直觉＋时间＝成功 ——蒂姆·库克

（单词翻译）

Focus plus time equals success

——Tim Cook

My most significant discovery so far in my life was the result of one single decision: Mydecision to join Apple. Working at Apple was never in any plan that I'd outlined for myself, butwas without a doubt the best decision that I ever made. The decision to come to Apple which Imade in early 1998 was not so obvious.

Apple was in a very different place than it is today, and my employer at the time, CompaqComputer, was the largest personal computer company in the world. Not only was Compaqperforming much better than Apple, it was headquartered in Texas and therefore closer toAuburn football. Any purely¹ rational consideration of cost and benefits lined up in Compaq'sfavor, and the people who knew me best advised me to stay at Compaq. One CEO I consulted feltso strongly about it he told me I would be a fool to leave Compaq for Apple.

In making the decision to come to Apple, I had to think beyond my training as an engineer.

Engineers are taught to make decisions analytically² and largely without emotion. When it comesto a decision between alternatives, we enumerate³ the cost and benefits and decide which one isbetter. But there are times in our lives when the careful consideration of cost and benefits justdoesn't seem like the right way to make a decision. There are times in all of our lives when areliance on gut⁴ or intuition just seems more appropriate-when a particular course of action justfeels right. And interestingly I've discovered it's in facing life's most important decisions thatintuition seems the most indispensable to getting it right.

In turning important decisions over to intuition one has to give up on the idea of developing alife plan that will bear any resemblance to what ultimately unfolds. Intuition is something thatoccurs in the moment, and if you are open to it, if you listen to it, it has the potential to direct orredirect you in a way that is best for you. On that day in early 1998 I listened to my intuition, notthe left side of my brain or for that matter even the people who knew me best. It's hard to knowwhy I listened, I'm not even sure I know today, but no more than five minutes into my initialinterview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution and logic⁵ to the wind and join Apple. My intuitionalready knew that joining Apple was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for the creativegenius, and to be on the executive team that could resurrect a great American company. If myintuition had lost the struggle with my left brain, I'm not sure where I would be today, but I'mcertain I would not be standing⁶ in front of you.

This was a surprising lesson. I recall how uncertain I was at my own commencement aboutwhere my life would lead. There was a part of me that very much wanted to have a 25-year plan asa guide to life. When I went to business school we even had an exercise to do a 25-year plan. Ifound mine, now 22 years old, in preparing for this commencement address. Let's just say it wasn'tworth the yellowed paper it was written on. I didn't understand it then as a young MBA student,but life has a habit of throwing you curve balls. Don't get me wrong-it's good to plan for thefuture, but if you're like me and you occasionally want to swing for the fences you can't count on apredictable life. But even if you can't plan, you can prepare. A great batter⁷ doesn't know when thehigh-hanging curve ball is going to come, but he knows it will. And he can prepare for what hewill do when he gets it.

Too often people think about intuition as the same as relying on luck or faith. At least as I seeit, nothing could be further from the truth. Intuition can tell you that of the doors that are open toyou, which one you should walk through. But intuition cannot prepare you for what's on the otherside of that door. Along these lines a quote that has always resonated with me is one by AbrahamLincoln. He said "I will prepare, and some day my chance will come." I have always believed this.

It was this basic belief that led me to Auburn to study industrial engineering, led me to co-opalternating quarters while attending Auburn, led me to Duke to study business, and led me toaccept so many jobs and assignments that are too numerous to mention.

In business as in sports, the vast majority of victories are determined⁸ before the beginning ofthe game. We rarely control the timing⁹ of opportunities, but we can control our preparation. I feelLincoln's quote is especially appropriate now, given the state of the economy and the worry that Isuspect a number of you must feel. I had the same worry when I graduated in 1982 (yes, I amprehistoric, for the record). But as many of the parents here will remember, the economy then boresome strong similarities to the economy today. The unemployment rate was in the double digits,we didn't have the collapse¹⁰ of Wall Street banks but we did have the savings¹¹ and loan crisis. Iworried, as many of my classmates did, what the future held for them.

But what was true for Lincoln was true for those of us who graduated in '82, and it is true forthose of you graduating today. Prepare and your chance will come. Just as all previous generationshave done you will stand on the shoulders of the generation that came before you. The generationof mine and your parents. And you will achieve more and go farther. The fact that you are herenow at this great institution, in this great state, at this great moment for both you and your familiesis a testament¹² to the fact that your preparation has begun. Continue to prepare yourselves as youhave at Auburn, so when your gut tells you "this is my moment," you are without a doubt ready.

If you are prepared, when the right door opens then it comes down to just one more thing:

Make sure that your execution lives up to your preparation. At least for me the second sentence ofthe Auburn creed¹³ , "I believe in work, hard work" really resonates here and has been one of mycore beliefs for as long as I can remember. Though the sentiment is a simple one, there'stremendous dignity and wisdom in these words, and they have stood the test of time.

