Don't Believe Everything You Think

Lauren WeinsteinThis elephant has incredible strength. She can uproot a tree with her trunk alone. Yet she will remain in captivity, held by only a light rope. Despite her ability to easily break away, she doesn't even try. Why? It starts when she is young. She is first tied down when she is small and not yet strong enough to break the rope.

這只大象有很不可思議的力氣，他只用象鼻就能把樹(shù)連根拔起。但他卻仍然被一條細(xì)繩給囚禁著。盡管他有能力可以輕易掙脫，他卻試也不試。為什么？這要從他年輕時(shí)說(shuō)起。他很小時(shí)就被綁住，當(dāng)時(shí)的力氣還不足以扯斷繩子。

She'll try at first, try as hard as she can to break free, and try and try, but eventually realize she can't. Suddenly, something attaches itself to her that is stronger than any rope or chain or fence. It's the belief that she can't break free. It's this belief that holds her back - despite her ability.

一開(kāi)始他會(huì)嘗試，盡力去掙脫，一試再試，最終，他了解到自己辦不到。突然間，某種比繩子、鐵鏈、柵欄都還要強(qiáng)的東西跟他緊系在一起了。就是相信自己無(wú)法掙脫的執(zhí)念。是這種執(zhí)念限制了他——盡管他有能力。

I've had these same beliefs - you may have too - beliefs that held me back, beliefs that led me to feel unfulfilled in my work, to struggle in my relationships and to live a life that was far from the one I am living now. It was only when I became aware of my ropes and actively pulled against them that I found myself in a different reality. How do you break the ropes that tie you down? Don't believe everything you think. When I was six years old, I had a favorite baby sitter, Amber.

我也有類(lèi)似的執(zhí)念——你們可能也有——這些執(zhí)念限制了我，這些執(zhí)念讓我在工作上不得志，在人際關(guān)系中掙扎，且過(guò)著和現(xiàn)在相去甚遠(yuǎn)的生活。直到我意識(shí)到束縛我的那些繩子，并主動(dòng)去對(duì)抗它們，我才發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)不同的現(xiàn)實(shí)。你要如何掙脫綁住你的繩子？別盡信你所有的想法。我六歲時(shí)，我最?lèi)?ài)的褓姆是安柏。

One morning, my mother told me we couldn't have her babysit because she didn't have enough money to pay her. So that afternoon, I started my first company. I gathered rocks from around the neighborhood, painted them with my art set, and went door to door, selling them to our neighbors. That night, it was Amber and I on the couch together. When I was young, I was bold, outgoing and fearless. I wore what I wanted or didn't want to wear, guided by my own voice that told me what would make me happy.

有一天早上，我母親告訴我，我們不能再讓她當(dāng)褓姆了，因?yàn)槲夷赣H沒(méi)有足夠的錢(qián)請(qǐng)她。那天下午，我成立了我的第一間公司。我從住家附近收集石頭，用我的彩色筆做彩繪，接著，挨家挨戶(hù)拜訪(fǎng)，將它們銷(xiāo)售給鄰居。那晚，我如愿和安柏一起坐在沙發(fā)上。我小時(shí)候很大膽、外向、無(wú)懼。我想穿什么就穿什么，或者不想穿上任何衣服，聽(tīng)從內(nèi)心的聲音去做讓自己快樂(lè)的事。

I was also in love. His name was Fernando, and he was wonderful. As with everything else, I wasn't afraid to grab him with both hands. (Laughter) As I grew older, this picture started to fade. My exuberance was replaced with timidness, my leadership with conformity, my boldness with fear. I don't think any of us leave childhood without some ropes despite our parents' best intentions. I grew up with a mother who was determined to give me the perfect life.

我也戀愛(ài)了。他的名字叫佛南多，他很棒。外向大膽如故，我不怕用雙手摟抱他。（笑聲）隨著我長(zhǎng)大，這個(gè)畫(huà)面開(kāi)始淡去。我的熱情活力被膽怯取代，我的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力被順從取代，我的大膽被恐懼取代。盡管我們父母出于善意，我想大家或多或少都還是帶著一些繩子長(zhǎng)大。成長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中，母親決心要給我一個(gè)完美的人生。

Armed with love and good intentions, she did everything for me to help me be perfect. I'd pack a suitcase to go on a school trip, and she'd unpack it and repack it in a more perfect way. I'd be ready to turn in a school art project, and then she'd add her own brush strokes to make it better. Later she told me when my choice of boyfriend or apartment wasn't good enough. Although she just wanted what was best for me, I stopped knowing what was best for me.

