巴菲特认为，只要找对了方法，人人都能过上满足的生活。

Billionaire Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is in his late eighties and still capturing the world's attention as the second richest person on the planet (as of this writing).
百万富翁沃伦·巴菲特，是伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司的董事长和CEO，在80岁高龄之际（撰文时）仍以世界第二富的身份备受世界瞩目。

So, how has he done it? Actually, it's not so much about what he has done as it is what he hasn't done. With all the demands on him every day, Buffett learned a long time ago that the greatest commodity of all is time. He simply mastered the art and practice of setting boundaries for himself.
他是怎么做到的呢？实际上，他 没做什么 比 做了什么 更重要。每天被大小事务缠身，巴菲特很久以前就懂得，有史以来最伟大的商品就是时间。 他的成功只是因为掌握了如何为自己设定界线的和坚守着不要越界。

That's why this Buffett quote remains a powerful life lesson. The mega-mogul said:
这也是为什么下面这条巴菲特语录被人誉为醍醐灌顶的人生醒言。这位超级大亨说过：

"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."
“一般成功人士和超级成功人士的区别是超级成功人士几乎对所有事情说不。”

The Powerful Meaning Behind Buffett’s Statement 巴菲特语录的真正含义

Whether he meant saying no in the investment sense is not so important; what is important is that his advice, in whatever context, can apply to anyone arriving at the crossroads of daily decision-making.
这句话和金钱投资是否有关并不重要。重要的是 ，巴菲特建议 任何人 在任何情况下面临决策的十字路口时，都可以说不。

For most ambitious people, we want to accomplish things. We are driven for results, doing more, learning things, getting promoted, and starting new ventures. But we also have our personal lives we can't ignore for optimum balance and happiness. Ambition in this sense can mean taking care of family priorities, expanding our social circles, and pursuing hobbies and other interests.
很多有野心的人都想要有所成就。我们渴望得到好结果，于是努力工作，学习，升职，然后开始重复新一轮冒险。但我们同样不能忽视私人生活，一个人要平衡好工作与私生活才会快乐。私人生活方面的野心则意味着优先照顾家庭需求，扩充社交圈子，追求兴趣爱好。

That's when Buffett's advice is a bull's-eye to our conscience. We have to know what to shoot for to simplify our lives. It means saying no over and over again to the unimportant things flying in our direction every day and remaining focused on saying yes to the few things that truly matter.
此时巴菲特的建议就像是指路的靶心，让我们不至于在被迫做选择的良心煎熬中迷失方向。 我们要清楚地知道应该朝着怎样的目标来简化生活。 这意味着我们要一遍又一遍地对每天的飞来琐事说不，只专注于少数的真正重要的事情。

Steve Jobs Agreed. It’s About Focus. 史蒂夫·乔布斯表示赞同。专注才是成功的可能。

Jobs prophetically supported this notion of saying no at an Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in 1997. Here's what he said：
乔布斯在1997年的苹果全球开发者大会时，就有先见之明地附和了巴菲特的说辞。这是他当年的发言：

"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things."
“人们以为专注是对要做的事情而言。其实不然。专注是拒绝掉其余一百个好想法。你要精挑细选。我对现在的成果和放弃的想法感到同样自豪。创新就是去拒绝1000个主意。”

Like Jobs and Buffett, it's hushing that loud voice in your head when it tempts you with yet another sexy proposition that might steer you off course. You say a resounding NO! when it asks, "Should I take this opportunity? It may never come around again." Sometimes, the best course of action is not taking any action.
如乔布斯和巴菲特所说，总会有一个声音在你的脑海中吵吵嚷嚷，引诱你去尝试下一个诱人的事物，哄你与目标脱轨。“要不要试试这个机会呢？说不定以后就没有了。”这时，你要掷地有声的回答 不要！ 要知道，有时候什么都不做就是最好的选择。

Seven Things Successful People Say No To Every Day 7件成功人士都说不的事情

Jim Collins, famous author of the mega-bestseller Good to Great, once suggested that instead of to-do lists, we should make "stop-doing" lists. Because in obsessing over to-do lists full of things that don't really matter, we spend less time saying yes to the things that do.
吉姆·柯林斯是一名著名作家，他的热门畅销书 从好到伟大 建议，比起写每日清单，我们更应该列出一份“停止做这些事”清单。沉迷于完成每日清单上无关紧要的小事，使我们错过了最应该完成的事情。