As current events teach us, those who try to achieve success without hard work ultimatelydeceive themselves, or worse, deceive others. I have the good fortune to be surrounded by somebrilliant, intuitive thinkers who create the most elegant and extraordinary products in the world.

For all of us intuition is not a substitute for rigorous thinking and hard work: It is simply the lead-in. We never take shortcuts¹⁴. We attend to every detail. We follow where curiosity leads, aware thatthe journey may be longer but will ultimately be more worthwhile. We take risks knowing thatrisk will sometimes result in failure. But without the possibility of failure, there is no possibility ofsuccess. We remember Albert Einstein's words:"Insanity is doing the same things over and overagain and expecting different results." When you put it all together, I know this: Intuition is criticalin virtually everything you do, but without relentless¹⁵ preparation and execution, it is meaningless.

So those are my discoveries on the significance of intuition, preparation and hard work. Forme they give rise to a simple principle for the most important decisions in your life: Trust yourintuition and then work with everything you have to prove it right.

Logic probably dictates¹⁶ that I end my remarks here, but as I've said sometimes logic shouldn'tprevail, and so I have one last brief discovery to share with you. I think it is misleading to talkabout success without also referencing failure. I know of no one who has achieved somethingsignificant without also in their own lives experiencing their share of hardship, frustration¹⁷ andregret. So don't believe that something in your past prevents you from doing great work in thefuture. To all of you who doubt yourselves, I have been there too, and although today I've spenttime talking about a great decision, I've made some that are far from it. And like many of you I'vehad my share of life's personal challenges and failures. But after many miles on my journey Irecognize that each of these difficult periods of life passes, and with each we exit stronger andwiser. The old saying "This, too, shall pass" has certainly proven true for me and I'm sure it'll holdtrue for anyone who believes it.

So paint in your mind the most grand vision where you want to go in life. Prepare, trust in,and execute on your intuition. And don't get distracted by life's potholes¹⁸. Congratulations, class of2010, this is your day. This is your moment. You've received a first class education, from a firstclass institution. Congratulations to your families and friends who have supported you. And asimportant as this day is, make sure that you carry the Auburn spirit in the weeks, months and yearsahead. Let your joy be in your journey-not in some distant goal. And regardless of where yourparticular journey may lead you from this moment forward, thank you for allowing me to play asmall part in today.

参考译文

直觉＋时间＝成功

——蒂姆·库克

在我的生命中，我迄今为止最重要的心得体会来源于一个决定：加入苹果。在苹果工作，从来没有被列入我的人生规划中，但是它毫无疑问是我做过的最英明的决定。

苹果当年的境遇可谓是步履维艰。而在当时，我所在的公司——康柏电脑是全球最大的个人电脑公司。不仅康柏的业绩比苹果好很多，而且它的总部位于德克萨斯州，因而离奥本橄榄球队更很近。任何理智的人权衡利弊后都会选择康柏，当时我周围的人也建议我留在康柏。我曾经向一位CEO咨询此事，他果断地说，如果我离开康柏而选择苹果，我就是一个傻子。

在决定是否进入苹果时，我必须运用我作为工程师的思维进行思考。工程师学到的方法就是通过不带任何感情的客观分析来做出决策。当我们面对两个选择的时候，我们就会权衡利弊，选出一个更好的。但是，在我们的生活中，很多时候，精细地权衡利弊似乎并不是做出决定的正确方法。在我们所有人的生活中，有时候依靠直觉做决定似乎更靠谱。

有意思的是，我发现在面对人生重大决定的时候，直觉似乎更能让你做出正确的选择。

要把重要的决定权交给直觉，你就必须放弃规划人生未来的想法。直觉决定当下发生的事情。如果你认真聆听它，它就有可能把你导向最适合你的人生道路。在1998年初的那一天，我听从了我的直觉，而不是我的左脑或最了解我的人。我不知道我为什么会这样做，时至今日我也仍然无法确定。但是，在我与史蒂夫·乔布斯会面不到五分钟，我就把逻辑和谨慎抛到了一边，加入了苹果。我的直觉告诉我，加入苹果是一生仅有一次的机会，我能借此机会为富有创意的天才工作，加入可能创造伟大公司的管理团队。如果当时我的直觉在与我左脑斗争的过程中败下阵来，我真不知道我现在会在哪里，但是肯定不会站在你们面前。

这是一个深刻的教训。我还记得，在我毕业的时候，我也感到茫然，不知道我的生活将会通往何方。我很想设定一个25年的规划来引领我的人生。当我念商学院的时候，我们甚至练习做一个25年的人生规划。现在22年过去了，我已在为你们的毕业典礼准备演讲稿了。当我还是一个年轻的MBA学生时，我并不明白，生活经常会向你投来曲线球。别误会我——我并不是说人生不需要规划。规划人生未来没有错，但是如果你像我一样，偶尔想去看看篱笆外面的风景，你就不要指望按部就班的生活。但是，即使你不规划人生，你也能着手准备。伟大的棒球手并不知道曲线球什么时候飞过来，但是他知道它会飞过来。于是，他就开始准备，等待时机给它用力一击。