帶著愛(ài)和好意，她為了幫我達(dá)到完美，什么都做了。為了學(xué)校旅行，我打包了一個(gè)行李箱，而她會(huì)把東西都拿出來(lái)，再重新打包得更完美。我準(zhǔn)備好要交一篇學(xué)校的美術(shù)作品，她會(huì)幫我加上幾筆讓作品變更好。之后她告訴我，我選男友或公寓的品味不夠好。雖然她只是想要給我最好的，我卻不再知道什么才是對(duì)我最好的。

An unconscious rope was formed. I shouldn't trust my own voice and my own ability, and I feared not being perfect. Other ropes attached themselves too. I grew up in a family filled with yelling, loud voices and strong opinions. To keep the peace, I learned to stay quiet, to not rock the boat, to become invisible. In school, I came to believe it's more important to blend in than stand out. And the pain of an early heartbreak led me to hold back in my relationships so I could avoid getting hurt. I'm not good enough. Don't speak up. Don't stand out.

一條無(wú)意識(shí)的繩子形成了。我不應(yīng)該相信我自己的聲音、我自己的能力，我害怕無(wú)法做到完美。其他繩子也相繼出現(xiàn)了。我在充滿(mǎn)了吼叫、大聲說(shuō)話(huà)、表達(dá)強(qiáng)烈意見(jiàn)的家庭中成長(zhǎng)。為了保持和平，我學(xué)會(huì)不作聲，不要惹事生非，變成隱形人。在學(xué)校，我漸漸相信，融入比突出更重要。早期嘗到心碎的痛苦，讓我在談戀愛(ài)時(shí)有所保留，才能避免受傷。我不夠好。不要暢所欲言。不要突顯自己。

Fear failure. These were my ropes. This isn't just my story. Like the elephant, we all come to believe certain things in childhood that weren't true - or at least are no longer true. But we still live with them as if they are. If you've ever felt not good enough, alone, unwanted, unloved, invisible, powerless, like you don't belong - these are your ropes. If you've ever felt you can't trust yourself, trust others, speak up, stand out, ask for help, let others in, be accepted as you are - these are your ropes. These ropes hold us back.

害怕失敗。這些是我的繩子。這不只是我的故事。就像那只大象，在童年我們都漸漸相信某些事，但那些事并非真的——或至少不再是真的。但我們?nèi)园阉鼈儺?dāng)真在過(guò)日子。如果你曾經(jīng)覺(jué)得自己不夠好、孤單、沒(méi)有人要、沒(méi)有人愛(ài)、不被看見(jiàn)、無(wú)能力、沒(méi)有歸屬感——這些就是你的繩子。如果你曾經(jīng)覺(jué)得你無(wú)法相信自己、相信別人、勇于發(fā)聲、表現(xiàn)自己、尋求協(xié)助、讓他人進(jìn)來(lái)、讓真正的自己被接受——這些是你的繩子。這些繩子會(huì)限制住我們。

I found myself defaulting to others' opinions when I should have been trusting my own, staying quiet when it would have benefited me to speak up, and blending in when I would have been happier if I had to courage to stand out. This led me into a series of jobs that ranged from tolerable to miserable. In one, I hoped I'd get sick so I could stay home from work. It led me into a series of relationships in which I lacked confidence in myself, the other person and the relationship. These never worked out.

