I was relieved.

我解脫了

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I loved the job, I really did.

我愛這份工作，我真的很喜歡

But the relationship was over

但這僱傭的關係就此結束

and I didn't know how to end it

而我也不知道這是如何結束的

and then it broke up with me.

工作就此和我分道揚鑣

Don’t you love it when that happens?

你不覺得發生這種事時真是棒透了嗎？

At the time I’ve been also hosting a radio show

在任職期間，我也是電台頻道主持人

for the Martha Stewart brand on Sirius XM.

那是天狼星廣播的頻道，也是瑪莎·史都華的節目

And then not long after that got cancelled, too.

這個節目沒過多久也被取消了

On the day of my last show

而在我最後一場節目錄製的那天

I got onto the elevator at the 36th floor

我在36樓搭了電梯

and as it started to drop,

準備開始向下時

I started to cry.

我開始流淚

Every floor took me further and further from what I had been:

電梯越往下，我離我曾經歷的一切也越來越遠

a magazine editor, a radio host,

我曾經是雜誌編輯，電台主持人

the person with the cool job to talk about at parties.

擁有一份很酷的工作可以在派對上和大家分享

You know.

你懂的

And honestly I had no idea what I was gonna do.

老實的說，我對於接下來要做什麼完全沒想法

And quite frankly no one was looking for me.

坦白來說，也沒有人想找我工作

So, I did what anyone would do in that situation.

所以，我做了每個人在這種情況下都會做的事

I was making some phone calls:

我打了幾通電話

“Hey, what are you up to?

「嘿，你最近好嗎？

Did I mention I’m available?”

我有提過我目前處於工作空窗期嗎？

I needed to get paid to do something, right.

我需要薪水才能過生活對吧？

I mean I live in New York City.

我的意思是我住在紐約市

If you’re not paid to do something,

如果我沒有薪水，

you’re not going to be there very long.

我就沒辦法一直待在這裡」

But this idea that I had to know what I suppose to do now is that

我了解我現在必須要做的事情就是

I’m supposed to pursue this passion.

去追求熱情我的熱情所在

It’s just bugged me.

我只是覺得很煩

It always had.

真的很煩

And that’s because it’s a dangerously limiting idea

這是因為，這是個具有危險性的限制性想法

at the heart of everything we believe

這個想法出現在我們所相信的一切事物上

about success and life in general.

關於成功和生活

And it’s that you have one singular passion

你只對一件事物真正有熱情

and your job is to find it

你的工作就是找到他

and to pursue it to the exclusion of all else.

排除萬難去追尋

And if you do that

如果你這樣做

everything will fall into place

每件事情都會漸漸到位

and if you don’t, you failed.

如果你沒有追到，就代表你失敗了

The pressure starts really young

這壓力在很早就出現了

and it goes your whole life,

並會伴隨這你的一生

but it’s perhaps most pronounced when you’re graduating from school, right.

但這最明顯的時期會出現在你剛從學校畢業，對吧？

After this, “Wow, the world's at your feet! What are you going to do now?”

哇，這世界盡在你腳底，你現在想要做什麼呢？

And it’s so intimidating,

而這實在很嚇人

it's like picking a major for life.

就像你一生只能選一個專業

You know, I had a hard enough time picking a major for four years

我在選擇主修的這四年間曾面臨到難題

and I changed that once, if not twice.

我在選擇主修的這四年間曾面臨到難題

I mean it was like just intimidating, right?

我認為這真的很可怕，對吧？

And this compelling

而且又具強制性

I mean this really, you know,

這是真的

forceful cultural imperative to choose your passion,

我認為這是非常強制的文化要求讓你去選擇你的熱情

it’s stressful to me,

對我來說是壓力

but it’s not just me,

但不只是我這樣認為

it’s everyone I talk to agrees with me.

我分享過的人都同意

The woman who sold me this dress.

賣我這件裙子的女生

I told her what I needed the dress for, what I was talking about

我告訴她穿這衣服的場合及分享演講內容

and she said, “Oh my gosh,

她說「我的天阿，

I really need to hear this talk, because I just graduate from school.

我真的需要聽這個演講，因為我正剛從學校畢業。

My friends and I we don’t know what we’re passionate about,

而我和我的朋友都不知道我們的熱情在哪裡，

we don’t know what we supposed to do.”

