A pro wrestler's guide to confidence | Mike Kinney

翻译人员: 校对人员: Eric Yang

Picture it: a big, sweaty, tattooed man

想象一下， 一个有刺青、满身大汗的壮汉，

in a cowboy hat and chaps,

戴着一顶牛仔帽，穿着一条皮裤，

is in the ring

站在擂台上，

as the arena full of fans cheer him on.

赛场上充满了粉丝的欢呼。

Their hero:

他们的英雄：

"Cowboy" Gator Magraw.

“牛仔”——鳄鱼麦格劳。

Gator bounces off the ropes and is quickly body-slammed to the mat.

盖特从绳子上跳下， 然后快速地摔在垫子上。

他狂野的对手一跃而起，

His wild opponent leaps into the air,

crashing down onto Gator's rib cage.

撞向盖特的肋骨。

Gator struggles to breathe, wondering:

盖特挣扎着呼吸，然后想：

"Is this really what my father wanted for me?"

“这真的是我父亲想要我做的吗？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That wild man in the chaps ...

那个穿着皮裤的狂野男人……

was me.

是我。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

(Cheers)

（欢呼）

出乎意料地，刚刚那个答案，

And the answer to the question, surprisingly,

是肯定的。

is yes.

（笑声）

(Laughter)

I grew up watching professional wrestling

我是和我父亲一起看着职业摔跤比赛

with my dad.

长大的。

And like him, I loved everything about it:

和他一样，我钟爱摔跤的一切：

the showmanship, the athletic skill,

表现力，运动技巧，

the drama.

紧张刺激的比赛气氛。

我还是小男孩时，就喜欢 在客厅里蹦来蹦去，

I'd be this little boy, bouncing all over our living room,

pretending to be my favorite wrestlers from TV.

假装我是自己最喜欢的摔跤手。

My dad actually reminded me a little bit of Hulk Hogan,

我父亲有点儿像浩克霍根

但我是浩克霍根，他是巨人安德烈。

but I was Hulk Hogan and he was Andre the Giant.

I'd get all serious on him and say things like, "Dad ...

我会认真地对他说，

“爸爸，总有一天 我会成为世界重量级冠军。”

someday I am going to be world heavyweight champion."

And he would usually smile and very calmly say,

他通常会微笑然后平静地说，

"OK, then I guess I can count on you to be my retirement fund."

“好啊，那我退休后 就靠你赚钱养我了。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

16岁那年，

When I was 16,

在明尼苏达州，家乡小镇上 迎来了一场小型摔跤秀。

a small wrestling show came to my little town in Minnesota.

我简直不敢相信。

I couldn't believe it.

那样的事情在之前从未发生过。

Nothing like that had ever come to my town before.

So I got to the arena early in the morning the day of the show,

表演当天的清晨我就到了竞技场，

waiting out in the parking lot to see if I could spot some wrestlers

在停车场外等着， 看能否发现一些摔跤手

来停车场停车。

pulling up in their cars.

It wasn't as creepy as it sounds.

实际上没有听起来的这么怪异。

But I could definitely tell who the wrestlers were,

但我可以认出谁是摔跤手，

just the way they walked.

看看他们走路的方式就知道了。

They were tall and confident and intimidating,

他们高大自信，气场强大，

穿着背心和花裤子，还戴着腰包。

with their tank tops and Zubaz and fanny packs.

Why wouldn't I want to be them?

我难道不想成为他们的一员吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

All I could think about was who are these people,

我想，这些人是谁呢？

and what are they like?

他们是什么样的人？

How did they become wrestlers?

他们是如何成为摔跤手的？

So before the show started,

所以在表演开始前，

I walked into this tiny arena --

我走进这个小型竞技场——

更像是一个体育馆——

more like a gymnasium --

and I asked them if I could help set up the wrestling ring.

我问他们我可以帮忙搭建擂台吗。

"Sure, kid. No problem."

“当然了孩子，没问题。”

And then I pleaded with them to show me some wrestling moves.

然后我请求他们 向我展示一些摔跤动作，

“当然了孩子，没问题。”

"Sure, kid. No problem."

Man, they would just punch and kick me -- hard!

他们用拳击打我然后猛踢我，

But I never complained.

