今天我们来读一篇Richard Branson在65岁时写给25岁的自己的一封信。Richard Branson对很多人来说可能并不陌生，他是英国一位具有传奇色彩的企业家。他18岁的时候用4英镑和几个朋友出版了一本叫《学生》的杂志。这个杂志迅速走红，他用第一桶金成立了一家小型的邮政公司，取名 “Virgin”。现在的Virgin集团已经是英国最大的私营企业，旗下拥有200多家公司，包括航空、铁路、娱乐、电信等等。Richard本人是一个非常嬉皮士，敢于冒险的人。希望他的这封信能鼓励到你。
Dear Richard,
亲爱的理查德，
I’m writing to you from 40 years in the future. You’re now 65-years-old, and while you’ve lived a happy and healthy life with no regrets, I have some advice for you.
我在40年后的未来给你写这封信。你现在已经65岁了，尽管你度过了开心而健康的一生，没留下什么遗憾，我还是有一些建议。
Congratulations on launching Virgin. I know you’re still trying to find your feet and work out the ins and outs of business, but stick with it. I can guarantee the best is yet to come. While I don’t want to spoil the mystery and fantasy of the unknown, I can tell you there will be so many wonderfully rewarding moments and the most incredible people in your future. And, yes, many of your wildest dreams will come true. But there’s a clause: you will have to work hard to make them happen.
祝贺你创立了维珍集团。我知道你现在还在适应新环境，解决生意里里外外的事。坚持下去。我保证最好的尚未来临。我不想打破未知的神秘感和梦幻感，但我可以告诉你，你在未来会遇到好多让你欣慰的收获奖励的时光和无比伟大的人。还有，没错，你最疯狂的梦想会实现。但是这有个条件：你需要努力奋斗去实现这些。
The road ahead is pock-marked with many bumps, chasms and forks. There will be times where you want to give up and throw everything in.Don’t. By turning challenges into opportunities, you will find success you never realised you were capable of achieving. But you won’t always succeed. In fact,you will fail time and time again. That’s ok, because failure is an inevitable part of every personal and entrepreneurial journey. It’s important to pick yourself up, retrace your steps, look at what went wrong, and learn from your mistakes.
你前方的路是坑洼不平的，有很多障碍，陷阱和岔路口。你有时候会想放弃或者孤注一掷，千万不要。通过把挑战转化成机遇，你会获得你之前想象不到的成功。但是你也不会一直都成功。事实上，你会经历一次又一次的失败。没关系，失败是你人生旅途和创业生涯中不可避免的一部分。你要重新振作，看看走过的路，找到哪里出了问题，在错误中吸取教训。
‘Entrepreneur’: now there’s a word that you might not be overly familiar with yet. But you will be. It’s a word that will become synonymous with your name and your approach to business. It’s also a word synonymous with risk. You took a risk when you left school to start Student magazine, and again when you moved from Student magazine to Virgin Records – and both paid off. Continue to take chances. In the future how ‘lucky’ you are in business will be determined by how willing you are to take calculated risks.
“创业者“这个词你现在可能还不是很熟悉。但是你以后就会。这个词会变成你的名字和你的商业方式的代名词。它同时也是冒险的代名词。你离开学校，成立学生杂志是一次冒险，之后你离开学生杂志来到维珍唱片也是一次冒险，但你两次都得到了回报。继续冒险吧。今后，你在商业领域有多“幸运”就取决于你有多大意愿去冒有备之险。
Let your dreams guide your path. Keep the people you love and respect close to you. Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibility. Don’t let the naysayers deter you. Screw business as usual and do things your own way. The Virgin brand will take you places other than music. Your ability to take calculated risks and your incurable 0ptimism will lead to great heights – both in business and in life.Like one of your favourite author’s, Dr Seuss wrote, “Oh, the Places You'll Go!” Reach for the moon – it’s yours for the taking, if you go out there and grab for it with both hands.
让你的梦想指引你前进的路。和你爱的人以及你尊敬的人密切往来。不要害怕分派责任。不要让那些否定拒绝你的人阻止你前进的脚步。别墨守成规，按你自己的方式来办事。你的维京品牌会带你到达音乐之外的其他领域。你敢于冒有备之险的品质和你那不可救药的乐观能带你到达人生和事业的伟大高度。就像你最喜欢的作家之一苏斯博士写到的那样 “哦， 你将到的地方! ” 把目标定得远大 —— 只要你走出去靠双手不断努力，你就会得到它。
Good luck
祝好运
Richard
信件原文及图片来自Virgin.com
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/my-letter-25-year-old-me
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