我們不知道我們應該要做什麼事。」

I’m leery of passion for a few reasons.

我不相信熱情有幾個原因

But one of them is that passion is not a plan,

但其中之一是熱情它並不是個計畫，

it’s a feeling.

它是一種感覺

And feelings change.

和想改變的念頭

They do.

它們是

You can be passionate about a person one day, a job,

你可以對一個人或工作熱情一天

and then not passionate the next.

而隔天你就對他們失去熱情

We know this and yet we continue

我們知道這點，但只持續

to use passion as the yardstick

用熱情作衡量標準

to judge everything by,

去評斷每件事務

instead of seeing passion for what it really is:

而不去找出我們真正的熱情：

the fire that ignites when you start rubbing sticks together.

就像當你開始鑽木，火才會點燃

Anyway, I was such a mess when I was in my twenties,

無論如何，我自己的20幾歲也是一團糟，

such a mess.

糟透了

I was anxious and depressed and had no life to speak of,

當時的我，焦慮又沮喪根本無生活可言

I was temping to keep my options open,

我試著開放我的選項，

and I was sitting around at night in my underwear

晚上我穿著內衣褲無所事事

watching Seinfeld reruns.

看重播宋飛正傳

Actually I still do that, that’s not the worst thing in the world to do.

實際上我現在還是這樣做，這並不是世界上最糟的事情

It’s fine.

這沒什麼

But I called my mother every night crying

但當我每晚打給我媽媽訴苦

and I was turning away perfectly good full-time jobs.

我拒絕了那些完美的全職工作邀約

Why? Because I was afraid.

為什麼？因為我很害怕

I was sure that I would pick the wrong one

我很確信我的選擇錯誤

and get on the wrong train headed to the wrong future.

並搭上錯誤的火車駛向錯誤的未來

My mother begged me, she said, “Please, take a job, any job.

我媽媽乞求找份工作，她說「拜託，快去找份工作，任何工作都好，

You’re not going to be stuck, you’re stuck now!

妳不會因此被困住，妳現在就已經被困住了！

You don’t create your life first, and then live it.

你不先創造生活並生存下去。

You create it by living it, not agonizing about it.”

你要先創造並生存而不是一直煩惱。」

She’s right, she’s always right.

她是對的，她永遠都是對的。

And so I took a full-time job as an assistant

後來，我接了一份全職的助理工作

at a management consulting firm, where I knew nothing about nothing.

在管理顧問公司，而我對這份工作一無所知

Okay. Zero.

對就是零

Except I knew I had a reason to get up in the morning, get showered,

除了給了我一個早上起床、洗澡、

leave the house,

離開家，

people who were waiting for me when I got there

有人在公司等我的理由之外

and I got a paycheck every two weeks.

而且每兩周可領薪資

And that is as good a reason to take a job as any.

這理由已足夠讓我接受這份工作

Did I know that I want to be an office administrator

我會想做辦公行政

for the rest of my life? No! I had no idea!

作為未來的職涯？不，我一點概念都沒有！

Truly!

真的！

But this idea that everything you're supposed to do

但每件你做的事情

should fit into this passion vertical is unrealistic.

都應該要符合你的熱情，這是個不切實際的想法

And I’ll say it - elitist.

我會說這是菁英主義

You show me someone who washes windows for a living

你告訴我有人靠洗窗戶過生活

and I will bet you a million dollars

而我和你打賭一百萬美金

it’s not because he has a passion for clean glass.

他不是因為對洗玻璃有熱情

One of my favourite columns is a piece by Dilbert creator Scott Adams.

我最愛的專欄之一是史考特亞當的作品呆伯特

He wrote a piece in The Wall Street Journal a few years ago,

幾年前，他寫了一則報導在華爾街日報

about how he failed his way to success.

有關他為什麼在他的成功之路上失敗

And one of his jobs was a commercial loan officer.

而其中一份工作是商業貸款人員

And he was taught specifically:

而他被特別教導說：

"Do not loan money to someone following their passion."

「不要借給那些追隨熱情的人。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

No, loan it to someone who wants to start a business,

錢是要借給那些想要創業

the more boring, the better.

越無趣越好的人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Adam says that in his life success fueled passion

亞當說，在他的生活中，成功激起熱情

more than passion fueled success.