但我没有抱怨。

They would come to my town for one night every couple of months that year,

那一年每隔几个月， 他们就会到我们小镇住一晚，

然后第二天就离开了。

and then -- poof! -- next day, they were gone.

第二年的时候，

By the next year,

他们终于告诉我， 一个真正的摔跤训练营

they finally told me about an actual wrestling training camp

是其中一个摔跤手开的。

that one of the wrestlers was running,

我求父母让我报名，

and I begged my parents to sign me up.

然后我就白天去读高三，

Next thing I knew, I was a high school senior by day

晚上在观众面前摔跤。

and wrestling in front of live audiences by night.

I had this giant poster of an alligator hanging on my bedroom wall.

我卧室墙壁上贴了一张 短吻鳄的巨型海报，

So when I needed to come up with a wrestling name at the last minute

所以当我急着 想出一个摔跤名时，

而“肌体”杰西·范图拉已经被占用了——

and Jesse "The Body" Ventura was already taken --

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I went with "Gator."

我选择了“鳄鱼”。

I also wrestled in a t-shirt and camouflage pants

我穿着T恤和迷彩裤摔跤

因为我的衣橱里只有这些，

because that's what I had in my closet.

I hadn't quite figured out how to develop my own persona yet,

我还没想好如何 发展自己的风格，

但我在学习。

but I was learning.

我那时有点儿像学徒，

It was sort of like an apprenticeship.

但我是一个摔跤手。

But I was a wrestler.

And my dad would come to all my matches

我的每场比赛父亲都会来，

wearing a t-shirt that said, "Papa Gator" across the front.

穿着一件胸前印着 “鳄鱼爸爸”的T恤。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And he'd brag to his friends

他会和他的朋友吹牛，

说我以后会为他养老。

about how his son was going to pay for his retirement someday.

（笑声）

(Laughter)

我本可以的。

And I would've.

Not long after I started wrestling,

但我开始摔跤后的不久，

my dad unexpectedly passed away.

父亲意外去世了。

And as you can imagine,

你们可以想象，

我当时还是个青涩少年，

especially as a teenage boy,

it destroyed me.

丧父之痛击垮了我。

If you've ever lost someone,

如果你们曾经失去过亲人，

就会知道那段时间有多难。

you know what a difficult time that can be.

Your mind -- it's not working right.

你的大脑无法正常运转，

整件事都是离奇的。

The whole thing is just so surreal.

I wanted to feel normal again, even if it was for just a second,

我想回归正常生活， 哪怕只有一秒钟，

so I went back to wrestling almost immediately.

所以我几乎是立刻重返擂台。

Wrestling belonged to me and my dad, you know?

你们知道吗？ 摔跤属于我和我父亲。

So there I was,

所以我回到那里，

sitting in the locker room,

坐在更衣室里准备比赛，

而我父亲才去世没几天。

getting ready for a match within days of my dad passing away.

He was gone.

他过世了。

And sitting there alone --

我一个人坐在那儿，

it felt like I was hiding.

好像在逃避什么，

But it also felt like I needed to be there.

但我又感觉应该在那儿。

One of the wrestlers who'd been on the scene a long time

一个久经赛场的摔跤手

knew what I was going through,

知道了我的遭遇，

便来看看我是否还好。

and he came over to see how I was holding up.

I couldn't get the words out.

我说不出话，

I just said, "I don't know what I'm doing."

只说“我不知道我在做什么。”

And then we just sat there in silence --

然后我们就静静地坐在那里，

相对无言。

just ... silence.

在准备起身去比赛之前，

Before he got up to get ready for his own match,

he gave me this piece of advice

他给了我一条建议，

that would change the entire direction of my life.

完全改变了我的人生方向：

He told me the best wrestlers are just themselves, but "turned up."

他说最好的摔跤手展现真我。

He said successful wrestlers find the traits within themselves

成功的摔跤手能发掘自身

they're the strongest at

最强的特质，

and make those the focus of who they become in the ring.

并使他们成为擂台的焦点。

So there I sat --

我坐在那儿，

a scared teenager who didn't know who he was

一个彷徨的青年， 迷失了自我，

or why he was even wrestling anymore.

