An Intentional Life
Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:38 AM PDT
Post written by Leo Babauta. 译/子彬
Many of us go through our days awake, but following patterns we’ve developed over the years. We are going through the motions, doing things at home, online, at work without much forethought.
我們大多數人都會醒著度過每一天，但卻是遵循著多年養成的習慣來度過，我們會沒有任何計劃地走過一些場合、做些家務、上網甚至工作。
Contrast this with the idea of an Intentional Life: everything you do is done with consciousness, fulfilling one of your core values (compassion, for example). Everything is done with a conscious intent.
過一種有意識的生活和上述情況正好相反，它要求你做的每一件事都必須是有意識地去做，還要有你自己核心價值觀的支撐（比如同情）。總之，每一件事都要有目的、有意識地去做。
It’s true that many things we do have some kind of intent — I’m washing the dishes because I don’t want a messy house or bugs in my kitchen; I’m driving to work because I need to make a living; I’m driving my kids to school because they need to learn. But after repeating these actions every day, the intent kind of fades into the background so that we are barely aware of them. We’ve figured out the intent long ago, and don’t need to think about them anymore.
沒錯，很多事情我們在做的時候都是有目的的，比如我洗盤子是因為不想看到淩亂不堪的家或是不想看到廚房里的臭蟲；我開車去工作是因為我需要維持生計；我開車送孩子們去學校是因為他們需要學習。但是，隨著每天重複這些工作，對它們的意識會逐漸淡化為背景，淡到我們根本意識不到它們的存在。我們曾在很久以前刻意安排這些事情，但現在已經不需要哪怕一點點的思考。
What if that changed?
如果要改變呢？
What if you were very aware of your intention for your actions? How would that transform the action, and your life?
如果你意識到自己對自身行動的刻意安排會怎麼樣呢？那會讓你的行動和生活發生怎樣的變化呢？
What if you washed the dishes, but first said you are doing this as a service to your family, to make them happy, and as a form of meditation for yourself, to practice mindfulness? Doing the dishes would suddenly take on much more importance, and would cease to be boring.
如果你在洗盤子的時候首先告訴自己你這樣做是在服務你的家人，讓他們感到快樂，告訴自己這對你自己也是一種冥想，是一種有意識的鍛煉，那會怎麼樣呢？洗盤子將會突然變得意義重大，將不再是令人心煩的事。
The only difference is intention.
事實上，唯一的不同就是你的意識。
What if driving to work was done after mentally declaring an intention to help others at work, to make people happy, to find satisfaction through work? The drive might be much happier, and you might be less likely to get irate when someone inevitably cuts you off in traffic.
在你開車去工作的時候，在心裡告訴自己，工作可以幫助到別人，可以讓人民感到快樂，也能找到滿足感，這樣會有什麽情況發生呢？上班的路途會變得更加快樂，當有人加塞的時候你也不會輕易被激怒。
This is the Intentional Life.
I practice it in bits and pieces — not all the time, but increasingly. When I do it, my life is different. More purposeful, more consciously lived, more content with any action.
我在斷斷續續的實踐著這樣一種生活理念——雖然不是任何時間都是，但這樣的時間在不斷增加。我這樣做的時候，我的生活就變了，變得更加有目的，活得更加有意識，也更容易滿足。
A simple practice of intentionality: before you do the next action online or at work, pause a moment, close your eyes, and mentally say your intention. Why are you doing this? Is it out of compassion for others, or yourself? Is it to make someone happier? To improve the world? Out of gratitude for the work and kindness of others?
有意識的生活并不難，你只需要在你開始下一個動作之前，停一下，閉上眼睛，默默地告訴自己你的認識。你爲什麽要做這件事？這是否超出了別人或者你自己的同情？它能讓某些人更快樂嗎？對改變這個世界有用嗎？是否超出了對工作的感激或者別人的善意？
And then, as you do the action, be mindful of your intention.
接下來，在你行動的時候，記得提醒自己你的認識。
This is a small step, but in those few moments, you will be living an Intentional Life.
這是很小的一步，但是就這樣一點點地積累，會讓你過上一種有意識的生活。