當(dāng)我應(yīng)該相信我自己的意見(jiàn)時(shí)，我卻順從他人的意見(jiàn)；發(fā)表意見(jiàn)會(huì)對(duì)自己較有益時(shí)，我卻保持沉默；有勇氣站出來(lái)我其實(shí)會(huì)更快樂(lè)時(shí)，我卻選擇了融入。這導(dǎo)致一連串我做過(guò)的工作，從可容忍的到很糟糕的都有。其中一份工作，我希望自己能生病請(qǐng)假，這樣就不用去上班。這也導(dǎo)致我陷入一連串無(wú)法信任自己、對(duì)方以及這段關(guān)系的困境中。這些關(guān)系都無(wú)法成功。

My beliefs affected the way I perceived the world, which changed how I acted, which led to a self-fulfilling prophecy. I felt small, and my world became smaller. What we believe has powerful effects. Decades of social psychology research backs this up. In a study performed at Dartmouth College, an ugly scar was placed on participants' faces with makeup. They were then sent into a room for a conversation and asked to report how people responded to them with this ugly scar. But here is the twist. Right before they left, the experimenter said, "Hold on a minute! We just want to touch up your scar a bit." Rather than touch it up, they removed it entirely.

我的執(zhí)念影響我看世界的角度，這就會(huì)改變我的行為，導(dǎo)致了自證預(yù)言。我覺(jué)得自己很渺小，我的世界就越變?cè)叫×?。我們的信念有很?qiáng)大的影響力。有數(shù)十年的社會(huì)心理學(xué)研究可以證明。在達(dá)特茅斯學(xué)院進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)研究用化妝的方式在受試者的臉上加上一道丑陋的疤痕。接著，送他們到房間去與人交談，并要求他們回報(bào)別人對(duì)這丑陋疤痕有什么反應(yīng)。但，有個(gè)小花樣。在他們離開(kāi)化妝室前，實(shí)驗(yàn)者說(shuō)：「等一下！我們想要修飾一下你的疤痕?！沟麄儾⒉皇切揎?，而是把疤痕完全拿掉。

So unbeknownst to them, the participants went into their conversations, looking completely normal. Despite this, they came back and reported how awkward their conversations were, how people avoided looking at their scar, had trouble making eye contact, and were tense and uncomfortable in the conversation. Their beliefs about their scar led them to see things that weren't really there and to make meaning of innocent behavior. What could have been a perfectly normal conversation instead became an awkward one.

受試者并不知道，接著便去參與交談，外表看起來(lái)完全正常。盡管如此，他們回來(lái)時(shí)仍然回報(bào)了他們的談話(huà)有多尷尬，對(duì)方如何避免看著他們的疤痕，眼神交流有障礙，在交談中很緊繃、不舒服。他們相信自己有疤的執(zhí)念，讓他們看見(jiàn)這些根本不存在的事，替對(duì)方單純的行為強(qiáng)賦予意義。本應(yīng)是完全正常的交談，卻變得很尷尬。

Their beliefs created their reality. Other studies show the same effect. Highlight an Asian woman's Asian identity before a math test, she'll perform better. Highlight her female identity, she'll perform worse. Lead a group of men to believe an athletic task is diagnostic of sports intelligence, white men perform better. Lead them to believe it'd diagnostic of natural athletic ability, black men do.

他們的執(zhí)念造出他們的真實(shí)。其他研究也證明了同樣的影響。在亞洲女子參與數(shù)學(xué)測(cè)驗(yàn)之前就強(qiáng)調(diào)出她的亞洲身分，會(huì)讓她表現(xiàn)更佳。若強(qiáng)調(diào)她的女性身分，會(huì)讓她表現(xiàn)變差。引導(dǎo)一群男性相信一項(xiàng)體育任務(wù)的表現(xiàn)可判斷其運(yùn)動(dòng)智慧的話(huà)，白人的表現(xiàn)會(huì)較佳。引導(dǎo)他們相信這項(xiàng)任務(wù)可判斷其天生的體育能力，則黑人的表現(xiàn)會(huì)較佳。

Give someone a white coat and tell them it's a doctor's lab coat, they'll perform better on an attention task than when told it's a painter's coat. In all of these cases, same people, same abilities, same tasks - different beliefs. And in each case, it was their belief that raised or lowered their performance.

給某個(gè)人一件白色大衣并告訴他這是醫(yī)生的白袍，他們?cè)谧⒁饬θ蝿?wù)的表現(xiàn)會(huì)比說(shuō)它是畫(huà)家的畫(huà)袍時(shí)更佳。在所有這些例子中，都是同樣的人、同樣的能力、同樣的任務(wù)——不同的信念。在每個(gè)例子中，都是他們的信念在提升或降低他們的表現(xiàn)。

How you see yourself and your circumstances will affect what you see, how you act, and what occurs as a result. It's almost as if our beliefs place a virtual reality headset on us, (Laughter) a headset that allows us to see things that aren't really there and sends us into a false reality. We have these headsets even when they're miles from the truth. I remember hearing the top model Cameron Russell share how models, despite having the shiniest hair and the longest legs, are some of the most physically insecure people on the planet. And award-winning author Lidia Yuknavitch shared how she didn't follow up on the literary representation she was offered early in her career.

