They taught me that the difference between the haves and the have-nots depended on effort.

他們告訴我，富人和窮人之間的區別取決於努力。

But as an adult, I learned that society doesn't reward effort.

但作為一個成年人，我瞭解到，社會並不獎勵努力。

That's a myth.

那是一個神話。

No instead, a just society rewards effectiveness.

相反，一個公正的社會會獎勵有效性。

It rewards those who can get from Point A to Point B—that's it.

它獎勵那些能夠從A點到B點的人，僅此而已。

On July 11 of 2017, I published my best performing YouTube video: This is How Short Your Life

2017年7月11日，我發佈了我表現最好的YouTube視頻。這就是你的生命有多短

Is.

是。

I had written the video in 2 days and didn't expect it to perform any better than my other

我在2天內就寫好了這段視頻，並不指望它能比我的其他視頻表現更好。

videos.

視頻。

But after four years, the video garnered close to 4 millions views.

但四年後，該視頻獲得了接近400萬次的觀看。

On May 26 of 2020, I published one of my worst performing videos: How to Make Hard Decisions.

2020年5月26日，我發佈了我表現最差的一個視頻。如何做出艱難的決定。

I had spent close to 2 months working on this video and expected it to be a smash hit.

我花了將近2個月的時間來製作這段視頻，並期待它成為一個爆款。

But after a year, it maxed out around 50 000 views.

但一年後，它的最高瀏覽量約為50 000次。

After gaining space from both videos, the discrepancy in results became easier to explain:

從兩個視頻中獲得空間後，結果的差異變得更容易解釋。

the world rewarded effectiveness, not effort.

這個世界獎勵的是效率，而不是努力。

This Is How Short Your Life Is was a simple but effective video.

這就是你的生命有多短》是一個簡單但有效的視頻。

It delivered on, and perhaps even exceeded, the expectations of the viewer.

它實現了，也許甚至超過了觀眾的期望。

How to Make Hard Decisions, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

另一方面，《如何做出艱難的決定》則完全相反。

It meandered, overstayed its welcome, and perhaps worst of all, wasn't effective in

它蜿蜒曲折，過猶不及，也許最糟糕的是，它在以下方面並不有效

the viewers eyes.

觀眾的眼睛。

The world only cared about the effectiveness of my actions, not the effort, and why should

這個世界只關心我行動的效果，而不是努力，為什麼要

they?

他們？

I don't care how long Apple takes, or how hard they work, to create a new phone.

我不在乎蘋果需要多長時間，或者他們有多努力，來創造一個新的手機。

I only care if it works.

我只關心它是否有效。

If Apple creates their iPhones using a magical genie lamp, without using any effort at all,

如果蘋果公司用一盞神奇的精靈燈創造了他們的iPhone，根本不使用任何努力。

I'd still pay the full price for it.

我還是會付全價買下它。

I'd still reward them.

我還是會獎勵他們。

But if Apple takes ten years to make a phone—expending lots of effort and working really hard—but

但是，如果蘋果公司花了十年的時間來製造一部手機--花了很多精力，工作非常努力，但

the phone doesn't work, I won't pay a dime for it.

電話不工作，我不會為它支付一毛錢。

In other words, I won't reward them.

換句話說，我不會獎勵他們。

I reward people based on their effectiveness, not their effort.

我根據人們的效率，而不是他們的努力來獎勵他們。

So how can I be mad when the world does the same to me?

是以，當世界對我做同樣的事情時，我怎麼能生氣呢？

At times, it looks like the world rewards hard work, but that's an illusion.

有時，它看起來像世界獎勵努力工作，但這是一種錯覺。

After she fails to ride a bike on her own, a father buys his daughter an ice cream cone.

在她未能自己騎自行車後，一位父親給女兒買了一個冰淇淋甜筒。

It looks like he's rewarding her for her effort, but he's rewarding her for her effectiveness.

看起來他是在獎勵她的努力，但他是在獎勵她的成效。

He knows it's effective for her to get practice, fail, and courageously try again.

他知道對她來說，獲得實踐、失敗並勇敢地再次嘗試是有效的。

But what if the same father gives his daughter the task of cleaning up her room?

但是，如果同一個父親給女兒的任務是清理她的房間呢？

If she tries hard but fails to clean her room, he may reward her the first time because,

如果她努力了，但沒有打掃房間，他可能會獎勵她第一次，因為。

like before, her practice is effective.

像以前一樣，她的做法是有效的。

But if she continues to try and fails to clean her room, he'll stop rewarding her.

但是，如果她繼續努力，沒有打掃房間，他就會停止獎勵她。

The world rewards effort that fails because it's effective to gain practice and learn.

這個世界獎勵失敗的努力，因為它能有效地獲得實踐和學習。

So it looks like the world rewards us for hard work, but it's still only rewarding

是以，看起來世界對我們的努力工作給予了獎勵，但它仍然只獎勵了

us for effectiveness.

我們的有效性。

And sure, there are times when “work hard” seems to be good advice.

當然，有些時候，"努力工作 "似乎是個好建議。

The first case is laziness.

第一種情況是懶惰。

If someone doesn't work at all, if they sit on the couch all day, doing something

如果有人根本不工作，如果他們整天坐在沙發上，做一些

is better than doing nothing.

總比什麼都不做要好。

But that's because doing something is often more effective than doing nothing.

