SEtalk: Stop Saying "I'm So Busy"

How are you?

你们最近好吗？

Think about your answer for a second.

花一秒钟想想你们的答案。

I bet it's something like, "Busy! So busy!"

我猜大概是：“忙！忙死了！”

That was my answer for ten years.

这10年来，我一直都是这么回答的。

And honestly... I was proud of it.

而且说实话……我还挺引以为傲的。

I worked late almost every night.

我几乎每天晚上都加班到很晚。

I answered emails at dinner.

我吃晚饭的时候也在回邮件。

I even checked my phone at my sister's wedding.

我甚至在妹妹的婚礼上还在看手机。

Being busy made me feel important.

忙碌让我觉得自己很重要。

And I'm not the only one.

而且不只我一个人这样。

In 2017, researchers found something surprising.

2017年，研究人员发现了一件令人意外的事。

In America, being busy has become a status symbol.

在美国，忙碌已经成了一种身份的象征。

A full calendar is the new expensive car!

排满的日程就是新时代的豪车！

"I'm busy" really means, "I'm important."

“我很忙”其实意思是“我很重要”。

Then my dad got sick.

后来，我爸爸生病了。

Nothing terrible, but he was in hospital for a week.

不算严重，但他住了一个星期的院。

For the first time in years, I sat still.

这么多年来第一次，我静静地坐了下来。

And I realised something uncomfortable.

然后我意识到了一件让人不舒服的事。

I wasn't busy. I was avoiding things.

我不是忙，我是在逃避。

Avoiding my family. Avoiding rest. Avoiding hard questions.

逃避家人，逃避休息，逃避那些难回答的问题。

Busy had become my hiding place.

“忙”成了我的藏身之处。

So I tried a small experiment.

于是我做了一个小实验。

For one month, I stopped saying "I'm busy."

整整一个月，我不再说“我很忙”。

Instead, I said, "It's not a priority right now."

取而代之，我会说：“这件事现在不是我的优先事项。”

Wow, that sentence hurts a little!

哇，这句话有点扎心！

But it helped me choose what really matters.

但它帮我选出了真正重要的事。

Now, when people ask how I am,

现在，当别人问我过得怎么样，

I tell them something real.

我会跟他们说点真实的事。

"I cooked with my dad on Sunday. It was great!"

“星期天我和我爸一起做饭了。特别开心！”

So next time someone asks you, try it.

所以下次有人问你们，试试看吧。

Don't be busy. Be present.

不要忙碌，要活在当下。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。