实际上，所有介绍的第二或第三个问题都是“那么，你是干什么的？”。被问到这个问题时，你的答案是什么？对于大多数人来说，这无外乎就是他们的职业，头衔，或者为之工作的公司。这当然说得过去。我们的身份与价值密切相关，即我们能为世界带来的价值，从历史的角度来说就意味着我们的职业。
Back in the day our profession was actually a part of our name - George the Barber,Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer...that’s how a lot of last names were first created.
回溯到那个我们的职业就是我们名字的一部分的时代---George就是理发师，Bob就是建筑工人，Dora就是探险者…这就是很多姓的来源。
In earlier generations, people tended to have the same profession and work at the same company for their entire working life. For many people, their profession and company weren’t just a huge component of their identity, but also a real source of pride.
在早些年代，人们倾向于一生都从事同样的职业，并且为同一家公司工作。对很多人来说，他们的职业和公司不仅仅是他们身份的一个巨大组成部分，同样也是一个自豪感的真正来源。
But that was the old world. Things have changed.
但那都是在旧世界。情况已经发生变化了。
Are you Familiar with the New World?
你熟悉新世界么？
In the new world it doesn’t really matter where you went to school, what your major was, what your profession is, what company you work for, or what job title is on your business card. Seriously. Unless you're a doctor, college majors mean less then ever. People switch careers more frequently than ever. People change companies about every three years. Everyone has an impressive-sounding job title (“Account Executive” can mean anything from entry level telemarketer to an executive in charge of a major business account). No one really takes resumes at face value...they tend to be meaningless.
在新世界里，你在哪读的书，你的专业是什么，你的职业是什么，你为哪家公司工作，你名片上的头衔是啥，这些都不重要。当然了，你是博士的话情况另算。大学专业现在所意味的东西比以前少很多。人们比以往更频繁的更换工作。大概每三年人们就换一次工作。每个人都有一个响亮的头衔（“业务代表”小到可以表示一个电话销售员，大到可以代表一个大公司的经理）。没人再把简历真正当回事，它们貌似意义不大了。
Even though everyone knows that these things basically mean nothing, it still winds up being the main way we introduce ourselves and communicate our value. Whether we want our identity to have a lot to do with our job or not, we still introduce ourselves as “I’m [name] and [description of job].”
即使每个人都认为这些东西几乎没啥实际意义，但是这仍然是我们做自我介绍，体现自身价值的主要方式。不管我们是否认为工作与我们的身份有多大的关联，我们仍然会这样介绍自己“我叫（名字），我是干（工作描述）”。
There is a disconnect here because in our hearts we don’t want our value to be tied to something so uncertain and meaningless as our company or career. We want our value to be tied to something that we own. Something that can’t be taken from us. Most of us don’t want someone else to hold our identity hostage…we want the freedom to define ourselves and the control of our own identity.
由于在我们内心深处，我们不希望自身的价值与一些不确定而且无意义的东西（比如我们的公司或职业）联系起来，因此这就造成了一个脱节。我们希望我们的价值与一些我们自身拥有的东西联系起来。这些东西不能从我们身上剥离。我们中的大部分都不希望我们的身份被其他一些东西威胁到。我们想要的是一种能自己定义和控制我们身份的自由。
But many of us are stuck in the old world thought process.
但是我们中的很多都被旧世界束缚着。
The New World is Full of Risk and Opportunity
新世界充满了机会和挑战。
A special few have noticed this new world and taken full advantage of it. They recognize that careers and companies have limited security and give little real value. They’ve decided that they need to make their own value, their own identity, so that the “what do you do?” question takes on a completely different meaning.
少部分特别的人意识到了新世界的来临，并充分利用了它。他们认识到职业和公司并不能给予他们足够的安全感和价值。所以，他们决定自己定义自身的价值和身份，以此让“你是干什么的”呈现出一种完全不同的意义。
As the world is moving toward this intense individualism, the barrier to entry in business and mass communication has almost disappeared. A guy with a laptop can build a multi-million dollar business with nothing more than high quality advice and really solid marketing skills. A girl with a desktop can deliver news, information, and advice and build a following without having to climb a corporate ladder at a newspaper, magazine, or television station. An actor can produce a show watched by millions without getting a television deal.
由于世界正在往强烈的个人主义发展，所以进入商业领域和大规模的交流的障碍已消失。一个只用笔记本电脑的家伙就可以仅仅利用高质量的咨询意见和扎实的市场技巧完成几百万的生意。一个女孩，只要有一台电脑，就可以不依靠报纸传播新闻、不利用杂志发送信息、不通过电视发送建议。一个演员可以不通过电视而完成能让百万人观看的个人秀。
This combination means that anyone with motivation has the means by which to create their own value and their own identity. Everyone has an ability to create proof of their talent, knowledge, and skills. We no longer have to rely on our resumes, references, companies, or work experiences to define our value. We can set off and create something that offers tangible proof of it.
