When we find a job we feel passionate about, there are a lot of signs that we love it. But finding work we love does not always mean that it’s easy. And when the work begins to challenge us, or when we hit roadblocks (which everyone will) it’s not as easy to tell if we’re actually doing work we’re meant to do.

　　如果我们找到了心仪的工作，会有很多迹象表明我们对工作的喜爱。但是找到热爱的工作并不意味着这份工作很轻松。当工作中出现挑战时，或者遇到困难时(每个人都会经历这些)，我们很难确定现在这份工作是不是我们注定要做的。

　　Finding work you are truly passionate about can feel a lot like falling in love. You becomeinfatuated, excited, and you can feel yourself changing for the better. But what happens when you get used to it? New is now familiar, and that loving feeling is not as “sparkly” as it once was. In some cases, when relationships last for this long (with a person or a career) it can be difficult to tell if you still want to be in it for the long run. Here are some signs that you’ve found the one.

　　找到一份令你激情四射的工作就像谈恋爱一样。你会变得沉溺、激动，而且自己会越变越好。但如果你已经习惯了呢?新奇变成了熟悉，那种爱意不复当初一般蹦耀火花。某些情况下，当一段关系持续了很久(无论是对人还是对工作)，你就很难确定自己是否还想长期经营下去。下面这些迹象能给出答案。

　　1. There are never enough hours to accomplish everything.

　　1. 总是没有时间完成所有的事情。

　　There is always a constant stream of work coming in. But you don’t let it paralyze you. There is so much to be done because you keep getting it done. You’re in the work flow, baby. Hemingway always stopped writing when he had more to say. It was better than writing ’til he ran dry, which meant picking it up the next day with nothing ready to write. This is you at work. There’s always a to-do list ready to go the next day.

　　工作总是源源而来。但是你没有因此被打倒。有很多事情还没有完成是因为你一直不停地在完成事情。你在工作的进程中呢，宝贝。海明威总是在有更多想说的话之时停止写作。这总比灵感枯竭时还坚持写作好，因为这样就意味着第二天你再提笔的时候就没有东西可写了。这就是你的工作状态。第二天总是有一堆要做的事情。

　　2. You often remind yourself of the “bigger picture.”

　　2. 你经常提醒自己顾全大局。

　　There are always going to be little mundane tasks that have to get finished—even if we don’t want to be the one to finish them. It’s easy to lose yourself in the nuts and bolts of a project without envisioning it’s completion. It’s even easier to get hung up on how difficult and time consuming the little projects can be. But when you love the work you do, you always find a way to see the forest through the trees and remind yourself of what you are working toward.

　　总有一些枯燥的任务需要完成——即使你不想成为完成这些任务的那个人。我们很容易就迷失在某项工程的繁复细节中而忘了展望它的完成，更容易纠结于这些细节工作有多难多费时。但如果你热爱你的工作，你就总能通过树木看见整座森林，并提醒自己你究竟是为了什么工作。

　　3. Your frustration is born out of something not being good enough.

　　3. 你的失望来自于某事不完美

　　When we care about the work we do and something doesn’t live up to our standards, it can be really disappointing. If this frustration comes from wanting something to be better than it is and taking extra time and effort to bring it up to those standards, then you are actually doing work that matters to you. Even if the struggle feels like a huge pain, working toward the end result you want will give you an even greater sense of reward once you get it there.

　　当我们在意工作或某事不能达到自己的标准时，会非常失望。如果这种沮丧来自于想要某事变得更完美并愿意花时间和精力使之达到标准，那么你所做的工作对你来说是重要的。即使这种挣扎让你感觉到极大的痛苦，朝着你预想的目标前进，一旦达到目标，你的成就感会更大。

　　4. You talk about your work during breakfast and dinner.

　　4. 你在早餐和晚餐时间谈论你的工作。

　　You seriously can’t help talking about the thing you’re working on, even if it frustrates you. You try to talk out the issue with your loved ones, thinking maybe another perspective can help you “hallelujah” your way to a solution. Complaining about your job does not fall into this category. There will always be days or even weeks at a time when things just feel like they’re working against you, but you keep talking about your work through every kind of phase. Work does not end when you walk out the door at the end of the day.

　　哪怕工作再让你心灰意冷，你就是忍不住提到它。你试图和你爱的人讨论这个话题，想着也许其他人的意见能帮助你顺风顺水地找到解决方法。抱怨工作可不属于这一类。总是有几天甚至几周，你总感觉工作和你作对，但你仍然每时每刻都谈论工作。工作在你走出沮丧那一天仍然继续着。