KK 在 68 歲生日時給年輕人的 68 條建議

凱文·凱利（Kevin Kelly），男，人們經常親昵地稱他為（KK），《連線》（Wired）雜誌創始主編。在 68 歲生日時他準備了 68 條簡短的建議，作為禮物送給年輕人。

(1) Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.

學著從那些你不認同甚至是冒犯你的人身上學習。看是否能從他們所信奉的東西中找到真相。

(2) Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points.

充滿熱情抵得上 25 點智商。

(3) Always demand a deadline. A deadline weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. It prevents you from trying to make it perfect, so you have to make it different. Different is better.

做任何事都應該設個 deadline。它可以幫你排除那些無關緊要之事，並避免追求盡善盡美，而是努力去做到與眾不同。差異勝於完美。

(4) Don』t be afraid to ask a question that may sound stupid because 99% of the time everyone else is thinking of the same question and is too embarrassed to ask it.

不要擔心自己問的問題聽起來很傻。99% 的情況下，其他人都有和你一樣的問題，只不過羞於問出口而已。

(5) Being able to listen well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them 「Is there more?」, until there is no more.

善於傾聽是一種超能力。傾聽你所喜歡的人時，要不時地追問「還有嗎」，直到他們沒有更多東西可講。

(6) A worthy goal for a year is to learn enough about a subject so that you can』t believe how ignorant you were a year earlier.

一個有意義的年度目標是去充分了解一個話題。這樣，（到了年底的時候，）你就會對一年前的無知感到難以置信。

(7) Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at.

感恩可以解鎖其他所有美德，也是你能做得更好的一件事情。

(8) Treating a person to a meal never fails, and is so easy to do. It’s powerful with old friends and a great way to make new friends.

不管是舊識還是新交，請他吃飯都是一個既簡單又行得通的辦法。

(9) Don』t trust all-purpose glue.

別信有什麼萬能藥。

(10) Reading to your children regularly will bond you together and kickstart their imaginations.

經常為你的孩子讀書既能鞏固你們的感情，也能開啟他們的想像力。

(11) Never use a credit card for credit. The only kind of credit, or debt, that is acceptable is debt to acquire something whose exchange value is extremely likely to increase, like in a home. The exchange value of most things diminishes or vanishes the moment you purchase them. Don』t be in debt to losers.

永遠不要用信用卡去透支。唯一可接受的透支或負債，應該用來獲取那些極可能增值的事物。絕大多數事物在你買下它的那一刻起就開始貶值了。別為那些沒有未來的事物而透支。

(12) Pros are just amateurs who know how to gracefully recover from their mistakes.

所謂高手，不過是善於從跌跤中優雅起身的菜鳥而已。

(13) Extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence to be believed.

非同尋常的觀點要有非同尋常的證據，才能令人信服。

(14) Don』t be the smartest person in the room. Hangout with, and learn from, people smarter than yourself. Even better, find smart people who will disagree with you.

別成為一群人裡最聰明的那個。和那些比你聰明的人待在一起，向他們學習。如果能找到和你觀點相左的聰明人，那就更好了。

(15) Rule of 3 in conversation. To get to the real reason, ask a person to go deeper than what they just said. Then again, and once more. The third time’s answer is close to the truth.

對話的「數字 3 原則」：想要摸清一個人的真正意圖，請他就剛才所說再深入一些，如此反覆，直到第三遍，你所得到的就近於真相了。

(16) Don』t be the best. Be the only.

別做最好的。做唯一的。

(17) Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them, they are waiting for you to send them an email, they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead.

大家其實都很羞澀。沒準兒人們正等著你去向他們做自我介紹，或是給他們發郵件，或是約他們見面。大膽往前走。

(18) Don』t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.

如果被別人拒絕了，別往心裡去。假設他們和你一樣忙，一樣騰不出手來，一樣無暇分心。稍後再試一次。第二次的成功率超乎你想像。

(19) The purpose of a habit is to remove that action from self-negotiation. You no longer expend energy deciding whether to do it. You just do it. Good habits can range from telling the truth, to flossing.

習慣的意義在於無需再為某類行為糾結，不用再為要不要做它而費思量。做就是了。講真話和用牙線都屬於好習慣。

(20) Promptness is a sign of respect.