你如何看待自己以及你的境況，會(huì)影響你的所見(jiàn)、所為，以及產(chǎn)生的結(jié)果。就好像我們的信念會(huì)幫我們戴上一副虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)的頭戴眼鏡，（笑聲）這眼鏡會(huì)讓我們看到不存在的東西，帶我們進(jìn)入虛假的現(xiàn)實(shí)中。盡管和真相差了十萬(wàn)八千里，我們依然帶著這些眼鏡。我記得曾聽(tīng)過(guò)頂尖模特兒卡麥隆?羅素分享，她說(shuō)盡管模特兒有最閃亮的頭發(fā)和最長(zhǎng)的腿，她們卻是地球上對(duì)身體最沒(méi)安全感的人。得獎(jiǎng)作家莉迪亞?約克娜薇琪分享了她在職涯初期未能把握住別人給她的一個(gè)文學(xué)表現(xiàn)機(jī)會(huì)。

The reason in her words: "We don't always know how to hope or say yes or choose the big thing, even when it's right in front of us. It's the shame we carry. The shame of not believing we deserve it." Our headsets have us living into a false reality. They also cause us to bump into each other. Once, I'd been dating someone for a few weeks. We'll call him Ben.

引述她的話(huà)，理由是：「我們不見(jiàn)得知道要如何去期望、答應(yīng)或者選擇這個(gè)大好機(jī)會(huì)，即使它就在我們眼前。是因?yàn)槲覀冏詰M形穢。覺(jué)得自己不值得擁有它。我們的眼鏡讓我們生活在虛假的現(xiàn)實(shí)中。也造成我們彼此的沖撞。曾經(jīng)，我和一個(gè)人已約會(huì)了幾周，我們稱(chēng)他為班。

We talked every day. Then he went on a work trip. For four days, silence. I didn't hear a word. How would you interpret this? What's the first thought that pops in your head? My beliefs led me to wonder what I had done or said to make this once enthusiastic person change his mind about me. I shared his silence with friends. One, who admits she has trouble trusting people, was sure he was on this trip with another woman.

我們每天都會(huì)聊天。接著，他出差去了。整整四天，音訊全無(wú)。連個(gè)只字詞組都沒(méi)有。你會(huì)如何解讀？你腦海中浮現(xiàn)的第一個(gè)想法是什么？我的執(zhí)念讓我認(rèn)為是我做了什么或說(shuō)了什么造成這個(gè)熱情的人改變了他對(duì)我的觀(guān)感。我和朋友們談到他的音訊全無(wú)。其中一位自認(rèn)無(wú)法信任他人的朋友，她就很肯定他這趟出差是和另一個(gè)女人同行。

Another, who admits she's afraid of rejection, guessed he was probably upset because I hadn't invited him as my date to an upcoming wedding. And a third, who has trouble with commitment, guessed he probably thought we were moving too fast and was taking some space. Each person saw the same situation through the lens of their own headset. Who was right? How should I respond? Each of these assumptions leads to a different response. Moving too fast? - I should pull back. But if he's feeling rejected, this would just hurt him more.

另一位坦承很怕被人拒絕的朋友，她就猜他可能在生氣，因?yàn)槲覜](méi)有邀請(qǐng)他一同去參加即將舉行的一場(chǎng)婚禮。第三位，她無(wú)法給人承諾，她就猜他可能覺(jué)得我們的進(jìn)展太快，他需要一點(diǎn)空間。同一個(gè)狀況，但每個(gè)人都透過(guò)各自的虛擬眼鏡來(lái)解讀。誰(shuí)對(duì)？我應(yīng)該如何響應(yīng)？每一種假設(shè)都會(huì)有不同的響應(yīng)對(duì)策。進(jìn)展太快？——我應(yīng)該收斂一點(diǎn)。但如果他覺(jué)得被拒絕，這樣做就會(huì)傷他更深。

Feeling rejected? - I should up my calls and invite him to the wedding. But if he thinks we're moving too fast, this will just push him away further. I was so confused. As I was ping-ponging around in my own headset while briefly borrowing some of my friends' headsets, this relationship died a slow death. Are you ready for what was going on in Ben's headset? He'd been deeply hurt by a past relationship, was afraid of getting hurt again, and pulled away when his insecurities got the best of him. It was none of the things anyone had guessed.

