Over the past few weeks, I have delivered a number of speeches to business owners. Perhaps the most common question I’m asked by audiences is: “What makes an entrepreneur?” My typical answer is that self-confidence and self-discipline are the two most important traits.

　　在過去幾周里，我向一些企業(yè)主做了不少演講。聽眾向我提出的最普遍的問題大概是：“是什么造就了一名企業(yè)家？”我通常的回答是，自信和自律是兩個最重要的品質。

　　That is until I read a fascinating article about educating children in the New York Times (“What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” by Paul Tough). The essay postulates that the most worthwhile indicator of success at school for a child is not background or test scores but character. And the seven aspects of personality that apparently matter most are zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity. I realised that such a list could equally be the defining criteria for entrepreneurs.

　　 這是我在讀到《紐約時報》(New York Times.一篇關于兒童教育的絕妙文章之前的回答。這篇文章題為《如果成功的秘訣是失敗怎么辦？》(What if the Secret to Success is Failure?)，作者是保羅?圖赫(Paul Tough)。這篇文章認為，孩子在學校最值得看重的成功標志，不是背景或考試成績，而是性格品質。顯然，最重要的七種性格品質是：有強烈的興趣、勇敢、有自控力、社交能力強、有感恩之心、樂觀和好奇心強。我意識到，這些品質也可以用作定義企業(yè)家的標準。

　　Many people think character is part of one’s DNA, and not derived from experience. I disagree: as someone once said, “character is not given but earned”. An entrepreneur’s essence is revealed when their company is faced with a crisis; it is the best measure of how they will perform in the long run. As Goethe wrote: “Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.”

　　 許多人認為性格是DNA的一部分，不是從后天經(jīng)驗中獲得的。我不同意這一點：有人說過，“性格不是天生的，而是后天養(yǎng)成的”。一位企業(yè)家的根本品質會在他的公司面臨危機時展露出來；這是他們從長遠來看會有何等表現(xiàn)的最佳衡量標準。歌德(Goethe)曾寫道：“人世間的驚濤駭浪，最能磨練人的品性。”

　　Even though it is my firm belief that entrepreneurs are made, not born, running your own business is more of a calling than a conventional career. There is no standard training, as there is for so many other vocations, like music, art or medicine. Qualifications, family, connections – these are much less influential than the desire for independence and an appetite for adventure. “Animal spirits” – that curious phrase coined by economist John Maynard Keynes to describe a hunger for opportunity – are clearly paramount. Without that urge to seize the day, then all efforts are likely to come to nothing.

　　盡管我堅信，企業(yè)家是后天造就的，而非天生的，但經(jīng)營一家屬于自己的公司更多是響應一種召喚，而不是從事一種循規(guī)蹈矩的職業(yè)。這條路不存在標準化的培訓，像其他許多職業(yè)那樣，比如音樂、藝術或者醫(yī)學。職業(yè)技能、家庭背景、社會關系，這些都不如對獨立和冒險的渴望來得重要。顯然，“動物精神”——這個神奇的詞匯出自經(jīng)濟學家約翰?梅納德?凱恩斯(John Maynard Keynes)，用來描述對機會的渴求——在這里是至高無上的。如果沒有那種抓住當下的緊迫感，所有努力都可能白費。

　　Ambition by itself is almost irrelevant; a capacity for hard work, the courage to execute and the willingness to persevere are far more important.

　　單有野心幾乎是不可能成功的；刻苦工作的能力、付諸實踐的勇氣和堅持到底的意志比野心重要得多。

　　It seems there might even be a boom in Victorian values. I have just read an excellent new book called Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. It is part self-help manual, part psychology text. Much of the advice could apply to anyone wanting to run a start-up. In some ways it is a 21st century reworking of Samuel Smiles’ great celebration of the first industrialists, Self-Help. Today there are many more temptations and distractions, and so the need for self-discipline – if one desires to lead a productive life – is perhaps greater than ever.

