跪求有关“成功与失败”这个话题的英语短文！

《什么是成功？》

Is your definition of success a fatal mistake?

你对成功的定义是一个致命错误吗?

For some, success is defined in terms of the dollar amount on a paycheck. For others, it's the title on their business card. Others may define success in terms of the accolades and awards they have won.

有些人用薪水定义成功。对另一些人来说，成功是名片上的头衔。其它人也许根据赞誉和奖励来定义。

But the problem with how people define success these days is that when they're forced to change it, they can't. Look at the businessmen who have committed suicide because they have lost fortunes. Consider the workers who are fired and then go back to work, armed with a gun.

对于很多人来说，问题在于，让他们改变自己对于成功的定义是不可能的。看看那些因为损失钱财而自杀的商人，想想被解雇后带了一只枪回公司的员工。

Extreme cases, sure. Not everyone considers killing themselves or others when their livelihood is threatened. But it does point out that maybe we need to revisit our own definition of success.

当然，这些都是极端例子。并不是每个人在生计受到威胁的时候会自杀或杀人。但这的确说明，也许我们需要重新定义成功。

Start by completing this definition: "Success to me is...."

首先，完成这个句子：“成功对我而言是......”

After you complete this sentence, then review it and determine if you're on the path to achieving that success. If you were to lose your job or money tomorrow, would your definition of success still be valid? Or, would you consider yourself a failure?

当你完成了这个句子，然后重新审视一下，你是否处于取得这种成功的轨道上。如果你明天失去工作或钱财，你对成功的定义还有效吗？你会认为自己是一个失败者吗？

I remember a job where I worked long, stressful hours and often labored for a boss who had mood swings like a freaking roller coaster. It made for a tense situation, to say the least. One day I was talking to a co-worker and the exhaustion was overwhelming. I felt so dissatisfied, frustrated and even angry. Then it hit me: If I died that day, I didn't want the only thing on my tombstone to be "Always met her deadlines."

我曾长期从事一份有压力的工作，情绪无常的老板让人心力交瘁，至少让局势紧张。一天，同事交谈时，我感到筋疲力尽。我觉得非常不满、沮丧甚至是愤怒。突然萌生一个想法：如果我那天死了，我可不愿意我的墓志铭只有一句：“总能按时完成任务。”

Ugh, I remember thinking. I wanted my life to account for more than that. It wasn't until months later that I started making some real changes in my life, changes that I know made me much better able to balance my life and devote time and effort to more than my job.

呃，我思考着，我希望生活有更多意义。数月后，我开始对生活做出一些切实改变，让我更能平衡生活，而不只是把时间和精力花在工作上。

Right now, times are tough and some of us are beginning to panic. But I think it's a golden opportunity to really think about what is important in your life, and weed out the things that don't really matter.

时下不景气，有些人开始惊恐。但是我认为这是一个千载难逢的机会，让你认真思考你的生活中什么是重要的，并剔除那些不要紧的东西。

You are the one who must define what success is to you. One thing I know for sure: You are more than a job title, you are worth more than a number on a paycheck and you are more than an award to hang on your wall. Is the destination you have in mind worth the road you must travel? Only you can answer that.

只有你自己能为自己定义成功。有一点我清楚：你不只意味着一个头衔，不只意味着工资单上的数字，也不只意味着挂在墙上的那个奖励。为了到达你心中的目的地，你一定得走这样一条路吗? 只有你能回答。

《做一个乐观主义者》

Do you see the glass as half-full rather than half empty？Do you keep your eye upon the doughnut，not upon the hole？Suddenly these clichés are scientific questions，as researchers scrutinize the power of positive thinking. Research is proving that optimism can help you to be happier，healthier and more successful. Pessimism leads，by contrast，to hopelessness，sickness and failure，and is linked to depression，loneliness and painful shyness. If we could teach people to think more positively，it would be like inoculating them against these mental ills.

Your habits count but the belief that you can succeed affects whether or not you will. In part，that‘s because optimists and pessimists deal with the same challenges and disappointments in very different ways. When things go wrong the pessimist tends to blame himself.“I’m not good at this.”“I always fail.”He would say. But the optimist looks for loopholes. Negative or positive，it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people feel hopeless they don‘t bother to acquire the skills they need to succeed.

A sense of control is the litmus test for success. The optimist feels in control of his own life. If things are going badly，he acts quickly，looking for solutions，forming a new plan of action，and reaching out for advice. The pessimist feels like fate‘s plaything and moves slowly. He doesn’t seek advice，since he assumes nothing can be done. Many studies suggest that the pessimist‘s feeling f helplessness undermines the body’s natural defenses，the immune system. Research has found that the pessimist doesn‘t take good care of himself. Feeling passive and unable to dodge life’s blows，he expects ill health and other misfortunes，no matter what he does. He munches on junk food，avoids exercise，ignores the doctor，had another drink.

Most people are a mix of optimism and pessimism，but are inclined in one direction or the other. It is a pattern of thinking learned at our mothers‘knees. It grown out of thousands of cautions or encouragements，negative statements or positives ones. Too many“don’t”and warnings of danger can make a child feel incompetent，fearful—and pessimistic. Pessimism is hard habit to break—but it can be done.

你看到的会是半满的杯子，还是半空的杯子？你看到的是炸面包圈，还是炸面包圈中间的空洞？在研究学家们研究“乐观向上的思维”时，这些看起来没有什么意义的问题都变成了科学问题。研究表明，乐观的精神可以有助于人变得更快乐，更健康，更成功。相反悲观主义则会导致人的绝望，疾病，和失败。悲观主义也常常和情绪低落，孤独，痛苦和害羞相联系。如果我们可以教会人们“积极乐观的思维”，就如同我们在人们身体里注入了预防心理疾病的疫苗一样。

你的一定会成功的信念很大程度度上影响着你是否可以成功。这部分是因为乐观主义者和悲观主义者在应对挑战和失望的方式是有很大差别的。如果事情出了问题时，悲观主义者总是则怪自己，对自己说：“我这方面不行，” “我总是失败”。 但是乐观主义者总会看到好的一面。积极和消极他们是自我实现的预言。如果一个人感到绝望，那么他也不会想着去学习某种技能来实现成功。

自我控制是能否成功的“试剂”。乐观主义者认为他的生活在自己的掌控之中，如果事情有了不好的变化，他会及时采取行动，找到解决问题的方法，形成新的解决方案，也会主动寻求不同的建议。而悲观主义者会觉得命运弄人，不能迅速行动。认为什么也解决不了，所以也不会寻求他人的建议。很多研究都表明悲观主义者的绝望情绪会破坏人体自然防御机能——免疫系统。研究也表明悲观主义者不能很好的照顾自己。表现被动，感觉无法躲避生活的打击，不论做什么对未来都有疾病和不行发生这样的预期。他们通常总吃垃圾食品，不做体育锻炼，不听医生的劝告，不控制的喝酒等等。