Do you ever feel like you have the  potential  to do great things with your life, but just aren't sure how to start? I know that feeling very well, as it's taken me years of reflection to figure out what activities make me feel happy and fulfilled. I hope this article will give you a gentle shove in the right direction. Simply answer these nine questions to unlock your potential.

你是不是覺得自己有做大事的潛力，但只是不知如何開始？我很清楚這種感覺，我用了好多年才想清楚什麼事情能讓自己開心和滿足。我希望這篇文章能為你指引正確的方向。回答一下下面的這些問題，來釋放你的潛能吧。

1. If I could only accomplish one thing before I die, what would that be?

如果死前只完成一件事情，我會做什麼？

Not two, three, or four things: what one thing do you want to achieve, accomplish, or experience more than anything else? Once you figure that out, pursue it with every ounce of hustle you've got, because life is too precious for regret.

不是兩件、三件或四件事情：比起其他的事情，哪一件事情是你最想實現、完成或經歷的？一旦你想清楚了，要不遺餘力地去實現它，因為生活太珍貴了，容不得一絲遺憾。

2. What are the top three things that make me feel happy and fulfilled?

哪三件事情最能讓我感到開心和滿足？

This could be training, coaching or teaching other people; writing books, blogs or articles; spending time with your children, partner or loved ones; enjoying nature activities like hiking, camping or rafting; or maybe you're a wandering soul who wants to travel to all of the places. Figure out your top three things, and build your schedule around them for a happier existence.

可能是培訓、 指導或教其他人；寫書、博客或文章；陪孩子、伴侶或所愛的人；享受大自然的活動如遠足、野營或划船；也許你有顆自由的靈魂，想去世界各地旅遊。想清楚最能讓你開心和滿足的三件事，圍繞著它們來安排活動，這樣你會更加開心。

3. What are the top three things that distract me from enjoying my life?

哪三件事情最讓我無法享受生活？

Being interrupted by buzzing, chirping and ringing every time you get a text or call? Turn your phone off unless your children are at school, or you're expecting a very important call (otherwise it can wait, I promise, voicemail exists for a reason).

每當收到短信或接到電話時都被嗡嗡聲、震動聲和鈴聲所打斷？把電話關機吧，除非你的孩子在學校里或你正在等非常重要的電話（否則的話是可以等待的，語音郵件的存在是有道理的。）

So stressed out by your job that you can't find the energy to think about anything else? Find another one (or even better, start your own biz).

工作的壓力太大，你都無法找到能量去思考其他事情？再去找份工作吧。（能自己創業就更好了）

Constantly subjected to a chorus of negative thoughts that make you feel like a failure or loser? See below.

不斷受消極思想的影響，你覺得自己很失敗？往下看。

4. Am I in control of my thoughts, or am I at the mercy of them?

我能控制我的思想嗎？或快能控制它們了？

If your thoughts are negative and nasty, then you can't expect your life to be positive and pleasant. Reality is a funny thing, but rather we all live in our own realities that are influenced by our beliefs, thoughts, and ideas.

如果你的思想是負面的、消極的，那麼你沒法期望你的生活是積極向上、令人愉快的。現實非常有趣，但是我們都生活在自己的現實中，受自己的信仰、思想和想法所影響。

You can't expect success in life if you keep telling yourself you will never amount to anything, aren't “good enough”, or don't deserve to be happy. If you'd like to defeat the Mental Monsters that limit you , this might help.

如果你一直告訴自己你會一事無成、自己“不夠好”、或自己不配開心，那麼你沒法期待成功。如果你想打敗限制你的精神怪獸，這樣做可能會有所幫助。

5. Am I in control of my eating decisions, or am I at the mercy of them?

我能控制自己的飲食決定嗎？還是經不起飲食的誘惑？

Just like your thoughts influence your perception of reality, your eating decisions influence your mood and energy levels. Happy, healthy people consciously choose to eat foods that make them feel alert, focus, and energetic. Unhappy, unhealthy people unconsciously allow their mood and social surroundings to dictate their eating decisions.

正如你的思想影響著你對現實的感知一樣，你的飲食決定也會影響你的心情和能量。開心、健康的人們有意識地選擇能讓他們警覺、專心和有能量的食物。不開心、不健康的人們無意識地允許他們的心情和社交環境來影響他們的飲食決定。

6. What strengths did I use to achieve three major goals in my life?

要想實現生活中的三大目標，我該利用哪些優點？

Think about three of the biggest achievements of your life. That could be graduating college, getting a raise or  promotion , landing your first “real job,” getting published for the first time, or (insert your thing here). Now, think about what personal strengths you used to achieve those things. See any trends? If so, the road that leads to success is right in front of you.

想一想你生活中的三個最大的成就。可以是從大學畢業、得到晉升、找到第一份“真正的工作”、文字第一次出版、或……現在，想一想你有哪些優點可以幫你完成這些事情。找到趨勢了？如果這樣的話，通往成功的路正擺在你的面前。

7. How can I use those strengths more often?

我該如何更頻繁地發揮這些長處？

While it is sometimes important to correct a weakness if it causes a significantly negative effect to your performance, it is often much easier and less time-consuming to simply play to your strengths in a way that make your weaknesses completely irrelevant.

雖然有時有的缺點對你的表現會產生相當大的負面影響，改正這個缺點對你來說至關重要，但是揚長避短這種方式通常會更加容易、更節省時間。

Write down the strengths you came up with in the question above, put them somewhere you will see them daily, and keep asking yourself, “How can I use those strengths today?”

寫下當你回答上面問題時你所想到的長處，把它們放到每天都能看到的地方，多問問自己，“今天我該如何發揮這些長處？”

8. Why should I care what other people think about me?

我為什麼介意別人是怎麼看我的？

If you spend all of your days consumed in concerns about what other people think about you, then you're going to be too stressed out and depressed to take the action necessary for improving your life.

如果你把大量的時間用來思考別人是怎麼看你的，那你準會有很大壓力、很鬱悶，以至於無法採取必要的行動來改善自己的生活。

It is better to have a small number of true friends you trust, than a large number of phony friends who don't love and accept you as you are.

有一小群信任的朋友比有一大幫不愛你、不接受真正的你的朋友要好得多。

9. Why do I exist?

我因何而存在？

I know that question is a lot to wrap your head around (that just so happens to be why I saved it for the end), but nonetheless, it is something you need to think about. Look at it this way: if a person was giving a speech about you at your funeral, what would you want them to say? Or, if someone was to write a  biography  about you after your death, what would you hope it would say?

我知道這個問題得想好長時間（這也是為什麼我把它放在最後），然而，你該想想這個問題。可以這樣想：如果一個人在你的葬禮上發表一篇關於你的演講，你想讓他們說什麼呢？或者，如果有人在死後為你寫了一篇傳記，你希望上面寫什麼內容？