In the game of life, if it often seems like you’re on the losing end of things, you’re not alone. Life can be one giant conundrum filled with ups and downs. When you feel like you’re experiencing more downs than ups, sometimes it helps to get a little tough love once in a while. That’s why we put together this list of 10 harsh truths that will help you grow.

在人生游戲中，總會感覺自己總在經歷失敗。你并不是一個人。人生就是一個巨大的謎題，充滿了起起伏伏。如果你覺得你經歷的失敗多余成功，偶爾感受一點嚴厲之愛也許會有幫助。所以我們總結了會幫助你成長的10個殘酷事實。

1. Life isn’t fair.

人生是不公平的

Life will hand you lemons, often when you least expect it. The sooner you embrace this harsh truth, the better prepared you’ll be to handle tough situations that are sure to arise.

往往在你最意想不到的時候，人生會讓你嘗到檸檬的酸味。你越早明白這個殘酷的事實，在處理這些必將出現的麻煩事時，你就會準備得越好。

2. The first step is always the hardest.

萬事開頭難

Let’s face it: changing bad habits is tough. Research proves it. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So if you want to change something, start with baby steps. Take a small action–any action–and grow from there.

讓我們面對這個事實：改掉壞習慣非常困難。研究證實了這一點。中國的哲學家老子說過，“千里之行，始于足下。”如果你想要做出改變，就從第一步開始。做出一點小的行動，任何一種行動都行，然后就從這里開始。

3. Good things usually don’t come quickly.

好事情不會來得很快

Great accomplishments in our lives normally don’t come easy. And if you think about it, would you have it any other way? There’s a basic psychological principle called instant gratification, which means that we expect to get rewards instantly. But sometimes you need to fight the impulses your brain throws at you and trust that the journey you’re on is the right one.

我們認識中的偉大成就都來之不易。想想看，你還有別的辦法嗎?有一個基本的心理學原理，叫做即時滿足，意思是我們期待立刻獲得回報。但有時候你要和大腦中的這種沖動作斗爭，要相信你正在走一條正確的路。

4. Not everyone will support you along the way.

人生路上不是每個人都會支持你

In life, there’s no shortage of doubters, haters, and pessimists. Overcoming this harsh truth is simple: don’t listen. Choose to stick with your guns, trust your instincts, and forget about people who don’t support your goals and passions.

你的人生中從來不缺乏懷疑者、嫉妒者和悲觀主義者。克服這個殘酷的現實很簡單：別聽他們的。堅守自己，相信你的直覺，忘掉那些不支持你的目標和激情的人。

5. You can’t always be in control of everything.

你無法永遠掌控每件事

Listen, letting go is hard, especially if you’re a go-getter. But if you want to continue to grow, there are times when you need to relinquish your control on everything and let things unfold how they’re meant to be. This doesn’t mean your mentality for everything should be “wait and hope.” You can still strive for greatness, but put the work in and then let go with complete faith that the universe will make things right for you. You’ll be amazed at how well it works.

聽著，放手不是件容易的事，尤其如果你還是一個能干的人。但如果你想繼續成長，有時候你需要放棄對某些事的掌控，讓一切順其自然。這并不意味著你對待事情的態度是“靜觀其變”。你依然可以為了成就偉大而奮斗，只不過在努力之后，就可以放手，要相信上天會為你安排妥當。你會驚訝地發現一切都很順利。

6. You can’t accomplish great things without taking great risks.

不入虎穴焉得虎子

Here’s another harsh truth many people have trouble grasping: if you don’t take risks you will have a lot harder time accomplishing what you want in life. People who truly change the world are the biggest risk takers. They’re the ones who are willing to put everything on the line and fail for something they believe in. And they treat each failure as an opportunity to grow and get better.

這又是一個很多人不能領會的殘酷現實：如果你不能冒險，想實現你所追求的就會更加困難。那些真正改變世界的人都是最大的冒險家。他們情愿讓一切出于危險之中，也肯為了他們所信仰的事而失敗。他們認為每一次失敗都是一次成長、變得更好的機會。

7. You may be better off without some of the people you currently care about.

沒有了你眼下在乎的某些人，你的生活也許更美好

This one is tough to hear, I know. But chances are, there’s someone in your life you care about deeply who is holding you back. That’s not to say you should give up on the people you love. However, there comes a time when you need to make the tough decision to say no to people who aren’t helping you grow.

我知道這一點聽起來很難以接受。但有可能你生命中某個你特別在乎的人阻礙了你前進。這不是說你要放棄那些你愛的人。可是有時候你需要作出艱難的決定，對那些不能幫助你成長的人說不。

8. Death is a part of life.

死亡是人生的一部分

Nothing can prepare us for the earth-shattering pain of losing a loved one. The harsh truth of life is that it’s a viscous cycle. However, there’s something you can do to make losing someone you love a lot less painful: make them a part of your life right now. Don’t put off making that phone call or paying a random visit to a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while. Treat every moment with your loved ones as if it’s your last, and you won’t have any regrets.

面對失去所愛之人的巨大痛苦，我們總是無所適從。殘酷的現實在于，這是一個黏性的循環。但是你可以做一些事情，讓這種痛苦減輕一些：從現在起就讓他們成為你人生中的一部分。別推遲給那些好久沒見的朋友或家人打電話或者上門拜訪。每次和你愛的人們相處時都把它當做是最后一次，這樣你就不會有任何遺憾了。

9. You are the only thing holding yourself back from greatness.

你是自己通向偉大的唯一阻礙

Often we get so caught up hoping for the next great thing that we don’t realize what’s unfolding right in front of our faces. Don’t hold yourself back with negative thoughts. Instead, focus on the positive things you have going in your life. Choose to be happy right now.

我們總是期待著下一件好事情，卻沒有意識到它正在我們面前發生。別被消極的念頭所阻礙。相反，要關注那些發生在你生活中的積極的事情。選擇快樂，就是現在。

10. Sometimes bad things happen to good people

有時候好人也會遇到壞事

Suffering is part of life. But here’s the cool thing: it makes us stronger. There’s a randomness to how the world works that’s really hard to understand. We see evidence of this every day, and it can really make you question the future of mankind. How you choose to view the world is up to you. Just remember, the truth, however harsh, will set you free.

磨難是人生的一部分。但好處在于，它會讓我們更強大。世界的運轉總有隨機性，這確實難以理解。我們每天都會看到這種證據，這的確會讓你質疑人類的未來。你如何看待這個世界由你自己決定。只需要記住，現實不論多么殘酷，都會讓你自由。