42個提升自我的實用技巧

Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?
你是一個渴望成長的人嗎？你是否總在想辦法提升自己、讓自己變得更優秀？

If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.
如果是這樣，那我們可謂志同道合。我本人非常看重個人成長。想到人生意義，我發現最有意義的莫過於追求人生的提升和完滿。通過不斷提升自我，我們才能收穫完滿人生。

As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve compiled 42 of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately. Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they are:
作爲倡導成長的狂熱分子，我總在想辦法提升自我。下面是我總結的42條好建議，希望能對你的個人成長有所幫助。其中有些建議可以立刻付諸行動，而有些則需慢慢努力。請看：

1. Read a book every day.
每天讀書。

Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to. What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich and Living the 80/20 Way.
書籍是智慧的精華。越博覽羣書，越智慧超羣。剛開始應該讀什麼樣的書來充實自己呢？在讀過的書中，我覺得《思考致富》、《誰動了我的奶酪》、《七大習慣》、《致富的科學》及《80/20生活經》都還不錯。

2. Learn a new language.
學習新語言。

As a Singaporean Chinese, my main languages are English, Mandarin and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). Out of interest, I took up language courses in the past few years such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian. I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.
我是新加坡華人，主要講英語、漢語和閩南語（中國方言）。因爲感興趣，過去幾年我又學了日語及印尼語等其他語言。我發現，學習新語言絕對是門新技能，而瞭解語言及其文化的過程讓我大開眼界。

3. Pick up a new hobby.
培養新愛好。

Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn? Examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, football, canoeing, or ice skating. Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc. Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.
除了平時喜歡的興趣，能不能培養新愛好呢？是否可以掌握一項新運動，比如擊劍、高爾夫、攀巖、足球、獨木舟或滑冰？新愛好也可以是娛樂性的，比如陶藝、意式烹飪、跳舞、品酒、網頁設計等。學習新事物使你在身心或情緒上接觸到不同領域。

4. Take up a new course.
參加新課程。

Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too. I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.
是否有新課程可供參加？課程是獲得新知識和技能的好方法。課程不一定非得長期性的，研討班或講習班也很有效。我就參加過幾次講習班，學到了很多以前不知道的新觀點。

5. Create an inspirational room.
佈置創意房間。

Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day. In the past, I didn’t like my room at all because I thought it was messy and dull. A few years ago, I decided this was the end of it – I started on a “Mega Room Revamp” project and overhauled my room. The end result? A room I totally relish being in and inspires me to be at my peak every day.
環境影響情緒並塑造風格。如果處在有創意的環境，你會每天都充滿靈感。以前我一點也不喜歡自己的房間，覺得它又亂又悶。幾年前，我決定結束這種狀況，開始着手“房間大改造”計劃，給房間動了大手術。結果呢？現在房間每天都讓我感到愉悅、倍有靈感！

6. Overcome your fears.
戰勝恐懼。

All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth. If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.
所有人都有恐懼：害怕不確定性，害怕公共演講，害怕冒險……這些恐懼使我們原地踏步，也阻止我們成長。請記住：恐懼恰好表明你在那個領域大有成長空間。我一向認爲恐懼是成長的指南針。如果我害怕某件事，說明這件事有待我去搞定，而搞定這件事當然有助於我的成長。

7. Level up your skills.
升級技能。

If you have played video games before especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger. As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?
如果你以前經常玩RPG這樣的電腦遊戲，肯定知道“升級”的含義——累計經驗，從而使自己更強更優秀。作爲博主，我就時常升級我的寫作技能；作爲演講者，我又常常升級我的公共參與能力。你有哪些技能可以升級呢？

8. Wake up early.
早起。

Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life. I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day.
早起（比如早上五六點鐘）在提高效率和生活質量方面的作用已被很多人肯定（安東尼-羅賓斯、羅賓-夏瑪等自助書鼻祖）。我覺得這是因爲，早起使大腦提前做好了蓄勢待發的準備。

9. Have a weekly exercise routine.
每週規律鍛鍊。

A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.
更好的體型爲你帶來更好的開始。我每週至少慢跑3次，每次至少30分鐘。你也可以變着花樣輪流慢跑、去健身館或游泳。

10. Start your life handbook.
寫本“人生手冊”。

A life handbook is an idea I started 3 years ago. Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life. I started my life handbook since 2007 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.
這個想法是我在3年前想到的。手冊上包括如何創造圓滿人生的基本信息，比如你的志向、價值和目標，有點類似於人生指南。我從2007年開始寫自己的人生手冊，因此也獲得了很大進步。11. Write a letter to your future self.
給未來的自己寫封信。

