你的年度主題：英語精讀講義

Did you set a New Year's resolution for yourself?

你給自己定下新年新希望了嗎？

How's that going?

進展如何？

I don't know when in the year you're watching,

我不知道你是在一年中的什麼時候看這部影片，

but if I had to bet on the status of your resolution, 文法

但如果要我對你新年新希望的狀態打賭，

it's probably not flourishing,

它可能並沒有蓬勃發展，

but failed or foregone.

而是失敗或被放棄了。

This is usually what the effort curve on resolutions looks like.

新年新希望的努力曲線通常是這樣的。

If New Year's is new to you,

如果新年對你來說很陌生，

you are forgiven for not knowing,

你不知道也情有可原，

but come on,

但拜託，

this isn't your first resolution rodeo. 慣用語

這已經不是你第一次玩「新年新希望」這種把戲了。

You've been here before,

你以前經歷過，

saddled up to a resolution,

給自己套上一個新年新希望，

gotten thrown off in short order, 片語搭配

很快又被甩下馬，

only to come back next year to pick a buck of a different color, 文法

結果第二年又選了一匹不同顏色的野馬，

or worse,

或者更糟的是，

the same.

選了同一匹。

Riding, rolling, retreating, returning.

騎馬、打滾、撤退、重來。

year after year after year of your unchanging life

年復一年，你一成不變的生活，

until a disappointed reaper calls time. 慣用語

直到失望的死神叫停。

New Year's resolutions suck.

新年新希望糟透了。

Human behavior change is really hard,

改變人類行為真的很難，

and the resolution rodeo,

這種「新年新希望」把戲，

this is not the way.

不是長久之計。

Instead,

相反地，

to accomplish what you want out of resolutions,

為了實現你想從新年新希望得到的東西，

positive life change,

即生活發生積極的改變，

but in a better way,

同時也用一種更好的方式，

allow me to suggest a gentler idea. 語氣意圖

請允許我提出一個更溫和的建議。

Give yourself a theme.

給自己設定一個「主題」。

Instead of setting yourself up to fail with 片語動詞

與其給自己設定一個註定會失敗的目標，比如

I'm going to lose X pounds by next year

「我明年要減重 X 磅」

or I'm going to read one book a week at least,

或是「我每週至少要讀一本書」，

a theme would be something like

主題應該是像這樣的東西：

year of reading or year of health.

「閱讀之年」或「健康之年」。

Now, if that sounds a bit broad,

如果這聽起來有點寬泛，

that's the point.

那就對了。

For some things,

對於某些事情，

precision matters.

精確很重要。

For others,

對於另一些事情，

it doesn't.

則不然。

And when trying to build yourself into a better version of yourself,

當你試圖讓自己成為更好的自己時，

exact data points don't matter.

精確的數據點並不重要。

All that matters is the trend line. 文法

唯一重要的是趨勢線。

If the trend is going in the right direction,

如果趨勢正朝著正確的方向發展，

so are you. 文法

那麼你也是。

Just moving a trend from negative to positive is hard enough

單單把趨勢從負面轉為正面就已經夠難了，

without defining falling short of a goal as failure. 片語動詞

何必把沒達到目標就定義為失敗呢。

Heck,

說真的，

even just decelerating the negative is a positive. 表達脈絡

哪怕只是減緩負面趨勢也是一種積極表現。

Is there something you want more of in your life?

你的生活中有沒有什麼你想要更多的東西？

Something you want less of?

或者你想要更少的東西？

Well, life is a branching path, 慣用語

嗯，生活是一條充滿岔路的小徑，

and it's the trend of your decisions,

正是你決定的趨勢，

some big, but mostly small,

一些大決定，但大多是小決定，

that will get you to more or less.

將帶你走向更多或更少。

Stuck in a queue?

排隊時卡住了？

What to do?

該做什麼？

Well, if it's the year of reading,

那麼，如果這是「閱讀之年」，

why not open the book 語氣意圖

為什麼不翻開書，

instead of opening the anything else? 文法

而去打開其他任何東西呢？

That's it.

就是這樣。

You were at a branch and went one way

你在岔路口選擇了一條路，

instead of the other.

