经典英语美文成功之路Road to success阅读欣赏

　　Road to success   成功之路

　　It is well that young men should begin at thebeginning and occupy the most subordinatepositions. Many ofthe leading businessmen ofPittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust uponthem at the very threshold of their career. They wereintroduced to the broom, and spent the first hoursof their business lives sweeping out the office. Inotice we have janitors and janitresses now inoffices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education.But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the geniusof the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. The other day afond fashionable mother in Michigan asked a young manwhether he had ever seen ayoung ladysweep in a room so grandly as her Priscilla.He said no,he never had, and the mother wasgratified beyond measure, but then he said, after a pause,“What I should like to see her do issweep out a room.”It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. Iwas one of those sweepers myself.

　　年轻人创业之初，应该从 底层干起，这是件好事。匹兹保有很多商业巨头，在他们创业之初，都肩负过“重任”：他们以扫帚相伴，以打扫办公室的方式度过了他们商业生涯中 初的时光。我注意到我们现在办公室里都有工友，于是年轻人就不幸错过了商业教育中这个有益的环节。如果碰巧哪天上午专职扫地的工友没有来，某个具有未来合伙人气质的年轻人会毫不犹豫地试着拿起扫帚。一天，一位来自密西根州的时尚女性问一位年轻男子，他是否看见过有一位像普里西拉的年轻女子曾经在这里扫地。他说他从来没看见过，这位母亲非常高兴，但是他想了一会说：“我想看她把整个房间都打扫一遍。”如果必要的话，打扫房间对于新人来说没什么不好。我自己就曾经扫过地。

　　Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is “aimhigh”. Iwould not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner orthe head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as headclerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say toyourself, “My place is at the top.” Be king in your dreams.

　　假如你已经被录用，并且有了一个良好的开端，我对你的建议是：要志存高远。一个年轻人，如果不把自己想象成一家大公司未来的老板或者是合伙人，那我会对他不屑一顾。不论职位有多高，你的内心都不要满足于做一个总管，领班或者总经理。要对自己说：我要迈向顶尖！要做就做你梦想中的国王！

　　And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy,thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun inone line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have thebest machinery, and know the most about it.

　　成功的首要条件和 大秘诀就是：把你的精力，思想和资本全都集中在你正从事的事业上。一旦开始从事某种职业，就要下定决心在那一领域闯出一片天地来；做这一行的领导人物，采纳每一点改进之心，采用 优良的设备，对专业知识熟稔于心。

　　The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they havescatteredtheir brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, andeverywhere. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” is all wrong. I tell you to “put all your eggsin one basket, and then watch that basket.” Look round you and take notice, men who do thatnot often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too manybaskets that breaks most eggs in this country.He who carries three baskets must put one onhis head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lackof concentration.

　　一些公司的失败就在于他们分散了资金，因为这就意味着分散了他们的精力。他们向这方面投资，又向那方面投资；在这里投资，在那里投资，到处都投资。“不要把所有的鸡蛋放在一个篮子里”的说法大错特错。我要对你说：“把所有的鸡蛋都放在一个篮子里，然后小心地看好那个篮子。”看看你周围，你会注意到：这么做的人其实很少失败。看管和携带一个篮子并不太难。人们总是试图提很多篮子，所以才打破这个国家的大部分鸡蛋。提三个篮子的人，必须把一个顶在头上，而这个篮子很可能倒下来，把他自己绊倒。美国商人的一个缺点就是不够专注。

　　To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touchliquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cashfund; make the firm’s interestyours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put allyour eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, benot impatient, for as Emerson says, “no one can cheatyou out of ultimate success butyourselves.”

　　把我的话归纳一下：要志存高远；不要出入酒吧；要滴酒不沾，或要喝也只在用餐时喝少许；不要做投机买卖；不要寅吃卯粮；要把公司的利益当作自己的利益；取消订货的目的永远是为了挽救货主；要专注；要把所有的鸡蛋放在一个篮子里，然后小心地看好它；要量入为出； 后，要有耐心，正如爱默生所言，“谁都无法阻止你 终成功，除非你自己承认自己失败。”