What do you see yourself as 5 years from now? Will you be the same? Different? What kind of person will you be? Write a letter to your future self – 1 year from now will be a good start – and seal it. Make a date in your calendar to open it 1 year from now. Then start working to become the person you want to open that letter.
5年後你會是什麼樣子？還和現在一樣嗎？抑或已經變了？你會成爲怎樣的人？給未來的自己寫封信——寫給1年後的自己也可以，然後封印好。日曆標註上1年後讀信的日期，然後努力成爲信中渴望的樣子。

12. Get out of your comfort zone.
走出舒適區。

Real growth comes with hard work and sweat. Being too comfortable doesn’t help us grow – it makes us stagnate. What is your comfort zone? Do you stay in most of the time? Do you keep to your own space when out with other people? Shake your routine up. Do something different. By exposing yourself to a new context, you’re literally growing as you learn to act in new circumstances.
真正的成長需要付諸努力與汗水。太安逸並不利於成長，而只會讓我們擱淺。你的舒適區是什麼？你是不是常常賴在裏面？跳出舒適區和別人在一起時，你會不會保留自己的空間？打破常規，嘗試不同。通過接觸新領域、適應新環境，你就能獲得成長。

13. Put someone up to a challenge.
和別人一起挑戰。

Competition is one of the best ways to grow. Set a challenge (weight loss, exercise, financial challenge, etc) and compete with an interested friend to see who achieves the target first. Through the process, both of you will gain more than if you were to set off on the target alone.
競爭是成長的最佳途徑之一。設定一項挑戰（減肥、健身、經濟目標等），和感興趣的朋友相互競爭，看誰先實現目標。相對於單獨行動，這麼做更能兩全其美。

14. Identify your blind spots.
揪出盲點。

Scientifically, blind spots refer to areas our eyes are not capable of seeing. In personal development terms, blind spots are things about ourselves we are unaware of. Discovering our blind spots help us discover our areas of improvement. One exercise I use to discover my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that trigger me in a day – trigger meaning making me feel annoyed/weird/affected. These represent my blind spots. It’s always fun to do the exercise because I discover new things about myself, even if I may already think I know my own blind spots (but then they wouldn’t be blind spots would they?). After that, I work on steps to address them.
科學上，盲點是指眼睛看不到的地方：就個人發展而言，盲點則是我們自身不曾察覺的方面。發現盲點有助於提升自我。我用來發現盲點的一個辦法是：找出所有刺激我的人或事——所謂刺激，就是能使我憤怒、古怪或感動。這些能折射出我的盲點。這麼做非常有趣，因爲我總能發現自身新的特質，包括那些我自以爲了解的盲點（既已瞭解，就算不上盲點，是吧？）。發現盲點後，我會努力攻克它們。

15. Ask for feedback.
尋求反饋。

As much as we try to improve, we will always have blind spots. Asking for feedback gives us an additional perspective. Some people to approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances, since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.
在提升自我的過程中，我們會發現許多盲點，而反饋則能提供給我們不同的視角。你可以向朋友、家人、同事、老闆或認識的人尋求反饋，因爲他們不持偏見，可以作出客觀反饋。

16. Stay focused with to-do lists.
專注於任務清單。

I start my day with a list of tasks I want to complete and this helps make me stay focused. In comparison, the days when I don’t do this end up being extremely unproductive.
我每天都按任務清單做事，這讓我保持專注。相反，要是我哪天沒這麼做，肯定過得效率極低。

17. Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).
設定野心勃勃的目標。

I’m a big fan of setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally. What are BHAGs you can embark on, which you’ll feel absolutely on top of the world once you complete them? Set them and start working on them.
我非常熱衷於設定野心勃勃的目標。這類目標遠大而又野心勃勃，遠遠超出了正常能力範圍，平時也很少會去嘗試。你最具野心的目標是什麼？實現什麼樣的目標會讓你有種站在世界頂峯的感覺？定下這樣的目標，開始努力吧。

18. Acknowledge your flaws.
承認缺點。

Everyone has flaws. What’s most important is to understand them, acknowledge them, and address them. What do you think are your flaws? What are the flaws you can work on now? How do you want to address them?
誰都有缺點。重要的是承認並理解缺點，然後克服它們。你覺得自己有哪些缺點？哪些缺點是你現在就能改正的？你將怎樣克服它們？

