Personal Renewal英语演讲经典值得收藏.docx

Personal Renewal英语演讲经典值得收藏.docx

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PersonalRenewal英语演讲经典值得收藏

“PersonalRenewal”

deliveredby JOHNW.GARDNER

Background

JohnW.GardnerwastheSecretaryofHealth,Education,andWelfareunderPresidentLyndonJohnson,anactivistandauthor,andrecipientofthe1964PresidentialMedalofFreedom.ThisspeechwasdeliveredtoMcKinsey&CompanyonNovember10,1990.

SpeechTranscript

I'mgoingtotalkabout“Self-Renewal.”Oneofyourmostfundamentaltasksistherenewaloftheorganizationsyouserve,andthatusuallyincludespersuadingthetopofficerstoaccomplishacertainamountofself-renewal.Buttohelpyouthinkaboutothersisnotmyprimarymissionthismorning.Iwanttohelpyouthinkaboutyourselves.

Itakethatmissionveryseriously,andI'vewrittenoutwhatIhavetosaybecauseIwanteverysentencetohititstarget.Iknowagooddealaboutthekindofworkyoudoandknowhowdemandingitis.ButI'mnotgoingtotalkaboutthespecialproblemsofyourkindofcareer;I'mgoingtotalkaboutsomebasicproblemsofthelifecyclethatwillsurelyhityouifyou'renotreadyforthem.

Ioncewroteabookcalled“Self-Renewal”thatdealswiththedecayandrenewalofsocieties,organizationsandindividuals.Iexploredthequestionofwhycivilizationsdieandhowtheysometimesrenewthemselves,andthepuzzleofwhysomemenandwomengotoseedwhileothersremainvitalalloftheirlives.It'sthelatterquestionthatIshalldealwithatthistime.Iknowthatyouasanindividualarenotgoingtoseed.Butthepersonseatedonyourrightmaybeinfairlyseriousdanger.

Notlongago,Ireadasplendidarticleonbarnacles.Idon'twanttogivethewrongimpressionofthefocusofmyreadinginterests.Sometimesdaysgobywithoutmyreadingaboutbarnacles,muchlessrememberingwhatIread.Butthisarticlehadanunforgettableopeningparagraph.“Thebarnacle”theauthorexplained“isconfrontedwithanexistentialdecisionaboutwhereit'sgoingtolive.Onceitdecides...itspendstherestofitslifewithitsheadcementedtoarock..”Endofquote.Foragoodmanyofus,itcomestothat.

We'veallseenmenandwomen,evenonesinfortunatecircumstanceswithresponsiblepositionswhoseemtorunoutofsteaminmidcareer.

Onemustbecompassionateinassessingthereasons.Perhapslifejustpresentedthemwithtougherproblemsthantheycouldsolve.Ithappens.Perhapssomethinginflictedamajorwoundontheirconfidenceortheirself-esteem.Perhapstheywerepulleddownbythehiddenresentmentsandgrievancesthatgrowinadultlife,sometimessoluxuriantlythat,liketangledvines,theyimmobilizethevictim.You'veknownsuchpeople—feelingsecretlydefeated,maybesomewhatsourandcynical,orperhapsjustvaguelydispirited.Ormaybetheyjustransohardforsolongthatsomewherealongthelinetheyforgotwhatitwastheywererunningfor.

I'mnottalkingaboutpeoplewhofailtogettothetopinachievement.Wecan'tallgettothetop,andthatisn'tthepointoflifeanyway.I'mtalkingaboutpeoplewho—nomatterhowbusytheyseemtobe—havestoppedlearningorgrowing.Manyofthemarejustgoingthroughthemotions.Idon'tderidethat.Lifeishard.Justtokeeponkeepingonissometimesanactofcourage.ButIdoworryaboutmenandwomenfunctioningfarbelowtheleveloftheirpotential.

Wehavetofacethefactthatmostmenandwomenoutthereintheworldofworkaremorestalethantheyknow,moreboredthantheywouldcaretoadmit.Boredomisthesecretailmentoflarge-scaleorganizations.Someonesaidtometheotherday“HowcanIbesoboredwhenI'msobusy?

”AndIsaid“Letmecounttheways.”LoganPearsallSmithsaidthatboredomcanrisetothelevelofamysticalexperience,andifthat'strueIknowsomeverybusymiddlelevelexecutiveswhoareamongthegreatmysticsofalltime.

Wecan'twriteoffthedangerofcomplacency,growingrigidity,imprisonmentbyourowncomfortablehabitsandopinions.Lookaroundyou.Howmanypeoplewhomyouknowwell—peopleevenyoungerthanyourselves–arealreadytrappedinfixedattitudesandhabits.AfamousFrenchwritersaid“Therearepeoplewhoseclocksstopatacertainpointintheirlives.”IcouldwithoutanytroublenameahalfofadozennationalfiguresresidentinWashington,D.C.,whomyouwouldrecognize,andcouldtellyouroughlytheyeartheirclockstopped.Iwon'tdoitbecauseIstillhavetodealwiththemperiodically.

I'vewatchedalotofmid-careerpeople,andYogiBerrasaysyoucanobservealotjustbywatching.I'veconcludedthatmostpeopleenjoylearningandgrowing.Andmanyaredearlytroubledbytheself-assessmentsofmid-career.

