奥普拉·温弗瑞：你才是书写自己人生的艺术家

青涩的21岁

(By Oprah Winfrey )

(奥普拉·温弗瑞)

Have you ever looked at an old picture and been instantly transported back in time - to the point where you can feel the fabric of the shirt you were wearing, and smell the room you were standing in?

你是否曾经看着一张老照片，感觉时光瞬间倒流——回到了照片里的那个时刻，你甚至能感觉到当时所穿衬衣的面料、质地，闻到当时所处房间里的味道？

That's what this photo does for me. I was 21 years old. I had bought the entire outfit off a mannequin at Cain-Sloan in Nashville. (Never was a bargain shopper. To this day, going through racks of clothes looking for a find makes me anxious.) The skirt cost $40. I'd never spent that much on a single item of clothing.

这就是我看到这张照片时的感觉。当时我21岁。我在纳什维尔的凯恩-斯隆百货公司买下了一个模特道具身上的整套衣服。(我过去从不善于淘便宜货。至今，让我从一排排的服装货架上淘件衣服出来都会让我发愁。)那条裙子花了我40美元。在此之前我从来没有在一件衣服上花过这么多钱。

But I was willing to do it for my first major celebrity interview: Jesse Jackson . He was speaking at a local high school, telling students, "Down with dope , up with hope!" and I had been assigned to cover him. My news director didn't think the event was worth our time, but I'd insisted (okay, pleaded), assuring him I could come back with a piece worthy of the 6 o'clock news. And I did.

但是，为了我第一次重要的名人采访，我很乐意这么做。这位名人是杰西·杰克逊。杰克逊当时正在当地的一所中学做演讲，他告诉学生们：“吸毒让人堕落，希望使人上进！”而我此前就被派去采访 他。我的新闻主任认为这个报道不值得我们花时间去做，但我当时坚持要做(好吧，我当时是求他让我做的)，并向他保证会带回一条值得上六点档新闻的报道。而我也确实做到了。

I had a fondness for telling other people's stories, extracting the truth of their experience into a digestible nugget that could inform, inspire, or benefit someone else. Still, I was uncertain about what to say or how to say it. The truth is, I was just moving on instinct.

那时我喜欢讲述别人的故事，从他们真实的经历当中挖掘出通俗易懂而又有价值的报道，能够让人们长见识、受启发或从中受益。然而，我对该讲什么或者怎么讲还很茫然。事实上，我当时只是在跟着直觉走。

If I knew then what I know now, I would never have wasted even a single minute doubting my path. It may be human nature to question and doubt, but the older I get, the less I worry about anything. I can see life unfolding in divine order. And even in times of the greatest turmoil , I can stop, get still, and see with utter clarity: this, too, shall pass.

如果那时我就明白现在所懂得的道理，我绝对不会浪费哪怕是一分钟的时间去怀疑自己所选择的路。质疑或许就是人的天性，但是年龄越大，我对事情的忧虑就越少。我能看出人生是按照天道展开的。即使在最混乱的时候，我也能停下来，让身心平静，并且很清楚地意识到：这个，也会过去。

Because everything always does. Until finally we do.

因为任何事情都会过去。直到最终我们自己也成为过去。

No matter what you're struggling through - no matter the pain or anguish - you can go inside behind your mind and observe it happening to you. Whatever it is, it isn't you. You are the observer.

不管你此刻正经历着什么——痛苦或者悲伤——你都可以倾听你脑海深处的声音，去观察这种经历发生在你身上。不论这种经历是什么，它都不代表你。你是这种变化的观察者。

When you come to know this, you realize that even though the canvas of your life is painted with daily experiences, behaviors, reactions, and emotions, you're the one controlling the brush.

当你开始懂得这一点之后，你就会意识到，即便你的人生画布会被涂抹上各种日常经历、行为、反应和情绪，才是控制那支画笔的人。

What a wonder! It would have been nice to know this at 21. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache and self-doubt. But to fully understand, at any age, that you are the artist of your own life - and can use as many colors and textures as possible and erase when necessary!

多么神奇呀！如果能在21岁时就懂得这一点该多好！我就可以省去那么多无谓的悲伤和自我怀疑。但是不管在什么年龄，你都要彻底明白：你才是那个书写自己人生的艺术家——可以尽可能地使用各种不同的颜色和材质，有必要时还可以擦除！