19. Get into action.
採取行動。

The best way to learn and improve is to take action. What is something you have been meaning to do? How can you take action on it immediately? Waiting doesn’t get anything done. Taking action gives you immediate results to learn from.
學習與成長的最佳途徑就是行動。有哪些事是你一直想做的？你將如何立即採取行動？等待無濟於事，行動才能立刻帶來收穫。

20. Learn from people who inspire you.
向激勵你的人學習。

Think about people you admire. People who inspire you. These people reflect certain qualities you want to have for yourself too. What are the qualities in them you want to have for yourself? How can you acquire these qualities?
想想你欽佩的人、激勵你的人。你也渴望擁有這些人身上的某些品質吧？它們是什麼呢？你將如何獲得這些品質？21. Quit a bad habit.
戒掉壞習慣。

Are there any bad habits you can lose? Oversleeping? Not exercising? Being late? Slouching? Nail biting? Smoking? Here’s some help on how you can quit a bad habit.
你是否有可以戒除的壞習慣，比如睡懶覺、不運動、遲到、懶散、咬指甲或抽菸？趕快了解如何戒除壞習慣吧。

22. Cultivate a new habit.
養成新習慣。

Some good new habits to cultivate include reading books (#1), waking up early (#8), exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article a day (#40) and meditating. Is there any other new habit you can cultivate to improve yourself?
讀書、早起、鍛鍊、每天讀篇個人成長文章以及冥想都是值得培養的好習慣。你是否還能養成其他新習慣、從而提升自我呢？

23. Avoid negative people.
遠離消極的人。

As Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. Wherever we go, there are bound to be negative people. Don’t spend too much of your time around them if you feel they drag you down.
正如吉米-羅恩所言：“你常交往怎樣的人，你就是怎樣的人。”世上各個角落都有消極的人存在。當你感到這類人在拖你後退，就趕緊遠離他們吧。

24. Learn to deal with difficult people.
學會應對刁蠻的人。

There are times when there are difficult people you can’t avoid, such as at your workplace, or when the person is part of your inner circle of contacts. Learn how to deal with them. These people management skills will go a long way in working with people in the future.
有時你確實無法迴避刁蠻的人，比如在辦公室或日常交際圈中。既然如此，那就學會面對他們。這對將來與人打交道很有幫助。

25. Learn from your friends.
向朋友學習。

Everyone has amazing qualities in them. It’s up to how we want to tap into them. With all the friends who surround you, they are going to have things you can learn from. Try thinking of a good friend right now. Think about just one quality they have which you want to adopt. How can you learn from them and adopt this skill for yourself? Speak to them if you need to – for sure, they will be more than happy to help!
只要我們用心觀察，人人都有出色優點。身邊朋友也有你值得學習的地方。現在就想想某位朋友有哪個品質值得你學習。你將如何學習並養成那個品質呢？必要時可以跟朋友講講——他們肯定樂意幫助的！

26. Start a journal.
開始寫日記。

Journaling is a great way to gain better self-awareness. It’s a self-reflection process. As you write, clarify your thought process and read what you wrote from a third person’s perspective, you gain more insights about yourself. Your journal can be private or an online blog. I use my personal development blog as a personal journal too and I’ve learned a lot about myself through the past year of blogging.
日記是提高自我認知的好方法。寫日記是自省的過程。寫的同時也在整理思緒，而當你從第三者角度再讀日記時，會有不一樣的感悟。日記既可以是私密的，也可以是網絡博客。我的個人成長博客也是個人日記。過去幾年，寫博客讓我獲益匪淺。

27. Start a blog about personal development.
開設個人成長博客。

To help others grow, you need to first be walking the talk. There are expectations of you, both from yourself and from others, which you have to uphold. I run The Personal Excellence Blog, where I share my personal journey and insights on how to live a better life. Readers look toward my articles to improve themselves, which enforces to me that I need to keep improving, for myself and for the people I’m reaching out to.
若想幫助他人成長，你先得身體力行。因爲不僅你自己，別人也會對你有所期待，所以你必須能夠駕馭得住。我開了個人成長博客，就如何過更好的生活分享個人歷程與見解。讀者期望我的文章能幫他們提升自我，因此我必須鞭策自己不斷成長，這樣才能達到自己和他人的期望。

