迈向卓越的第一步：从我改变开始，努力前行。

The First Step Towards Excellence: Start from Me, Strive Forward with Effort.

1. 两个月前的一天，二十多年不联系的初恋加我微信，当时心里五味杂陈，知道他在很远很远的城市生活的不错，但具体做什么，情况怎样我一无所知。因为从不联系开始，就有意的回避着关于他的任何消息，我花了好几年的时间把他彻底忘记，我也曾一度认为我们这辈子不可能再见面了，把他放在心里的一块角落，永远不再触碰。

1. Two months ago, one day, my first love, whom I haven't been in contact with for over twenty years, added me on WeChat. At that moment, I felt a mix of emotions. I knew he was living well in a distant city, but I had no idea what he was doing or how things were going. Since the day we stopped contacting each other, I had intentionally avoided any news about him. It took me several years to completely forget him. I even thought we would never see each other again in this lifetime, and I put him in a forgotten corner of my heart, never to touch him again.

2. 只有改变自己，让自己变得更优秀，才能远离负能量，遇见更好的圈子。

2. Only by changing yourself and becoming better, can you stay away from negative energy and meet better circles.

3. 从现在开始不抱怨，积极的去生活，多看书提升自己。

3. From now on, don't complain, live positively, and read more books to improve yourself.

4. 在闲聊中得知他在一单位上班，同时和别人合伙经营着一家酒店和汽修厂，俨然成了一个名副其实的生意人。

4. During a casual chat, I learned that he works in a unit, and at the same time, he runs a hotel and a car repair shop with others, making him a名副其实 businessman in all respects.

5. 我们共同的朋友给我打电话说他要问我些事，我不想让我们共同的朋友掺和太多，也不想让他知道的太多，于是就同意加了初恋的微信。

5. Our mutual friend called me and said he wanted to ask me some things. I didn't want our mutual friend to get involved too much, nor did I want him to know too much, so I agreed to add my first love on WeChat.

6. 只有自己变好了，周围人才会是更好的。

6. Only when one improves oneself will others around be better.

7. 其实你是谁，就会遇见谁。

7. In fact, whoever you are, you will meet whoever it is.

8. 是时候改变自己了。

8. It's time to change yourself.

9. 他告诉我因为有事过一段时间要回老家，抽时间来看我。

9. He told me that because of something urgent, he would have to return to his hometown for a while and would take the time to visit me.

10. 曾经总渴望遇见更优秀的人，但却发现自己不优秀，连优秀的人都接近不了。

10. Once always yearned to meet more outstanding people, but found myself not outstanding, not even close to the outstanding ones.

11. 来看我时请他吃饭，得知是去别的市看一个项目，路过老家回来看一下。当时我特别惊讶：“那个项目跟你有关系吗？”他回答：不能做副业么？我恍然大悟：原来除了上班，还要做副业，真是贫穷限制了我的想象。自己平时工作不忙，还一直觉得没意思，只要有时间就和朋友聊些没用的，一聊就是一两个小时，白白的耗费了时间，听了一肚子负能量，唉声叹气后继续日复一日的得过且过的生活，丝毫没有想过改变。

11. When he came to visit me, I invited him to dinner. I learned that he was visiting another city to check on a project and stopped by his hometown on the way. At that time, I was particularly surprised: "Does that project have anything to do with you?" He replied: Can't you do a side business? It suddenly clicked for me: It turns out that besides working, one also needs to do a side business; it's really poverty that limits my imagination. I thought I was not very busy with my work in the past, yet I always felt it was boring. Whenever I had time, I would chat with friends about trivial things, which would take up one or two hours, just wasting time. I ended up with a stomach full of negative energy, sighing and moaning after that, and continued to live a life of just getting by day after day, never thinking about making a change.

12. 当你爱抱怨的时候，你会发现自己身边的朋友也是爱发牢骚的。

12. When you start to complain, you'll find that the friends around you also like to gripe.

13. 因为这个圈子里好几个不上班的，我好赖还有份工作，虽然挣的不多，但在这个圈子里还是有优越感的，总是拿着徽不足道的工资盼着早日退休，一天一天的摆烂，内耗，没有激情，闲时就刷手机，那时听的最多的都是唉声叹气，没钱，焦虑等，可相互聊完之后，没有任何改变，我也在这样的状态下一天天的耗着，感觉人到中年，大家都一样。

13. Because there are several people in this circle who are not working, at least I still have a job, though I don't earn much. In this circle, I still feel a sense of superiority. I always look forward to retirement, day by day, deteriorating, internal consumption, without passion. In my leisure time, I browse my phone. At that time, what I heard the most was sighs, lack of money, anxiety, etc. However, after chatting with each other, there was no change. I also waste my days in this state, feeling that at middle age, everyone is the same.

14. 直到两个月前我的生活发生了变化，我才意识到原来优秀的人一直在上进，一直在学习！

14. It was not until two months ago that my life changed, and then I realized that outstanding people have always been striving forward and continuously learning!

15. 内心毫无波澜，没有激动，没有紧张，没有兴奋。

15. The heart is calm, without any excitement, tension, or enthusiasm.

16. 两个月前时我还和以前一样，没事和几个孩子的家长经常聊天，聊孩子，聊不挣钱，聊生活无趣，一堆烂事等。

16. Two months ago, I was still the same as before, chatting with several parents of children frequently about kids, not making money, the dullness of life, and a bunch of messy things.

17. 人生在世，无论是谁，大家都有自己的圈子，而且自己圈子里的人大都是相似的。

17. In life, no matter who you are, everyone has their own circle, and the people in one's own circle are mostly similar.

18. 才发现原来优秀的人一直都在努力向前奔跑，一直在努力提升优化自己，一直在努力学习，想当初自己也是爱看书爱上进的人，原来的自己去哪儿了？

18. Just realized that excellent people have always been striving forward, constantly working to improve and optimize themselves, and always learning. I used to be someone who loved reading and was ambitious. Where did that old me go?

19. 是啊，平时自己哪有目标？整天浑浑噩噩，拿着不上进给自己找一堆冠冕堂皇的理由，得过且过。

19. Yes, where do I have goals in my daily life? I'm always in a daze, using various noble-sounding excuses for not making progress, just getting by as I go along.

20. 后来渐渐明悟，原来人世间存在着这样一条吸引力法则：

20. Later on, I gradually realized that there exists an attraction law in the human world:

21. 二十多年没见，一个人变得如此优秀，一个人变得如此安于现状。这次见面真的让我长了见识。

21. After not seeing someone for more than 20 years, one has become so outstanding, and the other so content with the status quo. This meeting really broadened my horizons.

22. 问我在哪儿上班，做什么工作，我都不好意思说出口，一个三五个人的小公司，干着杂七杂八的活，又问我：平时看什么书，有什么规划，有什么目标？把我问得目瞪口呆，哑口无言。

22. When you ask me where I work and what kind of job I do, I'm too embarrassed to say, it's a small company with just a few people, doing all sorts of odd jobs. Then you ask me what books I read in my spare time, what plans I have, and what goals I set. It left me utterly speechless and dumbfounded.

23. 那时心里还怪罪他：自己生活的那么好，我们都相互消失在对方世界里了，还联系我干啥？

23. At that time, I was rather resentful towards him: Since I am living so well, and we have both disappeared into each other's worlds, what is the point of contacting me?