Losing his job as a construction manager last February led to a major resolution rethink for 26-year-old Tyler Tervooren in Portland, Ore. “The tough times inspired me to make 2011 the best year of my life,” he said. Rather than sitting behind a desk thinking about high adventure, he plans to have some: running a marathon in South Africa on a private game reserve, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, making his way to Russia to trek up Mount Elbrus.
去年2月丟掉工程經理飯碗後，奧勒岡州波特蘭市26歲的泰伍倫（圖／美聯社）重新反思一項重大的生涯規畫。他說：「日子難過反而啟發我，要使2011年成為我這一生最棒的一年。」他不再困坐辦公桌後面，幻想高度冒險活動，他計畫親身體驗：到南非私人動物保護區跑馬拉松，攀登坦尚尼亞的吉力馬扎羅山，還前進俄羅斯登上〔歐洲第一高峰〕厄爾布魯斯峰。
How's he paying for it? By blogging — about risk-taking. “I decided to start my own business because there were no jobs available,” Tervooren said. “As long as I can find an Internet connection, I can keep the business up and running.”
他哪來的錢呢？透過上部落格宣傳他的冒險事業。泰伍倫說：「我決定自行創業，因為沒活幹，只要透過網路連線，我的生意就有活路。」
Lori Biancofiori has been looking forward to 2011 for a long time. That's when she hopes to leave 2009 behind for good. Her husband was laid off, her salary shrunk, the transmission blew on their car and they racked up $17,000 in credit card debt. Now, nearly three years later, her hubby's working again and up for a promotion after months of clipping coupons, slashing expenses and sticking to cash.
洛莉．比安柯菲利早就期盼2011年早點來到。這時她只希望把2009年永遠拋到腦後。丈夫失業，她的薪水縮水，他們的汽車變速器爆掉，又積欠了1.7萬美元卡債。現在，在度過好幾個月靠剪優惠券、節衣縮食、堅持現金交易過日子後，她丈夫3年來再度找到工作還可望升職。
The Chicago couple has never been more serious about a New Year's resolution: to dig out of the hole by March. “We want to start trying for a family in the summer,” said the 33-year-old Biancofiori, who works in human resources. “We've been putting it off since fall 2009. There was no way we could afford daycare with the mess we were in.”
這對芝加哥夫婦從未像現在這麼認真看待新年新希望：在3月之前還清欠債。33歲的比安柯菲利在做人力資源方面的工作，他說：「我們希望夏天開始試著生兒育女。2009年秋天開始，我們把這項計畫往後推，當時我們自身難保，遑論要支付托兒費用了。」
Has the uncertainty of 2010 prompted a resolution rethink? Does vowing to lose five pounds feel downright frivolous as the Great Recession lingers for so many? Kelli Calabrese, 41, and her husband have been up against a costly property dispute, bad investments, three home floods, two broken water heaters, a few broken bones and the demise of numerous big box appliances over the last three and a half years.
2010年的不確定性是否促使你反思今年的人生規畫？當經濟衰退在無數人身邊徘徊不去，誓言減輕5磅是否顯得太無聊可笑？41歲的凱利．卡拉布雷斯和丈夫一直忙於應付昂貴的地產糾紛，過去3年半以來，錯誤的投資導致家裡3度淹水，熱水器2度故障，骨頭斷了幾根，和很多大型家電用品壽終正寢。
Her husband lived through stints of joblessness in the mortgage industry and underemployment as they raise two kids. They spent thousands on repairs to their house in Flower Mound, Texas, ahead of a sale only to have the deal fall through $15,000 later. “This year extravagant trips, a new car and investing 20 percent of my income will not be making my resolutions list for 2011,” said Calabrese, a personal trainer. “We've learned to re-identify need and greed.”