28. Get a mentor or coach.
找個導師或教練。

There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. Many of my clients approach me to coach them in their goals and they achieve significantly more results than if they had worked alone.
如果有人幫助實現目標，那無疑會事半功倍。我的很多客戶都希望我指導他們，結果實現的目標遠遠超過了個人努力的成果。

29. Reduce the time you spend on chat programs.
減少使用聊天工具的時間。

I realized having chat programs open at default result in a lot of wasted time. This time can be much better spent on other activities. The days when I don’t get on chat, I get a lot more done. I usually disable the auto start-up option in the chat programs and launch them when I do want to chat and really have the time for it.
我發現掛着聊天工具太浪費時間了。有這個時間還不如去做其他活動。哪天我要是沒怎麼聊天，必定能完成更多任務。我取消了聊天工具開機自動啓動的功能，只在確實需要且真正有空時才登陸使用。

30. Learn chess (or any strategy game).
學會下棋（或其他益智遊戲）。

I found chess is a terrific game to learn strategy and hone your brainpower. Not only do you have fun, you also get to exercise your analytical skills. You can also learn strategy from other board games or computer games, such as Othello, Chinese Chess, WarCraft, and so on.
我覺得下棋對學習策略和磨練大腦很有幫助。下棋不僅有趣，還能訓練分析能力。你也可以從其他棋類遊戲或電腦遊戲中學習策略，比如奧賽羅棋、中國象棋、魔獸爭霸等等。31. Stop watching TV.
停止看電視。

I’ve not been watching TV for pretty much 4 years and it’s been a very liberating experience. I realized most of the programs and advertisements on mainstream TV are usually of a lower consciousness and not very empowering. In return, the time I’ve freed up from not watching TV is now constructively used for other purposes, such as connecting with close friends, doing work I enjoy, exercising, etc.
我已經4年多沒看電視了，感覺真自由！我覺得主流頻道上大部分節目和廣告都不怎麼需要思考。反之，把看電視的時間省下來，我可以做很多其他有意義的事情，比如聯絡朋友、做喜歡的工作、鍛鍊身體等等。

32. Start a 30-day challenge.
設定30天挑戰。

Set a goal and give yourself 30 days to achieve this. Your goal can be to stick with a new habit or something you’ve always wanted to do but have not. 30 days is just enough time to strategize, plan, get into action, review and nail the goal.
制定一個目標，限定30天實現。目標既可以是養成新習慣，也可以是自己一直想做的事。30天足夠用來定方案、做計劃、具體落實、反饋並敲定一切了。

33. Meditate.
冥想。

Meditation helps to calm you and be more conscious. I also realized that during the nights when I meditate (before I sleep), I need lesser sleep. The clutter clearing process is very liberating.
冥想使人鎮靜清醒。我還發現，睡前冥想能縮短睡眠時間。整理思緒的過程使我神清氣爽。

34. Join Toastmasters (Learn public speaking).
加入Toastmaster（學習公共演講）。

Interestingly, public speaking is the #1 fear in the world, with #2 being death. After I started public speaking as a personal development speaker/trainer, I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate better, present myself and engage people. Toastmasters is an international organization that trains people in public speaking. Check out the Toastmaster clubs nearest to you here.
有趣的是，世界第一恐懼是公共演講，第二恐懼纔是死亡。當我成爲個人成長演講者及訓練師並開始四處演講後，我學到了很多——關於如何更有效地溝通、展現自我、與人互動。Toastmasters是訓練公衆演講能力的國際組織。你可以參加距離最近的Toastmasters俱樂部。

35. Befriend top people in their fields.
與各行各業的優秀人士做朋友。

These people have achieved their results because they have the right attitudes, skill sets and know-how. How better to learn than from the people who have been there and done that? Gain new insights from them on how you can improve and achieve the same results for yourself.
這些人之所以取得成就，是因爲他們態度端正、方法得當、懂得訣竅。還有什麼能比跟這些已經很優秀的人學習更有效呢？從這些人身上學習新見解，然後努力取得同樣成就。

36. Let go of the past.
放開過去。

Is there any grievance or unhappiness from the past which you have been holding on? If so, it’s time to let it go. Holding on to them prevents you from moving on and becoming a better person. Break away from the past, forgive yourself, and move on. Just recently, I finally moved on from a past heartbreak of 5 years ago. The effect was liberating and very empowering, and I have never been happier.
你是否對過去的委屈或痛苦一直耿耿於懷？果真如此，那是時候放手了。對過去念念不忘只會阻礙你前進與成長。忘記過去、原諒自己、繼續前行。最近，我也剛從一場5年戀情的陰影中走出來。釋懷使我感到自由並充滿能量，我從未這樣開心過。

