And the two of us run a website called the minimalist dot com.

我們兩個共同經營了極簡抽象派藝術家網站

And today we’re gonna talk to you about what it means to be a part of a community.

今天我們要告訴大家這個網站對大眾的意義

But first, we wanna share a story with you about how it became rich.

首先，我們要分享一個故事，讓你知道這個網站如何致富

Imagine your life, a year from now. Two years from now. Five years from now.

想像你一年後的人生，甚至是兩年後，五年後

What is it gonna look like? Imagine a life with less.

會變成什麼樣子呢？至少想像一下

Less stuff. Less clutter. Less stress in death and discontent.

少一點雜物和雜念，少一點壓力和不滿足

A life with fewer distractions. You’re joking right now, right?

不要分心，你有沒有搞錯？

Dude, we’re trying to give a talk. Sorry about that.

老兄，我們正在演講，不好意思

Now, imagine a life with more. More time, more meaningful relationships, more growth and contribution.

想像在生命中，你有更多時間，更多有意義的朋友，你心智成長了許多，也為社會貢獻不少

A life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings and the chaotic world around you.

熱情的生命不受陷阱和混亂世界的影響

What you’re imagining is an intentional life. It’s not a perfect life.

你想像的是一個有目的的生活，不是完美的生活

It’s not even an easy life. But a simple one.

甚至不是個容易的生活，但還算簡單

What you’re imagining is a rich life. The kind of rich that has nothing to do with wealth.

你在想像有一個富有的生活，那種富有無關於財富

You know…I used to think rich was earning fifty thousand dollars a year.

我以前都認為年薪五萬美金就算致富

Then when I started climbing the corporate ladder in my twenties. I quickly begin turning fifty grand but I didn’t feel rich.

二十歲時，我一步步獲得升遷，一轉眼就擁有5萬了，但我並沒有感到富有

So I tried to adjust for inflation. May be seventy five thousand dollars a year was rich.

所以我試著適應通膨，或許一年賺七萬五千美金就算有錢了

Maybe ninety thousand. Maybe six figures. Or maybe owning a bunch of stuff. Maybe that was rich.

也或許是九萬美金，或六位數的收入才算有錢，或許有一大堆雜物就是有錢

Well…whatever rich was. I knew that once I got there, I would finally be happy.

不管怎樣才是有錢，我知道一旦我變有錢，我會很開心

So as I made more money, I spent more money all in the pursuit of the American dream.

所以我賺越多錢，就花越多錢在追求美國夢

All in the pursuit of happiness. But the closer I got, the farther way the happiness was.

找尋樂子，但目標看似越來越近了，其實離快樂更遠

Five years ago, my entire life was different from what it is today. Radically different.

五年前，我的人生和現在完全不同，非常不一樣

I had everything I ever wanted. I had everything I supposed to have. I had an impressive job title with respectable corporation.

我想要什麼就有什麼，我應該要有的也都有，我任職於令人尊敬的大公司

A successful career managing hundreds of employees. I earned the six figure income.

一個成功的事業管理上百名員工，我得到六位數的收入

I bought a fancy new car every couple years. I own a huge three bedroom condo, it even had two living rooms.

我兩三年就換一輛新車，我有一間三個臥室的公寓，甚至有兩個客廳

I have no idea why single guy needs two living rooms.

我不知道單身男子為什麼要有兩個客廳

I was living the American dream. Everyone around me said I was successful.

我活在美國夢裡，身邊的朋友都說我很成功

But I was only a sensibly successful. You see I also had a bunch of things that were hard to see

但我只明顯感覺到成功，光看外表，你一定會覺得我擁有很多東西

From the outside. Even though I earned a lot of money. I had heaps and debt.

雖然荷包賺滿了，但我也有負債

But chasing the American dream. It cost me a lot more than money.

但追求美國夢所砸下的錢還不算多

My life was filled with stress and anxiety and discontent.

我壓力很大，很焦慮，也不滿足

I was miserable. I may have looked successful but I certainly didn’t feel successful.

我很痛苦，我可能看起來很成功，但我一點都不覺得成功

And it got to a point my life where I don’t know what’s important anymore.

而重點來了，我不知道我的生活還重不重要

But one thing was clear, there was this gaping void in my life. So I tried to fill that void the same way many people do with stuff.

