[译]用讲一个好故事的方法养成习惯

译文BY刘安娜20161007

原文作者：LEO BABAUTA（里奥·巴伯塔）

原文链接：To Create a Habit, Tell a Good Story 

If you want to create a new exercise habit (for example), you might tell yourself something like this:

举个栗子，如果你想养成运动的新习惯，你可能这样告诉自己：

“This is going to be amazing, I’m going to get fit and look incredible and be super healthy!”

“太棒了！我将会身材特棒，看上去特美，整个人特健康！”

This is a story you’re telling yourself. It’s not real, but it has tremendous power to affect your feelings about your habit, and to change your action. You have a positive story about the habit, and it motivates you to take action.

这就是你讲给自己听的故事。并非现实，但会极大的影响你对这一习惯的感觉，从而改变你的行为。你给这个习惯设定一个积极的故事，它就能敦促你采取行动。

But perhaps the exercise you did one day was really tough, and you didn’t enjoy it. Your story might change, to something like, “Wow, that was super hard. It sucked!”

但也许你练了一天，觉得太难了，一点也不喜欢。你的故事可能就变成：“喔！这简直太难了。糟透了！”

Now your story about the habit is not so good, and you’ll be less enthusiastic about doing the habit from now on.

这时你给这习惯设定的故事没那么好了，从这以后，你养成习惯的热情就会减退。

Maybe you also missed a couple of days of exercise because you got busy. Your story changes to, “Damn, I screwed up, I’m not as good at this habit as I thought, why am I not disciplined?”

也许你还因为忙错过了几天的锻炼，故事就会变成，“艾玛，我废了。养成习惯没有我寻思的那么容易啊，我为什么不能控计我记己？”

The story isn’t so good. Now you might actually try not think about the habit, and you are much more likely to skip the habit from now on.

这故事就整个都不好了。这时候，你也许试图把养成习惯这事儿抛诸脑后，很可能从此再也不想了。

The story you tell yourself about your habit matters more than most people realize.

So the key is to shape the story, become your own habit storyteller, and create a story that will make you more likely to stick to the habit.

在养成一种习惯的过程中，你讲的这些故事比大多数人以为的重要多了。所以关键是塑造这个故事，让你把握住这种思想，利用这个故事让你投入到习惯养成中去。

Telling a Good Story

讲一个好故事

The truth is that none of these stories is actually true. They’re just narratives we have made up, in our minds, about what’s going on. The reality is what’s happening right now, and in an “ideal” world we would just drop the stories and be present with the moment, experiencing reality as it is.

事实是这些故事都不是真的。只是我们在脑子里想出来的对现实的解释。正在发生的事儿才是现实，在理想世界里我们只要讲讲故事，同时就能体验到相同的真实事件。

There’s no such thing as an ideal world, though. We tell stories. That’s what we do. So the key is to realize when you’re telling a negative story that’s going to make you quit the habit, and instead create a more helpful story.

不过理想世界是不存在的，我们讲的也就是故事。我们就好这样。重点是意识到你讲消极故事将导致你养成习惯失败，所以我们应该讲述更有用的故事。

Try this:

试试这个：

1. Ask yourself how you feel about the habit you’re creating.Are you psyched about it? Are you discouraged? Looking forward to it or dreading it? Feel strong about it or feel like you’re doing lousy? Is it a wonderful experience for you or are you ploughing through the suckiness? This is all an indicator of what story you’re telling yourself.

自问你对正培养的这习惯感觉如何。你是激动？还是沮丧？特期待还是很害怕？感觉良好还是糟糕透顶？体验美妙还是步履维艰？这全都是你讲给自己听的那个故事的表征。

2. Start creating a better story by focusing on the things you love about the habit. You could focus on how much you hate the habit, or you could focus on what you love. It’s your choice. Find things to appreciate about the habit. Look at your successes and think, “Man, that’s awesome that I’ve done those things.”

讲述一个更好的故事，能聚焦这个习惯里你爱的部分。你可以聚焦你讨厌的部分，或者关注你爱的部分。你说了算。找出你喜欢这习惯的那些事儿，关注你取得的成就，想着，“艾玛，我好牛逼哦。”

This is not to say that you should only think positive thoughts, or that you should ignore the negative. But if your story is on the balance more positive than negative, you’ll be more resilient. You’ll be able to handle the negative stuff with grace, because you have a positive feeling about the habit.

并不是说你只想着积极的想法，忽略消极的一面。但要是你的故事积极多过消极，你就会更有活力。因为你对照和习惯抱有一种正能量感觉，你就能从容地应对消极想法。

If you resent doing the habit, or see it as a sacrifice, you’re more likely to blow the negative aspects up when they happen. But people with a strongly positive story will be likely to weather the storm of negative aspects of the habit.

