这篇演讲节选自可口可乐公司总裁布莱恩·戴森在乔治亚理工学院毕业典礼上的致辞。他在演讲中讲述了对工作及人生的看法，并提出了12点宝贵的人生建议。其实，人人都能让自己的生活变得更加精彩、更加有意义，只是我们不舍得花时间思考怎样才能做到，所以我们常常发现自己生活在抱怨中。学习这篇演讲的同时也是在为我们留出思考人生的时间和空间。

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them--work,family,health,friends amd spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls--family,health,friends and spirit--are made of glass.If you drop one of these,they will be irrevocably scuffed,marked,nicked,damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

想象生命是一种往空中抛五个球的游戏，你把这五个球分别取名为：工作、家庭、健康、朋友和心灵，而且你要努力不让他们落地。你很快会了解到生命是一个橡皮球。如果你让它落地了，它还是会弹起来。但是，家庭、健康、朋友和心灵这四个球是用玻璃做成的。如果你让它们掉到地上，它们将会不可避免遭到磨损，留下印记、划痕，摔破甚至落一地，它们将永远不会跟以前一样。

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

你必须了解这个道理，并且努力保持生活的平衡。但是怎样才能做到呢？

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special.

不要拿自己和他人比较而贬低自己的价值，正是因为我们彼此不同，所以每个人才很特别。

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

不要因为别人看重哪些东西而把它们设定为自己的目标。只有你才知道什么最适合自己。

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.Cling to them as they were your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

不要将最亲密的人或事视为理所当然的。好好珍惜他们，就像是你的生命一样，因为没有他们，生命将使失去意义。

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time you live all the days of your life.

不要让你的生命总在留恋过去或是遥想未来中流逝。如果你活在每个当下，你就活出了人生的精彩。

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

当你还能给予的时候别轻言放弃。只要你不放弃，万事皆有可能。

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.It is this fragile thread that blinds us to each together.

不要害怕承认你并非完美。我们正是藉由这脆弱的细丝紧密地联系在一起。

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

不要害怕遇到危险。我们正是在冒险中学会勇敢的。

Don't shut your love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

不要以真爱难求为借口而紧闭心扉。找到爱最快的方法就是给予你的爱；失去爱最快的方法就是紧紧地守着你的爱不放；维系爱的最好方式就是给爱一双翅膀。

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

不要匆忙地走过你的一生，以至于忘了自己到过哪里，要往哪里去。

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

不要忘记，人类最大的情感需要是被人欣赏。

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

不要害怕学习。知识不会成为负担，是你可以轻松携带的珍宝。

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

不要漫不经心地蹉跎光阴或信口开河。时间与话语都是收不回来的。

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery. And Today is Gift...that's why we call it The Present.

生活不是一场赛跑，而是每一步都需要体味的旅程。昨天已成历史，明天还未可知，而今天则是一份礼物：那就是我们为什么称它为“当下”。

更多信息请查看英语美文写作