我只知道這是我生命中的缺憾，所以像其他人一樣填補這個空缺

Lots of stuff. I was filling the void with consumer purchases. Bought

太多雜物，我被「消費者購買商品」佔滿了所有的空間

New cars and electronics and closets for an expensive clothes.

買新車、電子用品和放昂貴衣服的衣櫥

I bought furniture and expensive home decorations. And I was make sure that all are the latest gadgets.

我買家具和昂貴的裝飾品，所有東西都是最新的

I owe enough cash the bank. I paid for expensive meals rounds of drinks and frivolous vacations with credit cards.

我欠銀行許多錢，因為我拼命刷卡支付高級大餐和瑣碎的假期

I was spending money faster then I earned it. Attempting to buy my way to happiness, and I thought I get there one day eventually.

我花錢比賺錢快，我一直覺得花錢能買到快樂

I mean happiness had to be somewhere just around the corner, right?

我的意思是快樂即將來臨，對吧？

But the stuff didn’t fill the void. Why it didn’t?

但雜物沒有填補我所有空缺，為什麼呢？

And because I didn’t know what was important. I continue to fill the void with stuff going further into debt.

因為我不知道那有多重要，我就繼續欠債

Working hard to buy things that won’t making me happy. This went on for years.

工作賺得錢卻拿來買不能讓我開心的東西，就這樣持續了好幾年

A terrible cycle lather rinse repeat.

就這樣一直惡性循環

By my late twenties, my life from the outside looked great.

但我快三十歲時，我的人生看起來很棒

But on the inside, I was a wreck. I was several years divorced. I was unhealthy. I was stuck.

實際上卻糟透了，幾年後，我離婚了，我非常不健康，我無法擺脫困境

I drink a lot. I did drugs a lot. I uses many pacifiers as I could.

我一直酗酒和嗑藥，我也用了很多鎮靜劑

And I continue to work 60-70 sometimes 80 hours a week.

而且我持續一週工作六七十小時，甚至八十小時

And I first look some of the most important aspects of my life. I barely ever thought about my health.

我第一次看到人生中最重要的一面，我幾乎沒考慮到我的健康

My relationships. My passions. And worst of all, I felt stagnant.

我的伴侶、熱情，最糟的是，我變遲鈍了

I certainly wasn’t contributing to others and I wasn’t growing.

我對社會沒有貢獻，我也沒有成長

My life lacked meaning, purpose, passion. If you would have asked me what I was passionate about.

我的生命沒有任何意義、目的和熱情，如果你問我我對什麼抱有熱情

I would look to you like a deer in headlights. What was my passionate about?

我會呆滯地看著你，想著我的熱情是什麼？

I had no idea. I was living paycheck to paycheck. Living for paycheck. Living for stuff. Living for career that I didn’t love.

我根本不知道，我為了薪水工作，為了錢生活，為了雜物生活，為了我不愛的工作而生活

But I wasn’t really living at all. I was depressed.

但我其實也沒好好生活，我很憂鬱

Then, as I was approaching my thirties, I noticed something different about my best friend of twenty-something years.

快進入三十歲時，我發現我最好朋友和我在二十幾歲的差別

Josh seems happy for the first time in a really long time that I truly happy. Estatic.

Josh有很長一段時間很快樂，很狂喜

But I didn’t understand why. We worked side by side in the same corporation through out the twenties both climbing the ranks.

但我不了解原因，我們都在同一間公司上班，也在二十幾歲就攀上事業巔峰

And he has been just as miserable as me.

而他也曾經和我一樣痛苦

Something had to change to boot. He has just come through to the most difficult events of his life.

有些事情必須要改變，他歷經了人生中最困難的事情

His mother just passed away. And his marriage ended both in the same month.

他的母親去世了，同個月，妻子也和他離婚了

He wasn’t supposed to be happy. He certainly wasn’t supposed to be happier than me.

他不應該開心，他根本不應該比我開心

So I did what any best friend would do. I took Josh out to lunch. I sat him down.

所以我做了任何朋友都會做的事，我請他吃午餐，我們坐下來好好聊聊

And I asked him a question. Why the hell are you so happy?

我問他到底為什麼那麼開心

He spent the next 20 minutes telling me about something called minimalism.