及時回應是表示尊重的一種方式。

(21) When you are young spend at least 6 months to one year living as poor as you can, owning as little as you possibly can, eating beans and rice in a tiny room or tent, to experience what your 「worst」 lifestyle might be. That way any time you have to risk something in the future you won』t be afraid of the worst case scenario.

在你年輕的時候，至少花六個月到一年的時間，儘可能窮地過日子，儘可能少地擁有身外之物，居陋室而簞食瓢飲，以體驗你可能會經歷的最窮困潦倒的生活。這樣，當你在將來需要行冒險之事時，就不至於為最糟糕的情況而憂心不已。

(22) Trust me: There is no 「them」.

相信我，這世上沒有「他們」。（註：出自愛爾蘭搖滾樂隊 U2 的一首歌 Invisible，”There’s no them / only us”。）

(23) The more you are interested in others, the more interesting they find you. To be interesting, be interested.

你越有興趣了解他人，他人就會發現你越有趣。要成為有趣的人，先要對別人感興趣。

(24) Optimize your generosity. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away.

盡你所能行慷慨之事。沒人會在死前後悔給出去太多。

(25) To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.

想做好一件事，做就是了。想把一件事做到令人稱頌，那就再來一遍，再來一遍，再來一遍。把事情做到極致的祕訣在於不停地重做。

(26) The Golden Rule will never fail you. It is the foundation of all other virtues.

「設身處地」是待人接物之道。它是所有其他美德的基石。（註：英文中，「黃金法則」是指應該用自己希望被對待的方式來對待他人。）

(27) If you are looking for something in your house, and you finally find it, when you』re done with it, don』t put it back where you found it. Put it back where you first looked for it.

如果你在房間裡遍尋某樣東西並最終找到的話，那麼用完後不要放回你找到它的地方，而是放到你最初找它的地方。

(28) Saving money and investing money are both good habits. Small amounts of money invested regularly for many decades without deliberation is one path to wealth.

存錢和投資都是好習慣。幾十年如一日不假思索地進行定期小額投資，是一條致富之道。

(29) To make mistakes is human. To own your mistakes is divine. Nothing elevates a person higher than quickly admitting and taking personal responsibility for the mistakes you make and then fixing them fairly. If you mess up, fess up. It’s astounding how powerful this ownership is.

犯錯乃是人性。難的是責己。承認錯誤，勇於擔責，並盡力彌補——沒有什麼比這更可貴的了。是自己搞砸的，就該坦承。這反而能彰顯你的強大。

(30) Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

永遠不要在亞洲陷入地面戰爭。

(31) You can obsess about serving your customers/audience/clients, or you can obsess about beating the competition. Both work, but of the two, obsessing about your customers will take you further.

你既可以專注於服務你的客戶或聽眾，也可以專注於打敗你的競爭對手。兩者都行得通。但專注於服務你的客戶會讓你走得更遠。

(32) Show up. Keep showing up. Somebody successful said: 99% of success is just showing up.

在場。堅持在場。某個成功人士說過：99% 的成功只不過是因為在場。

(33) Separate the processes of creation from improving. You can』t write and edit, or sculpt and polish, or make and analyze at the same time. If you do, the editor stops the creator. While you invent, don』t select. While you sketch, don』t inspect. While you write the first draft, don』t reflect. At the start, the creator mind must be unleashed from judgement.

將創造和改進分開。你不可能在寫做的同時進行編輯，也不可能在鑿刻的同時進行打磨，更不可能在製造的同時進行分析。如果你這麼做，求善之心就會打斷創造之意。創新時就要忘掉已有方案；勾勒草圖時就不能太著眼於細處。寫作時，先打草稿而不要去摳細節。在新事物之初，創意的思想必須得到無拘無束的釋放。

(34) If you are not falling down occasionally, you are just coasting.

如果你從未跌倒過，那麼你也就從未努力過。

(35) Perhaps the most counter-intuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others, the more you』ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.

也許宇宙中最違反直覺的真理就是，你給予他人越多，你收穫的就越多。這是智慧的起點。

(36) Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.

