注：机翻，未校。
What Neuroscience Says on Why Self Improvement is So Effing Hard (and What to Do About It)
Using Brain Science to Profoundly Alter Your Life for the Better
用脑科学深刻地改变你的生活，让它变得更好
This is not a Coke. 这不是可乐。
It looked like a Coke.它看起来像可乐。
The brown sugary liquid fizzed over a tall glass of ice just like a Coke would.
棕色的含糖液体在一大杯冰上嘶嘶作响，就像可乐一样。
My college roommate even handed it to me saying the words, “here’s your Coke.”
我的大学室友甚至把它递给我，说：“这是你的可乐。
I grabbed the glass without a thought, thanked him, took a swig and…
我不假思索地抓起玻璃杯，向他道谢，喝了一口，然后…
Spit out a mouthful of the nastiest tasting liquid into the glass, onto my chin, and all over my shirt.
把一口最难闻的液体吐进玻璃杯里，吐到我的下巴上，然后吐到我的衬衫上。
It may as well have been motor oil. It tasted that bad.
它也可能是机油。味道太难吃了。
I shot a look at my roommate, a combination of disgust and surprise, to tell him the Coke had turned. But his smirk told me he was up to his pranks again. This time I was his target.
我看了一眼我的室友，既厌恶又惊讶，告诉他可乐已经转动了。但他的傻笑告诉我，他又开始恶作剧了。这次我是他的目标。
As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the drink. It simply wasn’t the drink I was expecting. I had asked my roommate to grab me a glass of Coke. He brought me a glass of root beer instead.
事实证明，这种饮料没有任何问题。这根本不是我期待的饮料。我让我的室友给我拿了一杯可乐。他给我带来了一杯根啤酒。
Funny. 有趣。
The thing is, I love root beer. There’s nothing better than a tall, cold glass of Mug on a hot day. I have fond memories of pulling up to an A&W in the back of my Grandma’s beige Cadillac where the waitress would hang a tray of frozen glasses full of the sweet drink on our window.
问题是，我喜欢根啤酒。在炎热的天气里，没有什么比一杯又高又冷的马克杯更好的了。我有一个美好的回忆，在我奶奶的米色凯迪拉克后面停在A&W上，女服务员会把一盘装满甜饮料的冷冻玻璃杯挂在我们的窗户上。
But because my brain was expecting one flavor and my taste buds delivered something completely different, my brain malfunctioned causing a visceral reaction that had me wiping my chin and had my roommate laughing at me for hours.
但是因为我的大脑期待一种味道，而我的味蕾提供了完全不同的东西，我的大脑功能失调，引起了一种本能反应，让我擦拭下巴，让我的室友嘲笑了我几个小时。
Your Brain is an Expectation Machine 你的大脑是一台期待机器
Everything you do, or experience, or think is affected by the expectations you already have.
你所做的、经历的或思考的一切，都受到你已经拥有的期望的影响。
Take your arms, for example.
以你的胳膊为例。
With both arms intact, your brain works swimmingly. It sends signals to your limbs, they move, they provide feedback, and your brain breathes a sigh of relief that the cycle is complete. When you expect your arm to move and it does, your expectations are fulfilled. All is well.
在双臂完好无损的情况下，您的大脑可以游泳。它向你的四肢发送信号，它们移动，它们提供反馈，你的大脑松了一口气，这个循环已经完成。当你期望你的手臂移动并且它确实移动时，你的期望就得到了满足。一切都很好。
But if one arm were missing, this feedback loop doesn’t close. A variety of sensations, including pain, can follow.
但是，如果缺少一只手臂，这个反馈回路就不会闭合。随之而来的各种感觉，包括疼痛。
In a fascinating book Phantoms in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran explores the world of neuroscience through people who have lost a limb. Patients experienced phantom sensations in an extremity that no longer existed; some as simple as a fleeting tickle, others as irritating as an un-itchable itch and, in the worst of cases, pain.
在一本引人入胜的书《大脑中的幻影》中，拉马钱德兰博士通过失去肢体的人探索了神经科学的世界。患者在肢体中经历了不再存在的幻影感觉;有些像转瞬即逝的痒痒一样简单，有些像不痒的瘙痒一样刺激，在最坏的情况下，还有疼痛。
The patient’s brain, having sent a signal to the missing limb, would expect a response. Without receiving one, its neural pathways would get confused, causing severe phantom pain where none should be possible.
病人的大脑在向缺失的肢体发送信号后，会期待得到回应。如果没有接收到一个，它的神经通路就会变得混乱，导致严重的幻痛，而这是不可能的。
Ouch. 哎哟。
Or take relationships, for example.
