吴军——向死而生
绝大多数人都过分看重最后的一两周,而忽视前面的几十年。在健康的几十年里,人们浪费掉的时间又何止两周呢?子女们把喝酒聊天、无所事事的时间省下来1%陪父母,多尽孝道的时间能有几个月之久。父母们把自己忙工作的时间,抽出5%陪子女,享受天伦之乐的时间无形中多了不知多少。甚至只要每天开车时,想着系安全带,人均寿命就能延长一周。因此,珍视生命,从平时一点一滴坐起来,就等于延长了我们的寿命。
死亡是人对社会的最后一次贡献。没有个体的死亡,就没有整体的发展。凯文.凯利讲,只有一种细胞不死,就是癌细胞,但是整个机体会死掉,然后它也会死掉。如果我们人不死,我们的社会就要死亡,最终没一个个体也难逃死亡的厄运。有生就有死,这是我们宇宙的基本规律。
在我们有限的生命里,如果能将遗传的信息传递下去,再将创造出的信息(知识等)流传下去,我们的生命已经相当完美了。
活着总要做些事情,但是考虑到最终要死掉,并没有时间什么事情都做。我的想法常常和别人不同,我是倒着思考该做什么事情的,或者说,向死而生。把我要做的事情,从最重要的开始,列一个单子,就尽量开始做了。
有些事情,在很多人看来,挺重要,但是仔细想一想,可能会占据时间耽误我去做更重要的事情,于是便舍弃了。对我来讲,决定什么事情做,什么事情不做,不是通常人们的想法,而是这张单子。一些人问我为什么离开腾讯,离开Google,还有各种猜测,我想等他们快到终点时会明白的,因为在我的单子上,有比那些重要得多的事情。
乔布斯在斯坦福大学的演讲
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 tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external 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.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
做真正重要的事情
吴军和乔布斯都讲了一个本质的东西:做对你而言最重要的事情。并且这个事情重要到可以让你不受存量控制。乔布斯的那句话形容得恰到好处,当你向死而生的时候,you are already naked,没有什么东西可以牵绊住你的脚步。