吳軍——向死而生

絕大多數人都過分看重最后的一兩周，而忽視前面的幾十年。在健康的幾十年里，人們浪費掉的時間又何止兩周呢？子女們把喝酒聊天、無所事事的時間省下來1%陪父母，多盡孝道的時間能有幾個月之久。父母們把自己忙工作的時間，抽出5%陪子女，享受天倫之樂的時間無形中多了不知多少。甚至只要每天開車時，想著系安全帶，人均壽命就能延長一周。因此，珍視生命，從平時一點一滴坐起來，就等于延長了我們的壽命。

死亡是人對社會的最后一次貢獻。沒有個體的死亡，就沒有整體的發展。凱文.凱利講，只有一種細胞不死，就是癌細胞，但是整個機體會死掉，然后它也會死掉。如果我們人不死，我們的社會就要死亡，最終沒一個個體也難逃死亡的厄運。有生就有死，這是我們宇宙的基本規律。

在我們有限的生命里，如果能將遺傳的信息傳遞下去，再將創造出的信息（知識等）流傳下去，我們的生命已經相當完美了。

活著總要做些事情，但是考慮到最終要死掉，并沒有時間什么事情都做。我的想法常常和別人不同，我是倒著思考該做什么事情的，或者說，向死而生。把我要做的事情，從最重要的開始，列一個單子，就盡量開始做了。

有些事情，在很多人看來，挺重要，但是仔細想一想，可能會占據時間耽誤我去做更重要的事情，于是便舍棄了。對我來講，決定什么事情做，什么事情不做，不是通常人們的想法，而是這張單子。一些人問我為什么離開騰訊，離開Google，還有各種猜測，我想等他們快到終點時會明白的，因為在我的單子上，有比那些重要得多的事情。

喬布斯在斯坦福大學的演講

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

做真正重要的事情

吳軍和喬布斯都講了一個本質的東西：做對你而言最重要的事情。并且這個事情重要到可以讓你不受存量控制。喬布斯的那句話形容得恰到好處，當你向死而生的時候，you are already naked，沒有什么東西可以牽絆住你的腳步。