她老公熬過抵押貸款、幾次失業和低就業的窘境，撫養兩個孩子長大。他們在出售位於德州花丘的住宅前，先投入數千美元維修，但後來交易時倒賠了1.5萬美元。私人健身教練卡拉布雷斯說：「今年，奢華的旅行、買新車和撥20%收入去投資，將不在2011年計畫清單內。我們已學會認清需要和貪婪之間的分野。」
The economy remains a big focus heading into resolution time at Mylifelist.org, a social network for goal-setters with more than 10,000 members. “The major recession-related trend we've noted isn't smaller goals as we anticipated,” said the chief operating officer, Shelagh Braley. “What we found are more people are using the site's tools for practical planning, including budgeting and setting aside a longer preparation time to make their achievements happen.” In that respect, Calabrese is a patient woman.
對Mylifelist.org這個為上萬網友規畫生涯目標的社交網路，經濟仍是訂定新年新計畫時一大重點。該網路的營運長希拉．布萊利說：「展望未來，我們注意到和經濟衰退有關的重大趨勢，並不是什麼微不足道的目標。我們發現，愈來愈多人使用網路工具做務實的生涯規畫，包括預算編列和預留較多時間來落實他們的成就。」在這方面，卡拉布雷斯是個很有耐心的女人。
Scott Crutcher's circumstances in Venice, Calif., included laying off staff at his Web design firm and cutting back at home after his wife lost her job last fall. They've got two daughters, 3 and 7. His New Year's rethink isn't a downscale. In 2011 he's reaching for the sky by learning how to mountain climb so he can summit Mount Rainier in Washington state. He's putting aside a bit of money each month to pay for it. Taking on a challenge completely out of his comfort zone （ “I prefer warm weather and live at sea level” ）and feeling capable is important to Crutcher, 35, as he heads into the new year. “It's a tremendous test of will and strength,” he said. “Committing to a long-term training program will get me fully involved in something bigger than my daily life.” The cost? He figures $1,731 should do it if he rents rather than buys most of his equipment.
住在加州韋尼斯的克拉契的處境，包括他的網頁設計公司裁員和他妻子去年秋天失業，必須撙節家庭開支。他們有兩個女兒，分別才3歲和7歲。但他的新年新計畫並未因而縮水。2011年他胸懷青雲之志，要學習登山技巧，以便攻上華盛頓州雷尼爾山山頂。他每月存一點錢準備支付這筆開銷。對35歲的克拉契，進入新的一年，挑戰他完全不熟悉的領域（「我比較喜歡海平面的溫暖天氣」）同時覺得有能力做到是很重要的。他說：「這對意志和力量是一大考驗。投入長期培訓計畫，將讓我得以充分參與比日常生活更開闊的東西。」要花多少錢呢？他估計，如果只租不買大部分登山器材的話，1,731美元應可打發。
Setting moneymaking and money-saving goals is driving some people who never bothered in the past. “My New Year's resolution is to have a marketing plan, versus not having one,” said Mary Beth Klatt, a freelance writer in Chicago who has developed two craft-related iPhone apps.
設定賺錢和省錢目標，正驅策著一些過去懶得去操心的人。瑪麗．貝絲．克拉特表示：「我的新年新計畫是訂立一個行銷計畫，而不是不去管它。」這位芝加哥自由作家開發了兩種和工藝有關的iPhone應用程式。
At 25, Marcie Polansky in Austin, Texas, decided two months ago to get serious about making her money stretch. With no investing experience, she's been using GoalMine.com, a site that lets people who can't meet minimums elsewhere into mutual funds for as little as $25. She now has an investment plan that's easily trackable online free of difficult jargon. “It seems like every year I make financial New Year's resolutions, only without any focus to them,” she said. “I wanted to save, to explore the world of investing, but I didn't know how or where to start. It makes me feel like a grown-up, like I'm committing to a long-term goal.”
德州奧斯汀25歲的瑪希．波蘭斯基，2個月前決定盡量善用手頭上的錢。由於沒有投資經驗，她一直利用GoalMine.com 網站，這個網站讓那些未能通過其他金融機構最低門檻的人，得以以25美元戔戔之數，投入共同基金。現在她有個投資計畫，不僅可以輕鬆上網追蹤評估，又可避免艱澀的行話。她說：「每年我好像都會作些新年財務規畫，但往往缺乏重點。我想多存點錢，探索世界上各種理財投資，但我不知道如何或從何開始，這讓我覺得自己長大了，好像投入一項長程目標。」