If you want success in business or in life, you need to start living your life based on your dreams, not on your circumstances. The most successful people in the world know that the place in life you have right now isn't a place you need to stay.

Before becoming a box office superstar, Jim Carrey was homeless and lived in his car. He now is one of the most famous actors in Hollywood.

J.K. Rowling, the author of the successful Harry Potter series, was divorced, unemployed and living on welfare before she published her first book. It's now said that she has more money than the queen of England.

So what does all this have to do with you? Both the two people come from unpleasant circumstances. Their lives were so hard that it would have been extremely easy for them to give up their dreams. But your circumstances don't make you who you are, and no situation lasts forever. If you want success, you need to start living and thinking as if you were successful. That doesn't mean spending money you don't have, but it does mean walking with your head up and presenting yourself as a positive, motivated and successful person.

Nobody wants to be in business with a negative person with no confidence. When you start living the life you want instead of the life you are accepting, everything starts changing for the better.

Success is something anyone can have. Start living as if you're going to be one of the successful people, and soon you will be!

【助读词汇】

perception n. 观念，看法

proactive adj. 积极主动的，抢先的，先发制人的

【参考译文】

如果你想在事业上或生活里获得成功，你就得为梦想而不是为你的境遇而生活。世界上最成功的人深知现在你在人生中所处的位置并不是你该待的地方。

在成为票房大明星前，金凯利无处居住，睡在自己车里。而现在他是好莱坞最出名的男演员之一。

J.K. 罗琳，炙手可热的哈利波特系列的作者，在出版第一本书前离了婚，没有工作，靠福利金生活。而现在呢，据说她比英国女王还有钱。

那么这些和你又有什么关系呢？这两个人都来自不幸的境遇，他们生活艰辛，放弃梦想是极其容易的。但是你的境遇无法造就真正的你，没有哪一种情况会持续到永远。如果想成功，你就得开始像已经成功了那样生活，那样思考。这并不是说没钱的你得大肆挥霍，而是说你得昂首阔步，展现一个积极向上成功的你。

没人愿意和自卑消极的人共事。当你开始过自己想要的生活而不是逆来顺受的生活时，一切都会开始好转。

成功每个人都可以拥有。开始好像自己即将步入成功人士的行列那样生活，这样用不了多久你就会美梦成真。

【人生启迪】

也许你现在成绩还不是很出色，也许你现在还在一家公司的最底层干，但这只是现在而已。要想名列前茅，你就得像学习拔尖的同学那样发奋读书，要想爬到管理层，你就得像公司CEO那样培养自己的能力。是向梦想一步步迈进，还是停滞不前，这与境遇一点关系都没有，就看你是否行动。