Suchself-assessmentsarenogreatproblematyourage.You'reyoungandmovingup.Thedramaofyourownriseisenough.Butwhenyoureachmiddleage,whenyourenergiesaren'twhattheyusedtobe,thenyou'llbegintowonderwhatitalladdedupto;you'llbegintolookforthefigureinthecarpetofyourlife.Ihavesomesimpleadviceforyouwhenyoubeginthatprocess.Don'tbetoohardonyourself.Lookahead.Someonesaidthat“Lifeistheartofdrawingwithoutaneraser.”Andabovealldon'timaginethatthestoryisover.Lifehasalotofchapters.

Ifweareconsciousofthedangerofgoingtoseed,wecanresorttocountervailingmeasures.Atalmostanyage.Youdon'tneedtorundownlikeanunwoundclock.Andifyourclockisunwound,youcanwinditupagain.Youcanstayaliveineverysenseoftheworduntilyoufailphysically.Iknowsomeprettysuccessfulpeoplewhofeelthatthatjustisn'tpossibleforthem,thatlifehastrappedthem.Buttheydon'treallyknowthat.Lifetakesunexpectedturns.

Isaidinmybook,“Self-Renewal,”thatwebuildourownprisonsandserveasourownjail-keepers.Inolongercompletelyagreewiththat.Istillthinkwe'reourownjailkeepers,butI'veconcludedthatourparentsandthesocietyatlargehaveahandinbuildingourprisons.Theycreaterolesforus—andselfimages—thatholduscaptiveforalongtime.Theindividualintentonself-renewalwillhavetodealwithghostsofthepast—thememoryofearlierfailures,theremnantsofchildhooddramasandrebellions,accumulatedgrievancesandresentmentsthathavelongoutlivedtheircause.Sometimespeopleclingtotheghostswithsomethingalmostapproachingpleasure—butthehamperingeffectongrowthisinescapable.AsJimWhitaker,whoclimbedMountEverest,said“Youneverconquerthemountain,Youonlyconqueryourself.”

ThemoreIseeofhumanlives,themoreIbelievethebusinessofgrowingupismuchlongerdrawnoutthanwepretend.Ifweachieveitinour30's,evenour40s,we'redoingwell.Tothoseofyouwhoareparentsofteenagers,Icanonlysay“Sorryaboutthat.”

There'samyththatlearningisforyoungpeople.Butastheproverbsays,“It'swhatyoulearnafteryouknowitallthatcounts.”Themiddleyearsaregreat,greatlearningyears.Eventheyearspastthemiddleyears.Itookonanewjobaftermy77thbirthday—andI'mstilllearning.

Learnallyourlife.Learnfromyourfailures.Learnfromyoursuccesses,Whenyouhitaspelloftrouble,ask“Whatisittryingtoteachme?

”Thelessonsaren'talwayshappyones,buttheykeepcoming.Itisn'tabadideatopauseoccasionallyforaninwardlook.Bymidlife,mostofusareaccomplishedfugitivesfromourselves.

Welearnfromourjobs,fromourfriendsandfamilies.Welearnbyacceptingthecommitmentsoflife,byplayingtherolesthatlifehandsus（notnecessarilytheroleswewouldhavechosen）.Welearnbygrowingolder,bysuffering,byloving,bybearingwiththethingswecan'tchange,bytakingrisks.

Thethingsyoulearninmaturityaren'tsimplethingssuchasacquiringinformationandskills.Youlearnnottoengageinself-destructivebehavior.Youleantnottoburnupenergyinanxiety.Youdiscoverhowtomanageyourtensions,ifyouhaveany,whichyoudo.Youlearnthatself-pityandresentmentareamongthemosttoxicofdrugs.Youfindthattheworldlovestalent,butpaysoffoncharacter.

Youcometounderstandthatmostpeopleareneitherforyounoragainstyou,theyarethinkingaboutthemselves.Youlearnthatnomatterhowhardyoutrytoplease,somepeopleinthisworldarenotgoingtoloveyou,alessonthatisatfirsttroublingandthenreallyquiterelaxing.

Thosearethingsthatarehardtolearnearlyinlife,Asaruleyouhavetohavepickedupsomemileageandsomedentsinyourfendersbeforeyouunderstand.AsNormanDouglassaid“Therearesomethingsyoucan'tlearnfromothers.Youhavetopassthroughthefire.'

Youcometotermswithyourself.YoufinallygraspwhatS.N.Behrmanmeantwhenhesaid“Attheendofeveryroadyoumeetyourself.”Youmaynotgetridofallofyourhang-ups,butyoulearntocontrolthemtothepointthatyoucanfunctionproductivelyandnothurtothers.

Youlearntheartsofmutualdependence,meetingtheneedsoflovedonesandlettingyourselfneedthem.Youcanevenbeunaffected—aqualitythatoftentakesyearstoacquire.Youcanachievethesimplicitythatliesbeyondsophistication.

Youcometounderstandyourimpactonothers.It'sinterestingthateveninthefirstyearoflifeyoulearntheimpactthatavarietyofothershaveonyou,butaslateasmiddleagemanypeoplehaveaveryimperfectunderstandingoftheimpacttheythemselveshaveonothers.Thehostilepersonkeepsasking‘Whyarepeoplesohardtogetalongwith?

”Insomemeasurewecreateourownenvironment.Youmaynotyetgraspthepowerofthattruthtochangeyourlife.

Ofcoursefailuresareapartofthestorytoo.Everyonefails,JoeLouissaid“Everyonehastofiguretogetbeatsometime.”Thequestionisn'tdidyoufailbutdidyoupickyourselfupandmoveah