覺(jué)得被拒絕？我應(yīng)該打個(gè)電話(huà)邀他一同去婚禮。但如果他認(rèn)為我們進(jìn)展得太快，這樣做會(huì)把他推得更遠(yuǎn)。我好困惑。當(dāng)我在自己的執(zhí)念中反復(fù)忖度，并短暫藉由朋友的視角來(lái)評(píng)估狀況時(shí)，這段關(guān)系正慢慢凋萎。你們準(zhǔn)備好聽(tīng)聽(tīng)在班的眼鏡中看到了什么嗎？他被過(guò)去的一段感情傷得很深，他怕再次受傷，當(dāng)不安全感占上風(fēng)時(shí)就退縮了。完全不是大家所猜測(cè)的答案。

Sometimes our headsets get in the way of our relationships. It took me a long time to learn this. Just as our beliefs can hold us back, they can also propel us forward. Let's go back to the scar study for a moment. Imagine the opposite. Imagine the researchers place something on the participants' faces that leads them to believe they look beautiful and then remove it before they go into the social setting. Now, what do you think they believe about others' responses? How do you think they show up differently? What difference does it make if you believe you're ugly or gorgeous, good at math or terrible at it, good at sports or not? It seems, a big one. I finally learned this lesson.

有時(shí)我們的眼鏡會(huì)阻擋我們的關(guān)系。我花了很長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間才學(xué)到這一點(diǎn)。如同執(zhí)念能限制我們一樣，信念卻能策勵(lì)我們向前。讓我們回到疤痕的研究實(shí)驗(yàn)。做個(gè)相反的想象。想象研究者在受試者的臉上加上了某樣讓他們相信自己看起來(lái)變美麗的東西，接著再把它除去，才讓他們進(jìn)入社交場(chǎng)合。你想他們認(rèn)為別人會(huì)如何反應(yīng)？他們會(huì)有什么不同的表現(xiàn)？你相信自己很丑陋或美麗、擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)或是數(shù)學(xué)白癡、擅長(zhǎng)運(yùn)動(dòng)或不擅長(zhǎng)，會(huì)帶來(lái)什么樣的差別？似乎會(huì)有很大的差別。我終于學(xué)會(huì)了這一課。

My headset led me to law school. There my long-held false beliefs were reinforced: aim for perfection, follow the crowd, fear failure. This was a familiar path. Then one day, without thinking much about it, I signed up for a class outside the law school, called Design Thinking Boot Camp, a class that promised to unleash my creative potential. I had to design innovative products and experiences, or more accurately, pull on almost every single one of my ropes. I had to trust my own voice because when it comes to innovation, there is by definition no one to look to for the answers. I had to put myself out there because innovation doesn't come from playing it safe.

我的眼鏡讓我進(jìn)入法學(xué)院。在那里，長(zhǎng)期跟著我的虛假執(zhí)念被強(qiáng)化了：以完美為目標(biāo)、跟隨群眾、恐懼失敗。這是條熟悉的路。有一天，沒(méi)多想什么，我登記參加了一堂法學(xué)院外的課，叫做「設(shè)計(jì)思維訓(xùn)練營(yíng)」，這堂課保證能釋放我的創(chuàng)造潛能。我得要設(shè)計(jì)出創(chuàng)新的產(chǎn)品和體驗(yàn)，或更精確地說(shuō)，要去拉扯我的每一條繩子。我得要相信自己的聲音，因?yàn)閯?chuàng)新的定義，就是沒(méi)有人能給你答案。我得讓自己走出舒適圈，因?yàn)榇虬踩撇粫?huì)帶來(lái)創(chuàng)新。

And perhaps most importantly, I had to be willing to fail, to be willing to not be perfect. The best designs came only after multiple failed attempts. If I wanted to get it right, I first had to be willing to get it wrong. I struggled in this class because all of the things that would help me succeed were the same things I believed for so many years I shouldn't do. I finally gave in to their crazy approach, and the most amazing thing happened. I was free to go, play, try things, experiment - to live as I had before my ropes. I felt free in a way I hadn't since I was six years old, and I accomplished things I never would have imagined possible.