　　維多利亞時期的價值觀似乎也越來越受到重視。我剛剛讀了一本極棒的新書，名為《意志力：重新發(fā)現(xiàn)人類最偉大的力量》(Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength)。它一部分是自助手冊，一部分是心理學教科書。對任何想要創(chuàng)業(yè)的人來說，書中的許多建議都是適用的。在某種程度上，它是塞繆爾?斯邁爾斯(Samuel Smiles)向第一批實業(yè)家致敬之作——《自助》(Self-Help)——在21世紀的翻版。如今，人們面臨更多的誘惑和干擾，因此如果一個人想要有所作為，自律或許比以往任何時候都更為重要。

　　Most of the tips in the book seem to be about the vices to avoid. I have observed certain recurring weaknesses that bedevil many would-be entrepreneurs. The first is an irrational fear of failure: they cannot put the downsides of self-employment into proportion; the second is procrastination, an unwillingness to make a decision; and the third is an inability to prioritise. Overcome these common problems and one’s chances of making progress are much improved.

　　書中大部分的忠告似乎都在講應該避免哪些缺點。我觀察到了一些反復出現(xiàn)的弱點，它們困擾著許多未來的企業(yè)家。首先是對失敗的不理智恐懼：他們無法合理對待自主創(chuàng)業(yè)的不利方面；其次是做事拖拉，不愿意做決定；第三是分不清事物的優(yōu)先次序?？朔@些普遍的問題，取得進步的機會就會大大提高。

　　The founding capitalists knew about character. J.P. Morgan, the legendary banker, was once asked “Is not commercial credit based primarily on money or property?”. He replied: “No sir, the first thing is character.”

　　最早的資本家深知性格的重要性。傳奇銀行家J?P?摩根(J.P. Morgan)曾被問道：“商業(yè)信用難道不是以金錢或者財產(chǎn)為首要依據(jù)的嗎？”他回答道：“不，最要緊的是性格。”

　　Of course, certain features possessed by entrepreneurs would hardly appear ideal to the ancient moral philosophers. For example, those who create enterprises from nothing are by nature egotists, impressing their vision of a new undertaking upon the world. The truly humble could never carry out a task like that. And prudence is hardly an asset for those who want to make it big in capitalism – indeed the opposite is true to at least a degree. Moreover, all entrepreneurs I know are fiercely competitive – probably not a virtue, but a crucial ingredient, nevertheless.

　　當然，對于古代的倫理學家來說，企業(yè)家具備的某些特點很難說是理想的。比如，白手起家的人從骨子里就是自我中心主義者，要把他們對某項新事業(yè)的看法強加給整個世界。真正謙卑的人永遠不可能完成這樣的使命。對于那些想要在資本主義世界大獲成功的人來說，謹慎幾乎不是優(yōu)點——的確，在某種程度上事實正相反。并且，我所認識的所有企業(yè)家都有極強的好勝心，這或許并不是美德，但卻是至關重要的品質。

　　Most of us acknowledge that our minds and habits evolve from challenges and struggles, rather than easy wins and overindulgence. In a way, the comfort of employment, the safety of a steady job, insulates many from the inevitable hardships of a tough marketplace. Yet such protection is not altogether healthy. Threats overcome, individual victories won after real striving – these are the most rewarding experiences of work. That is surely one of the great purposes in life, and what forges one’s character.

　　我們大部分人都承認，我們的思想和習慣都是在挑戰(zhàn)和掙扎中——而不是輕易的成功和任性妄為中——慢慢養(yǎng)成的。在某種程度上，工作的安逸、一份穩(wěn)定工作帶來的安全感，使許多人免于遭受殘酷的市場中所不可避免的艱難困苦。而這種保護并不總是有利的。戰(zhàn)勝困難，在奮力拼搏之后獲得一個個勝利，這些才是工作帶來的最高獎賞。這無疑是生活最重要的意義之一，也塑造著一個人的性格。