或者以人际关系为例。
While you may pride yourself on accepting strangers with open eyes—never judging, never assuming—how you actually treat them is, in part, based on expectations you already have for them.
虽然你可能会以睁大眼睛接受陌生人而感到自豪——从不评判，从不假设——但你实际上如何对待他们，在一定程度上，是基于你已经对他们的期望。
In a pivotal study performed by Harvard Professor Robert Rosenthal in 1964, a random group of students was given a standardized IQ test. From the pool of test results, Rosenthal selected a few children at random, telling their teachers that his test predicted these children were “on the verge of an intense intellectual bloom.”
在哈佛大学教授罗伯特·罗森塔尔（Robert Rosenthal）于1964年进行的一项关键研究中，随机对一组学生进行了标准化的智商测试。从一系列测试结果中，罗森塔尔随机挑选了几个孩子，并告诉他们的老师，他的测试预测这些孩子“正处于智力绽放的边缘”。
Rosenthal then followed these children and their teachers for two years. What he found was astounding. The randomly chosen children, children whose teachers had higher expectations for them, now performed better on IQ tests than the other students in his study. In short, the teachers’ higher expectations for the students positively affected the children’s development.
然后，罗森塔尔跟踪了这些孩子和他们的老师两年。他的发现令人震惊。随机选择的孩子，老师对他们期望更高的孩子，现在在智商测试中比他研究中的其他学生表现得更好。总之，老师对学生的较高期望对孩子的发展产生了积极的影响。
Woah. 哇。
In both studies, the study of phantom pain in missing limbs and of setting high (albeit false) expectations of a students performance, we see that our brains aren’t quite operating in the way we believe they are.
在这两项研究中，一项是关于缺失肢体幻痛的研究，以及对学生表现设定高期望（尽管是错误的），我们看到我们的大脑并没有完全按照我们认为的方式运作。
We believe we receive stimulus through our senses, process it, then consciously decide how to react. But in reality, we receive stimulus through our senses, our brain processes it, then delivers answers based on what it expects to see next. Unless we interrupt our brain’s processing and delivery system, we receive answers that may not be logical, reasonable, or even appropriate.
我们相信我们通过感官接收刺激，对其进行处理，然后有意识地决定如何反应。但实际上，我们通过感官接收刺激，我们的大脑对其进行处理，然后根据它期望接下来看到的内容提供答案。除非我们打断大脑的处理和传递系统，否则我们得到的答案可能不合逻辑、不合理，甚至不合适。
While this may seem cause for alarm, it’s actually quite helpful.
虽然这似乎令人担忧，但实际上它非常有帮助。
Hopefully these kids’ teacher has positive expectations for them…
希望这些孩子的老师对他们有积极的期望…
Your Expectations Maximize Your Productivity 您的期望可以最大限度地提高您的生产力
Most of the time, you are on autopilot.
大多数时候，您都处于自动驾驶状态。
Wake up, make coffee, eat breakfast, shower, and head to work. You do these things without thinking.
醒来，煮咖啡，吃早餐，淋浴，然后去上班。你不假思索地做这些事情。
From the second your alarm goes off, your brain begins to execute a series of routines. Unless something unexpected comes up, these run without a hitch.
从闹钟响起的那一刻起，你的大脑就开始执行一系列的程序。除非出现意外情况，否则这些都会顺利运行。
During the day, many other programs execute without your involvement: meeting with people, triaging emails, lunch, social media, driving home. All of these things happen without much contemplation on your part. Yes, you’re engaged, participating, even interacting. But you’re not thinking deeply. You know what’s expected of you and easily live up to those expectations.
白天，许多其他程序在没有您参与的情况下执行：与人会面、分类电子邮件、午餐、社交媒体、开车回家。所有这些事情都是在没有你深思熟虑的情况下发生的。是的，你参与其中，参与，甚至互动。但你没有深入思考。你知道对你的期望是什么，并轻松达到这些期望。
Your brain, the ultimate expectation machine moves from one program to the next, predicting what will happen and delivering answers that match reality with your assumptions. You’re doing whatever comes to mind.
你的大脑，终极期望机器从一个程序移动到另一个程序，预测将会发生什么，并提供与你的假设相匹配的答案。你正在做任何想到的事情。
And that’s a good thing — most of the time.
这是一件好事——大多数时候都是这样。
Autopilot lets you act without thinking, perform without expending energy, and make decisions without deciding. It lets you talk to a friend while driving a stick shift. It lets you shampoo your hair while thinking about your upcoming schedule. With autopilot turned on, you can move through your morning routine in a sleep-deprived daze, making coffee, eating breakfast, and triaging emails using minimal mental resources.
