【生きるうえでの16の指針】
Bob Parsonsとうドメイン登録会社のGoDaddy.comの創業者がブログで書いた内容を、誰かが紹介しているのを読んで、またこの場に紹介します。今現在原文がどこにあるかは不明ですが。。

かなり元気になります。

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. (『心地よい領域』の外に出る。外にい続ける)
I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."
(『心地良い領域』にいる限り、あまり『すごい』ことは起こらない。)


2. Never give up. (あきらめない)
Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.(失敗したからといって、出来ないと決まったわけではない。やり方がよくなかっただけだ。そもそも簡単に成功するような方法なら、誰かが既に試みているはず。)


3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. (『あきらめよう』と思った時には、自分が思っているよりも成功に近い)
There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."(中国のことわざ『やめたい、という誘惑は成功の直前で最も大きくなる』)

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. (心配事については、最悪の事態を想定するだけでなく、最悪のインパクトを定量化する)
Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."(『失敗しても、食われてしまうわけではない』だったら、心配には及ばない)


5. Focus on what you want to have happen. (起こしたい事、にフォーカスする)
Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."(人間は自分が意識した通りの存在になる)

6. Take things a day at a time. (物事には、一日ずつ取組む)
No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.(どんなに難しいことでも、先を見すぎるのではなく、とにかく現時点に集中することで、必ず乗り切ることができる。)

7. Always be moving forward. (常に前進する)
Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.(投資することをやめない。改善することをやめない。新しいことを探すことをやめない。改善することをやめた瞬間、組織は死ぬ。トヨタのカイゼンの精神を忘れない。)

8. Be quick to decide. (決断は早く)
Remember what the Union Civil War general, Tecumseh Sherman said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."(「明日実行される完璧な計画」よりも「今日暴力的に実行された良い計画」の方が遥かに良い)

9. Measure everything of significance. (重要なものは全て測定すること)
I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.(経験則:計測され、注目されたものは必ず改善する)

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. (管理されていないものは必ず劣化する)
If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.(よく分からない問題に遭遇したときには、しばらく見ていない領域を詳しく見ると、そこに問題がある)

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. (競合を意識せよ。しかし、自分が何をしているのかをもっと意識せよ)
When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.(競合について調べる時には、『何ごとでも離れて見ると完璧に見える』ということを忘れない。地球も、遠くから見ると平和な惑星に見える)

12. Never let anybody push you around. (決して他人に小突き回されないように)
In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal. (違法でもない限り、自分にも他人と同じだけ『自分のしたいことをする』権利がある)

13. Never expect life to be fair. (『人生は公平だ』なんて思わないこと)
Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).(幸運は自分で手繰り寄せるものである。公平(=Fair)なのは、バスの料金(=Fare)だけ)

14. Solve your own problems. (自分の問題は自分で解決する)
You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."(ソニー創業者井深大の言葉「テクノロジーでもビジネスでも何の分野でも、人まねでは決して成功しない。」。アジアのことわざ「賢い人は秘密を守る」)

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. (自分自身のことをあまり深刻に考えない)
Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are. (「明るく。明るく」。成功するときには、最低半分以上は運によるものだ。)

16. There's always a reason to smile. (どんなときにも笑う理由は存在する)
Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."(『人間は、長い時間を過ごすために生まれてくるのではなく、楽しい時を過ごすために生まれてくるのだ』)


"The above (or following) article (or rules for survival) is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright 2005 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved."