My advice, do whatever you can while you're young, it really does get harder as you get older,

我的建议是，趁年轻去做自己想做的任何事，随着年岁增长，你会越来越难于抽身去做这些事。

and there comes a point in your life when you stop looking forward at the possibilities of what you could be,

在生命中某个特定的时刻，你不再对未来充满期望，不再憧憬自己会变成什么模样。

and start looking forward at the inevitability of what will be.

而是开始预测，不可抗拒的命运会给你带来什么。

Nobody lives forever.

没有人能够长生不死。

Reach far, take chances, risk a lot, but always have a backup plan.

走向远方，抓住机遇，承担风险，但一定要有备用计划。

You might think that nothing can harm you,

你可能会认为自己所向披靡，

but reaching for dreams that you have no chance of attaining can harm you,

可是，徒劳的追求一个你不可能实现的虚幻梦境却可能伤害你。

you can end up depressed, stuck in a rut because you can't make any progress forward, etc.

你可能会陷入抑郁，停滞不前，因为你已经走进了死胡同，无法再向前走。

It's important to reach, but also to have a plan that can actually work, idle dreams are dangerous.

为理想奋斗固然重要，但做好切实可行的计划更加重要。虚幻的梦想十分危险。

Things that are going to happen happen step by step, in manageable steps, they don't happen by magic,

事情都是一个阶段一个阶段发展变化的，每个阶段都是可以人为操控的，而不是魔法变幻出来的。

so break big goals down into steps and if you get stuck on a step for any period of time,

所以，你应该把大的目标分解成一个一个小步骤，如果你在此过程中，在某个步骤上卡住了，

it's time to re-evaluate what's going on and figure something else out

此时你应该做的，是重新评估事情的进展，想想还有什么其他的方案

- either to adapt and overcome, or make a realistic appraisal of the situation and decide what to do.

或者适应新形势，克服难关，或者对此时的处境做一番客观的评估，决定自己的去留。

People say never give up on your dreams, but that's unrealistic.

人们常说，永远不要放弃自己的梦想，但这并不现实。

Sometimes you outgrow your dreams, or achieve enough of them

有时你会发现自己长大了，不再相信儿时的梦想，或者你已经实现了梦想，

that you lose motivation to achieve the rest because the reward isn't enough for the effort, etc,

却失去了继续下去的动力，因为你觉得自己的收获不值得自己付出的艰辛劳动

so it's important to be steadfast and dogged enough to push until you reach that point,

所以说，你必须步调沉稳，信念坚定，才能支持自己走到最后，

then to re-evaluate and make sure you actually want to continue on,

然后重新审视一下当下的成果，确信自己真的想要继续走下去，

and either recommit to your dreams, alter your plans, or be honest with yourself and choose to go in a different direction.

接下来，你可以重新点燃逐梦的激情，或者调整自己的计划，抑或诚实的面对自己，选择一条截然不同的道路

Blind allegiance and steadfast determination can put you into a situation of fighting for things you don't really want anymore.

对一个梦想的愚忠和顽守可能会让你走进误区，去为自己已经不想要的东西而奋斗。

There's a middle ground that you want to shoot for where you don't stay the party longer than is right for you,

在这个中间地带，你可能会想找到那个时间点，你知道，你会到此为止，过了这个时间点，你便不会再多停留。

but you also aren't a flake who gives up at the first sign of trouble.

不过，你也不能走向反面，刚看到障碍即将出现的迹象就鸣鼓收兵。

Re-evaluate all the time, every year, every month, even ever week to make sure you still want what you think you want,

你要时常重新审视当下的局面，每年，每个月，甚至每个星期，以此确认自己的心意，确定自己仍然想到得到过去心仪的东西。

and that you are still making progress.

并且，你正朝着目标前进。

The most important skill is finding your way when all hope is lost.

除此之外，最重要的技能是，在你深陷绝望时，如何找到出口，

It's easy to wander in darkness without a way forward, to become depressed and despondent when your dreams don't come true, or as likely .

当你的梦想已经破灭，或者发生了类似的情况，你可以放弃抵抗，任自己在绝望的黑暗中游荡，停滞不前，失魂落魄，灰心丧气。

when your dreams DO come true and they weren't everything that you had hoped.

又或者，你的梦想真的实现了，你却发现，自己想要的不在于此。

The ability to give up, in tears, crying on your bed because you have no idea what to do,

要有选择放弃的勇气，即使你会泪流满面，趴在床上痛哭不止，不知道自己该怎么做

throwing your hands in the air and asking the Universe for guidance is a vastly under rated skill.

让自己两手悬空，探问神秘的宇宙，请求一丝启示，这是一种调试自己的方式，人们大大低估了这种方式的作用。

Sometimes the only way to find a way forward is to admit defeat,

有的时候，唯一能让你向前走的方式就是承认自己已经失败了，

to surrender yourself to the fact that you're just a person and that you don't know what is going on most of the time,

向现实妥协，接受残局，承认自己只是个凡夫俗子，大多数时候，不可能掌控全局

and cry a lot until you feel better and find new direction.

放纵自己尽情哭泣吧，直到你心情好转，找到了新的方向

Be honest with yourself about your motivations –

诚实的面对自己，找到真正能激励自己的东西，

are you really doing something for yourself to become a better, more capable person, to improve your situation, etc,

你努力的目标究竟是什么？是为了让自己变得更好，更有能力，为了改善自己的生活处境，

or are you trying to impress someone ?

还是仅仅为了让某个人刮目相看？

Be careful about seeking the approval and the admiration of others, ultimately that kind of success is illusory .

如果你追求的只是其他人的肯定和赞扬，请多加小心，这样的成就，最终都是幻影。

Treat yourself at least as good as you treat other people.

如果你习惯善待他人，请同样善待自己，

Even the smallest change is important .. don't despise the day of small things.

不要小看变化，即使最微小的改变也是十分重要的，别低估了生活中那些微不足道的事物。

That's all I can think to say at the moment except that I love you.

此时此刻，我已经将自己能想到的尽数倾吐了，祝福你，年轻人。

翻译：小木