37. Start a business venture.
着手創業。

Is there anything you have an interest in? Why not turn it into a venture and make money while learning at the same time? Starting a new venture requires you to be learn business management skills, develop business acumen and have a competitive edge. The process of starting and developing my personal development business has equipped me with many skills, such as self-discipline, leadership, organization and management.
你是否有一直感興趣的事情？何不在學習的同時藉此創業掙點錢？創業需要你掌握商務管理技能、發展商業洞察力並具備競爭優勢。我在創立並發展“個人成長”事業時學到了很多技能，諸如自律、領導力、組織性和管理能力。

38. Show kindness to people around you.
善待身邊的人。

You can never be too kind to someone. In fact, most of us don’t show enough kindness to people around us. Being kind helps us to cultivate other qualities such as compassion, patience, and love. As you get back to your day after reading this article later on, start exuding more kindness to the people around you, and see how they react. Not only that, notice how you feel as you behave kindly to others. Chances are, you will feel even better than yourself.
對人再善良都不爲過。其實，很多人對身邊的人都不夠好。善良能培養同情、耐心及愛心等品質。讀完這篇文章，今天回家就開始更好地對待身邊的人，看看他們反應如何；不僅如此，你還應留意善待他人時自己的感受。相信你很可能會大爲歡欣。

39. Reach out to the people who hate you.
與討厭你的人溝通。

If you ever stand for something, you are going to get haters. It’s easy to hate the people who hate us. It’s much more challenging to love them back. Being able to forgive, let go and show love to these people requires magnanimity and an open heart. Is there anyone who dislikes or hates you in your life? If so, reach out to them. Show them love. Seek a resolution and get closure on past grievances. Even if they refuses to reciprocate, love them all the same. It’s much more liberating than to hate them back.
如果你曾有過立場，那肯定會有討厭你的人。討厭我們的人，我們也很容易報以厭恨；喜歡他們絕對是難上加難。嘗試原諒並釋懷，向對方展現你的肚量和寬容吧。生活中是否有人不喜歡甚至討厭你呢？若有，那就嘗試和他們溝通，向他們展示友好，想辦法消除以往的怨懟。哪怕對方拒絕迴應，你也該一如既往地友好，這總比心懷怨恨來得好。

40. Take a break.
稍作休息。

Have you been working too hard? Self-improvement is also about recognizing our need to take a break to walk the longer mile ahead. You can’t be driving a car if it has no petrol. Take some time off for yourself every week. Relax, rejuvenate and charge yourself up for what’s up ahead.
一直以來是否都在辛苦工作？自我提升也要求學會休息，這樣才能繼續漫漫征途。汽車沒油怎能開動？每週花點時間放鬆一下，爲後面的努力給自己補充能量。

41. Read at least 1 personal development article a day.
每天至少讀一篇個人成長文章。

Some of my readers make it a point to read at least one personal development article every day, which I think is a great habit. There are many terrific personal development blogs out there, some of which you can check here.
有讀者表示，他們規定自己每天至少讀一篇個人成長文章，我認爲這是很棒的習慣。現在有關個人成長的博客非常多，不妨搜索一下。

42. Commit to your personal growth.
全心投入個人成長。

I can be writing list articles with 10 ways, 25 ways, 42 ways or even 1,000 ways to improve yourself, but if you’ve no intention to commit to your personal growth, it doesn’t matter what I write. Nothing is going to get through. We are responsible for our personal growth – not anyone else. Make the decision to commit to your personal growth and embrace yourself to a life-long journey of growth and change. Kick off your growth by picking a few of the steps above and working on them. The results may not be immediate, but I promise you that as long as you keep to it, you’ll start seeing positive changes in yourself and your life.
有關個人成長，我可以列出十到上千種方法，但如果你不專心付諸努力，我寫什麼都無濟於事，一切也都毫無意義。我們得爲自己的個人成長負責——這無關其他任何人。請下定決心全力投入個人成長，準備用一輩子來改變和成長吧。先嚐試前面提到的建議，盡力做好。效果不可能一下子就能看到，但我保證，只要你足夠堅持，肯定能看到自己和生活變得越來越好！