成功靠的是堅持：7種方式把新行爲培養成好習慣

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.
你是否也曾制定過節食或運動計劃，結果沒過多久就堅持不下去了呢？你是否也像成千上萬人一樣，剛剛開始時雄心壯志，但越往後卻越沒動力？下面這篇文章就要告訴你爲什麼只靠毅力和積極性行不通，以及正確的做法是什麼。

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.
當你啓動一項提升自我的項目時，你一定是興致勃勃，想到未來能收穫成功，遠離失敗，便頓時充滿能量。但是這種積極性會隨着時間自然而然地消磨殆盡。

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.
當積極性消失時，你更多的要靠毅力堅持下去。但是每個人的毅力都是有限的，總有一天會被“用光”。每當你迫使自己做不願做的事情，或是抗拒種種誘惑時，你的毅力都會一點點流失。

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，你可能就發現自己的毅力都用光了。這就是爲什麼大多數人會在健康飲食一整天之後，到晚上暴飲暴食。

If motivation and willpower aren’t working for you, there is another way!
既然積極性和毅力對你不起作用，還有其他解決辦法！

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%的事情都是由潛意識完成的，這部分大腦將我們的生活設置爲“自動駕駛”狀態。因此你才能想都不用想就去刷牙、開車，做各種事情。

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!
當你意識清醒地決定要培養新習慣時，不妨利用潛意識的力量新建一種日常行爲。一旦新習慣形成，一切就會變得容易。你也不再需要積極性和毅力了。

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個步驟能將新的行爲變爲日常習慣。習慣形成後，做事情就不那麼費力了。這些技巧適用於你希望建立或改變的一切習慣，包括飲食、鍛鍊、冥想、緩解壓力、睡眠方式等等。

1. Set Small Goals
設立小目標

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.
雖說大目標會令人興奮，但從微小甚至無聊的小目標更可能使人獲得成功。這些小目標的表現形式有：10分鐘的冥想、用生蔬菜代替不健康零食，或是每天步行15分鐘。

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.
微小的改變會騙過你的大腦。你的潛意識熱衷掌控，因此不喜歡原有習慣被打破。大目標大改變總會激起潛意識的抵制，但若一點一點做，則有可能逃出大腦的監管和排斥。

2. Use Triggers
利用“激發源”

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.
“激發源”指的就是能夠讓你條件反射做某事的另一件事。比如說“飯後吸菸”，那麼“飯後”就是“吸菸”的激發源。如果你能堅持總在早餐之後做冥想，幾周之後你會發現，早餐完畢後你會不由自主想到去冥想。視覺激發源也很奏效。早上把運動衣放在牀上，等下班回家看到它，你會更有動力去鍛鍊身體。

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.
趁着早晨毅力充沛時鍛鍊或冥想，你會受益一整天！提前做一頓健康晚餐，晚上回家時就不用餓着肚子做飯了。4. Be Prepared
做好準備

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!
要確保你擁有達到成功的一切條件。如果你想開始步行鍛鍊，就要準備好舒適的運動鞋和計步器。有計步器的人要比沒有的人多走27%的路。

5. Make it Convenient
保證很方便

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”.
如果做一件事難度越大耗時越長，那麼你去做它的機率也就越小。這就是爲什麼許多人辦了健身房會員又中途退出——只是因爲不是很便利。因此要提前做好一切準備，等時間一到，你就能像耐克廣告語說的那樣：“想做就去做！”

6. Make it Fun
尋找樂趣

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.
如果你不喜歡做什麼事，就很難堅持到底。因此要想方設法讓生活在變化當中充滿樂趣。和朋友一起鍛鍊，學習做健康可口的飯菜，或是找到真正符合你要求的冥想計劃。

7. Don’t Break the Chain
不要間斷

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.
當美國喜劇巨匠傑瑞·宋飛還沒出名時，他就養成了天天利用掛曆和紅標識寫新內容的習慣。每天寫了新內容，他就在當天的日期上畫一個大大的叉。他不想看見哪天是空着的，把“整條鏈子都截斷了”。你也可以效仿這種方法，一個月後，新習慣就會基本形成。

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.
通過這些步驟，你可以使大腦自動接收新行爲，從而養成習慣。等到習慣形成，你就能將它視爲一條通往更大改變的通道，最終改變自己人生。要記住：不積跬步，無以至千里。