遠大於熱情帶動了成功

When I got my first job as a magazine editor, in publishing,

當我拿到我第一份雜誌編輯的工作時，

I was thrilled.

我超興奮的

But I had to take pretty big pay cut,

但我必須要減少相當大部份的薪水，

because at the time I’d been a catalogue copywriter at a wig company.

因為當時我是位假髮公司的目錄文案

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Laugh if you will, clearly you are and many, many people did.

你當然會笑，基本上你和許多人都會

But wigs paid.

但假髮公司還是會付我薪水

So I had to figure out a way to make some money.

而我必須要想個方法去賺錢

A friend of mine invited me to a jewelry party

而我的朋友邀請我去一個珠寶派對

I said, "What is a jewelry party?"

我說「什麼是珠寶派對？」

She said, “It’s like Tupperware but with bracelets.”

她說「就像特百惠（塑膠容器公司）但變成項鍊。」

I said, “Okay, got it, got it.”

我說，「我知道了。」

I went and I had the best time.

我去參加了派對並有個美好的時光

I was there hanging out, trying on jewelry,

我在現場隨意逛逛並試戴珠寶

the salespersons having a great time

而銷售人員和我一樣有個美好的時光

and I was like, "That’s a job.

讓我感覺到，「這才是工作阿。

I could...

我可以...

I could do that."

我也可以這樣。」

I mean, really, she seems to be having a great time.

我指的是她真的看起來很享受其中

Now, I had no background in sales,

而我並沒有任何銷售的背景

unless you count Girl Scouts, and I was terrible.

除非你把女童軍活動也算進去，而那個我做得很糟

And I had no passion for jewelry.

而且我對珠寶並無任何熱情

I mean, honestly, my earrings cost 20 $. Combined, all of them.

我老實的說，我的整組耳環只花了20元美金

And yet I was like, "I think I can sling silver jewelry to suburban moms

而我覺得「我也可以向住郊區喝著黛克瑞的媽媽

drinking daiquiris.

銷售銀飾。

Yes, I could do that."

是的，我可以這麼做。」

And so I did it, I signed up, I became a Silpada Designs rep.

接著我就去註冊了，我成為珠寶設計人員。

And I…

而我...

Listen to me, I was not setting a world on fire right away.

聽我說，我一開始表現並沒有特別突出

Really. I was so awkward and afraid of selling.

真的。我覺得尷尬並害怕去銷售。

And then I got better,

後來情況逐漸變好，

I got better,

變更好了。

I started making some money,

我開始賺到些錢。

I started getting really passionate about it.

我開始有了銷售珠寶的熱情

Not just because of the money, but because

並不是因為錢而是

what I realized was people wanted the stuff.

我真的了解到人們想買的東西。

They were happy to pay for it.

他們會為了它開心的付錢

I sold so much jewelry that year I won a free trip to Saint Thomas.

那年我賣了很多珠寶。我贏得了聖托馬斯的免費旅行

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It’s true.

這是真的

I eventually let my jewelry business go, because my career path shifted.

因為職涯規劃的轉變，後來我離開了珠寶行業

But I was so glad that I did that.

但我很開心我下了這個決定

Because it planted an entrepreneurial seed I didn’t know was there.

因為它種下了企業家的種子，而我並不知道它的存在

And that bears fruit to this day.

而這種子在這天成熟結果

Now as you know an entire cottage industry has sprung up

現在你知道，整個行業已經開始蓬勃發展

around helping people find their passions, right.

幫助人們找到他們的熱情

Books, coaching, webinars, whatever.

寫書、提供指導、網路研討會等等

And their hearts in the right place, it’s great, I’m all about self-discovery.

他們的心在正確的地方，這是偉大的，而我自己是崇尚自我探索

Okay.

好

But when you ask someone, or you’re asked like,

但如果你問別人

"What’s your passion?"

「你的熱情在是什麼？」

It’s triggering.

這會觸發他的想像

It’s like, "Oh my god, I have to come up with a good answer for this."

就像是，「我的天阿，我一定要想個好的答案來回答。」

One of my friends in her mid-forties and she’s looking

我的朋友在她四十歲中期時，在思考說

what’s her life going to be now.

她希望的生活可以變成什麼樣子

And she’s like, “I don’t know what I’m passionate about.”

而她覺得，「我不懂你到底在熱情什麼。」

And she’s legitimately concerned about this.

