1 Embrace Reality and Deal with It（擁抱現實，並認真解決）

1.1 Be a hyperrealist.（成為超現實主義者）

Understanding, accepting, and working with reality is both practical and beautiful.

I have become so much of a hyperrealist that I』ve learned to appreciate the beauty of all realities, even harsh ones, and have come to despise impractical idealism.（鄙視理想主義者）

我已經成為超現實主義者的一員，學會欣賞所有現實的美好，甚至是苛刻的現實，並且蔑視不切實際的理想主義。

Don』t get me wrong: I believe in making dreams happen. To me, there』s nothing better in life than doing that. The pursuit of dreams is what gives life its flavor.

My point is that people who create great things aren』t idle dreamers: They are totally grounded in reality. Being hyperrealistic will help you choose your dreams wisely and then achieve them.

（我的觀點是，創造偉大事情的人不是理想主義者，他們是超現實主義者。成為超現實主義者會幫助你明智的選擇夢想，並實現它）

（我特意查了一下什麼是現實主義者：現實主義者認為生活是最實際的東西，就是現實中的一切，而做事情，只要結果能夠達到，過程不需要完美，也不需要充滿理想化。他們以最實際的條件和方法達到想要的結果為目的。這個就是現實主義者的意思。--來自網路，不知道對不對）

I have found the following to be almost always true:

Dreams + Reality + Determination = A Successful Life.

People who achieve success and drive progress deeply understand the cause-effect relationships that govern reality and have principles for using them to get what they want. The converse is also true: Idealists who are not well grounded in reality create problems, not progress.

What does a successful life look like? We all have our own deep-seated needs, so we each have to decide for ourselves what success is. I don』t care whether you want to be a master of the universe, a couch potato, or anything else—I really don』t. Some people want to change the world and others want to operate in simple harmony with it and savor life. Neither is better.

Each of us needs to decide what we value most and choose the paths we take to achieve it.

Take a moment to reflect on where you are on the following scale, which illustrates an overly simplified choice you should think about. Where would you put yourself on it?

品味生活--發揮影響力

The question isn』t just how much of each to go after, but how hard to work to get as much as possible. I wanted crazy amounts of each, was thrilled to work hard to get as much of them as possible, and found that they could largely be one and the same and mutually reinforcing.

Over time I learned that getting more out of life wasn』t just a matter of working harder at it. It was much more a matter of working effectively, because working effectively could increase my capacity by hundreds of times.

I don』t care what you want or how hard you want to work for it. That』s for you to decide. I』m just trying to pass along to you what has helped me get the most out of each hour of time and each unit of effort.

Most importantly, I』ve learned that there is no escaping the fact that:

1.2 Truth—or, more precisely, an accurate understanding of reality—is the essential foundation for any good outcome.

Most people fight seeing what』s true when it』s not what they want it to be. That』s bad, because it is more important to understand and deal with the bad stuff since the good stuff will take care of itself.

大多數人看到不是他們想要的現實時（現實不是他們想像的現實），他們會反抗。這很糟糕，因為理解和處理不好的東西更重要，因為好的東西會照顧好自己。

Do you agree with that? If not, you are unlikely to benefit from what follows. If you do agree, let』s build on it.