The most successful people know how important it is to have interests and hobbies outside of their work lives.

那些顶级的成功人士往往都知道在业余生活中培养一些兴趣爱好是多么的重要。

Some of these hobbies are useful and considered important networking tools, while others are more focused on personal development and pushing themselves. Some are purely thrill-seeking and allow people in high-stress jobs to forget about their day-to-day responsibilities.

这其中，有些爱好对于社交的作用不容忽视，有些爱好则更偏向于个人的发展和提升。此外，还有一些兴趣爱好只是人们单纯地为了寻求刺激以求暂时从日常的高压工作中解脱出来。

1. Former President George W. Bush is an avid painter.

美国前总统乔治-布什是一名狂热的绘画爱好者。

Grorge W. Bush, the former president has taken up oil painting since leaving the White House. Last month during an appearance on The Today Show, Bush Presented Jay Leno with a portrait of the host and revealed that painting contributed to his new relaxed lifestyle.

乔治-布什，这位美国前总统退休之后拿起画笔，开始了油画的创作。上个月，布什在脱口秀节目《今日秀》中为主持人杰-雷诺画了一幅肖像。同时，他透露绘画已成为其退休后一种新的生活方式。

Bush loves his new hobby so much, he told The Washington Post that he spends two to three hours a day painting. Bush prefers painting animals — usually dogs — but sometimes paints himself.

布什非常钟情于这一新爱好。据《华盛顿邮报》报道，他每天大约花两到三个小时作画。至于绘画的素材，他更偏爱画动物，尤其是狗;但有时他也会画画自画像。

2.Actress Meryl Streep knits to clear her head.

演员梅丽尔-斯特里普热衷于编织以保持头脑清醒。

How does Streep stay so focused on camera? The secret may be her knitting between takes.

为什么斯特里普总能在镜头前保持专注?这可能要归功于她在拍摄间隙织毛衣的习惯。

Like many knitters, Streep does it for therapeutic purposes and admits to spending all her time on set knitting. "For me it was a place to gather my thoughts and understand the contemplative life... it's a sort of clearing out place." she said.

和很多织毛衣的人一样，斯特里普织毛衣主要是为了心理治疗，同时她承认几乎所有的业余时间都被她用来织毛衣了。她说：“对于我来说，织毛衣时我可以集中精神去思考人生……那就像是一块净土。”

3.Investor Warren Buffett regularly plays online bridge to keep his mind sharp.

股神沃伦-巴菲特玩在线桥牌以保持思维敏捷。

Buffett told CNN that he plays online bridge most Mondays with three other partners, sometimes including Bill Gates.

据美国有线电视新闻网报道，巴菲特通常会在星期一和另外三个玩家一起玩在线桥牌，有时也会叫上比尔-盖茨。

In a report titled "Why Warren Buffett Plays Bridge." economist John P. Hussman reasoned that Buffett's love of the game could be because it places emphasis on "playing a hand right rather than on playing it successfully".

在一篇名为《为什么巴菲特如此钟爱桥牌》的报道中，经济学家豪斯曼对巴菲特热衷于桥牌的原因做出了如下解释——桥牌看重的是如何正确地出每一手牌，而不是怎么一下赢了整局。

4.Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is an aggressive golfer.

美国前国务卿赖斯非常热爱打高尔夫。

Since golf is such a popular sport in the business world, women can miss out on important networking opportunities if they don't play. Rice knows this and started playing golf when she was working as Secretary of State and even often played with former President George W. Bush.

因为高尔夫这项运动在商界非常盛行，如果女性不参与的话很可能会失去许多重要的商务社交机会。赖斯深知此道，所以在刚担任美国国务卿的时候她便开始打高尔夫，还时常和美国前总统布什打上两局。

Six years later, Rice is a member at the Augusta National Golf Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, and continues to play golf regularly. Rice and business executive Darla Moore were the first women granted memberships to Augusta.

六年过去了，赖斯现在已经是奥古斯塔国家高尔夫俱乐部的会员;这是一个享誉世界的顶级高尔夫俱乐部。赖斯和金融家穆尔是首批被接收入会的女性。

5. Billionaire Richard Branson's favorite sport is kite boarding.

百万富翁理查德-布兰森疯狂迷恋风筝滑板。

The Virgin founder has explored space, the deep sea, and flown in a hot air balloon across the Atlantic Ocean. Branson loves doing anything that will keep him fit and productive, which explains why his favorite sport is kite boarding.

这位英国维珍帝国的缔造者已经探索过外太空，探访过深海，也曾坐着热气球飞过大西洋。布兰森喜欢做任何可以让他保持健康、高效的生活方式的事情，这可能也是他疯狂迷恋风筝滑板的原因。

Kite boarding, or kite surfing, is a water sport that uses a large power kite to keep people balanced while on a a kiteboard, which is similar to a wakeboard or surfboard.

风筝滑板或者风筝冲浪是用一个大的动力风筝使人在风筝板上保持平衡的水上运动;而所谓的风筝板则和常见的尾流跳板或冲浪板有些类似。