她很擔心這件事情

She’s ready to hire a team of people.

她準備聘請了一組人來幫她尋找熱情

It’s like, why are we worrying about this?

我們為什麼這麼擔心這件事呢？

You know why, because she thinks something wrong with her.

你知道嗎，因為她覺得她自己不對勁

I thought something was wrong with me when I was in the seventh grade

在我七年級時，我感受到自己的格格不入

and everyone was really into like

當所有人都迷

the rock-bands and their actors

搖滾樂團和演員，

and they would carve the names of those bands in a tables in a library.

而且會把這些團體的名字刻在圖書館的桌子上

And I never carved anything, because I couldn’t think of anything to carve.

而我從來不刻任何字，因為我想不到任何東西可以讓我刻在上面

I mean I liked Bon Jovi as much as the next girl,

就像我對喜歡邦喬飛就跟隔壁的女孩一樣

but not enough to deface school property, you know.

但沒有喜歡到足以去破壞學校資產，你懂得

(Laughter)

(笑聲）

It’s probably why I don’t have any tattoos either.

這就是為什麼我也沒有刺青，

I’m assuming that’s why.

我假設這是我無法融入的原因

I was really boring, I thought something was wrong with me.

我認為這很無趣，我以為是我格格不入

But that’s the fear, isn’t it?

但其實是因為害怕，不是嗎？

That when someone asks you at a party, on a date, at a job interview,

就像有人邀請你參加派對、約會或工作面試

"What are you passionate about?"

「你的熱情是什麼？」

That you're not going to have this wow compelling answer.

如果你沒有給出一個令人驚艷的答案

And that’s mean that you’re not interesting, or ambitious,

就代表你對這沒有興趣，或沒有野心

or that you don’t have a singular obsession

亦或者是，你將令人著迷的特點

or scary talent that you hiding.

或你隱藏的驚人天賦

And that your life isn’t worth living.

導致你的生活了無生趣

And it’s not true.

而那不是正確的

Passion is not a job, a sport, or a hobby.

熱情並不是一份工作、運動或興趣

It is the full force of your attention

它給你強大的注意力

and energy that you give to whatever is right in front of you.

和能量讓你能應付你眼前任何事情

And if you’re so busy looking for this passion,

如果你忙到找不到你的熱情

you could miss opportunities that change your life.

你可能會錯失改變你一生的機會

You could also miss out on a great love.

你也可能會錯過偉大的愛

Because that’s what happens when you have tunnel vision,

當你只用狹隘的眼光

trying to find the One.

去尋找那唯一

We all think we know the kind of person we are

我想我們都知道自己是屬於哪種人

and the kind of person we could love.

和會愛上哪種類型的人

But sometimes we’re wrong.

但有時候我們錯了

Blissfully wrong.

幸福的完全錯了

And sometimes you don’t know what you're going to do next, right?

而有時候你不知道下一步在哪，對吧？

I mean, I don’t.

像我，我不知道

I love not knowing what I’m going to be doing five years from now

我喜歡自己不知道未來五年要做什麼

or I will be into.

或是不知道會對什麼有興趣

And that’s okay, it’s okay not to know.

對於不知道未來是沒問題的

You know why?

你知道嗎？

Because the most fulfilling relationships,

因為這是最滿足的關係

the most fulfilling careers

最令人滿意的工作

are those that still have the power to surprise you.

就是總是會有讓你驚喜的的地方

And as for the things you know you want to do.

至於那些你知道你想做的事情

You want to write a book, you want to start a business,

你想寫本書，你想開始創業

you want to change careers.

你想轉職，

Great!

很棒！

But if you’re sitting around waiting for passion to show up and take it,

但如果你只是坐著等待你的熱情出現並帶領你

you’re going to be waiting a long time.

你一定會等很長一段時間

So don’t wait.

所以別等了

Instead, spend your time and attention

別花時間和精力

solving your favourite problems.

在解決你最愛的問題上

Look for problems that need solving.

試著去找那些真的該解決的問題。

Be useful,

讓自己做個有用

generous.

和大方的人

People will thank you, and hug you and pay you for it

人們會感激你、擁抱你和回報你所做的付出

and that’s where passion is.

這才是熱情的展現

Where your energy and effort meets someone else’s need.

當你的精力和努力符合別人的需求

That’s when you realize:

你就會了解：

passion lives,

熱情的存在