Here are seven things the most successful people say no to on a regular basis. Perhaps you should too?
下面是7件超级成功人士拒绝去做的事情。或许你也能做到？

1. They say no to opportunities and things that don't excite them, speak to their values, or further their mission in life.
1. 对激不起自己兴趣的，与目标价值不符的，或是偏离目标轨道的机会和事情说不。

2. They say no to superficial networking events in which people swap business cards and never hear from one another. Why? Because successful people don't network. They build relationships.
2. 对目的只是交换名片的肤浅社交活动说不。为什么？因为成功人士不去社交。他们建立自己的关系网。

3. They say no to spending time with uninspiring, critical, or negative people who drag them down. Time is precious -- choose a small circle of people who will energize you and challenge you to be better.
3. 对乏味的，挑剔的或负面的人说不，他们只会把你一起拉下浑水。时间是宝贵的 —— 选择一个能让你充能和挑战自我的小圈子岂不更好。

4. They say no to overworking. While it's true some successful people and many entrepreneurs put in 60 to 80 hours per week, very successful people aren't workaholics who neglect self-care and family. They recognize that if they can't take care of themselves, everything else suffers.
4. 对劳累过度说不。确实有些成功人士和企业家每周花60到80个小时在工作上，超级成功人士往往不是那些不顾自己身体健康和家庭的工作狂。他们懂得如果连自己都照顾不好，做的工作也会遭殃的道理。

5. They say no to doing all the work. This comes down to one word:
5. 对一手包揽所有事情说不。一个词就能概况：

D-E-L-E-G-A-T-I-O-N.
分-权

6. They say no to giving the steering wheel of life to anyone else. Another Buffett quote affirms this: "You've gotta keep control of your time and you can't unless you say no. You can't let people set your agenda in life."
6. 对向任何人交出你人生的方向盘说不。巴菲特的另一条语录佐证了这个说法：“如果做不到说不，你就控制不了自己的时间。你不能让别人给你做人生规划。”

7. They say no to people-pleasing. Successful people don't neglect their deepest wishes and desires to accommodate and yield to others' wishes and desires.
7. 对取悦他人说不。成功人士不会委屈自己来成全他人。

Buffett’s Three-Step Rule of Focus for Success 巴菲特的成功3步法

To set you on the right course, take a coaching lesson from Buffett himself. He once walked his personal pilot through a life-changing exercise in goal-setting that's since become popular in productivity and career circles. It's a simple, three-step process to set boundaries, say no to distractions, and home in on success. It goes like this:
为了走上正确的人生路，让巴菲特亲自给你上一课吧。他曾经通过让他的私人飞行员设定目标，从此改变了飞行员的人生，这方法如今还在提高生产力和职业生涯的话题中广受欢迎。 方法十分简单，分为三个步骤，设定界限，拒绝干扰，然后坚持到成功。 具体是这样的：

1. Write down a list of your top 25 career goals.
1. 写下25个最想达成的职业目标。

2. Circle the five most important goals that truly speak to you. These are your most urgent goals.
2. 圈出其中对你最重要的5个。这就是你的最紧要目标。

Now here's the real kicker.
刺激的来了。

3. Completely eliminate the other 20 goals you have listed. Just cross them off, despite if they hold weight or some level of importance.
3. 完完全全的排除其余20个目标。划掉它们，别管它们是不是在某些方面很重要。

Buffett says those 20 goals are lower and not urgent priorities, therefore, any effort invested in them steals away dedicated focus and energy from your five highest-priority goals.
巴菲特说这20个目标是次级的、不那么紧要的目标，因此，对它们进行任何时间和精神的投资，都是在挪用你本该花在那5个最优先的目标上的专注与精力。

The point is to say no to everything on that list except for what you have declared, in your heart-of-hearts, to be the five most important things. These are what you should put all your effort and focus into achieving. The rest are merely distractions that will get in the way of your reaching your ultimate success.
重点是，除了与清单上的5个优先重要目标有关的事情，拒绝掉其他一切。只有这5个目标是你应该劳心劳神去达成的。其余的都是让你分心的拦路石罢了。

转载自 Warren Buffett Says This 1 Simple Habit Separates Successful People From Everyone Else by Marcel Schwantes

*作者Marcel Schwantes是领导力内核公司的创始人和首席人事官。