Autopilot 让您无需思考即可行动，无需消耗精力即可执行，无需决定即可做出决定。它使您可以在驾驶变速杆时与朋友交谈。它可以让您在考虑即将到来的日程安排时洗发。启用自动驾驶仪后，您可以使用最少的脑力资源在睡眠不足的发呆中完成早晨的例行公事，煮咖啡，吃早餐和分类电子邮件。
But when it comes to self-improvement and personal growth, autopilot, for all its energy-saving and decision-making benefits, is hugely limiting.
但是，当涉及到自我提升和个人成长时，尽管自动驾驶具有节能和决策功能的所有优势，但它具有极大的局限性。
Your Expectations Are Limiting Your Growth 你的期望限制了你的成长
Even with good intentions—plans to eat right, exercise, plan your days, set goals, build your side-hustle, get home before dinner—it sometimes seems impossibly difficult to grow.
即使有良好的意图——计划正确饮食、锻炼、计划你的日子、设定目标、建立你的副业、在晚餐前回家——有时似乎很难成长。
We all have our reasons.
我们都有自己的理由。
There’s too much to do. Too little time. Too many distractions. Too many competing priorities. Life seems to get in the way.
有太多事情要做。时间太少。太多的干扰。太多相互竞争的优先事项。生活似乎阻碍了我们。
These reasons sound well and good, but (truth bomb coming) they’re all lies.
这些理由听起来很好，但是（真相炸弹来了）它们都是谎言。
The real reason you don’t plan, eat right, exercise, set goals, grow your business, and live a balanced life isn’t because you have too much to do. It’s not because you get distracted.
你不计划、不吃得好、不锻炼、不设定目标、不发展业务、不平衡生活的真正原因并不是因为你有太多事情要做。这不是因为你分心了。
It’s because you aren’t conditioned to.
这是因为你没有适应。
If you always eat breakfast after making coffee, your autopilot switches from coffee-mode to breakfast-mode without thinking. If your morning routine has never included exercise, inserting a workout into it is jarring. In some ways, your brain rejects it, making it far easier to skip it and fall back into a familiar routine. A routine that’s safe. A routine you’re comfortable with.
如果您总是在煮咖啡后吃早餐，您的自动驾驶仪会不假思索地从咖啡模式切换到早餐模式。如果你的早晨例行公事从未包括锻炼，那么在其中插入锻炼是很不和谐的。在某些方面，你的大脑会拒绝它，这使得你更容易跳过它并回到熟悉的日常生活中。一个安全的例行公事。一个你觉得舒服的例行公事。
Self-improvement requires change. It requires us to do things we’re not familiar with, that we’re uncomfortable with. But our routines, the expectations we’ve built for how our life runs, they don’t allow for the uncomfortable. And so, they don’t allow for growth.
自我提升需要改变。它要求我们做一些我们不熟悉的事情，我们感到不舒服的事情。但是我们的日常生活，我们对生活运行方式的期望，它们不允许出现不舒服的情况。因此，它们不允许增长。
Without modifying your expectations, you can’t hope to change. And without change, you can’t hope to grow.
如果不改变你的期望，你就不能指望改变。没有改变，你就不能指望成长。
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
“ 智力的衡量标准是改变的能力。
— Albert Einstein 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦
Why Self-Improvement is So Effing Hard 为什么自我提升如此难
Now we have the basis for understanding why self-improvement is so effing hard.
现在我们有了理解为什么自我提升如此难的基础。
If you expect to drink a Coke and your prankster roommate gives you a root beer instead, your brain cries foul. Not because you don’t like root beer, but because you’re geared up to taste Coke and, when you taste something different, alarm bells tell you something is wrong. Similarly, if you introduce exercise in your morning routine when you’re used to eating breakfast after making coffee, you’re brain will initially cry foul. It won’t feel right. It won’t be expected.
如果你想喝可乐，而你的恶作剧室友却给你一杯根啤酒，你的大脑就会大喊大叫。不是因为你不喜欢根啤酒，而是因为你已经准备好品尝可乐了，当你尝到不同的东西时，警钟会告诉你有什么不对劲。同样，如果你习惯于在煮咖啡后吃早餐时在早晨的例行公事中引入锻炼，你的大脑最初会哭泣。感觉不对劲。这是意料之外的。
And that’s when the excuses come. “I just don’t have enough time to exercise. Not this morning.”