朋友勝過金錢。用錢能辦到的事情，朋友可以做得更好。很多時候，自己有條船不如有個有船的朋友。

(37) This is true: It’s hard to cheat an honest man.

相信我，你很難欺騙一個誠實的人。

(38) When an object is lost, 95% of the time it is hiding within arm’s reach of where it was last seen. Search in all possible locations in that radius and you』ll find it.

當你找不到一樣東西時，它往往就在上次現身之處的一臂之內。仔細搜尋這個範圍，你就能找到它。

(39) You are what you do. Not what you say, not what you believe, not how you vote, but what you spend your time on.

你的所作所為定義了你——既不是你所說的，也不是你所信的，更不是你所支持的，而是你花費時間於其上的。

(40) If you lose or forget to bring a cable, adapter or charger, check with your hotel. Most hotels now have a drawer full of cables, adapters and chargers others have left behind, and probably have the one you are missing. You can often claim it after borrowing it.

如果你把電源線、充電器什麼的丟在或落在某個地方，不妨去問問你的酒店。絕大多數酒店都會有滿滿一抽屜的電源線、數據線和充電器——都是其他人落下的，沒準兒其中就有你的。酒店也並不介意你借用後隨身帶走。

(41) Hatred is a curse that does not affect the hated. It only poisons the hater. Release a grudge as if it was a poison.

仇恨是一種對被仇恨者並無卵用的詛咒。它只會毒害仇恨者。把你的怨恨當作毒藥一樣丟掉吧。

(42) There is no limit on better. Talent is distributed unfairly, but there is no limit on how much we can improve what we start with.

沒有最好，只有更好。個人的天分有高有低，但不論高低，自身的提升都永無止境。

(43) Be prepared: When you are 90% done any large project (a house, a film, an event, an app) the rest of the myriad details will take a second 90% to complete.

任何一項大工程（修房子、拍電影、開發 app）完成度為 90% 的時候，你都要做好心理準備：剩餘的大量細節工作會占掉你另一段與之前相當的時間。

(44) When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation.

離世時，除了名聲，你什麼都帶不走。

(45) Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear, and listen. Nobody talks about the departed’s achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving.

上歲數之前，儘可能多地參加葬禮並聽聽人們的談話。沒人會談論死者的成就。人們記住的只有死者的人品。

(46) For every dollar you spend purchasing something substantial, expect to pay a dollar in repairs, maintenance, or disposal by the end of its life.

你購買實體商品時所花的每一元錢，將來都要再花一元錢去維修、保養，或是在它報廢后處理掉它。

(47) Anything real begins with the fiction of what could be. Imagination is therefore the most potent force in the universe, and a skill you can get better at. It’s the one skill in life that benefits from ignoring what everyone else knows.

任何真實之物都源於虛構之意。想像是宇宙中最強大的力量，也是你能夠日益精進的能力。生命中可以因不知眾人所知而獲益的能力，僅此一項。

(48) When crisis and disaster strike, don』t waste them. No problems, no progress.

當危機和災難來襲時，別錯過他們。沒有問題，就沒有進步。

(49) On vacation go to the most remote place on your itinerary first, bypassing the cities. You』ll maximize the shock of otherness in the remote, and then later you』ll welcome the familiar comforts of a city on the way back.

度假時，先跳過城市，去路線中最偏遠的地方。這樣你就能最大程度地體驗到異域風情帶給你的衝擊。而在返程的路上，你則可以享受熟悉的城市所帶給你的舒適。

(50) When you get an invitation to do something in the future, ask yourself: would you accept this if it was scheduled for tomorrow? Not too many promises will pass that immediacy filter.

當你被邀請在未來的某個時間點做某件事情時，問問自己：如果這件事情明天就啟動，你會否接受？絕大多數邀約都經不住這種迫切性檢驗。

(51) Don』t say anything about someone in email you would not be comfortable saying to them directly, because eventually they will read it.

不要在郵件裡對他人品頭論足——如果這些話你不會當面說給那些人聽的話。要知道，他們早晚會讀到你的這些評論。

(52) If you desperately need a job, you are just another problem for a boss; if you can solve many of the problems the boss has right now, you are hired. To be hired, think like your boss.

