这篇文章有点鸡汤，是我以前写的，发在我的领英账号，现在读着，觉得都还是心里想说的话。
英文版在后面。
沿着梦想和现实打造快乐
那天读到领英CEO Jeff Weiner 的一篇文章“最佳工作伙伴的三大品质”，产生了一些共鸣。他说的三大品质分别是：第一，具有远大梦想，第二，能把狗屁工作干完，第三，懂得如何制造乐趣。我当时就想他说到点了。不过又强烈感到一个人要同时具有并保持这三种品质是件极其不容易的事情。一般人做不到。
我相信我的同龄人里(应该是这里很多读者的父母或叔叔阿姨辈吧），就是那些60后甚至70后的人，小时候稍微经历或感受过真正的贫穷，在成年之前又因改革开放的春风带来了无限希望和遐想，所以一般都曾有过热血沸腾的时候，都曾经胸怀远大梦想。
譬如我自己，小时候家里穷，那时的梦想，大多与吃饭和脱贫有关。没有很多选择时，几乎任何能吃的东西都很美味。后来家里跟多数国民一样解决了温饱问题，便渐渐发现有了一些别的梦想。上学时每个月我都会攒出一点小钱去邮局买杂志，或者新华书店买书。几十年前我在遥远小城里买书和看书是我当年的现实。杂志和书本上展示的外面的世界就成了我多年心中梦想的源泉。
我记得小时候给自己写了一张单子，上面列了这辈子想要干的事情。现在这张单子已经不见踪影，但我还记得一二。我的梦想包括周游世界，探险漂流，饱读诗书，会多国语言，出书原创加翻译，发明创造，拯救灵魂，成家立业，简直包罗万象，无所不有。且所有梦想都有一个共性：虽然我很热爱我的家和我美丽的小城，但这些梦想都似乎需要离开家乡才能实现。
现在想想，那时的我，可能和很多人一样，身体和心灵游离于小城和世界的边缘，寻觅于梦想和现实之间，每天都很快乐，也很充实，因为梦想虽然遥不可及，但觉有光阴在手，一切都是可能。
随着时间的流逝，我们当中有些人的有些梦想渐成现实，这时很可能又引发新的梦想，产生新的追求和动力。而多数人的多数梦想却似乎离我们越来越远，这样极可能还会让我们的现实变得沉重，失去生活的激情。我们也容易因此而颓废厌倦悲观不满，一发不可收拾。怎样让我们的梦想成为一种动力，而不变作压力，怎样让我们的现实给我们支撑，而不做累赘，这都是我们可以思考的问题。
我们的人生就像是一场现实与梦想的竞走。当梦想和现实差距拉开，时光不再，心情不复，追求快乐似乎比追求梦想更不容易。但我们只有不断完善自己，不断让一些梦想变成现实，并懂得感受快乐的过程，我们才能不断在变化和进取中求得心灵的平衡，再产生新的梦想，形成新的正能量，创造新的梦想中的现实，领悟这场竞走本身的美丽。
所以我感到Jeff Weiner 的文章一下击中要害。许多成功关键就在于不断追求梦想，创造现实，并懂得对过程的享受。梦想不一定要惊天动地，但凡凝听自己的心事，从每天的屁事做起，就是很好的起点。
您说呢？我很想听到您的故事和体会，想知道您是怎样沿着梦想和现实打造和发现幸福！
Discovering Happiness along Dreams and Reality
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner's insightful article “The Three Qualities of People I Most Enjoy Working With”made me ponder and reflect. The three qualities he named are: Dream Big; Get Shit Done; Know How to Have Fun. I thought to myself, EXACTLY!
At the same time, I understand how hard it is for any ordinary person to possess these three qualities and even harder, to MAINTAIN them throughout his life time.
I can’t speak for all but I am sure that many people with a similar background as mine grew up with big dreams. Being born in the late 60s or 70s in China, after tasting real poverty and hunger to various degrees, we were fortunate enough to enter our formative years with bright hope as the country began its journey of economic reform leading to today’s boom. We were never short of big dreams.
When I was little and starving, most of my dreams had to do with food, more food and better food. Eventually as my stomach was satisfied, my eyes and soul began to wander away from what was in front of me. I wanted more. I quested for the reason of my being, and beyond the existence of my little town.
I began to buy books and magazines to read about the outside world. Going to the library and book stores was part of my reality, it gave me calm. The books themselves were also part of my reality, they gave me thoughts and dreams, they made me fly.
I remember making myself a long to-do list. The list itself is nowhere to be found. But I memorized a few things. They included traveling the world, conquering Mount Everest, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, publishing in multiple languages, inventing revolutionary things, rescuing souls… raising family and children. All these dreams were based on one hypothesis: I would go far away from home.
Back then I was a chubby little girl that only spoke a dialect that nobody outside of my hometown understood. I did not know how to swim or bike or do anything athletic. (I am still a bad swimmer, biker and bad at any sports. Period.) I never understood how electricity worked. (I still don’t.) And I only saw the first black and white television at about 10. None of these seemed to matter. I was not confined in my reality. The books gave me wings.
In reflection, like many people of my time, living on the edge of a small town and the big world, rambling between plain reality and big dreams, I felt happy and fulfilled. My dreams seemed far away, but I felt I had time. Time would give me anything I dared.
As time goes by, as I write tonight, I sigh with a glad tear. I tear for all the dreams that did not come true. Yet I allow gladness and pride to take charge of my emotions, for I realize how happy I am to have dreamed, and am still capable of dreaming while appreciating my day to day reality, of, yes, getting shit done, creating impact of no matter how small, on my family and immediate surroundings.
When dreams and reality set apart, time no longer, our ambitions wane, our heart may feel heavier every day. We may feel our dreams have given way to pettiness and survival. We may feel happiness is leaving us alone just like dreams may have done. We may feel powerless because of physical and emotional exhaustion. We may give in.
But don’t. Don’t give in. No matter how difficult, do not let reality chain our soul. Do not let dreams lose wings. Dreams, big or small, they do not anchor in the air. They anchor in our beliefs, in our daily actions, in “getting shit done.” And if we can every single day form the habit of “getting shit done,”and still spend a few minutes searching our dreams, we will eventually be able to “connect the needed dots” to our big dreams. And hopefully we will discover happiness and create fun, along the way.
Since I made my to-do list, I have crossed off quite a few dreams. But I added some more and I am still having fun going after them.
How about you? We can start practicing this tomorrow: Discovering happiness along our dreams and reality.
湘伟
2014年9月