这就是借口出现的时候。“我只是没有足够的时间锻炼。今天早上不行。
If you lost a limb in an unfortunate accident, your brain might be tortuous. Telling your arm to move and not receiving the expected feedback confuses your neurons, causing pain where none should exist. Similarly, if you try reading a productivity book after breakfast when you would normally read the news, you’re brain will feel confused. You’ll worry that you’re missing out on important world events. A mild form of pain will crop up.
如果你在一次不幸的事故中失去了肢体，你的大脑可能会很曲折。告诉你的手臂移动，却没有收到预期的反馈，会让你的神经元感到困惑，在不应该存在的地方引起疼痛。同样，如果你在早餐后尝试阅读一本生产力书籍，而你通常会阅读新闻，你的大脑会感到困惑。你会担心你错过了重要的世界事件。会出现轻微的疼痛。
And that’s when the excuses come. “There are just too many distractions. I’ll read this book tomorrow.”
这就是借口出现的时候。“干扰因素实在太多了。我明天会读这本书。
Or, as we learned with Professor Rosenthal’s teaching experiment, the expectations we set for others changes the way we interact with them. If you’re used to doing everything yourself but know a mentor could help accelerate your business, the expectation you have for yourself (that you can do it all) will prevent you from finding that new mentor.
或者，正如我们从罗森塔尔教授的教学实验中学到的那样，我们为他人设定的期望会改变我们与他们互动的方式。如果您习惯于自己做所有事情，但知道导师可以帮助加速您的业务，那么您对自己的期望（您可以做到这一切）将阻止您找到新的导师。
That’s when the excuses come. “Finding a mentor just isn’t a priority right now. I’ll look for one next week.”
这时借口就来了。“寻找导师现在不是首要任务。我下周会找一个。
As if that weren’t enough, even if you force yourself down the path to a better self, your brain produces a little motivation and happiness drug called dopamine. Dopamine is released in anticipation of met expectations. It’s withheld for unmet ones. Dopamine, as we’ll see, likes to keep us right where we are. Safe and sound.
好像这还不够，即使你强迫自己走上通往更好自我的道路，你的大脑也会产生一种叫做多巴胺的动力和快乐药物。多巴胺在预期达到预期的情况下释放.对于未满足的，它会被扣留。正如我们将看到的，多巴胺喜欢让我们保持在原地不变。安然无恙。
According to Professor Wolfram Schultz, who studies dopamine and the brain’s reward centers at Cambridge University, the best way to release the most dopamine is with an unexpected reward. On the other hand, the best way to withhold dopamine from your brain (which can frustrate you and put you into a severe funk) is to set expectations that won’t be met.
根据剑桥大学研究多巴胺和大脑奖励中心的沃尔夫拉姆·舒尔茨（Wolfram Schultz）教授的说法，释放最多多巴胺的最佳方式是获得意想不到的奖励。另一方面，从你的大脑中保留多巴胺的最佳方法（这会让你感到沮丧并让你陷入严重的混乱）是设定无法满足的期望。
My kids get pretty excited when we decide to go out for ice cream for no good reason (unexpected reward = dopamine hit). And those few times we’ve promised them ice cream and then have to change plans, all hell breaks loose (expected reward withdrawn = dopamine withheld).
当我们决定无缘无故地出去吃冰淇淋时，我的孩子们会非常兴奋（意想不到的奖励=多巴胺的打击）。有几次我们答应给他们冰淇淋，然后不得不改变计划，所有的地狱都破灭了（预期奖励撤回=多巴胺被扣留）。
But professor Schultz studies go further, showing that your brain not only releases dopamine when you get what you want but also just by wanting something at all. In other words, wanting something—a treat, a gadget, an award, a goal—creates the expectation of getting that thing, which releases dopamine to reward your good intentions.
但舒尔茨教授的研究更进一步，表明你的大脑不仅会在你得到你想要的东西时释放多巴胺，而且只是在你想要什么时释放多巴胺。換句話說，想要某樣東西——一個閒款、一個小玩意、一個獎勵、一個目標——會產生得到那樣東西的期望，這會釋放多巴胺來回報你的好意圖。
Things like exercise, reading self-help books, or finding a mentor to improve your business are all long-term investments that won’t provide an immediate reward. When your brain can’t expect the reward somewhat immediately, it doesn’t release dopamine. Worse, if you’ve forced yourself to get started but aren’t seeing immediate results, your brain withholds dopamine because your high expectations weren’t met, putting you into a funk that brings all further self-improvement to a halt. You won’t feel good about what you’re doing and will quickly fall back into old habits.