也許最重要的是，我必須愿意承受失敗，愿意接受不完美。唯有數(shù)次失敗之后，才會(huì)產(chǎn)生最好的設(shè)計(jì)。如果我想要把它做對(duì)，我得愿意先犯錯(cuò)。在這班我很辛苦，因?yàn)槟軌騾f(xié)助我成功的一切，都是數(shù)年來(lái)我相信我不該去做的事。我終于屈服接受他們的瘋狂方法，接著最驚人的事發(fā)生了。我感到自己能自由地去玩、去嘗試、去實(shí)驗(yàn)——去過(guò)著被繩子束縛前的生活。從六歲之后我就沒(méi)有感到這么自由了，我也完成了以前想都不敢想的事情。

I was astounded, proud, liberated - and confused. I wondered if the beliefs that held me back in this class were the same ones holding me back in other parts of my life. The seed had been planted. Maybe I shouldn't believe everything I think. Headset off. To take it off, I just had to realize I had it on. Ropes broken. New beliefs lead to new actions. In my first bold move since I was six, I turned down my offer to work at a law firm and placed myself in a different reality. I experimented with different jobs and took on various side projects, saying yes to ones I previously would have said no to due to lack of experience, trusting I could figure it out.

我很驚訝、驕傲、解放——且困惑。我想知道在這堂課中限制我的那些執(zhí)念，是否同樣也在我人生的其他部分中限制了我。種子已經(jīng)種下。也許我不該盡信自己所有的想法。拿掉虛擬眼鏡。要能拿掉眼鏡，我得先要知道我已給自己戴上眼鏡。繩子斷了。新的信念帶來(lái)新的行動(dòng)。我六歲之后做的第一個(gè)勇敢的嘗試，就是拒絕了在一間法律事務(wù)所工作的機(jī)會(huì)，把我自己放入不同的現(xiàn)實(shí)情境中。我嘗試不同的工作，同時(shí)承接各式不同的業(yè)余項(xiàng)目，對(duì)以前因缺乏經(jīng)驗(yàn)而說(shuō)「不」的事，現(xiàn)在我會(huì)說(shuō)「好」，相信我能想出辦法。

I was still afraid of failure and taking wrong turns, and sometimes I did. I just no longer let this stop me. Then one day, I took on a 10-week part-time position, coaching speakers. I fell in love with this work. We're talking Fernando-level love. (Laughter) No longer afraid to grab things with both hands, I went on to start my own company, helping leaders become more powerful speakers and to teach a communication class at Stanford. Particularly meaningful for me is that I now get to give others what I'd lost for so long - a more powerful voice. I broke other ropes too. When I was self-conscious and shy, I never could have imagined revealing my insecurities to you on a TED stage.

我仍然會(huì)怕失敗，怕轉(zhuǎn)錯(cuò)彎，有時(shí)我也的確會(huì)做錯(cuò)。我只是不再讓它阻止我。有一天，我接了一項(xiàng)為期十周的兼職工作，演說(shuō)者的培訓(xùn)員。我愛(ài)上了這份工作。且是佛南多程度的喜愛(ài)。（笑聲）不再害怕用雙手抓住，我接著成立了自己的公司，協(xié)助領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者成為更優(yōu)秀的演說(shuō)者，并在史丹佛大學(xué)教授溝通課程。對(duì)我特別有意義的是，現(xiàn)在我可以給予他人的東西，正是我自己失去很久的東西——更強(qiáng)而有力的聲音。我也掙脫了其他繩子。當(dāng)我很忸怩害羞時(shí)，我完全無(wú)法想象我能在TED舞臺(tái)上向大家揭露我的不安全感。