如果你只是迫切需要一份工作，那麼對老闆來說，你不過是又一個問題。如果你能解決老闆的很多問題，那你自然能得到這份工作。要得到一份工作，需要像老闆一樣去想問題。

(53) Art is in what you leave out.

藝術藏身於你所遺漏之處。

(54) Acquiring things will rarely bring you deep satisfaction. But acquiring experiences will.

擁有物品很少能帶給你極大的滿足感。但擁有體驗則能。

(55) Rule of 7 in research. You can find out anything if you are willing to go seven levels. If the first source you ask doesn』t know, ask them who you should ask next, and so on down the line. If you are willing to go to the 7th source, you』ll almost always get your answer.

研究的「數字 7 原則」：當你願意就一個問題深入七層時，總能找到你想要的答案。如果你求教的第一層人不知道，那麼就問問他們應該去找誰。如此追索下去。到第七層時，通常都會如願以償。

(56) How to apologize: Quickly, specifically, sincerely.

如何道歉？快速，具體，真誠。

(57) Don』t ever respond to a solicitation or a proposal on the phone. The urgency is a disguise.

不要在電話上答應任何請求或提議。所謂的緊急不過是個假象。

(58) When someone is nasty, rude, hateful, or mean with you, pretend they have a disease. That makes it easier to have empathy toward them which can soften the conflict.

當一個人對你粗鄙、無禮、刻薄、甚至是無恥下流時，當他們有病就好。這有利於你對他生出同情心，從而緩解衝突。

(59) Eliminating clutter makes room for your true treasures.

清除雜物，為真正重要的東西騰出空間。

(60) You really don』t want to be famous. Read the biography of any famous person.

你絕不會想要出名。不信的話，隨便找本名人傳記讀讀。

(61) Experience is overrated. When hiring, hire for aptitude, train for skills. Most really amazing or great things are done by people doing them for the first time.

經驗往往被高估了。招募的時候，要看資質，技能則可以培訓。許多令人驚奇和讚歎的事情，都是由第一次做的人做出來的。

(62) A vacation + a disaster = an adventure.

假期 + 災難 = 冒險。

(63) Buying tools: Start by buying the absolute cheapest tools you can find. Upgrade the ones you use a lot. If you wind up using some tool for a job, buy the very best you can afford.

買工具時，起步階段一定要買最便宜的。升級那些使用頻次高的工具。如果你的工具是用於工作，那麼買你能買得起的最好的。

(64) Learn how to take a 20-minute power nap without embarrassment.

學會毫不尷尬地打 20 分鐘小盹兒。（註：20-minute power nap 通常指午後 20～30 分鐘的小憩。近期有研究表明，20-minute power nap 有助於提振情緒，提升專注度和創造力。）

(65) Following your bliss is a recipe for paralysis if you don』t know what you are passionate about. A better motto for most youth is 「master something, anything」. Through mastery of one thing, you can drift towards extensions of that mastery that bring you more joy, and eventually discover where your bliss is.

在你不知道自己真正的激情所在時，追尋心之所嚮往往會帶你誤入歧途。對年輕人來說，更好的格言是：「精通一件事，任何事。」在精通一件事的過程中，你可以順著帶給你更多快樂的方向繼續深入，並最終發現你的心之所向。

(66) I』m positive that in 100 years much of what I take to be true today will be proved to be wrong, maybe even embarrassingly wrong, and I try really hard to identify what it is that I am wrong about today.

我敢肯定，我今天確信的很多事情在 100 年後都會被證明是錯誤的，甚至是錯得離譜。而我非常努力在做的事情，就是去識別我對今天的錯誤認知。

(67) Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don』t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.

從長遠來說，未來取決於樂觀主義者。成為一個樂觀主義者並非要對我們製造的問題視而不見，而是要想像如何提升我們解決問題的能力。

(68) The universe is conspiring behind your back to make you a success. This will be much easier to do if you embrace this pronoia.

整個宇宙都在背後為你而謀劃。要相信，天助人願。（註：pronoia 是 paranoia 的反義詞。Paranoia 可以譯為「迫害妄想症」，也即覺得所有人、所有事都與自己為敵的心理狀態。）