他花二十分鐘告訴我什麼是極簡派藝術

He talked about how he spent the last few months simplifying his life.

他告訴我如何花最後幾個月的時間簡化自己的生活

Getting the clutter out of the way, to make room for what was truly important.

清除雜亂，騰出空間才是最重要的事

And then he introduced me to an entire community of people who had done the same thing.

然後他介紹我認識一群從事極簡藝術的人

He introduced me to a guy named Colin White a 24 year-old entrepreneur who travels to a new country every four months.

他介紹我認識一位二十四歲的企業家，Colin White，他每四個月就去不同國家旅行

Carrying with everything that he owned.

帶著他所擁有的所有東西

Then there was Joshua Backer, a 36 year-old husband and father of two with a full time job and a car and a house in suburban Vermont.

接下來是三十六歲的Joshua Backer，他身兼丈夫及父親，有一個全職工作、一台車，還在Vermont郊區擁有一棟房子

And then he show me Corney Carbor, a 40 year-old wife and mother to a teenage daughter in Salt Lake City.

接著他又介紹四十歲的Corney Carbor，她身兼妻子及青少年的母親，她住在鹽湖區

And there was leave about a 38 year-old husband and father of six in San Francisco.

而她三十八歲的丈夫和六歲的兒子住在舊金山

Although, all these people were living considerably different lives.

雖然這些人都過著完全不一樣的生活

People from different backgrounds with children and families in different work situations.

人們來自不同家庭背景，工作狀況也不盡相同

They all share at least two things in common.

他們卻有兩個共通點

First, they were living deliberate meaningful lives.

一、他們都過著有意義的生活

They were passionate and purpose driven. They seemed much richer than any other so-called rich as I worked with in the corporate room.

他們對生命有熱情，也有生活目的，他們看起來比我的同事還要富有

And second, they attributed their meaningful lives to the things called minimalism.

二、他們貢獻有意義的生命給極簡藝術

So me being the problem solving guy and I am.

所以這些人解決了我的問題

I decided to become a minimalist right there on the spot.

我當下就決定成為一位極簡藝術家

I looked up at Josh. I excitedly declared… alright man, I’m gonna do. I’m in.

我仰望著Josh，我很興奮地發誓我也要成為極簡藝術家的一份子

I’m gonna be a minimalist. Now what?

我要成為極簡藝術家，然後呢？

You see…I don’t wanna spend months spear down my items like he had that was great for him.

我不想要浪費好幾個月在對他有利的事情上

But I wanted faster results. So we came up with this idea of a packing party.

我想要更快就有結果，所以我們想出了活動邀請的這個點子

We decided to pack all my belongings as if we’re moving.

我們決定打包我所有的東西，就像是我們已經要搬家了

And then I would unpack only the items I needed over the next three weeks.

我不會打包超過三周的行李量

Josh literally helped me box up everything. My clothes, y kitchen ware, my towels, my TV’s, my electronics.

Josh幫我打包行李，包括我的衣服、廚具、毛巾、電視和電子用品

My framed photographs and paintings, my toiletries, even my furniture. Everything.

我的相框和畫像、化妝用品，甚至家具，所有東西

After nine hours and a couple pizza deliveries, everything was packed.

九小時後，外送披薩來了，所有東西也都打包好了

So there Josh and I were, sitting in my second living room feeling exhausted.

Josh和我就筋疲力盡地坐在第二個客廳裡

Staring at boxes stacked halfway to my 12-foot ceilings. My condo was empty and everything’s my cardboard, everything I own.

看著成堆的箱子塊疊到天花板的一半高度了，我的公寓空蕩蕩，真是不真實

Every single thing I’ve worked hard for over the last decade was sitting there in that room.

我近十年來努力做的每件事都停留在那間房子裡

Just boxes, stacked on top of boxes, stacked on top of boxes. Now each box was labeled.

就只剩下紙箱，成堆的紙箱，每一個紙箱都貼上標籤了

So I know where to go when they needed a particular item labels like living room, junk drawer number one, kitchenware, bedroom closet, junk drawer number nine.

所以我知道東西該放在哪裡，例如：客廳、一號廢棄抽屜、廚具、衣櫃、九廢棄抽屜

So forth and so on, I spent the next 21 days unpacking only the items I needed.

