们也不愿意听消极的信息。
3
Stop Procrastinating
不要拖延
I don’t feel like procrastinating right now – I’ll do it tomorrow. When you procrastinate, you remain stagnant. Whatever you’re putting off doesn’t go away; resolve the problem, and move on. You’ll be much happier in the long run.
我现在不想做，明天再做。一旦开始拖延，其实已经停滞。拖延的事情不会自行完成，解决问题，继续前行。长此以往，你会更快乐。
4
Stop Being Mean
不要刻薄
It’s completely possible to step on someone’s toes without meaning to – it happens all the time. There’s no need to pile on by purposefully doing mean things, so make a conscious effort to stop being mean. If someone wrongs you, let it go. There’s no need to seek vengeance unless that’s the type of person you want to be.
不小心踩到别人的情况完全有可能发生——还常常会发生。没必要处心积虑做不好的事情，所以要有意识地让自己不要刻薄待人。如果有人对你无理，不要理睬，随它去。没必要找机会报复，除非你就想成为那样的人。
5
Stop Eating Out
不要外出吃饭
Eating out is the biggest waste of money. Every so often it’s nice to treat yourself, but eating out for every meal is the quickest way to drain your bank account. Learn how to cook at least a handful of foods you enjoy: It’ll save you money, keep you healthier, and occasionally impress people.
外出吃饭最浪费钱。偶尔这么做是对自己的犒赏，但每顿这么吃会很快让你花光积蓄。学学做饭，至少学做一些自己喜欢的菜：既能省钱，让你更健康，不时还会让人眼前一亮。
6
Stop Being Lazy
不要偷懒
Lazy people are annoying – it’s like pulling teeth getting them to do anything. If I can’t do something as simple as going to a movie with you without having to factor in an hour of convincing you to get your lazy butt out of bed, I’d rather go alone. People have enough trouble motivating themselves; don’t make your friends and family waste their valuable energy motivating you as well.
懒人招人烦——得像赶驴推磨似的逼着他们做。如果一起看场电影这样简单的事，我却不得不花一个小时说服你起床，那我宁愿一个人去看了。人们激励自己都很难，就别让朋友和家人浪费宝贵的精力给你动力了。
7
Stop Complaining
不要抱怨
We all have problems, and sometimes we need to vent to someone. That’s acceptable, but pay attention to how often you’re venting. We all love helping our friends and family, but when all you get from someone is negativity, it’s easier to cut them off than help, especially if they’re always complaining about the same things.
我们都有麻烦事，有时需要向别人倾诉。这可以理解，但要注意吐槽的频率。我们都喜欢帮助朋友和家人，但如果从那个人身上只能得到负能量，那最好放弃帮助，敬而远之，尤其当他们总在抱怨同一件事时。
8
Stop Being Selfish
不要自私
If you only think about yourself, you’ll soon find yourself by yourself. Stop for a minute and think about how your actions affect other people – did you take the last cup of coffee from the break room? Refill it! Do you live with others? Don’t drink out the milk carton. We share this world 100% of the time, so every action you take can affect other people.
如果只考虑自己，那你很快会发现自己成为孤家寡人。行动前等一分钟想想你的行为会给别人带来什么影响——是不是从休息室拿了最后一杯咖啡？再倒一杯吧！是不是和别人合住？别把牛奶喝光了。这个世界完全由大家共享，所以你做的每件事都可能影响别人。
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9
Stop Wasting Time
不要浪费时间
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: time is the most valuable resource we have. Don’t waste your time on unproductive things. If you want to explore the world’s dark corners, that’s great. I still associate with people who have not-so-kosher careers, but I don’t hang out with those people at the expense of my own short- and long-term goals.
虽然以前说过，但我还想再说一遍：时间是我们拥有的最宝贵的资源。不要把时间浪费在没有意义的事情上。如果想探索这个世界的黑暗角落，那很好。我也认识一些没有正规工作的人，但我不会牺牲自己的短期和长期目标而和他们出去玩乐。
10
Stop Making Promises
不要承诺
Always under-promise and over-deliver. When you make a promise, you’re adding responsibility to your plate that, despite all your best intentions, you may not be able to deliver on. More often than not, your promise is an absolute (i.e “I promise I’ll always love you”), and only Sith deal in absolutes. Instead of making a promise with your words, simply be there when people need you, and exceed their expectations with your actions.
总是做了承诺却做不到。做出承诺就是给自己增添责任，无论你的出发点有多好，你都不可能完成所有承诺。大多数时候，你的承诺都太过绝对（比如“我保证永远爱你”），只有西斯沉溺于绝对原则。与其用语言许下承诺，不如在别人需要你的时候现身，用行动满足他们的期望，给他们惊喜。
11
Stop Being a Pushover
不要轻易被说服
We live in a capitalistic society in which everyone’s trying to sell us something. Everyone’s looking out for themselves in one way or another, and you need to do the same. Stop putting yourself out because you’re too shy to say no.
