true feelings about important matters.

對重要事項的真實感受。

What we really think about — for example — the character of a friend, or the next

我們真正思考的是--例如--朋友的性格，或下一個

best move we should make in our career or our stance towards an incident in childhood…

我們在職業生涯中應該採取的最佳行動，或者我們對童年時的事件的立場...

all of our conclusions on such critical topics can remain locked inside us, part of us but

我們對這些關鍵問題的所有結論都可以保持在我們內部，是我們的一部分，但是

inaccessible to ordinary consciousness.

普通意識無法觸及的。

What we operate with instead are surface and misleading pictures of our dispositions and

我們所使用的是表面的和誤導性的關於我們的處置的圖片和

goals.

目標。

We may settle, in haste or fear, on the most obvious answers: our new friend is very kind,

我們可能會在匆忙或恐懼中確定最明顯的答案：我們的新朋友非常善良。

we should aim for the most highly paid job, our childhood was ‘fun’.

我們應該以最高薪的工作為目標，我們的童年是 "有趣的"。

We ignore our deep truths first and foremost because we aren’t trained to solicit them;

我們忽視了我們的深層真理，首先是因為我們沒有受過訓練來徵求這些真理。

no one ever quite tells us that we might need to exhibit the patience and wylyness of an

沒有人告訴我們，我們可能需要表現出一個人的耐心和狡猾。

angler while waiting at the river bank of our deep minds.

垂釣者，而在我們深思熟慮的河岸邊等待。

We’ve been brought up to act fast, to assume that we know everything immediately, and to

我們被教育要快速行動，假設我們立即知道所有的事情，並且要

ignore that consciousness is made up of layers, and that it’s the lower strata that may

忽視了意識是由層組成的，而較低的地層才可能是

contain the richest, most faithful material.

含有最豐富、最忠實的材料。

We may also be hesitant because the answers that emerge from any descent into the depths

我們可能也會猶豫不決，因為從任何深入到深處的答案都會出現

and subsequent communion with our inner pilot can sound at odds with the settled expectations

以及隨後與我們內心的飛行員的交流，聽起來可能與既定的期望不一致。

we have of ourselves in daylight.

我們在日光下的自己。

It might turn out that we don’t, in fact, love who we’re meant to love, or are scared

結果可能是，我們事實上並不愛我們註定要愛的人，或者害怕

and suspicious of someone who is pressing us to trust them or are deeply moved by — and

懷疑一個向我們施加壓力讓我們信任他們的人，或者被他們深深感動的人--以及

sympathetic to — a person we hardly know.

對一個我們幾乎不認識的人表示同情。

It’s the profoundly challenging nature of our conclusions that keeps us away from our

正是由於我們的結論具有深刻的挑戰性，使我們遠離了我們的

inner sanctum.

內部聖殿。

We prioritise a sense of feeling normal over the jolting realisations of the true self.

我們優先考慮一種正常的感覺，而不是真正的自我的顛簸實現。

The steps we need to take in order to check in with ourselves are not especially complicated.

我們為檢查自己而需要採取的步驟並不特別複雜。

We need to make time, as often as once a day, to lie very still on our own somewhere, probably

我們需要抽出時間，儘可能每天一次，靜靜地躺在我們自己的某個地方，可能是

in bed or maybe in the bath, to close our eyes and direct our attention towards one

在床上，或者在洗澡的時候，閉上眼睛，把我們的注意力集中在一個人身上。

of many tangled or murky topics that deserve reflection: a partner, a work challenge, an

許多值得反思的糾結或模糊的話題：一個合作伙伴，一個工作挑戰，一個

invitation, an upcoming trip, a relationship with a child or a parent.

邀請，即將到來的旅行，與孩子或父母的關係。

We might need a moment to locate our actual concern.

我們可能需要一點時間來定位我們的實際關切。

Then, disengaged from the ordinary static, we should circle the matter and ask ourselves

然後，從普通的靜態中脫離出來，我們應該把這個問題圈起來，問自己

with unusual guilelessness: ‘What is coming up for me here?’

以不尋常的無愧於心的態度：'我在這裡會遇到什麼？

Holding the partner, work challenge, invitation or disagreement patiently in mind, we should

耐心地記住合作伙伴、工作挑戰、邀請或分歧，我們應該

whisper to ourselves: what do we really think?

自言自語：我們到底是怎麼想的？

What is the real issue?

真正的問題是什麼？

What is truly going on?

真正發生了什麼？

What is actually at stake?

實際上有什麼關係呢？

We should — to sound a little soft-headed — ask ourselves what our heart is whispering

我們應該--聽起來有點軟弱無力--問問自己，我們的心在嘀咕些什麼

to us or what our gut is trying to articulate.

對我們來說，或我們的直覺試圖表達的東西。

We’re striving to access a sincere part of the mind too often crushed by the barking,

我們正在努力訪問心靈中真誠的部分，而這部分往往被吠叫聲壓垮。

harried commands of the conformist executive self.

順從的執行者自我的苛刻命令。

What we will almost certainly find is that — in a quasi-mystical way — the answers

我們幾乎肯定會發現--以一種準神祕的方式--答案是什麼？

are already there waiting for us, like the stars that were present all along and only

已經在那裡等著我們，就像那些一直存在的星星，而只是

required the sun to fade in order to come to light in the circumference of the sky.

需要太陽褪色，以便在天空的圓周上出現光亮。

We already know — much more accurately than we ever assume — who we should be friends

我們已經知道--比我們假設的要準確得多--我們應該成為誰的朋友

with, what is good and bad for us, and what our purpose on this earth is.

與，對我們來說什麼是好的和壞的，以及我們在這個地球上的目的是什麼。

We just need to take the time to check in on our true selves.

我們只需要花時間檢查一下真實的自我。