忘记了摔跤的意义。

I looked around the locker room at some of the other wrestlers,

我环顾着更衣室的其它摔跤手，

然后想，

“我看上去像个异类 我怎么做才能像他们一样？”

and I thought,

"I look so different. How can I ever be like them?"

And then it hit me.

然后我突然想到。

That's the moment I realized I didn't have to be like them.

那一刻我意识到我没必要成为他们。

What I did have to do was find out: What did it mean to be me?

我只需要知道 做我自己意味着什么，

What made me unique,

是什么使我与众不同，

我如何让我的特质成为我的优势。

and how could I use it to my advantage?

I knew I wasn't a chiseled athlete like some of these guys,

我知道自己不像其他运动员 那样肌肉健硕，

but I really didn't care.

但我也不在乎这个。

我想到的第一件事是，

So the first thing I thought was,

"How can I amplify something as simple as: comfortable with my own body?"

“我如何加强一些简单的事物 比如令我的身体舒适？”

I didn't know.

我不知道。

And then I thought:

然后我想到：

泳裤。

Speedo.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

Or "trunks,"

或者“紧身短裤”，

as we call them in wrestling.

我们在摔跤中这么称呼它们。

Yeah, trunks.

紧身短裤，

我可能是这个大家伙，

I could be this big guy

舒服地穿着这一小条紧身短裤

who was comfortable wearing these little trunks

在一群陌生人面前。

in front of a bunch of strangers.

所以我放弃了T恤和迷彩裤。

So I ditched the t-shirt and camouflage pants,

于是鳄鱼的新衣橱诞生了。

and Gator's new wardrobe was born.

（笑声）

(Laughter)

I was also pretty good at drawing cartoons,

我擅长画卡通画，

so I wondered if I could turn that up.

我想我能否把这点展现出来。

I could design my own wrestling costumes,

我可以设计自己的摔跤服，

这样每条短裤上 都会有独特的设计和颜色。

so each pair of trunks would have its own unique design and color,

all of them completely different --

每条都不一样——

and extremely comfortable, by the way.

同时非常舒适。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I was also the funny kid in school,

我在学校也很有趣，

believe it or not.

信不信由你们。

So I thought maybe I could turn that up.

我想也许我可以把这一点展现出来。

Maybe I could go from the boy who made his buddies laugh

或许我能从一个令人发笑的男孩，

to the man who could rally hundreds or thousands.

变成能振奋上万人的人。

So I committed to the idea

所以我坚定了这个想法，

that my character wasn't going to be as scary as some of the others.

我没必要令人胆寒， 像某些选手那样。

我以搞笑的方式走入竞技场。

I'd be hilarious from the moment I walked into the arena.

经历了更多的摔跤赛， 我更加了解自己。

With every wrestling match, I dug deeper.

I found out that I could laugh at myself.

我发现我可以自嘲，

So this guy would dance and sing his entrance music

在出场音乐响起时可以载歌载舞，

all the way to the ring.

一路来到擂台，

That was dancing, by the way.

顺便说一下，那是跳舞。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I found out that I was an OK wrestler,

我发现我是一个还不错的摔跤手，

but I was an even better entertainer.

但更是一个搞笑的人。

And turning myself up made me unforgettable to the fans.

展现自我使我的粉丝对我印象深刻。

I was trying to find those things about me --

我尝试着去发掘自我——

那些简单的特质，

the simple things that were special,

and then ask, "How can I turn them up?"

然后问自己， 我可以把它们展现出来吗？

Now, I knew I wanted my character to be a man's man like my dad was.

如今我明白 ，我想成为 像父亲一样的男中豪杰。

I thought, "What's more of a man's man than a cowboy?"

我想 ，“要做一个男中豪杰， 比牛仔更重要的是什么？”

And that's when Gator became "Cowboy" ... Gator ...

那是鳄鱼成为“牛仔”的时候。

Yeah, I needed a last name.

是的，我需要一个姓。

I thought about it until my head hurt. I couldn't come up with anything.

我想到头疼也想不出结果。

有一天晚上我坐着 看电视，切换着频道，

I'm sitting there watching TV one night, flipping through the channels,

看到了一则广告，

and this commercial comes on

关于一个刚刚赢得 年度最佳艺人奖的乡村歌手。

about a country singer who had just won an Entertainer of the Year award.

