饥荒哪里有大理石:7种从简单的生活中寻找幸福的方法

7 Ways To Find Happiness Through Simplicity

7种从简单的生活中寻找幸福的方法

This guest post was written by Dayne, the author of TheHappySelf.com.

作者：Dayne(TheHappySelf.com的签约作家)

Happiness can be elusive when life is too complicated.

当生活变得过于复杂时，幸福便也难以捉摸起来。

As daily commitments multiply, we find ourselves becoming conditioned to shifting between multiple tasks, creating lengthy to-do lists and juggling complicated schedules. When we’re not overwhelmed, we may feel proud that we can keep up with it all. It’s all part of making a living, but in the end it can stand in the way of making a life.

随着日常事务的不断累加，我们渐渐地发现自己已经习惯于在多个任务之间周旋，会建立起长期的待办事项的清单并且有效地利用复杂的行程表。当我们没有被人群湮没的时候，我们可能会因为自己的行为能与计划保持一致而感到自豪。这一切都是养家糊口的一部分，但是最终它会成为你的一种生活方式。

Does your schedule leave you time for things that bring true happiness?

请问你的日程表上的安排可以给你带来真正的幸福吗？

These things vary for each of us, but for most people true happiness consists of spending time with loved ones and engaging in activities that reveal the richness and beauty of the world around us.

对于我们每个人来说，这些安排都是有所不同的。然而，在大部分人看来，真正的幸福是由与爱人依偎在一起看时光的流逝，以及参与可以展现我们周围世界的丰富多彩的活动组成的。

To get the most out of these activities, you must approach them from a place of stillness, peace and calm.

为了从这些活动中获得最大的收获，你必须用一种无声的和睦的心平气和的方式去接近它们。

A busy life can be personally fulfilling, but it may leave you feeling too frazzled to achieve the stillness and peace that will allow you to connect with deep happiness and the underlying beauty of life. You can’t just walk away from the responsibilities that fracture your time, but you can simplify your life so that your mind is calmer and more open to the hidden treasures in life.

繁忙的生活可以使人觉得充实，但同时也可能会使你觉得过于疲惫而无法保持平和的心态，因此也就无法体会到深层的幸福和潜在的生活的美好。虽然你不能从费时的责任义务中逃脱出来，但你可以简化你的生活从而使你的心变得更平静，使那些隐藏在生活中的宝藏显露出来。

Here are 7 ways to get started with simplifying your life and working towards a more peaceful state of mind.

这里有7种方法可以帮助你开始简化你的生活，并且使你以一种更为平和的状态去投入工作。

1.Question your dependence on material possessions. Recognize the difference between things you need and things you want. Our culture bombards us with messages about material things that will make our lives better. The reality is that most of these things will clutter our lives without bringing true happiness. Free yourself from the culture of excess and learn to be content with fewer possessions and greater simplicity.

1.问问自己，对物质财富的依赖程度。认清自己需要的东西和自己想要的东西的区别。我们的文明会借助有关那些能让生活变得更好的物质的信息来动摇我们。而事实是，这些东西大部分不会带来真正的幸福感，却能使我们的生活变得杂乱无章。把自己从过度的文明中解放出来吧，然后去学习满足于更少的物质财富，享受更加简朴的生活。

2.Think for yourself. If you spend your life playing out a role that society or someone else defines, you’re missing out on the chance to follow your own desires. Your inner life is diminished when you are limited by conformity. Why give up your freedom and allow all of your decisions to be defined by what you think you “should” do? Become a non-conformist and think for yourself, letting your passions be your guide.

2.为自己想想。如果你花费了时间去为社会或是为其他人做贡献，那么你就错过了按照你自己意愿去做的机会。当你被从众的心理所束腹时，你的内心世界将会是匮乏的。为什么要放弃你的自由而让你的决策被“你应该怎么做”而规定？变成一个反传统的人吧，多为自己想想，让激情成为你的向导。

3.Rethink your commitments. Life is full of opportunities to earn money, give service, learn new skills and make new friends. Some of us want it all and fill up our calendars with activities and obligations. Over-committing is the surest way to banish stillness and calm from your life. Rushing from one activity to another leaves you with no time to slow down, observe and let things happen. No matter how worthy you think your commitments are, rethink and prioritize them. Keep the ones that are most important and eliminate the ones that are adding to the hectic pace of your life with little return.

3.回想一下你的责任。生活中充满着机会让你可以赚钱，提供服务，学习新的技巧并且结识新的朋友。我们中的一些人妄图得到一切，用活动和职责来填满我们的日历。过分的约束是将平和驱逐出生活的最有效的方法。从一个活动匆忙的跑向另一个活动使你没有时间停下脚步，去观察，去让事情发生。无论你觉得你的责任有多么值得去做，重新考虑并且划分出它们的优先顺序。保留下那些真正重要的，划去那些加重你负担的微薄报酬。

4.Create more free time. Once you’ve balanced your commitments, find ways to increase your free time. Eliminate time wasters and re-evaluate your chores. If you spend hours each week cleaning house, see if you can do a little less and have more free time. Eliminating clutter from your home will make it easier to clean. Once you’ve created more free time, fill it with activities that develop your inner self. Spend some time alone and spend some with the people you care about most. Focus on calming activities.