像锻炼、阅读自助书籍或寻找导师来改善你的业务一样，这些都是长期投资，不会立即带来回报。当你的大脑不能立即期待奖励时，它不会释放多巴胺。更糟糕的是，如果你强迫自己开始，但没有看到立竿见影的效果，你的大脑会扣留多巴胺，因为你的高期望没有得到满足，让你陷入混乱，使所有进一步的自我提升都停止了。你不会对自己正在做的事情感到满意，很快就会回到旧习惯中。
That’s when the excuses come. “This isn’t working… I’m not seeing results… why bother?”
这时借口就来了。“这行不通…我没有看到结果…何必呢？
This guy’s feeling the struggle right about now… his brain’s telling him it’s time to quit, that he’ll hurt himself, that he can try again tomorrow.
这家伙现在感觉到了挣扎…他的大脑告诉他是时候放弃了，他会伤害自己，他明天可以再试一次。
Using Brain Science to Profoundly Alter Your Life for the Better 利用脑科学深刻地改变你的生活，让你的生活变得更好
You have to break out of autopilot.
你必须打破惯性思维。
And the good news is, you can.
好消息是，你可以。
You don’t have to live a life of conditioned response, doing whatever comes to mind, whatever your brain is expecting. You can improve. You can grow. You can break through self-imposed barriers that cause fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
你不必过着条件反射的生活，做任何想到的事情，无论你的大脑期待什么。你可以改进。你可以成长。你可以突破自我设置的障碍，这些障碍会引起恐惧、不确定性和怀疑。
Using the same neuroscience concepts to your advantage, you can create new expectations and habits that set you on a path to success, profoundly altering your life for the better.
利用相同的神经科学概念来发挥你的优势，你可以创造新的期望和习惯，让你走上成功之路，深刻地改变你的生活，使你的生活变得更好。
1. Set Your Environment for Success 1. 为成功设置环境
Set an expectation of success and your brain rewards you. Follow through on that expectation and your brain rewards you again.
设定一个成功的期望，你的大脑会奖励你。遵循这个期望，你的大脑会再次奖励你。
If exercising is important to your daily self-improvement ritual, set an expectation that you’ll succeed. Lay your clothing out the night before. Not just a shirt and shorts, everything you need to go to the gym. Socks, shoes, keys, wallet, a bottle of water, gym pass, maybe even a note to yourself on why it’s important to you to workout.
如果锻炼对你的日常自我提升仪式很重要，那么就设定一个你会成功的期望。前一天晚上把你的衣服铺好。不仅仅是一件衬衫和短裤，还有你去健身房需要的一切。袜子、鞋子、钥匙、钱包、一瓶水、健身通行证，甚至可能给自己一张纸条，说明为什么锻炼对你很重要。
When you do this, your subtly telling your brain that you expect to go to the gym. Upon waking up, everything is ready for you. NOT going to the gym will go against your expectations. Your brain won’t like it. It won’t feel right. So you’ll just do it.
当你这样做时，你会巧妙地告诉你的大脑，你希望去健身房。一觉醒来，一切都准备好了。不去健身房会违背你的期望。你的大脑不会喜欢它。感觉不对劲。所以你就会去做。
Similarly, if you know that planning your day will improve your ability to hit your goals (it will), set out your planner and a pen the night before. Put a candle next to it. Have your chair pulled out and ready for you to sit in. Leave your planner open to the page on which you’ll do your planning.
同样，如果你知道计划你的一天会提高你实现目标的能力（它会的），那就在前一天晚上列出你的计划表和一支笔。在它旁边放一支蜡烛。把你的椅子拉出来，准备好让你坐进去。让您的计划器打开到您将在其上进行规划的页面。
Your brain won’t be able to ignore the expectation you’ve set for yourself. You’ll have created an environment where you can only be successful.
你的大脑无法忽视你为自己设定的期望。你将创造一个只有成功才能成功的环境。
“Most people’s environment is like a rushing river, going the opposite direction of where they want to go. It takes a lot of willpower to tread upstream. It’s exhausting. Instead, you want your environment to pull you in the direction you want to go.”
“大多数人的环境就像一条奔流的河流，与他们想去的地方背道而驰。逆流而上需要很大的意志力。这非常消耗精力。相反，你想要你的环境将你拉向你想要去的方向。”
—Benjamin Hardy ——本杰明·哈迪。
2. Set a Big Hairy Audacious Goal 2.设定一个大毛茸茸的大胆目标
Your brain rewards you with dopamine just by wanting something. So, want something. And want something big.
你的大脑只是通过想要一些东西来奖励你多巴胺。所以，想要一些东西。并想要一些大的东西。
Don’t merely set a goal to exercise daily. Make it specific. Make it realistic. And make it as grandiose as possible.
不要只设定每天锻炼的目标。具体说明。让它变得现实。并使其尽可能宏伟。
Set a goal to add 12 pounds of muscle in the next 12 months, which will require you to lift heavy and eat big.
