2012如何做到真正快乐幸福？

In mid-December, I celebrated my 30th birthday at a little Scandinavian restaurant in a quickly-changing part of DC. I was surrounded by great artwork, brightly colored vats of aquavit, and the people I loved most. Throughout the cocktails and the courses of heavy winter food, I kept looking around to marvel at all I have to appreciate in my life. Professionally, I am a decently busy photographer and yoga teacher. I just marked a year and half with my boyfriend (we’re an OK Cupid success story). I have lovely friends and a great home and opportunities to travel. Most importantly, though, I feel good in my own skin and confident in my ability to handle the hard times.
12月中旬，我在一家传统北欧风情餐厅里庆祝了自己三十而立。这家饭店位于哥伦比亚，其所在地已经发展得日新月异。在派对上，我的周围是绚丽夺目的礼物，五彩斑斓的白兰地和我最爱的人们所带来的快乐。在享受可口的冬季佳肴和美酒的同时，我亦观察着周围的人和事，对我生命中所出现的一切感到无比激动和感恩。工作上，我是一个体面的摄影师和瑜伽教练。感情上，我和我的男友已经共同度过了一年半的甜蜜恋爱时光（我和他的故事正是丘比特爱神之箭成功射中的杰作）。我还有要好的朋友和一个幸福的家庭，甚至有机会去外面旅旅游。而最最重要的是，我对自己的现状非常满意，日子即使变得艰难，我也相信自己有能力把它处理好。

It wasn’t always this way. Five years ago, I was going through some serious soul-searching. I was just back in the States after living abroad. Confused about what I wanted to do, I took a job at a dysfunctional non-profit, where I soon felt trapped. I had been single for a while and thought this meant something big about me. I tried to be myself, but each date I went on only confirmed how far I was from having the kind of relationship I wanted. There was nothing really wrong in my life, but nothing felt like it fit.
但之前我的生活并不是这样。五年前，我一直在认真进行自我反思。当时我正从国外回来，对于前途非常迷茫。在一家不太正规的非盈利机构工作了一段时间后，我陷入了工作困境。对于单身的我来讲，这个状态是非常严重的。我努力做我自己，但每天我所作的一切却仅仅证明了一点——我正离我理想的人际关系处理状态越来越远。我的生活并没有出现什么大问题，但却总感觉有什么不对劲。

It took a lot of change to get to where I am now. I got a therapist and a life coach. I got serious about my yoga practice, sat for 10 days on an intense meditation retreat, and took ayahuasca with a shaman in the Peruvian Amazon. I took a lot of risks and was super honest about what I wanted—and what I was willing to do to get there. These days, I still feel fear, anger, anxiety, and shame. But I see these as temporary moods within the larger framework of a life I love.
我做了很大改变才成为如今的自己。我雇了一位私人医生和一位生活导师，开始认真练习瑜伽。我曾静坐整整10天，全身心投入冥想，在秘鲁亚马逊和一位萨满祭司饮用死藤水（小编注：用南美一种藤本植物的根泡制而成，有致幻作用的饮料）。我尝试了各种冒险活动，完全忠于探索自己的内心所需，并思考着我愿意怎样做才能获得它。

I want this for us all. Although I am skeptical about most New Year's resolutions—my brother says we just use them to make ourselves feel better after overindulging in the holidays—I think now is as good a time as any to make the changes you’ve been thinking about. These are five ideas that have helped me on my quest to be happier.
我希望把我的想法分享给大家。虽然对人们常讲的新年计划我持怀疑态度——弟弟说那其实人们为了享受假期找的美好慰藉——但我认为对于你们当中任何有规划新年习惯的朋友，现在就是最好的时机了。