在我们所处的资本主义社会，每个人都试图向我们推销什么。每个人都在用这样或那样的方式照看自己，你也需要这样做。不要因为不好意思说“不”而让自己费神费力。
12
Stop Listening to Haters
不要听怀恨者的话
No matter what you want to do in life, there’s always someone around to tell you why it can’t and won’t work. I can come up with millions of reasons Twitter won’t work, and yet it’s one of the most popular social media sites on the web. My opinion didn’t stop Twitter’s success any more than it convinced Kobe Bryant to quit the NBA or Josh Hartnett to stop acting. Why would you let someone’s opinion stop you?
生活中，无论你想干什么，总会有人告诉你不能做、没有用。我可以想出百万条理由说明推特没用，但它还是互联网上最流行的社交媒体之一。我的想法阻止不了推特的成功，就像说服不了科比退出NBA或乔什·哈奈特退出演艺圈一样。为什么要让别人的想法阻止你呢?
13
Stop Being Wasteful
不要铺张浪费
You don’t finish your meals, and away food instead. You leave the faucet running when you brush your teeth, pouring precious water down the drain. You drive places you could easily walk, burning gasoline (a non-renewable resource). You are wasteful, and it needs to stop.
饭没吃完，就扔下不要了。刷牙的时候还开着水龙头，让宝贵的水哗哗流走。明明可以走到的地方偏要开车，消耗汽油（不可再生资源）。这么做太浪费了，不要再这么做。
14
Stop Littering
不要乱扔垃圾
The only thing I hate more than wasteful people are litterbugs. Litterbugs are my least favorite bug, and there are more than you’d think. If you’ve ever thrown even one piece of gum, paper, candy wrapper, cigarette butt, etc on the ground, you’re a disgusting litterbug, and you should be ashamed of yourself. There are over 7 billion people in the world – if each person only throws one “innocent” piece of garbage on the ground, that’s 7 billion pieces of garbage littering a world in which nobody “did it”.
唯一让我觉得比浪费的人更可恶的就是垃圾虫。垃圾虫最让我厌恶，而且数量比你想得多很多。如果你曾扔过一块口香糖、一张纸、一片糖纸、一个烟蒂，那你就是恶心的垃圾虫。你应该感到羞愧。世界上有70多亿人——如果每个人都“无意中”随地扔一片垃圾，那么全世界就会有70亿片垃圾随处扔下，却没人“负责”。
Your one decision makes a HUGE difference, and I will not allow you to blow it off and walk around with your head held high. You’re a litterbug, and it needs to stop immediately. You don’t get a lifehack for this one, you filthy animal. Just stop – you already know how.
你的一个决定会产生深远的影响，我不允许你置之不理而抬头走开。如果你是垃圾虫，那就马上改正。你不会为此得到什么生活妙招，别再让人厌恶了。不要这么做了——你知道该怎么做。
15
Stop Taking Everything Personally
不要太过敏感
People get offended about the strangest things. Take Kendrick Lamar’s now-infamous verse on “Control” this summer: he called out a list of a dozen rappers he thinks he’s better than (and he’s right). The internet went crazy, and rappers all over the industry rushed to their mics to record a response. The thing is, all K-Dot said is he’s the best rapper. Everyone took it personally, and that’s exactly what he was going for. The lesson to learn from this is that not everything is about you, and if you’re easily upset, someone will use that to their advantage.
人们会因为一些奇怪的理由感到被侵犯。就拿肯德里克·拉马尔这个夏天备受争议的歌曲《控制》为例：他在歌词中挑衅了一些他认为没他好的说唱歌手（的确如此）。网上一石激起千层浪，整个说唱圈的歌手蜂拥录歌回击。重点在于，肯德里克说的就是他是最棒的说唱者。每个人都认为那是针对自己的，而这正中他下怀。这件事教给我们的就是，并非所有事都跟你有关，如果你是玻璃心，有人就会利用这一点打击你。
16
Stop Talking
不要说话
Sometimes it’s best to just STFU – especially in relationships. I can’t even count how many times I created an issue that didn’t need to be an issue simply because I opened my mouth. Even if what you want to say is important, just shut up and ride it out. You can say more with your actions than words, and you can’t listen when you’re talking.
有时候沉默是金（“闭嘴”）——特别是在与人相处时。我都记不清有多少次就因为忍不住开口而引发了本可避免的争端。即使你想说的非常重要，那也闭上嘴，忍过去。你可以用行动表明，而且，说话时就无法倾听。
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