设定一个目标，在接下来的 12 个月内增加 12 磅肌肉，这将需要你举起重物并吃大餐。
Set a goal to drastically improve your bloodwork in the coming year, which will require you to eat more fruits and vegetables.
设定一个目标，在来年大幅改善你的血液检查，这将需要你吃更多的水果和蔬菜。
Set a goal to increase your income by 20%, which will require you land a raise, start a side-business, or both.
设定一个将收入增加 20% 的目标，这将需要您加薪、开展副业或两者兼而有之。
Big goals are rewarding. They set expectations for you to change. It’s the beginning of improving yourself. It’s the first push of a giant wheel that starts momentum building for the future.
大目标是有益的。他们为你设定了改变的期望。这是提升自己的开始。这是巨轮的第一次推动，为未来开启了动力。
3. Break Down Your Goals into Smaller Milestones 3. 将你的目标分解成更小的里程碑
Setting a big, hairy, audacious goal will kickstart your momentum, but if you don’t actually achieve something, the dopamine reward your brain gives you will wear off, and you’ll lose interest quickly.
设定一个宏大、毛茸茸、大胆的目标会激发你的动力，但如果你没有真正实现某些目标，你的大脑给你的多巴胺奖励就会消失，你很快就会失去兴趣。
So keep setting goals. Smaller goals. Milestones that will take you from where you are to where you want to be: achieving that big, hairy, audacious goal set far in the future.
因此，请继续设定目标。较小的目标。里程碑将带你从你所处的位置到你想去的地方：实现在遥远的未来设定的那个宏大、毛茸茸、大胆的目标。
When you set a smaller goal, your brain rewards you. And, if it’s set small and achievable enough, you’ll be able to hit that milestone before the dopamine-induced excitement wears off. Then, when you reach your milestone, your brain will reward you with another dopamine hit. Set another milestone, achieve that, and keep getting rewarded. Rinse and repeat.
当你设定一个较小的目标时，你的大脑会奖励你。而且，如果它设置得足够小且可实现，您将能够在多巴胺引起的兴奋消退之前达到那个里程碑。然后，当你达到你的里程碑时，你的大脑会用另一次多巴胺来奖励你。设定另一个里程碑，实现这一目标，并继续获得奖励。冲洗并重复。
All of this builds momentum. It changes your expectations for what’s possible. You’ll no longer be satisfied living someone else’s goals and dreams. You’ll turn into a dopamine-crazed goal monster, setting bigger and better targets for yourself, increasing your confidence, and building more momentum over time.
所有这些都建立了势头。它改变了你对可能性的期望。你将不再满足于实现别人的目标和梦想。你会变成一个多巴胺疯狂的目标怪兽，为自己设定更大更好的目标，增加你的信心，并随着时间的推移建立更多的动力。
4. Clear a Path to Your Goals 4. 为实现目标扫清道路
When you’re trying to improve yourself, you’ll encounter many obstacles and unknowns along the way.
当你试图提高自己时，你会在前进的道路上遇到许多障碍和未知数。
It’s a certainty. 这是肯定的。
If you already knew how to make a million dollars, you’d be a millionaire. If you already knew how to pack on 12 pounds of muscle in the next 12 months, you’d already be fit as a show horse.
如果你已经知道如何赚一百万美元，你就会成为百万富翁。如果您已经知道如何在接下来的 12 个月内增加 12 磅的肌肉，那么您就已经适合作为一匹表演马了。
The challenge, once you’ve started down the path of self-improvement, comes from bumping into obstacles the way. These obstacles, no matter how trivial, can be devastating to your progress. In many cases, it can kill it completely.
一旦你开始走上自我提升的道路，挑战就来自于在前进过程中遇到障碍。这些障碍，无论多么微不足道，都可能对你的进步造成毁灭性的打击。在许多情况下，它可以完全杀死它。
When you set an expectation for receiving something, achieving something, or getting somewhere, and that expectation isn’t met, your brain withholds dopamine. It can put you into a funk, frustrate you, even make you angry. This effect can last for days, destroying your progress and possibly halting all the momentum you’ve created to get where you’re going.
当你设定了接收某物、实现某物或到达某处的期望，而这种期望没有得到满足时，你的大脑就会扣留多巴胺。它会让你陷入困境，让你感到沮丧，甚至让你生气。这种效果可能会持续数天，破坏你的进步，并可能停止你为到达目的地而创造的所有动力。
You can’t let this happen.
你不能让这种情况发生。
So, to prevent that, plan for failure by clearing a path to your goals. Create a list of risks and obstacles that you’ll destroy one by one.
