They are the ones who did exceptionally well in exams, whom the teachers admired, who won places at the best universities, who graduated with honors, who got into law and medical schools, who founded thriving businesses, who live in the wealthiest parts of town, who were up early in the morning, preparing themselves healthy breakfasts before a day of important meetings.

他們是那些考試成績特別好的人，老師們都很佩服他們，他們在最好的大學裡贏得了位置，以優異的成績畢業，考上了法律和醫學院，創辦了蓬勃發展的企業，住在城裡最富有的地方，在一天的重要會議之前，他們一大早就起來為自己準備健康的早餐。

Surely we can't suggest that these might be victims, except of course, that it would rarely occur to anyone who did not harbor a high degree of self suspicion to undertake so many outsized efforts to impress and to make a mark upon the world.

當然，我們不能說這些人可能是受害者，當然，除非是那些沒有高度自我懷疑的人，很少會做出這麼多過分的努力來給世界留下深刻的印象和印象。

The high achievers, for all their accomplishments cannot trust in a basic idea that it might be acceptable to be themselves outside of any acclaim, notice or distinction, simply being is never enough.

成就高的人，對於他們所有的成就都不能相信一個基本的想法，即在任何讚譽、注意或區別之外，做自己可能是可以接受的，僅僅是存在是永遠不夠的。

Their right to exist can only be assured by constant doing their frantic activity masks an underlying unquenchable doubt as to their acceptability.

他們的生存權只能通過不斷地做他們的瘋狂活動來保證，這掩蓋了對他們的可接受性的潛在的不死心的懷疑。

It may have been many years since they enjoyed a day without commitments.

他們可能已經很多年沒有享受過沒有承諾的日子了。

The moment that they are at a loose end, anxiety arises.

在他們束手無策的時候，焦慮就會產生。

What are they meant to be doing?

他們的目的是什麼？

What have they forgotten to take care of?

他們忘記照顧什麼了？

Do they have the right to be still, No one can doubt what we owe to the high achievers.

他們有權利靜止嗎？沒有人可以懷疑我們對高成就者的回報。

They are the ones who build the skyscrapers, who explore distant planets, who drive the stock market to new heights, who start businesses and write films and books.

他們是建造摩天大樓的人，是探索遙遠星球的人，是將股票市場推向新高度的人，是創業、寫電影和書的人。

We would all be the poorer without them.

沒有他們，我們都會變得更加貧窮。

But our respect shouldn't rob us of our ability to appraise the costs that their ways of life exact.

但我們的尊重不應該剝奪我們評估他們的生活方式所帶來的代價的能力。

The wealth of nations is built upon the troubles of the individual psyche.

國家的財富是建立在個人心理的煩惱之上的。

The high achievers have been driven to act not simply from talent or creativity, energy and skill though these are no doubt present as well, but from a primordial sense that there is something shameful about them in their basic state and that they must hence clothe themselves in the garments of success to escape the humiliation of their true selves.

成就高的人被驅使採取行動，不只是因為天賦或創造力、精力和技能，儘管這些無疑也是存在的，而是因為一種原始的感覺，即他們的基本狀態有些可恥，是以他們必須為自己披上成功的外衣，以逃避真實自我的羞辱。

No wonder that their efforts are so often self defeating.

難怪他們的努力往往是自取滅亡。

It may for a long time seem as if they were after money, power, acclaim and distinction, but these are merely substitutes for their fundamental but unknown goal.

在很長一段時間裡，他們似乎是在追求金錢、權力、讚譽和榮譽，但這些只是他們根本的但不為人知的目標的替代品而已。

A sense of basic adequacy.

一種基本的充分感。

The disjuncture explains the curious sadness that may accompany high achievers at some of their moments of greatest triumph.

這種脫節解釋了高成就者在一些最偉大的勝利時刻可能伴隨著的奇怪的悲傷情緒。

Finally, they have sold the company at last.

最後，他們終於賣掉了公司。

They have won an international prize, but they are likely to feel hollow in the days and years that follow as they confuse, diddly recognize that every possible achievement has been gained, but none of it has somehow been sufficient to quell the pain and restlessness within it can be counted as close to good fortune if high achievers stumble and fail somewhere along their journey if they are tripped up by an unexpected bankruptcy scandal or economic downturn.

他們贏得了國際大獎，但在接下來的日子裡，他們很可能會感到空虛，因為他們迷惑不解，diddly認識到，每一個可能的成就都已經獲得，但都沒有以某種方式足以平息內心的痛苦和不安。如果高成就者在他們的旅程中的某個地方被意外的破產醜聞或經濟衰退絆倒，那麼可以算作接近於好運的結果。

The reversal may prompt a mental breakdown and a period of rest in which there is a slither of hope for it contains a chance to see that they're manic pursuit of success was all along masking a terror about unlovable itty, which now has a chance to be quelled in a more realistic and effective way.

逆轉可能會促使精神崩潰，並有一段休息的時間，其中有一絲希望，因為它包含了一個機會，可以看到他們對成功的狂熱追求一直在掩蓋對不可愛的itty的恐怖，現在有機會以更現實和有效的方式平息。

There is an opportunity to acknowledge that one has been playing the wrong game all along and that the true problem never had anything to do with a lack of prizes and everything to do with a burning conviction that one might need so many of them.

有機會承認自己一直在玩錯誤的遊戲，真正的問題從來都與缺乏獎品有關，而與一個可能需要這麼多獎品的堅定信念有關。

It is a measure of our collective delusion that we are so ready to be proud of high achievers and so slow to detect the wound that powers them on.

我們如此願意為高成就者感到驕傲，卻又如此遲鈍地發現為他們提供動力的傷口，這是我們集體妄想的一個尺度。

It would be a less gilded world, but also a far happier one in which we were readier to reassure the self hating titans of success that they were worthy of love all along.

這將是一個不那麼鍍金的世界，但也是一個更快樂的世界，在這個世界裡，我們更願意向那些自我憎恨的成功人士保證，他們一直都值得被愛。

Our online shop has a range of books and gifts that address the most important and often neglected areas of life.

我們的網上商店有一系列的書籍和禮物，涉及生活中最重要和經常被忽視的領域。