而不是另一條。

Having a theme is like creating a friendly bot to follow you on the path, 表達脈絡

有一個主題就像是創建了一個友好的機器人，在路上跟隨著你，

to help notice branches and consider choices with you,

幫你注意岔路，陪你一起考慮選擇，

reminding you to be a little different in little moments sometimes.

提醒你有時候在小細節上做點不一樣的。

An example,

舉個例子，

one year my theme was novelty.

有一年我的主題是「新奇」。

I felt like things had become too same-y. 用詞

我覺得生活變得太一成不變了。

rather than resolve, 文法

我沒有下定決心說，

I'm going to do N new things per t time,

「我要在T時間內做N件新事物」，

it was just year of novelty.

它僅僅只是「新奇之年」。

So, when it made sense,

所以，在合理的時候，

why not try the new instead of the known? 文法

為什麼不嘗試新事物，而不是已知事物呢？

It's the year of novelty.

這是新奇之年。

Now, I didn't go crazy,

當然，我並沒有走極端，

but that time was more novel than normal.

但那段時間確實比平時多了些新奇感。

Mission accomplished.

任務完成。

A good theme can't fail

一個好主題是不會失敗的，

because just having a theme-bot along will point out paths

因為只要有一個主題機器人在身邊，就會為你指出

you wouldn't have noticed otherwise, 文法

那些你本來注意不到的路，

which will start to change you.

這將開始改變你。

More on that in a moment. 表達脈絡

稍後會詳細講。

In picking a theme,

在選擇主題時，

go with something that has a nice broad name 片語動詞

選一個有個好聽且寬泛名稱的東西，

for the general direction you want to navigate your life.

用來代表你想引導生活走向的大方向。

And it is navigation.

這就是導航。

The diverging paths of life are hidden under the fog of the future. 慣用語

生活中分岔的小路隱藏在未來的迷霧之下。

You can't plan the route and then fail to follow it

你不可能規劃好路線然後再因為沒跟上而判定失敗，

because there is no map,

因為根本就沒有地圖，

and unseen obstacles await.

還有未知的障礙在等著你。

At any moment,

在任何時候，

you are where you are 慣用語

你都在你所在的位置，

and can only navigate from there.

並且只能從那裡開始導航。

Perhaps you started a year of health

也許你開始了一個「健康之年」，

focused on weight loss or gains

專注於減肥或增重，

before realizing there's a more foundational problem. 文法

後來才意識到存在一個更根本的問題。

You haven't failed.

你沒有失敗。

It's still year of health.

這仍然是健康之年。

The broadness of a theme allows its meaning to change. 文法

主題的寬泛性允許它的含義發生改變。

You started out wanting to read more books,

你一開始想讀更多的書，

but maybe as you went on,

但也許隨著時間的推移，

you realized academic papers are where it's at, 慣用語

你發現學術論文才是重點，

or that reading reading just doesn't work for you,

或者「閱讀文字」對你來說根本行不通，

and listening reading is the way to go. 慣用語

「聽書」才是你的最佳選擇。

You're still on theme. 片語搭配

你仍然切合主題。

The theme can change because so will you.

主題可以改變，因為你也會改變。

Having a theme,

擁有了一個主題，

you will notice paths you didn't before.

你就會注意到以前沒注意過的路。

This gets you to think about your thinking, 表達脈絡

這讓你開始思考你的思考方式，

and thinking about your thinking changes your thinking,

思考你的思考方式會改變你的思考方式，

which changes who you are.

從而改變你這個人。

So, a broad theme allows its meaning to adapt with you

所以，一個寬泛的主題允許它的意義與你一起調整，

without the guilt of having failed to meet the goals of a past you who doesn't exist anymore. 用詞

而不必因為沒有完成一個已不復存在的「過去的你」所設定的目標而感到內疚。

I did year of order for a while,

我曾有過一段「秩序之年」，

but what order meant to me at the end was different from the start, 文法

但最後「秩序」對我的意義與剛開始時完全不同，

and that's fine.

那也沒關係。

So, themes should be broad, 表達脈絡

所以，主題應該要寬泛，

directional,

具有方向性，

but most importantly,

但最重要的是，

resonant.

要能產生共鳴。

Resonance is a physics phenomenon where if you have a glass and tuning forks of different sizes,

共鳴是一種物理現象，如果你有一個玻璃杯和不同尺寸的音叉，

bringing the right sized humming tuning fork near the glass

把發出嗡嗡聲的尺寸合適的音叉靠近玻璃杯，

makes it hum the same note.

