鼻根低:整理思绪：头脑中的火花

想法不断涌入你的头脑。

Some of them are fleeting. They pop in, take a look around, then head for the exit without being detected. 

一些稍纵即逝。它们突然造访，环顾四周，在你察觉到它们的存在之前已悄然退去。

Others get your attention when they arrive. They smile and wave at you, or they frown and wag a finger at you. Then, when the time is right (or wrong), they also move on.

一些的到来吸引了你的注意。它们有的朝你微笑，向你招手，有的皱皱眉头，摇摇手指。然后，在合适（或不合适）的时机，选择离开。

Some pay repeat visits, always seeming to show up when there’s a special occasion or when you’re facing a challenge. They might even time their appearances to coincide with the arrival of a familiar song or phrase or smell. 

一些会去了又来，感觉上好像总在特殊场合或者你遭遇挑战时出现。它们甚至可能在熟悉的旋律、话语或气味出现时准时到场相迎。

Then there are those that decide to move in. For whatever reason, good or bad, they seem to like it inside your head. They settle in and spend their days roaming about their new home. They pace the floor. They walk in circles. They tap you on the shoulder and remind you they’re there. 

还有一些决定停驻。无论原因是喜或悲，它们喜欢呆在你的头脑里。它们安顿下来，在新家游荡。地板上行走，绕着圈漫步。时而拍拍你的肩，提醒你它们的存在。

They come in all shapes and sizes, these thoughts. Ideas. Beliefs. Desires and fears. Questions and answers. Some of them move quickly; others seem to crawl. Some are fully formed; others are incomplete and fragmented. 

这些想法、念头、信念、欲望和恐惧，它们形态各异，高矮不一。自问自答。一些迅速变脸，一些则缓慢延伸。一些完全展现，一些则残缺不全，只言片语。

It’s One Big Thought Party in There

那无疑是一场盛大的思维聚会。

And they all keep running into one another. They mix and they mingle. They swirl and collide. Without your help, things can get a tad chaotic. It’s your job to sort things out. 

它们热情地四处结交。很快混为一体。它们肆意地旋转碰撞。如果你不出手，也许会有点小混乱。而只有你能理清这一切。

And You’re the Host

你才是这里的主人。

You’re the one who must decide what to do with these visitors. After all, it’s your head. You get to decide which ones you’ll ask back and which ones you’ll politely ask to leave. You can even decide to look for new thoughts to invite over. 

只有你能决定该怎么对待这些宴会的客人。毕竟，头脑是你的。你得决定哪些客人欢迎再来，哪些只能委婉地拒之门外。甚至你可以留意并主动邀请新的客人。

Also, if this little get together is going to actually get anywhere, it’s up to you to set the agenda. As the host, you decide the theme. You get to pick the music, decide what games to play, select what topics to discuss. 

同样，如果这次短暂的会面实难预期结果，也应该由你来拟定议程。作为主人，主题你说了算。由你选择音乐，确定娱乐项目，决定讨论的话题。

Last but not least, you’re a matchmaker and a mediator. You can bring two thoughts together and see how things go, or, if two thoughts aren’t getting along so well, you may have to help temper a resolution.

最后别忘了，你还扮演着撮合、协调的角色。你可以把两个想法拉到一起，看看会怎样。如果它们不能兼容，可能还得靠你劝解。

Collect Your Thoughts and Do Something With Them

整理你的思绪，与它们共处。

In short, you’re in charge. To really take charge however, you need to learn more about your thoughts. That’s hard to do when they’re moving about, coming and going. You need a means to collect them. 

简而言之，你说了算。不过要真正担当此责，你需要进一步了解你的想法。如果它们不停地动来动去，做到这点是很难的。你需要整理思绪的方法。

Collecting your thoughts is the second way to lead a life of quiet inspiration. It enables you to take hold of the things that go bump in your head, to examine them, sift through them, sort them out, and eventually use them in creative ways. Here, in this chapter, we’ll be looking at some of the many ways you can do that. 

整理思绪是第二种在生活中获得安静灵感的方式。它使你能掌控头脑中想法碰撞的火花，并审视它们，从中筛选、清理，最终以富于创造力的方式利用它们。在这里，我们将在本章介绍一些实用的方法。

Who knows? You might discover you have some real collectors’ items lying between your ears.

谁知道呢？可能你会发现在你头脑中一直萦绕着某些宝贵的，值得珍视的想法呢。