双语：7种方式把新行为培养成好习惯

　　Have you ever started a diet or exercise program but didn’t stick with it? If you are like millions of other people, you’ve set out with the best intentions but failed to keep the momentum going. I’m going to explain why relying on motivation and willpower doesn’t work and what works instead.

　　你是否也曾制定过节食或运动计划，结果没过多久就坚持不下去了呢?你是否也像成千上万人一样，刚刚开始时雄心壮志，但越往后却越没动力?下面这篇文章就要告诉你为什么只靠毅力和积极性行不通，以及正确的做法是什么。

　　When you begin any new self-improvement program, you’re enthusiasm is high and you’re motivated by the pleasure of what you want or the pain of what you don’t want. But motivation naturally diminishes with time.

　　当你启动一项提升自我的项目时，你一定是兴致勃勃，想到未来能收获成功，远离失败，便顿时充满能量。但是这种积极性会随着时间自然而然地消磨殆尽。

　　When your motivation wanes, you rely more on willpower. But no one has an endless supply of willpower. It’s a resource that gets “used up”. Every time you will yourself do something you don’t really want to do, you use up some willpower. Every temptation you pass up depletes your willpower reserve.

　　当积极性消失时，你更多的要靠毅力坚持下去。但是每个人的毅力都是有限的，总有一天会被“用光”。每当你迫使自己做不愿做的事情，或是抗拒种种诱惑时，你的毅力都会一点点流失。

　　By evening, you may find you have no willpower left. That’s why most people blow their diet in the evening after eating healthy all day.

　　等到了晚上，你可能就发现自己的毅力都用光了。这就是为什么大多数人会在健康饮食一整天之后，到晚上暴饮暴食。

　　If motivation and willpower aren’t working for you, there is another way!

　　既然积极性和毅力对你不起作用，还有其他解决办法!

　　95% of our life is dictated by the subconscious mind, the part of our brain that runs our lives on autopilot. This is why you can do everything from brushing your teeth to driving a car without thinking about it.

　　在生活中95%的事情都是由潜意识完成的，这部分大脑将我们的生活设置为“自动驾驶”状态。因此你才能想都不用想就去刷牙、开车，做各种事情。

　　By consciously deciding to create a new habit, you can harness the power of your unconscious to create a new neural pathway. Once a new habit is established it becomes easy to do –motivation and willpower are no longer required!

　　当你意识清醒地决定要培养新习惯时，不妨利用潜意识的力量新建一种日常行为。一旦新习惯形成，一切就会变得容易。你也不再需要积极性和毅力了。

　　Here are 7 steps to turn any desired new activity into a habit. Once a habit is established you’ll find yourself doing effortlessly. These techniques can be used for any habit you want to make or change – diet, exercise, meditation, stress reduction, sleep habits, and more.

　　下面7个步骤能将新的行为变为日常习惯。习惯形成后，做事情就不那么费力了。这些技巧适用于你希望建立或改变的一切习惯，包括饮食、锻炼、冥想、缓解压力、睡眠方式等等。

　　1. Set Small Goals

　　设立小目标

　　Setting big goals is exciting but starting with small boring goals is more likely to lead to success. Some examples of small changes would be to meditate for 10 minutes, replace one unhealthy snack with raw veggies, or walk 15 minutes per day.

　　虽说大目标会令人兴奋，但从微小甚至无聊的小目标更可能使人获得成功。这些小目标的表现形式有：10分钟的冥想、用生蔬菜代替不健康零食，或是每天步行15分钟。

　　Taking small actions tricks your brain. Your subconscious likes to be in control – it doesn’t like change. A big change often sets up subconscious resistance, but you can sneak a small change by it.

　　微小的改变会骗过你的大脑。你的潜意识热衷掌控，因此不喜欢原有习惯被打破。大目标大改变总会激起潜意识的抵制，但若一点一点做，则有可能逃出大脑的监管和排斥。

　　2. Use Triggers

　　利用“激发源”

　　A trigger is something that leads you to automatically doing something else. Smokers, for example, are triggered to smoke after a meal. Use triggers to your advantage. If you commit to always meditating after breakfast, after a few weeks you’ll automatically think about meditating after your morning meal. Visual triggers work well, too. Lay your workout clothes on the bed in the morning will encourage you to work out when you get home from work.

　　“激发源”指的就是能够让你条件反射做某事的另一件事。比如说“饭后吸烟”，那么“饭后”就是“吸烟”的激发源。如果你能坚持总在早餐之后做冥想，几周之后你会发现，早餐完毕后你会不由自主想到去冥想。视觉激发源也很奏效。早上把运动衣放在床上，等下班回家看到它，你会更有动力去锻炼身体。

　　3. Do it Early

　　趁早做事

　　Exercise or meditate in the morning when your willpower is high. You’ll reap the rewards all day! Make a healthy dinner ahead so you don’t come home starved with nothing to eat.

　　趁着早晨毅力充沛时锻炼或冥想，你会受益一整天!提前做一顿健康晚餐，晚上回家时就不用饿着肚子做饭了。

　　4. Be Prepared

　　做好准备

　　Make sure you have everything you need to ensure your success. If you want to start a walking program, get comfortable walking shoes and a pedometer. People who wear a pedometer walk 27% more than those who don’t!

　　要确保你拥有达到成功的一切条件。如果你想开始步行锻炼，就要准备好舒适的运动鞋和计步器。有计步器的人要比没有的人多走27%的路。

　　5. Make it Convenient

　　保证很方便

　　The more difficult and time consuming it is to take an action, the less likely you will do it. This is why so many people who buy gym memberships drop out. It’s just not that convenient. Get everything you need ready ahead of time so that when it’s time you can, as Nike says, “Just Do It”.

　　如果做一件事难度越大耗时越长，那么你去做它的几率也就越小。这就是为什么许多人办了健身房会员又中途退出——只是因为不是很便利。因此要提前做好一切准备，等时间一到，你就能像耐克广告语说的那样：“想做就去做!”

　　6. Make it Fun

　　寻找乐趣

　　If you don’t enjoy doing something you aren’t going to stick with it. Find ways to make your lifestyle change as enjoyable as possible. Exercise with a friend, learn to cook healthy foods that are delicious, or find a meditation program that really resonates with you.

　　如果你不喜欢做什么事，就很难坚持到底。因此要想方设法让生活在变化当中充满乐趣。和朋友一起锻炼，学习做健康可口的饭菜，或是找到真正符合你要求的冥想计划。

　　7. Don’t Break the Chain

　　不要间断

　　When Jerry Seinfeld was an unknown, he created the habit of writing new material daily using a wall calendar and a red marker. Every day he wrote, he put a big red “X” through that day. He didn’t want to see any blank days that “broke the chain”. Use this technique for one month and you’ll find your new habit will largely be formed.

　　当美国喜剧巨匠杰瑞·宋飞还没出名时，他就养成了天天利用挂历和红标识写新内容的习惯。每天写了新内容，他就在当天的日期上画一个大大的叉。他不想看见哪天是空着的，把“整条链子都截断了”。你也可以效仿这种方法，一个月后，新习惯就会基本形成。

　　By using these steps to create a habit you are tricking your brain to create a new neural pathway. Once the habit is formed you can use it to serve as a gateway to bigger changes that can truly change your life. A journey of a thousand miles really does begin with a single step.

　　通过这些步骤，你可以使大脑自动接收新行为，从而养成习惯。等到习惯形成，你就能将它视为一条通往更大改变的通道，最终改变自己人生。要记住：不积跬步，无以至千里。