如果你讨厌这件事，或者觉得牺牲很大，你就更可能夸大消极方面的感受。但那些有着强烈积极意义故事的人就能安然度过习惯养成中的负能量风暴。

The Positive Story Exercise

积极故事练习

Try to think about some of the following thoughts when you’re working on your habit:

努力培养一种习惯时试着想想以下这些想法：

1. This makes me feel strong/healthy/empowered (or some other positive trait).我感觉棒极了/很健康/充满了活力（或其他一些积极的品质）。

2. I am proud of doing this habit. 能持续做这个我觉得很骄傲。

3. I have had some great successes with this.我取得了一些很棒的成就。

4. I’m learning a lot with this habit.我学会了很多东西。

5. I’ve had good experiences with this habit. 我有一些美好的经历。

6. There are some exciting things about this that I’d like to share with people.我有些激动人心的收获，真想和大家分享。

7. I can appreciate the little things about this habit.这件事里有很多我喜欢的部分。

8. There are things I genuinely love about this habit. 我发在肺腑的就爱这么干。

9. This can sometimes be a struggle but it’s definitely worth it. 这可能有点难，但绝对值得努力。

10. This habit is improving my life an multiple ways. 养成这个习惯能从各方面改善我的生活。

11. I’m lucky to be able to do this habit. 能做这件事我太幸运了。

12. There are things about this habit that I look forward to. 我很期待能做成。

13. I’ve missed doing this habit sometimes, but over the long run it doesn’t matter. 有时候我可能没有坚持住，不过长远来看这都无所谓。

14. Doing this habit makes me more resilient. 持续做这件事让我活力四射。

15. When I’ve done this habit, I feel accomplished and satisfied. 养成这习惯让我成就感爆棚，心满意足。

16. I feel like a better person when I do this habit. 这习惯让我成为更好的自己。

Just think about one of these each time you do the habit, or just after. And then try another one on the next time you do the habit.

每次你在重复习惯事件时想着其中的一条，或完事了想。下次重复习惯事件的时候再试试另外一条。

Slowly, with thoughts like these and others you might think of, you’ll start to have a more positive story about the habit.

随着你反复想这些念头，以及其他一些念头，你就会开始讲述一个关于这习惯的更积极的故事。

And that will make all the difference — not only will you want to stay with it longer, you’ll enjoy it more each time you do it.

从此一切都大不同了——不仅仅是你能更长久的保持这个习惯，而且你每次做习惯事件的时候都会感到身心愉悦。

——Thoughts——

——想法——

以前流行的概念是养成一个习惯需要21天，在我看来，给一个习惯设定截止日期不算特别明智，因为很容易在日期到达后觉得功成名就，然后就会把这新习惯抛诸脑后，就像期末考试结束后，谁还学习啊。除非像是朝夕日历早起打卡的滚动程序，就是一个21天结束以后马上自动开始了新的21天，所以相当于习惯养成永远不结束，只要做好每一天。

很多人，包括我记几在内，都有一些希望自己能养成的习惯，无论是早起，还是每周读一本书，或者每天学英语，或者定期锻炼，但习惯养成真的不是我们在脑子里想一想就能梦想成真的。唯一能改变现实的只有行动。

不过，我们所持有的想法确实可以很大程度的影响我们的行动。比如文章开头说的，如果我们认为自己通过锻炼能更美、更健康，每次锻炼的时候我们就一直这么告诉自己，将有助于我们克服锻炼带来的生理痛苦，尤其是很久不锻炼、刚刚重头开始的小伙伴，更需要这些故事来抗衡生理痛苦。我就是通过不断提醒自己坚持锻炼给我带来的好处，减肥成功以后我将成为一个美女（就是这么凑表脸），才能扛过每天的10公里椭圆机。把注意力从锻炼本身带来的消极故事（全身酸痛，像被牛踩过一样）转移到未来带来的好处这个积极故事上。

除了修正我们对自己讲的故事，有时我们可以通过欺骗自己来达到养成习惯的目的。比如说，我们希望自己能早起，但有时候真的不知道早起干嘛，这时候我们就需要提前给自己找一个借口，比如说，我明天需要早上5点半起，这样我就可以把某本书读完，这件事太重要了，必须明天早上做。这绝对有助于你听见闹钟，并马上起床。我今早就是这么干的，我说服自己，我需要今天早上读完许荣哲的《小说课》（贰），and I did it!

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