"Don't take many English courses, they won't help you get a decent job."
“不要上那么多英语课了，这些课程对于找一份体面的工作一点帮助都没有。”
"Sign up for management classes, so you'll be ready to join the family business when you graduate."
“快报名参加管理培训班，这样你才能在毕业时加入家族事业。”
Sound familiar? Many of us have heard suggestions like these put forward by parents or others close to us.
这些话是不是听起来很耳熟啊？我们很多人都听过家长或者其他亲近的人给出类似的建议。
Such comments often seem quite reasonable.
这些议论听起来挺有道理。
Why then, should suggestions like these be taken with caution?
那为什么在采纳类似的建议时要特别谨慎呢？
The reason is they relate to decisions you should make.
因为这些建议关系到你将做出的决定。
You are the one who must live with their consequences.
无论什么决定，你才是那个要承担一切后果的人。
One of the worst reasons to follow a particular path in life is that other people want you to.
在生活里，做决定的理由很多，但是如果做出一个特定选择仅仅因为是别人希望你这么做，这个理由就太差劲了。
Decisions that affect your life should be your decisions—decisions you make after you've considered various alternatives and chosen the path that suits you best.
影响你人生的决定，应该是你自己的决定——反复斟酌、考虑了各种可能性以后最适合你的决定。
Making your own decisions does not mean that you should ignore the suggestions of others.
自主决策并非无视他人的建议。
For instance, your parents do have their own unique experiences that may make their advice helpful.
就像你的父母，他们独特的经历使得他们的忠告富有建设性。
And having participated in a great deal of your personal history, they may have a clear view of your strengths and weaknesses.
而且他们也已经很大程度上参与到你的个人生活中，他们对你的优缺点都有很明确清楚的见解。
Still, their views are not necessarily accurate.
尽管如此，他们的想法不一定正确。
They may still see you as a child, in need of care and protection.
他们可能仍然把你看做一个孩子，还需要关心和保护。
Or they may see only your strengths, or in some unfortunate cases they may focus only on your flaws and shortcomings.
也有可能他们只看到你的长处，忽略了你的短处，还有一些很可悲的情况，他们只注意到你的缺点和瑕疵。
People will always be giving you advice.
人们总在给你建议。
Ultimately though, you have to make your own judgments.
尽管如此，最终你得有自己的决断。