因此，为了防止这种情况，通过清理通往目标的道路来计划失败。创建一个风险和障碍清单，您将一一摧毁这些风险和障碍。
Write down anything you can think of that would get in your way. Write down anyone you can think of that would benefit from you NOT succeeding. Write down all the reasons you might find to quit, stall, or have doubt in your work.
写下你能想到的会妨碍你的任何事情。写下你能想到的任何人，他们会从你不成功中受益。写下你可能会发现的所有退出、拖延或对你的工作有疑问的原因。
Then, for each one, write down an action plan for not letting that (or them) get in your way.
然后，对于每一个人，写下一个行动计划，不要让它（或他们）妨碍你。
Of course, unexpected roadblocks will pop up. But if you’ve planned for failure, you’ll be in the mindset to break through that obstacle and keep on trucking instead of stalling out or stopping progress for good. Furthermore, the momentum you’ve built and the expectations you’ve set for crushing your goals and milestones will keep you on the straight and narrow.
当然，意想不到的障碍会突然出现。但是，如果你已经计划失败了，你就会有一种心态去突破这个障碍，继续前进，而不是停滞不前或永远停止前进。此外，你所建立的势头和你为实现目标和里程碑设定的期望将使你保持在直线和狭窄的地方。
What will you do when an obstacle gets between you and your goals? If you don’t have answers in advance, it will be too easy to turn around and end up right where you started.
当障碍挡在你和你的目标之间时，你会怎么做？如果你没有提前得到答案，那么很容易转身回到你开始的地方。
5. Believe Your Work Will Make You Better 5. 相信你的工作会让你变得更好
Just as a teacher can improve their students IQ scores by expecting more of them, you can improve yourself by expecting more of yourself.
正如老师可以通过期望更多来提高学生的智商分数一样，您可以通过期望更多来提高自己。
You have to believe with every cell in your body that what you are doing will make you a better person.
你必须相信你身体的每一个细胞，你正在做的事情会让你成为一个更好的人。
I’m not just talking about, “yeah, if I read this book, I should be a little smarter and will probably have learned a thing or two.”
我不只是在说，“是的，如果我读了这本书，我应该更聪明一些，可能会学到一两件事。
No.
I’m talking about, “I must read this book, at all costs, because it’s precisely in line with my goals, will help me achieve my next milestone in life, and if I don’t learn the information found within I will be worse off than if I had.”
我说的是，“我必须不惜一切代价阅读这本书，因为它完全符合我的目标，将帮助我实现人生的下一个里程碑，如果我不学习其中的信息，我的境况将比以前更糟。
I’m talking about, “I must exercise every day because, if I don’t, my heart will atrophy and I’ll find myself back in the emergency room with another heart attack in 6 months… or in the ground, dead.”
我说的是，“我必须每天锻炼，因为如果我不锻炼，我的心脏就会萎缩，我会发现自己在 6 个月内再次心脏病发作回到急诊室…或在地上，死了。
When you have those kinds of expectations for yourself, you expect NOT to fail. And so you won’t.
当你对自己有这样的期望时，你期望不会失败。所以你不会。
6. Make it Exciting 6.让它令人兴奋
Whatever it is you’re trying to improve—your health and fitness, mindset, or productivity—it will be easier to achieve if it’s exciting.
无论你想要改善什么——你的健康和健身、心态或生产力——如果它令人兴奋，就会更容易实现。
Your brain is rewarded with dopamine when expectations are met, and even more if those met expectations are unexpected or surprising.
当期望得到满足时，你的大脑会得到多巴胺的奖励，如果这些期望得到的满足是意想不到或令人惊讶的，那就更多了。
Excitement isn’t simply the anticipation of reward. It’s an entire physiological response, an arousal that increases your heart-rate, production of hormones, and nervous system activity.
兴奋不仅仅是对奖励的期望。这是一种完整的生理反应，一种增加心率、激素分泌和神经系统活动的唤醒。
When you are excited, you are more likely to make impulsive decisions. This is great because, instead of overthinking (and finding yourself in the same rut you’ve been in), you can override those rational decision-making parts of your brain and make an emotional decision to start whatever self-improvement activity you need to.
当你感到兴奋时，你更有可能做出冲动的决定。这很好，因为，而不是过度思考（并发现自己陷入了与自己相同的困境），你可以推翻大脑的那些理性决策部分，并做出情绪化的决定，开始你需要的任何自我提升活动。
To get excited about the personal development ventures you’re undertaking, you need to get emotional.
要对你正在进行的个人发展事业感到兴奋，你需要变得情绪化。
Print out a motivational quote that gives you goose-bumps and read it before each workout.