但這是因為做一些事情往往比什麼都不做更有效。

The second instance where working hard seems to be good advice is in a predictable, slow-moving

第二種情況是，努力工作似乎是好的建議，在一個可預測的、緩慢發展的

society with several clearly laid out paths to success.

社會有幾條明確規定的成功之路。

In a well-ordered society, “working hard” is effective because we can just take any

在一個秩序井然的社會里，"努力工作 "是有效的，因為我們可以隨便把任何

of the ready made paths to success.

的現成的成功之路。

And there's a pattern here: “working hard” is only good advice when someone else has

而且這裡有一個模式。"努力工作 "只有在別人有能力時才是好建議。

made our work useful.

使我們的工作變得有用。

For example, someone stands in a factory pushing a button all day.

例如，有人整天站在工廠裡按一個按鈕。

They work hard and make a lot of money.

他們努力工作，賺了很多錢。

But working hard only works as a strategy because someone else made pushing the button

但是，努力工作只是作為一種策略，因為別人讓按下按鈕。

effective.

有效。

Someone who learns to work effectively learns to be the captain of their ship.

一個學會有效工作的人，就會學會成為他們的船長。

They learn how to steer their life in any direction they choose.

他們學會了如何將自己的生活引向任何他們選擇的方向。

They know how to row to their destinations and bring others along with them.

他們知道如何把船劃到目的地，並把其他人帶在身邊。

Someone who learns to work hard learns how to be a good crew member.

一個學會努力工作的人，就能學會如何成為一個好的船員。

They only learn how to row the boat, so they're always dependent on a captain to steer the

他們只學會瞭如何划船，所以他們總是依賴船長來掌舵。

ship.

船。

And without a captain to guide them to their destination, they're lost.

而沒有一個船長引導他們到達目的地，他們就會迷失方向。

And anyone can learn to become a captain, or learn to work effectively, through practice.

而任何人都可以通過實踐學會成為一名隊長，或者學會有效地工作。

They must begin by deciding where they want to go.

他們必須首先決定他們想去的地方。

What's their destination?

他們的目的地是什麼？

Then they must come up with a theory for getting there.

然後他們必須想出一個達到目的的理論。

What's the path to the destination?

通往目的地的道路是什麼？

They must test this theory in action, by trying to get to the destination.

他們必須在行動中檢驗這一理論，通過嘗試到達目的地。

Then they must receive feedback and revise their theory.

然後他們必須接受反饋並修改他們的理論。

They rinse and repeat this cycle—theory, action, feedback—until they arrive at their

他們沖洗並重復這個循環--理論、行動、反饋--直到他們到達他們的目標。

destination.

目的地。

And the best theory is the most effective one, the one that can get to the destination

而最好的理論是最有效的理論，是能到達目的地的理論。

the fastest while spending the least energy possible.

最快的速度，同時花費盡可能少的能量。

I have a theory for what leads to success on YouTube which I'm still trying to refine.

我有一個關於什麼導致在YouTube上成功的理論，我仍在努力完善。

I apply it when I create new videos, and then I use the comments and analytics as feedback

我在創建新視頻時應用它，然後用評論和分析作為反饋。

to revise my theory.

來修改我的理論。

Then I take action again on the new theory, receive feedback, and so on.

然後我再次對新理論採取行動，接受反饋，如此循環。

I continually repeat the cycle—theory, action, feedback—looking for a theory that's effective.

我不斷地重複這個循環--理論、行動、反饋，尋找有效的理論。

But only a just society rewards effectiveness.

但只有一個公正的社會才會獎勵有效。

And all societies to date fall short of perfect justice.

而迄今為止的所有社會都沒有達到完美的正義。

Sometimes society doesn't reward us when they should.

有時社會在應該獎勵我們的時候卻沒有獎勵。

They don't always see and reward the effectiveness of our actions.

他們並不總是看到和獎勵我們行動的有效性。

And sometimes they reward the appearance of effectiveness instead of the real thing.

有時，他們獎勵的是表面上的有效性，而不是真實的東西。

And just because I learn to steer my ship, it doesn't mean all ports are open to me.

而且，我學會了駕馭我的船，並不意味著所有的港口都對我開放。

Society creates walls and barriers to my travel.

社會為我的旅行製造了牆壁和障礙。

But these are all topics for another essay.

但這些都是另一篇文章的主題。

Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the greatest thinkers of the last few centuries, wrote this in his

過去幾個世紀中最偉大的思想家之一弗里德里希-尼采在他的著作中這樣寫道

masterpiece Thus Spoke Zarathustra: “I love him who does not want too many virtues.

名著《查拉圖斯特拉如是說》："我喜歡不要太多美德的人。

One virtue is more virtue than two, because it is more of a knot for fate to cling to.”

一個美德比兩個美德更有意義，因為它更像是命運的一個結，讓人依戀。"

And there's an ancient proverb that says, “If you chase two rabbits, you will lose

有一個古老的諺語說，"如果你追逐兩隻兔子，你將失去

them both.”

他們兩個。"

And so Wisdom holds that it's better to aim at one thing than at two.

所以智慧認為，瞄準一件事比瞄準兩件事要好。

And when it comes to aiming between working hard and working effectively, I think it's

而當談到在努力工作和有效工作之間的目標時，我認為這是

always better to aim at effectiveness.

始終以有效性為目標。