等其他項目，我花二十一天打包我需要的東西

My toothbrush, my bed and bed sheets. The furniture I actually use. Some kitchenware, a toolset just the things that I value to my life.

牙刷、床鋪及床單，還有我認為有用的家具、一些廚具和工具箱

After three weeks, 80 percent of my stuff was still sitting in those boxes, just sitting there on accessed.

三週後，八成的東西仍在箱子裡，等待被使用

All those things, that were supposed to make me happy, they weren’t doing their job.

所有應該讓我開心的東西卻都配不上用場

So I decided to donate and sell all of it. And you know what?

所以我決定全數捐出去和賣出去，你知道嗎？

I started to feel rich for the first time. I started to feel rich once I got everything out of the way.

我第一次覺得富有，我覺得富有因為我把所有東西都送出去

And made room for everything that remains.

房間只留下應該留下的東西

A month later, my entire perspective has changed.

一個月後，我的想法改變了

And I thought to myself maybe some people might find value in my story and our story.

我覺得或許有些人能從我們的故事中找出價值

So Ryan and I did…I guess anyone would do. we started a blog.

所以Ryan和我，我覺得任何人都會這樣做，我們創立了一個部落格

We call it the minimalists. That was three years ago.

我們稱它為極簡藝術風格，這已經是三年前的事了

And something amazing happened. 52 people visit our website in the first month.

神奇的事情發生了，在第一個月就有五十二人拜訪我們的部落格

52! I realize that might sound unremarkable at first.

五十二人！我一開始覺得可能是部落格名稱很不起眼

But then in our story was resonating with dozens people .

但我們的故事引起許多人的共鳴

And then other amazing things started happening. 52 readers turned into 500.

神奇的事情又發生了，讀者從五十二人竄升到五百人

500 became 5000. And now more than 2 million people a year read our words.

五百人變成五千人，現在，一年超過兩百萬人讀我們的故事

It turns out that when you add values to people’s lives, they’re pretty eager to share the message with

如果為人們的生活放入價值，他們會很願意分享

Their friends and their family and add value to their lives.

給他們的朋友、家人，並為自己的生命增加價值

Adding values, it’s a basic human instinct. In fact that’s why we’re here today.

增加價值是人類的本能，也是我們今天在這裡的事實

A couple years ago, Ryan and I moved from Ohio to Montana.

兩三年前，Ryan和我從俄亥俄州搬到蒙大拿州

And what we discovered here was an entire of people. People who weren’t traditionally wealthy.

我們在這裡發現最真實的人，他們並不是傳統認為的有錢人

But who were rich in a different way. We discovered so many people who were willing to contribute beyond themselves.

但是另一種方式的富有，我們發現很多人都願意貢獻己力

And that’s what makes a real community, contribution.

也因為這樣而創造了一個真實的社會

And so we’d like to encourage everyone to take a look at your day-to-day lives.

所以我們要鼓勵在座各位回顧一下你的日常生活

Take a look at whatever eats up the majority of your time.

看看什麼東西佔你生活中的大部分時間

Is it checking email or Facebook? Or watching TV?

收電子郵件還是看臉書？或是看電視？

Is it shopping online? Or at retail stores?

網購？還是實體購物？

Is working hard for a paycheck to buy stuff you don’t need, things that will make you happy?

努力賺錢只為了買你不需要的東西，那些東西真的會讓你開心嗎？

Now, it’s not that we think that there’s anything inherently wrong with material possessions.

我們不是認為任何物質東西都是錯誤

Or working a 9 to 5. There’s not. We all need some stuff.

或是朝九晚五就是錯誤，不是，我們都還是會有些瑣事

We all have to pay the bills, right? It’s just that when we put those things first.

我們都要付電費，對吧？只是我們越重視這些事情

We tend to lose sight of our real priorities.

我們就會輕忽真實事物

We lose sight of life’s purpose. And so maybe getting some of the excess stuff out of the way.

忽視了生活的目的，所以或許清除一些瑣事

Clearing the clutter from our lives can help us all focus on…well…everything that remains.

把雜物清出生活，就能讓我們專注在真實事物上

Things like health, relationships, growth, contribution, community.

像健康、伴侶關係、成長、貢獻及社會

Thank you.

謝謝大家