蒂姆·麦格罗。

Tim McGraw.

他是一个有着 很棒姓氏的帅气牛仔，

He's a cool cowboy with a great last name.

我喜欢他的歌。

And I liked his music.

It was just all part of my process.

这是我经历的所有内容。

But I just kept turning myself up

我不断展现自我，

until I became Cowboy Gator Magraw!

直到我成为了牛仔“鳄鱼”麦格劳。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

And I knew that if I kept turning myself up

我知道如果我不断展现自我，

and pushing myself harder,

不断自我鞭策，

the opportunities would come.

机会自会降临，

And then it finally happened.

结果确实如此。

In the middle of the night,

一天午夜，

I got a phone call.

我接到一个电话。

It was the call I wish my dad was around to hear.

一个我希望父亲能听到的电话。

The WWE,

WWE，

the biggest wrestling organization in the world,

世界上最大的摔跤组织，

wanted me to come and be a part of Monday Night Raw.

邀请我周一晚上出演。

Yes -- all of my hard work and miles on the road were finally paying off.

是的——我的所有努力终于有所回报。

I got to walk down the WWE Raw entrance ramp on live television --

我从 WWE 的入口匝道 走到电视直播的舞台上——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

dressed up as a fake security guard --

装扮成一名保安——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

to escort another wrestler to the ring.

护送另一位摔跤手到擂台上。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sure, I was disappointed I didn't get to wrestle,

当然 ，我为自己没能登台感到失望，

but very few wrestlers get any kind of call from the WWE.

但是鲜有摔跤手得到 WWE 的邀请，

Maybe one in a few hundred.

大概几百人中才有一个。

And becoming Cowboy Gator Magraw is what got me there.

而我来到 WWE， 就是因为 牛仔“鳄鱼”麦格劳。

So instead of walking away that day,

所以那天我没有选择离开，

I decided to turn myself up again

而是选择展现自我，

and become the best security guard I could.

尽最大的努力 当好一个安保人员。

In fact, I did it so well,

事实上我做到了，

I was the only guard to get a close-up on TV that night.

我是那天唯一一个 获得特写镜头的保安。

That's a big deal, you know?

那也很了不起了，好吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I got to sit backstage that entire day

那一整天我坐在后台，

with some of the most famous pro wrestlers in the world,

身边是一些世界顶级摔跤手，

some of which were heroes of mine as a kid.

有的是我童年的偶像，

And I got to listen to them and learn from them,

我有机会听取他们的建议并学习。

and for that day,

那天，

I was accepted as one of them.

我和他们打成一片。

Maybe my experience with the WWE wasn't ideal.

也许我的 WWE 经历不是那么美好，

I mean, I didn't get to wrestle.

我的意思是我没有登上擂台，

But it made me work harder,

但那使我更努力地工作。

turning myself up louder year after year.

年复一年，我愈发强大，

I was becoming the biggest version of myself in the ring,

我在擂台上的表现胜过以往，

and other people took notice.

而且其他人注意到了。

Before I knew it,

在我意识到之前，

I'd gone from wrestling maybe once a month in Minnesota

我从明尼苏达每月一次的摔跤，

to as often as four times a week all over the United States

进展到在全美范围内每周四次

on the independent wrestling circuit.

在独立摔跤巡回中比赛。

I was literally living my dream.

我在实现我的梦想。

While wrestling over the next few years,

在经历了几年的摔跤生涯之后，

我肩膀受了很严重的伤。

I suffered a pretty bad shoulder injury

那时我和妻子，

right around the same time my wife and I found out

正好迎来了我们第一个孩子。

that we were expecting our first child.

我知道你们在想什么，

I know what you're thinking,

but believe me when I say those two events are completely unrelated.

但是这两件事没有关联。

（笑声）

(Laughter)

But I needed shoulder surgery,

我需要进行肩部手术，

and I wanted to be home with my family.

我想回家和家人待在一起。

It was my turn to be a dad.

现在轮到我当父亲了。

So on July 27, 2007,

于是2007年7月27日，

I wrestled my final match,

我最后一次比赛，

and walked away from professional wrestling

然后退役，

to pursue the next chapter of my life.