That would have sounded more like a bad dream. Yet somehow, here I am. This process didn't happen overnight. Each new thought, each new action built on the one before it until I found myself in a new reality. I still have ropes I'm working to break. My goal is fewer over time. To get there, I remind myself of the marshmallow challenge. Teams of four are given 20 sticks of spaghetti, a yard of string, a yard of tape and a marshmallow. The winning team is the one that can build the tallest freestanding tower they can in 18 minutes. The marshmallow has to be on top. This challenge has been given all over the world to business-school students, lawyers, CEOs, CTOs, engineers. Who do you think are among the top performers? Recent graduates of kindergarten

那聽(tīng)起來(lái)比較像是個(gè)惡夢(mèng)。但，我就站在這里了。這個(gè)過(guò)程并非一蹴可幾。每一個(gè)新想法、每一個(gè)新做法，皆從前面一個(gè)堆棧而來(lái)，直到發(fā)現(xiàn)自己置身在新的現(xiàn)實(shí)情境中。我還在努力掙脫一些繩子。我的目標(biāo)是繩子能越來(lái)越少。為了達(dá)成目標(biāo)，我會(huì)用棉花糖挑戰(zhàn)來(lái)提醒我自己。每隊(duì)四人，每隊(duì)能拿到二十條意大利面、一碼長(zhǎng)的繩子、一碼長(zhǎng)的膠帶和一個(gè)棉花糖。任何一隊(duì)只要能建造出最高的獨(dú)立式高塔，就能獲勝。時(shí)間限制十八分鐘。棉花糖要放在最上面。全世界都在玩這個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)，包括商學(xué)院學(xué)生、律師、執(zhí)行長(zhǎng)、技術(shù)長(zhǎng)、工程師。你們認(rèn)為表現(xiàn)最好的是哪些人？剛從幼兒園畢業(yè)的小孩。

Here's why. The other groups will take what they think they know, what they think is the single right answer, and end up executing in the wrong direction. In contrast, kindergarteners stay open to multiple possibilities. They test out different options, they gather information by experimenting until they find the best way forward. They have fun. What makes us so amazing as children is we live in a world before ropes. In a world before "what's known," when there is "what's possible." In a world before "I can't," when there is "how could I?" In a world before falling and staying down, when we fall and get right back up again - undeterred.

原因如下。其他隊(duì)伍會(huì)用他們認(rèn)為已知的知識(shí)，用他們認(rèn)定的單一正確答案，然后朝錯(cuò)誤的方向執(zhí)行。相對(duì)的，幼兒園小朋友擁抱所有的可能性。他們會(huì)測(cè)試不同的選項(xiàng)，他們透過(guò)實(shí)驗(yàn)來(lái)收集信息，直到他們找到最好的方法。他們玩得很開(kāi)心。我們?cè)趦和瘯r(shí)期之所以會(huì)這么棒，是因?yàn)槲覀兡菚r(shí)還生活在未受繩子束縛的世界。生活在「已知」出現(xiàn)之前的世界，那里充滿(mǎn)著各種「可能性」。那是在「我不能」之前的世界，那里只有「我要怎么做？」是「摔倒就躺著不動(dòng)」前的世界，在那里，我們摔倒之后會(huì)馬上站起來(lái)——不畏險(xiǎn)阻。

In a world in which nothing is holding us back from our full capacity. What the design class was for me, I hope this talk is for you - a seed that gets you to question what you've previously accepted as true, that makes you more aware of your ropes, that helps you see they were always yours to break. No matter who you are or where you are, in this moment, there is the life that you can be living if you break your ropes. You get there one new thought at a time, one new action at a time until one day, you find yourself in a new reality. Thank you.

生活在沒(méi)有任何東西能限制我們發(fā)揮潛能的世界。希望這場(chǎng)演說(shuō)對(duì)各位的意義，也是那堂設(shè)計(jì)課對(duì)我的意義——一個(gè)種子，讓你去質(zhì)疑過(guò)去所認(rèn)為的真實(shí)，讓你更能意識(shí)到綁著你的繩子，協(xié)助你看清楚永遠(yuǎn)要靠自己去掙脫那些繩子。不論你是誰(shuí)、身在何處，在這一刻，如果你能掙脫你的繩子，就能迎向嶄新的生活。若要到那里，要靠一次一個(gè)新想法，一次一個(gè)新做法，直到有一天，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)身處在嶄新的現(xiàn)實(shí)中。謝謝。