Life is short. It may feel like it takes forever sometimes, but the reality is that you live, and a short time later, you die. It happens so quickly, many people don’t even realize they had a life until it’s already over。生命是短暂的。有时候你会觉得生命无休无止，但现实是，你现在活着，过不了多久，你就会死去。整个过程如此之迅速，以至于很多人直到生命结束的那一刻才意识到。

奥巴马给女儿16条箴言：不要怀疑自己(双语)

　　1 – Stop Doubting Yourself

　　1 –不要怀疑自己

　　If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. Success starts in your mind, and if all you’re doing is putting yourself down and predicting failure, it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of doubting yourself, think positively. Not only will you be happier and more successful, you’ll spread it to everyone around you。如果连你自己都不相信自己，那就更没人会相信你了。成功开始于你的内心，如果你所做的事情都只是在贬低你自己，以及只会预测到未来的失败，那它就会像你自己预言的那样而失败。不要怀疑自己，积极一点。你不仅会更快乐更加成功，而且还会将这份成功与快乐传递给身边的人。

　　2 – Stop Being Negative

　　2 – 不要悲观

　　Now that you’re done doubting yourself, stop doubting others. You don’t like when people are critical of you, so stop being critical of others. Think about how you make other people feel – even if you have good intentions, people don’t like hearing negativity。既然你已经怀疑你自己了，那就别再去怀疑别人了。你不喜欢别人批评你，所以也不要去批评别人。想想你做的事情会给别人怎么样的影响—即使你是为了他们好，别人也不喜欢听到一些悲观的事情。

　　3 – Stop Procrastinating

　　3 – 不要拖延

　　I don’t feel like procrastinating right now – I’ll do it tomorrow. When you procrastinate, you remain stagnant. Whatever you’re putting off doesn’t go away; resolve the problem, and move on. You’ll be much happier in the long run。我现在不想做-明天再做吧。当你拖延的时候，你仍旧停滞不前。无论你怎么拖延，你要做的事情还是得做；把问题解决了，才能继续向前。长此以往，你会更快乐。

　　4 – Stop Being Mean

　　4 –不要卑鄙

　　It’s completely possible to step on someone’s toes without meaning to – it happens all the time. There’s no need to pile on by purposefully doing mean things, so make a conscious effort to stop being mean. If someone wrongs you, let it go. There’s no need to seek vengeance unless that’s the type of person you want to be。如果你踩到别人的鞋带，这完全可能不是你自己故意的—但这些事总是发生。我们没有必要故意去做一些卑鄙的事情，所以有意识地让自己别再卑鄙了。如果有人做了对不起你的事，让他去吧。没有必要找机会复仇，除非你就是想做那样的人。

　　5 – Stop Eating Out

　　5 –不要出去吃饭

　　Eating out is the biggest waste of money. Every so often it’s nice to treat yourself, but eating out for every meal is the quickest way to drain your bank account. Learn how to cook at least a handful of foods you enjoy: It’ll save you money, keep you healthier, and occasionally impress people。外出吃饭是最浪费钱的。你觉得这是对你自己很好的待遇，但外出吃饭却是让你用完自己积蓄最快的方式。至少学着怎么烹调一些你自己喜欢的食物：那不仅可以省钱，还可以让你更健康，偶尔还能让别人眼前一亮。

　　6 – Stop Being Lazy

　　6 –不要懒惰

　　Lazy people are annoying – it’s like pulling teeth getting them to do anything. If I can’t do something as simple as going to a movie with you without having to factor in an hour of convincing you to get your lazy butt out of bed, I’d rather go alone. People have enough trouble motivating themselves; don’t make your friends and family waste their valuable energy motivating you as well。懒人是很恼人的——想让他们做点事情简直比登天还难。如果我连像自己看电影这种再平常不过的事都做不到，比起我还用了一个小时去劝你跟我一起去看电影，而你仍旧不愿意起床，那我宁愿一个人去。人们总是很难激励自己；更不要让你的朋友和家人浪费他们宝贵的精力去激励你。

　　7 – Stop Complaining

　　7 –不要抱怨

　　We all have problems, and sometimes we need to vent to someone. That’s acceptable, but pay attention to how often you’re venting. We all love helping our friends and family, but when all you get from someone is negativity, it’s easier to cut them off than help, especially if they’re always complaining about the same things。我们都会遇到问题，有时候我们需要向别人倾诉。那是可以接受的，但是要注意你是怎么倾诉的。我们都喜欢帮助我们的朋友跟家人，但是如果你从别人那里听到的全是悲观的东西，那打垮他们比帮助他们要简单得多，尤其是他们总是在抱怨同样的事情的时候。

　　8 – Stop Being Selfish

　　8– 不要自私

　　If you only think about yourself, you’ll soon find yourself by yourself. Stop for a minute and think about how your actions affect other people – did you take the last cup of coffee from the break room? Refill it! Do you live with others? Don’t drink out the milk carton. We share this world 100% of the time, so every action you take can affect other people。如果你以自我为中心，你就只会看到你自己。用一分钟来想想你的行为是怎么影响别人的—你有没有把休息室里的最后一杯咖啡喝掉了？再把它装满！你是不是跟别人住的？别把盒子里的牛奶喝光。所有的时间里，我们都在同时分享着这个世界，所以你的每一种行为都能影响到其他人。(来源：沪江英语)