开启了人生的下一个篇章。

And as time passed,

随着时光的流逝，

the strangest thing started to happen.

最奇异的事情发生了。

I found out that once someone has been turned up,

我发现人的开关一旦被打开后，

it's pretty hard to turn them down.

就很难再被关上。

I left the ring but Gator stayed with me,

虽然我离开了擂台， 但是“鳄鱼”与我同在，

and I use the turned-up version of myself every day.

我将自我展现运用到日常生活中去。

My beautiful wife has been with me through this entire journey.

这个过程中我的娇妻一直陪伴着我，

And by the way -- she does not like pro wrestling.

尽管她不喜欢职业摔跤手，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Like, at all.

一点也不。

But she was always my biggest fan.

但她是我的头号粉丝，

She still is.

现在也是。

She knows there's always going to be some part of Gator Magraw in here,

她知道鳄鱼麦格劳不会消失，

她希望我们的女儿和双胞胎儿子 也能发现自我，

and she wants our daughter and twin sons to discover themselves

就像我一样，

the way that I did,

但是少挨几次泰山压顶 或者钢椅砸头。

but probably with fewer body slams and steel chair shots to the head.

I mean, do you know how many times she's had to remind me

你们知道有多少次 她不得不提醒我

不要在孩子的足球比赛上 对裁判动粗？

not to clothesline the referees at my kid's soccer games?

（笑声）

(Laughter)

其实只有过一次，

I mean, it was just the one time,

但那是有人对我女儿恶意犯规！

and my daughter was clearly fouled!

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As a parent now, I've begun to realize that my dad wanted something

如今作为一位父亲， 我逐渐明白我父亲想要的

much more valuable than a retirement fund.

远不是退休金。

就像大部分的父母一样，

Like most parents,

he just wanted his kids to reach their fullest potential.

他只希望我能发挥最大的潜能。

I'm trying to teach my children

我想告诉我的孩子们，

展现自我不仅是 成就伟大的秘诀，

that turning yourself up is just not some perfect idea of how to be great,

更是一种生活方式。

it's a way of living --

constantly looking for what makes you different

时刻发掘你的特质，

并发扬光大，让世人看到。

and how you can amplify it for the world to see.

And by the way, my kids don't like wrestling, either.

顺便提一句，我的孩子们 也不喜欢摔跤。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But that's OK with me,

但我觉得没什么问题，

因为他们有自己的特质，

because they each have their own unique talents that can be turned up

就像我们所有人一样。

just like the rest of us.

My one son -- he's a whiz at electronics.

我的一个儿子热爱电子元件，

So maybe helping him turn up makes him become the next Steve Jobs.

也许帮助他展现自我， 可以成就下一个史蒂夫·乔布斯。

My other son and my daughter -- they're great at art,

另一个儿子还有我的女儿 他们擅长艺术，

so maybe helping them turn up their gifts

也许帮助他们提升才能，

helps them become the next Pablo Picasso.

可以成就下一个毕加索。

You never know what you have the ability to do

你永远不知道自己的潜力，

直到你去挖掘。

until you dig.

And don't be afraid to put yourself out there.

不要害怕那么做，

I mean, look around.

看看四周，

They say that if you get nervous in front of an audience,

有人说如果你在观众面前感到紧张，

just imagine them in their underwear.

就想象他们只穿着内衣。

但我转念一想，“嘿， 我摔跤的时候穿的更少。”

But then I think, "Hey, I've wrestled in less."

（笑声）

(Laughter)

(Applause)

（掌声）

Look, the wrestling circus doesn't need to come to your town

你看，你不需要等到 摔跤巡回来到你家镇上

就能得到展现真我的机会。

before you get an invitation to be the real you --

成为一个更强大，更耀眼的自己。

the bigger, more stunning version of yourself.

It doesn't even necessarily come from our parents.

它未必来自我们的父母。

Turning yourself up means looking inward toward our true selves

发掘自我意味着你要找到真我，

and harnessing the voice that says,

然后对自己说，

"Maybe, just maybe,

“或许，仅是或许，

我比自己想象得更强大。”

I am more than I thought I was."

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）