人们经常把直觉等同于运气或信念。至少在我看来，直觉距离真理最近。直觉能够告诉你哪扇门是对你开放的，你应该从这扇门里走出去。但是，直觉不能让你准备好迎接门外面的东西。我经常想起阿伯拉罕·林肯说过的一句话：“我将会认真准备，直到机会有一天到来。”我深信不疑。正是这种信仰引领我到奥本大学学习工业工程，引领我到杜克大学学习商业，引领我接受了难以计数的工作和任务。

商场如赛场，绝大多数成功在比赛开始之前就已经决定了。我们不能控制机会来临的时间，但是我们能够控制我们的准备工作。就目前的经济形势以及我们时常感受到的担心而言，林肯的话在今天尤其适用。当我在1982年毕业的时候，我也有着和你们一样的担心。在座的很多学生家长可能还记得，当时的经济状态与现在实际上差不了多少。失业率高达两位数字，尽管没有华尔街银行倒闭，但是我们有着严重的储蓄和信贷危机。和我的很多同班同学一样，我也很担心自己的未来。

但是，适用于林肯的至理名言，也适用于我们82届毕业的学生，当然同样也适用于今天毕业的你们。机会垂青有准备的头脑。就像所有的前辈人一样，你们将会站在你们上一代人的肩膀上，也就是我和你们的父母这一代人的肩膀上。你们将会看得更远，取得更大的成就。在这个伟大的时刻，你们和你们的家人汇聚在这个伟大的学校，这证明你们的准备已经开始了。毕业后，你们还要像你们在奥本大学所做的那样，继续用知识武装你们自己。只有这样，当你的直觉告诉你“我的机会来临”时，你就能信心百倍地准备迎接它了。

当你已准备好，而且正确的大门也已向你敞开，你就只需要做一件事了：行动起来。

至少对我而言，奥本大学校训中的第二句话“我相信工作，艰苦地工作”能让我产生很大的共鸣，而且一直是我的核心信念之一。这是一句很朴实的话，但却蕴含着无穷的智慧和尊严。而且，它们也经受住了时间的检验。

无数事例告诉我们，那些想要不费吹灰之力就取得成功的人终究是在欺骗他们自己，甚至是在欺骗别人。我非常幸运，我的周围有很多睿智的、听从直觉的思想家，他们创造了全世界最精致、最杰出的产品。对于我们来说，直觉不能取代缜密的思维和艰苦的工作，它只能把我们引进门，修行还得靠个人。我们没有捷径可走。我们必须关注每一个细节，听从好奇心的指引。我们清楚，整个过程可能非常漫长，但是最终它是值得的。我们敢于冒险，也知道冒险有时候会导致失败。但是，没有失败，又何谈成功？我们牢记阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦的话：“疯狂就是反复做同一件事情，并期待有不一样的结果。”总而言之，直觉对你做的任何事情都很重要。但是，如果没有坚持不懈的准备和行动，它就会变得毫无意义。

这些就是我对于直觉、准备和努力工作重要性的心得体会。它们给出了一个简单的原则，能够应用到你人生中最重要的决定中：相信你自己的直觉，然后运用你拥有的一切去证明它的正确。

逻辑告诉我，我应该就此打住，但是我说过，有时候逻辑并不占上风。因此，我还有最后一个心得体会要简短地与你们分享一下。我认为，只谈成功，不提失败，可能会产生误导。任何有所成就的人，在他们自己的生活中，都不可避免地会经历艰辛、挫折和后悔。所以，不要相信你过去生活中发生的事情会妨碍你在将来做出伟大的成就。你们拥有的自我怀疑，我也一直有；尽管我今天在大谈伟大的决定，但是我也做过一些糟糕的决定。就像你们中的许多人一样，我也经常遇到自己人生中的挑战和失败。但是，这一路走来，我终于明白，所有这些人生的艰难时刻都将会过去，而且每经历过一次，我们都会变得更加坚强和睿智。老话说，“这一切也会过去。”这对于我来说就是至理名言，我相信对于相信它的人也是如此。

所以，在你的头脑中描绘你们人生的蓝图吧，然后充分准备，相信自己，并按照你们的直觉行动。不要因为人生道路上的坑坑洼洼而分散你们的注意力。祝贺你们，2010年的毕业班，今天是你们的重大日子。你们在一流的学府接受了一流的教育。也祝贺一直支持你们的亲朋好友。在这个重大的日子里，请秉承奥本的精神，去迎接未来的人生。让你们的快乐贯彻在你们的奋斗历程中，而不是建立在一个遥远的目标上。无论你们各自的人生经历将会把你们带到何方，我都会祝福你们，并感谢你们让我参加了今日的聚会。