新年寄语|Let's make 2008 REALLY GREAT !

[同道|贾怀军]

今天看到一篇文章，很合此意！

7 Steps to Turn Your Self-Improvement Desires Into Reality
从 zen habits 作者：Leo

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” - John Lennon
How many times have we told ourselves in complete earnestness, “I’m
going to be more organized and productive from now on.”? Or that the
diet starts tomorrow? Or that we’re going to make a real effort to
exercise now?

Only to have that enthusiasm fizzle away, and all our best intentions
come to nothing?

It’s the most common thing in the world (besides bacteria) — the
honest and fervent desire for self-improvement, followed by inaction
or giving in to temptations, followed by guilt or giving up. Bridget
Jones captured it best, writing her constant resolutions into her
diary. “Will definitely go to the gym this afternoon.” Only to be
followed by a binge of pastries followed by drinking and smoking.

We’re all Bridget Jones. It happens to the best of us. It’s inertia at
work, mixed with a bit of laziness as well as the very human trait of
giving in to desires despite all the good intentions in the world.

So how do we beat inertia and temptations? Four basic ways, really:

Get moving, a bit at a time. Inertia is beat only by movement. Once
you get going, momentum builds up and inertia is no longer a factor.
So the key is to get started, and you do that not by trying to go from
0 to 60 in 5 seconds, but by trying to go from 0 to 5mph in a day or
two. That’s doable. It’s all about baby steps. Once you get going,
you’re golden.
Be accountable. Laziness, the second culprit, is beat by a bit of
public pressure. We all get lazy from time to time (or, to be more
honest, all the time), and there’s nothing wrong with that. But to
beat laziness, we must apply a bit of pressure, in the form of
accountability. There’s nothing wrong with a little pressure, as long
is it’s not overdone. Pressure is a motivating thing, especially when
it’s positive. Positive pressure includes encouragement from family or
friends, an online forum, a help group in your neighborhood, or the
readers of your blog.
Ignore failures — giving in to temptation is OK. We will always give
in to temptation. Plan for it, accept it, move on. There’s no need to
beat yourself up.
Motivate yourself. Most importantly, you want to really want it. It’s
not enough to feel pressure to do something — you have to really
desire it. I mean, really desire it, not just think it’s something you
should do, or that you’ll be a better person for doing it. If pressure
gives you the push toward your goal, motivation gives you the pull.
Given those strategies for beating the obstacles to making your
desires become reality … how do we implement them? How do we go from
theory to actual action steps? Easy. Seven simple steps, that you can
do today. Really. Do them today.

1. Make a date. Right now. All the good intentions in the history of
the universe mean nothing if you don’t actually get started. And the
only way to get started is to take action, right now. Not tomorrow,
not later today, not in an hour, not when you finish reading this
article. Right now! Look at your calendar, and make an appointment to
create your action plan, or to take the first action (”Go walking at
5:30 p.m. today in the park,” for example). What’s the first action
you can take to make your desires a reality? Create a healthier meal
plan for tomorrow? Create a place for everything you use at work, so
your organizing system doesn’t fall apart in two day? Decide what that
is and make an appointment for it, right now. Second part of this
step: make that appointment the most important appointment on your
schedule, more important than a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with
your boss.

2. Set a small, achievable goal. Remember, inertia is a powerful
force. If you haven’t been exercising for a couple years, it’s hard to
get started. You’re used to the way things are, and even if you want
to change, it’s difficult. So don’t start out trying to conquer the
world. Just conquer something exceedingly small. It might sound wimpy
to say, “I’m going to walk for 10 minutes” or “I’m going to do 10
pushups and 1 chinup”, but those are much more likely to beat inertia
than, “I’m going to exercise for 45 minutes today.” Be realistic, and
make it very very achievable. It’s the only way to beat inertia.

“Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda in The Empire Strikes
Back

3. Commit thyself, big time. It’s this commitment that will keep you
going after you overcome inertia. Sometimes we get filled up with
enthusiasm, but then a few days later, that enthusiasm wanes and we
submit to our old buddy laziness. Now, I’m not anti-laziness — just
the opposite, I assure you — but we can’t let it stop us from making
our dreams come true. So instead, make a commitment, publicly. State
your small, achievable goal, and tell it to as many people as you can.
Call or email friends and family, tell all your coworkers, join an
online forum related to your goal and tell all of them. Put it on your
blog. However you do it, make sure people are aware of your goal, and
that there’s sufficient pressure to overcome laziness.

4. Baby steps, baby. Again, inertia is a very strong force. I’ve said
it before, but this is a very important step here: the best way to
change is through baby steps. One small step at a time. Don’t try to
bite off too much. How is this different from the above step, setting
a small and achievable goal? It’s the same concept, but extended
beyond the initial goal. It’s taking things one little goal at a time,
a bit at a time. For example, let’s say you want to run a marathon,
but currently your running regimen consists of running to the bathroom
during commercial breaks while you’re watching Lost. So do you go out
and start a marathon training plan? Nope. You start by walking 10
minutes a day. Then, when that becomes a habit and too easy, walk 15
minutes. Then 20, then 30. Then jog a minute, walk a couple minutes,
jog a minute, and so on, for those 30 minutes. Then jog 90 seconds,
and so on, until you’re running for 30 minutes. Do these steps a week
or two at a time, so that all of a sudden, you’re running for 45
minutes every other day … and you barely noticed the progression.
That’s the way you get to a goal … small progressions that are barely
noticeable. Not by killing yourself the first day out.

“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.” - Woody Allen

5. Hold thyself accountable. You’ve committed yourself publicly … but
it’s not enough to tell people your goal. You have to make it clear
that they must hold you accountable to reporting to them your
progress. Then report your progress to them regularly. Daily is better
than weekly. Reporting to them makes sure that you will think twice
about being lazy and forgoing your action plan.

6. Motivate yourself. We’ve already discussed accountability and
commitment, which are ways to put positive pressure on yourself — a
form of motivation. Those are great, but you also want other types of
motivation. You want to find ways to make your progress feel great …
either through rewards, or the positive way you feel about your
progress, or the positive way you feel when others see how well you’re
doing. Find a few different ways to motivate yourself — the more the
better. Incorporate these into your plan. Tell people about them. Let
them help push you along.

7. Just keep doing it, no matter what. You’ll encounter obstacles, and
falter and fall. Just get up and keep going. You’ll face temptations
and give in. That’s OK. Just keep going. You’ll make mistakes and get
discouraged. No matter … just keep going. Learn from your mistakes,
and … keep going. No matter what happens, keep going. If you’re taking
baby steps, you’re holding yourself accountable, and you’re actually
doing something, you’ll get there.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one” - Albert
Einstein

Elsewhere:

LifeDev: 25 Firefox Extensions to Make You More Productive (very cool
— also give it a Digg if you like it!)
The Next 45 Years: Interview with me on my blogging success