打印出一句让你起鸡皮疙瘩的励志名言，并在每次锻炼前阅读。
Make progress on a small task that fits into your bigger milestone or goal. Every small win excites you, even if only in a small way, giving you the motivation to keep going.
在一项适合您更大里程碑或目标的小任务上取得进展。每一个小小的胜利都会让你兴奋，即使只是以一种很小的方式，也会给你继续前进的动力。
Finally, limit your options. If you tell yourself you’re going to either a) workout or b) take a nap or c) do some email or d) watch tv, your will tire from deciding and will probably default to whatever it expects to happen next; usually the easiest possible decision with the lowest amount of energy consumption, and therefore the lowest personal-growth reward.
最后，限制你的选择。如果你告诉自己你要去 a） 锻炼或 b） 小睡一会儿或 c） 发一些电子邮件或 d） 看电视，你会因为做出决定而疲惫不堪，并且可能会默认它期望接下来发生的任何事情;通常是最简单的决策，能耗最低，因此个人成长奖励最低。
Save energy by giving yourself only one option. Get excited about that option. And execute.
通过只给自己一个选择来节省能源。对这个选项感到兴奋。并执行。
Onward and Upward — Practice Discomfort Until Discomfort is Comfortable 向前和向上 — 练习不适，直到不适感到舒适
Your self-improvement journey won’t happen without practice.
没有练习，你的自我提升之旅就不会发生。
Breaking your expectations won’t happen overnight.
打破你的期望不会在一夜之间发生。
Research shows that habits take 21 days to form. You’re literally reprogramming your brain on what it should expect. You’re telling your brain that what it’s familiar with should be replaced by something else. Something hard. Something uncomfortable. Something that forces you to grow.
研究表明，习惯需要 21 天才能形成。你实际上是在重新编程你的大脑，让它符合它应该期待的东西。你告诉你的大脑，它熟悉的东西应该被其他东西取代。很难的事情。有些不舒服。迫使你成长的东西。
So practice. 所以练习。
Practice using the techniques described above. Set your environment for success. Set a big, hairy, audacious goal. Break down your goals into smaller milestones. Clear a path to your goals. Believe your work will make you better. And make your self-improvement journey exciting.
练习使用上述技术。为成功设置您的环境。设定一个宏大、毛茸茸、大胆的目标。将您的目标分解为更小的里程碑。为实现目标扫清道路。相信你的工作会让你变得更好。让您的自我提升之旅充满刺激。
Finally, stick with your discomfort for the long haul. Realize that progress won’t happen overnight.
最后，长期坚持你的不适。要意识到进步不会一蹴而就。
Keep at it time and time again, and you’ll finally get to the point where your brain doesn’t just expect you to succeed, it will crave success.
一次又一次地坚持下去，你最终会达到这样的地步，你的大脑不仅期望你成功，还会渴望成功。
That’s when you’ll know you have won.
那时你就会知道你赢了。
“A fundamental part of conscious evolution is learning to control and direct your attention - so that you can shine that spotlight onto what you want, rather than what you’ve been conditioned to want.”
“意识进化的一个基本部分是学会控制和引导你的注意力——这样你就可以将注意力聚焦到到你想要的事物上，而不是你被条件反射所驱动的欲望。”
—Benjamin Hardy ——本杰明·哈迪。
Sources
- Cook, G. (2012, October 16). How The Power Of Expectations Can Allow You To ’Bend Reality’. Scientific American. Retrieved September 13, 2019, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-power-of-expectations-can-allow-you-to-bend-reality/
- Patel, N. (2015, May 17). The Psychology Of Excitement: How To Better Engage Your Audience. Hubspot. Retrieved September 13, 2019, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychology-of-excitement
- Rock, D. (2009, November 23). (Not So Great) Expectations - Expectations: use them or be used by them. Psychology Today. Retrieved September 13, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-work/200911/not-so-great-expectations
- Spiegel, A. (2012, September 17). Teachers’ Expectations Can Influence How Students Perform. NPR.org. Retrieved September 13, 2019, from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/09/18/161159263/teachers-expectations-can-influence-how-students-perform
- Yon, D. (2019, July 4). Now you see it: Our brains predict the outcome of our actions, shaping reality into what we expect. That’s why we see what we believe. Aeon. Retrieved September 13, 2019, from https://aeon.co/essays/how-our-brain-sculpts-experience-in-line-with-our-expectations
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What Neuroscience Says on Why Self Improvement is So Effing Hard (and What to Do About It) — Michael J. Mehlberg the Author: Michael Mehlberg
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