4.创造更多的空余时间。一旦你做到了合理地平衡你的工作，接下来你就应该要设法增加自己的空余时间。消除浪费时间的工作，并且重新去评价你的日常事务。如果你每星期都花费时间清理房子，看看你是否能适当的少做一些，这样就会有更多的空暇时间了。把你的屋子整理整理会使清扫工作进行的更顺利些。当你拥有了更多的空闲时间，就用那些可以开发内在自我的活动去填充它。然后花一些时间独处，再花一些时间和你最在乎的人待在一块儿。要专注于那些可以使你内心平静下来的活动。

5.Savor the simple pleasures. How often do you prepare a healthy and delicious meal and then savor every bite of it? Instead of rushing through meals, barely tasting what you’re eating, take time to enjoy them. Invest time in other simple pleasures – work in your garden, take a relaxing soak in a hot tub or bath, bike or hike through a nature preserve. Unless you’re retired, you probably can’t do these things every day, but fitting them into your schedule even once or twice a week will have a calming effect on your life.

5.享受简单的快乐。你隔多久会准备一顿健康而美味的饭菜，并且一口一口的慢慢品尝，而不是飞快的进食，几乎没有尝到食物的味道？花一些时间去享受这些美食吧！投资一点时间去收获简单的快乐-在花园里干干活，泡个澡放松放松，到大自然中去骑骑车或是散散步。除非你已经退休，否则你不可能天天都只做这些事情，但是把它们安排进你的行程表，每周仅仅一两次，也会对你的生活有平心静气的作用。

6.Focus on the present moment. When you’re over-committed, you can end up rushing from one thing to the next without enjoying or even being very conscious of the world around you. There’s always the hope that when things slow down you’ll have time to enjoy life. Maybe you look forward to the weekend or an annual vacation, thinking that you’ll be able to find a way to slow down. Instead of looking to the future, learn to focus on the present moment. Enjoy what you’re doing in the here and now. You can find serenity in even the most mundane task if you really give it your attention and do it mindfully.

6.专注于现在。当你疲惫不堪的时候，你会匆忙结束一项工作而转到另一项，期间你不会享受，甚至都不会去关注你身边的事物。人们总是希望世界可以放慢脚步，这样就会有时间去享受生活。也许你正期待着这个周末或者是年休假，想着你将会找到一种方式来减压。其实你应该学习专注于现在，而不是期待于未来。请享受你此时此刻在做的事吧！即使是最平凡的工作一旦被给予了你的关注，在有意识地去完成的过程中，你也会找到平和的心态。

7.Give up some control. No matter how much we plan, we can never predict what the future will bring. Trying to exercise too much control can just lead to frustration, in addition to frustrating the people around you. Since you never know what the future will bring, it’s futile to try to control events. Instead of attempting to control the outcome of events, learn to relax and enjoy the journey. Letting go of the need to control will give you more freedom to live in the moment. By planning less, you’ll be more open to unforeseen opportunities that come your way. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still have goals, but that your focus shifts from the ends to the means.

7.放弃一些控制权。无论我们计划的如何多，我们依然无法预测未来将发生些什么。试图行使太多的控制只会导致失败，并且使你周围的人感到失望。既然你永远不知道未来将发生什么，试图去控制事件的发生是没有意义的。学习放松，并且享受旅程吧，以此去代替想要控制事情结果的尝试。让那些需要控制的事情自然地发展吧，这样你将会得到更多的自由生活的时间。计划得少一些，你也可能会因此获得一些意想不到的机会。当然，这不意味着你不应该有目标，而应该把专注的对象转移到过程中，而不是结果上。

Remember that simplicity is a process, not a destination.

记住吧，简单的生活只是一个过程而并非是真正的目的。

For most of us, there is no escaping the inherent complexity of our lives. However, by deciding to simplify your life and spend more time seeking true happiness, you’ve started on a road that can lead to profound changes in your life.

对于我们中的大部分人来说，是无法逃脱生活固有的复杂的。然而，当决定要简单的生活，寻求真正的幸福时，你就已经走上了一条会使你的生活发生巨大改变的路。

There is no final destination at the end of this road.

在这条路的尽头没有终点。

Because life is forever changing and evolving, and you are evolving along with it, you will never reach a point of perfect simplicity and endless happiness. But each moment you spend on the path to simplicity does have the potential to bring more serenity and happiness into your life.

生命永远是在不断地变化和发展的，你也会随之不断地发展，所以你永远也无法得到最完美的简单生活和无穷尽的幸福。但是在走向这个目标的过程中的每一刻都会潜移默化地带给你更多的平和和幸福。

“If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap. If you want happiness for a day – go fishing. If you want happiness for a month – get married. If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.” – Chinese Proverb

“如果你想快乐一小时，那么打个盹吧。如果你想一天快乐 ，就去钓鱼吧。如果你想要一个月的幸福，就去结婚吧。如果你想一年的幸福 ，继承一笔财富吧。如果你想要得到一辈子的幸福，那么就去帮助别人吧！”----中国谚语