这意味着任何一个积极的人都有创造自身价值和身份的方法。每个人都有这样的能力，证明他们的天赋、知识、技能。我们不再需要依赖于我们的简历、介绍信、公司或者工作经历来证明我们的价值。我们可以自己创造出实实在在的证明。
That idea can be a bit scary. Many of us actually rely on the fact that no one really knows what anyone is actually worth. If no one really has proof then corporate success is up to the person who talks a good game or networks the best. If we were required to prove our worth we wouldn’t even know how to do it. We’d probably fall back and describe a past work challenge that we may or may not be exaggerating. If you actually have to put something out there to prove your value then what happens if it’s not good enough? Putting yourself on the line in that way can be terrifying.
这种想法可能有一点吓人。实际上，我们中的大多数都依赖这样一个事实：没人真正知道另一个人的实际价值。如果没人有证据的话，那么合作带来的成功就会归功于那个能说会道的人。如果我们被要求要提供证明自己价值的证据的话，我们甚至都不知道该做什么。或许我们会回顾一下过去工作中碰到的挑战，而且不带一点夸张的把它描述出来。如果你不得不拿出点什么东西来证明你自己，而最终结果又恰好不是那么好的话会怎样？把你自己放在那样一个位置会很可怕的。
Because it might not be good enough…yet.
因为它可能不会足够好，至少到目前还是这样的。
The artists have the right start in this new world. For an artist it rarely matters where you studied or where you’ve worked, it matters what you can create. Resumes mean little. Portfolios speak volumes. The conversation is less “this is what I will be able to do” and more “this is what I’ve done already.” That’s how artists have to demonstrate their value because people demand visual proof.
艺术家们在这个新世界有了正确的开始。因为对于一个艺术家来说，重要的不是你在哪学习或工作过，关键的是你能创造些什么。简历并不意味着什么。能力才是最重要的。对话中很少出现“这是我将来能做的”，更多的是“这是我已经可以做的”。这就是艺术家们怎样展示自己的价值的，因为人们需要看得见的证明。
Good salespeople have the right start in this world. They can point to sales data to show results in graphs and percentages that aren’t easily exaggerated. And of course those with successful online businesses or blogs can point people to their website and traffic/conversion data to demonstrate their value.
好的销售员在这个新的世界也有了正确的开始。他们能够指着做成图表和百分比的销售数据来表明结果，这些数据都不是能轻易夸大的。当然，那些成功的网络企业家或博主能通过让人们点击他们的网站，然后用网络流量来展示他们的价值。
What These Changes Mean For You Today
今天的这些变化对你来说意味着什么呢？
Now this isn’t just a call to arms about becoming an online entrepreneur or a blogger (although both those things are certainly strong starting points), but I am saying that if you cannot easily prove your value to the world and to the marketplace by pointing to something that you’ve created or accomplished, then the new business world is leaving you behind.
这不是号召你要成为一个网络企业家或博主（虽然这两种方法都是一个很好的起点），但是我要说的是，如果你不能很容易的通过你创造了什么或完成了什么来向市场和世界证明你自己的价值，那么新的贸易世界就会把你抛弃掉。
If you do have a blog, or a business, or a portfolio, or anything like that then you should have the mindset that it equals your value. It’s not enough to put out interesting articles or optimize your opt in rate or any of that kind of stuff. What you do is your value. What you say is your value. Your impact in the lives of others is your value. It is no longer just a hobby or a side project or a money-making scheme. With Google, Facebook, and the rest of social media connecting everything to everyone, what you put out there defines you.
如果你确实有一个博客，或者一个网志，或类似的随便什么。那么你就会有一种信念，它跟你的价值是等值的。光是放些有趣的文章或优化你的选择之类的东西是不够的。你所做的就是你的价值所在；你所说的就是你的价值所在；你对他人生活的影响就是你的价值所在。这不再仅仅是一个爱好、一个副业、一个挣钱的项目。随着Google、Facebook以及其他将人与人联系起来的社交媒体的兴起，你放在上面的东西就定义了你的价值。
Now this article is a pretty heavy/serious one, which I typically avoid. In fact, I’m normally the guy who shows people how to stop taking themselves so damn seriously when it comes to their online business or blog or life. But I feel strongly that anyone who is not actively proving and improving their value in a public way will be missing out in this new world. I also feel strongly that anyone already out there who isn’t looking at their venture as, at least partially, a demonstration of their value to the world will be left behind by those who do.
现在来看这篇文章有点沉重或死板，而这又是我极力避免的。实际上，通常情况下我是这样一个人，教人们不要在博客或网络生活中让他们自己显得过于严肃。但是我强烈的感受到，如果一个人不用一种公开的方式积极证明、提高他的价值，那么他将会被这个新世界抛弃。我还强烈的感受到，如果一个人不把面对冒险作为他们价值的体现，或者部分不敢，那么他们就会被那些有这种想法的人远远的甩在后面。
