The best and worst part about being a twenty-something is that every decision you make can change the rest of your life. once you're in your 30's or 40's, it gets harder and harder to reinvent yourself. In this QA with Dr. Meg Jay, the clinical psychologist explains why the twenties matter, and how to make the most of them.
二十多大岁数最大的优点（同时也是缺点）之处在于：任何一个决定都会改变你的一生。当你步入30、40岁，改造自己将变得愈加困难。在视频推荐网站《大思想）这篇和Meg Jay博士的访谈中，这位临床心理学家将向大家讲解为何20岁是生活的重要，与，大家将应该如何充分借助这段岁月。
Big Think: Why are the 20s so important?
Big Think（以下简称BT）：为何说20多岁是生活的重要？
Dr. Meg Jay: Our 20s are the defining decade of adulthood. 80% of life's most defining moments take place by about age 35. 2/3 of lifetime wage growth happens during the first ten years of a career. More than half of Americans are married or are dating or living with their future partner by age 30. Personality can change more during our 20s than at any other decade in life. Female fertility peaks at 28. The brain caps off its last major growth spurt. When it comes to adult development, 30 is not the new 20. Even if you do nothing, not making choices is a choice all the same. Don't be defined by what you didn't know or didn't do.
Meg Jay大夫（以下简称MJ）：20多岁是决定成人轨迹的时刻。80%生活中最有决定性的时刻都会在35岁前出现。三分之二的涨薪出目前职业生涯的头十年。到了30岁，大于一半的美国人都已结婚、或约会、或正在和将来的婚姻对象同居。你的性格特点在20多岁时会比生活中任意十年中都要改变得更多。女人的生殖力在28岁达到巅峰。大脑功能会在此时达到最后的冲刺。至于成年的进步，30岁远远比不上20出头的毛头小子。即便你呆着什么也不做，不做任何选择其实也是种选择。别由于年轻时你的无知和懒惰而葬送一生。
BT: You write about several cases of recent grads who feel they're drowning or floundering around in the world waiting for something to happen. Has it always been this hard to thrive in early adulthood?
BT：你曾提到过几个例子，关于刚毕业的学生们感到自己在世上被淹没、被放纵自流，被动地等待着好事发生。在成年初期的成长，一直都那样难吗？
MJ: No. There are 50 million 20somethings in the United States most of whom are living with a staggering, unprecedented amount of uncertainty. Many no idea what they will be doing, where they will be living, or who they will be with in 2 or 10 years. They don't know when they'll be happy or when they will be able to pay their bills. They wonder if they should be photographers or lawyers or event planners. They don't know whether they are a few dates or many years from a meaningful relationship. They worry about whether they will have families or whether their marriages will last. Most simply, they don't know whether their lives will work out and they don't know what to do. Uncertainty makes people anxious and distraction is the 21st-Century opiate of the masses. So too many 20somethings are tempted, and even encouraged, to just turn away and hope for the best. That's not the way to go.
MJ：不是的。美国有5千万20岁出头的青年，他们中的绝大多数正过着迷茫的生活，充满空前的不确定性。不少人不了解自己将要做些什么，会在哪儿定居，也不了解2到10年后会和哪个一同生活。他们不了解自己能否过上幸福生活、也不了解将来的自己付不付得起账单。他们为自己该当一个摄影师、律师亦或是规划师而举棋不定。他们也不了解到底何时才能进入稳定的婚姻生活。他们担忧自己会不会孑然一身、或婚姻是不是能天长地久。简单地说，他们既怀疑生活又茫然不知所措。不确定性叫人们变得焦虑且注意力分散，这是21世纪的群体鸦片。于是，很多二十出头的青年被它所迷惑甚至蛊惑着去逃避现实，顺其自然。但这可不是个好方法。
BT: One of the main themes in the book is the line between thinking and doing. You argue that it's more important to just do something than to waste years dreaming up the perfect path. How can 20-somethings to put this idea into action?
BT：书中的主题之一是想法和行动之间的界限。你谈到与其浪费生命在做白日梦上，不如直接去做点儿什么。20多岁的年轻人们如何才能做到这点？
MJ: One of my favorite quotes is by American Psychologist Sheldon Kopp: The unlived life isn't worth examining. Too many 20somethings have been led to believe that their 20s are for thinking about what they want to do and their 30s are for getting going on real life. But there is a big difference between having a life in your 30s and starting a life in your 30s. If you want to be more intentional at work and in love, try working in a field you're curious about. Try dating someone who is different from that last person who turned out to be a disaster, and try conducting yourself a bit differently while you're at it. Sure the 20s are for experimenting, but not just with philosophies and vacations and substances. The 20s are your best chance to experiment with jobs and relationships. Then each move can be more intentional and more informed than the last.
MJ：我非常喜欢美国心理学家Sheldon Kopp的一句话：平淡的生活不值得审视。有太多青年被误导着去相信：20岁是用来考虑自己想做什么的，而30岁才是真的步入生活的时候。假如你想更积极地去工作，去爱，选择一个你有兴趣的范围，然后开始工作吧。试着和上一个给你带来惨痛回忆完全不同的对象约会，并时刻提醒自己要开始转变。诚然，20多岁正是体验的时候，但光凭哲思般的空想、度假和物质满足可不可以。20多岁是体验不同工作和感情生活的最好机会。你所做的每一步，都要比上一次更具目的性、更富远见。
