莫泊桑笔下的雅娜，半生都在追逐 “完美人生” 的幻梦 —— 渴望丈夫专情、儿子成才，却在一次次失望中挣扎。她困在对 “理想化生活” 的执念里，明知现实与期待相悖，仍不愿放手，直到后来放下苛求，才发现花园的晨光、女仆的陪伴、独处的宁静，早已是生活馈赠的宝藏。
这像极了你面对行业与客户时的状态：明明不看好这个行业和产品，却因舍不得过往付出的时间精力，迟迟不愿转身；明知客户的回复模糊敷衍，却总抱着 “或许还有机会” 的侥幸，在不确定中反复内耗。我们和雅娜一样，总在 “已投入的成本” 和 “虚幻的期待” 里画地为牢，忘了执念背后，是正在被消耗的精力与可能。
生活亦是如此，搬家时若舍不得旧物的 “意义”，只会让打包更疲惫；遇事若执着于 “必须完美”，只会让自己陷入焦虑。
《一生》最戳人的，是让我们明白：适时放弃不切实际的期待，不是妥协，而是清醒；真正的成长，是学会放弃错的执念，才能接住生活与工作里对的馈赠。
In Maupassant’s A Life, Jeanne spends half her life chasing the illusion of a "perfect life"—longing for a faithful husband and a successful son, yet struggling through repeated disappointments. Trapped in her obsession with an "idealized life," she refuses to let go even when she knows reality contradicts her expectations. It is only when she finally lets go of her demands that she discovers life’s hidden treasures: the morning light in the garden, the companionship of her maid, and the peace of being alone.
This is much like how you feel about your industry and clients: you clearly don’t have faith in this industry or its products, yet you hesitate to walk away, unwilling to abandon the time and energy you’ve already invested. You know clients’ replies are vague and perfunctory, but you still cling to the faint hope that "maybe there’s a chance," wearing yourself out in uncertainty. Like Jeanne, we all trap ourselves in "sunk costs" and "illusory expectations," forgetting that behind our obsessions lies wasted energy and missed possibilities.
Life follows the same logic: when moving, clinging to the "sentimental value" of old items only makes packing more tiring; when dealing with things, fixating on "needing perfection" only traps you in anxiety.
What strikes us most about A Life is the truth it reveals: letting go of unrealistic expectations in time is not compromise, but clarity. True growth means learning to let go of the wrong obsessions—only then can you embrace the worthy gifts that life and work have to offer.