會使它發出同樣音調的嗡嗡聲。

Words are tuning forks for the brain. 慣用語

詞語就是大腦的音叉。

When picking a theme,

在選擇主題時，

you're looking for a word or words that cause your brain to vibrate in resonance.

你要尋找一個或幾個能讓你的大腦產生共鳴振動的詞。

I've been talking about themes for years and getting people to try them. 文法

多年來我一直在談論主題，並鼓勵人們去嘗試。

Here are some of the words I've seen people use.

以下是我見過大家使用的一些詞。

The details of what they mean to anyone don't matter.

它們對每個人的具體意義並不重要。

What matters is if there's something that strikes you, 用詞

重要的是，是否有什麼東西打動了你，

calls out to your brain. 片語動詞

呼喚著你的大腦。

That is resonance.

那就是共鳴。

So, pick a broad directional phrase that resonates with you and run with it. 講解

所以，選一個能引起你共鳴的、寬泛且具有方向性的短語，然後堅持下去。

Your brain and the theme will make it work.

你的大腦和這個主題會讓它發揮作用。

Now, if this seems very hippy dippy, 用詞

現在，如果這聽起來很虛無縹緲，

lovey dovey,

卿卿我我，

huggie wuggie, fuzzy wuggie, that's fine.

軟軟糯糯、模模糊糊，那也沒關係。

Not all tools need sharp edges. 慣用語

不是所有的工具都需要鋒利的邊緣。

I think of it this way, 表達脈絡

我是這樣想的，

you should be trying to build a life you want to live,

你應該嘗試去建立一個你想過的人生，

and themes are a fuzzy, high level,

而主題是一種模糊的、高層次的、

longer term way to navigate your brain at a broad area of change.

較長期的指引大腦在廣闊的改變領域中導航的方式。

Smaller and specific-er are the systems in life you might want to set up. 用詞

那些更小、更具體的，是你可能想在生活中建立的系統。

Below that are the targets those systems might or might not generate, 文法

在那之下，是這些系統可能產生、也可能不會產生的目標，

and at the most concrete and sharp is the action or decision current you is currently taking.

而最具體、最銳利的，是你當前正在採取的行動或決定。

This level of detail is perhaps a story for another time, 片語搭配

這種層級的細節也許留到下次再說，

but creating a theme is the bigger and broader to guide the smaller and shorter. 文法

但創建一個主題就是以「更大更廣」來指導「更小更短」。

Lastly,

最後，

you may have noticed the examples were all year of thing, 語氣意圖

你可能注意到了，這些例子都是「某某之年」，

but that's mainly because I've been trying to gently introduce you to the idea.

那主要是因為我想溫和地向你介紹這個概念。

Resolutions are a year,

新年新希望是按年算的，

why not swap them for a theme instead? 片語搭配

為什麼不把它換成一個主題呢？

But if you're still here,

但如果你還在聽，

a year is way long. 用詞

一年的時間實在太長了。

Again,

重申一次，

fog of the future.

未來的迷霧。

A season is a nice human length of time.

一個季節對於人類來說是個很不錯的時間長度。

In a winter of learning,

在一個「學習之冬」裡，

you can learn a lot,

你能學到很多東西，

but you do need to get started

但你確實需要開始行動，

because it's also not so long as to feel forever. 文法

因為它的時間也不至於長到讓你覺得遙遙無期。

Nature's clock ticks on, 慣用語

大自然的生命時鐘滴答作響，

reminding you that flowers bloom but briefly, 表達脈絡

提醒你花兒雖然綻放，但總是短暫的，

the summer sun will wane,

夏日的陽光終將退減，

leaves eventually drop,

樹葉終會落下，

snow falls,

降雪，

and snow melts,

雪融，

and flowers bloom but briefly.

花兒雖然綻放，但總是短暫的。

You can be unchanging through all that,

在這一切中，你可以保持不變，

but whenever you are,

但無論你處於什麼狀態，

if you've never had a theme,

如果你從未有過主題，

give yourself time to find one that resonates with you

給自己一點時間找一個能與你產生共鳴的主題，

and try it out in the coming season. 片語動詞

並在即將到來的季節裡試一試吧。