自我奋斗的七大黄金原则

      Here are the seven that strike me as most fundamental. It seems to me that most other themes or habits fall into one of these seven buckets.

      其中，有七大原则我认为是最基本的，其它课题（或习惯）大都可以归为七大原则之一。

1. Desire 理想

      This is almost always #1 in the standard self-help literature. If you want to achieve “it,” you have to really want it. More importantly, with very few exceptions you must be conscious of the fact that you want it and you must be very clear about what it is.  When it will happen, what it will look like...you get the picture.

      有关自我奋斗的各种论说中，该原则几乎总是位居榜首。欲取之，必先欲之。更重要的是，大多情况下，你必须确信自己有此理想，而且必须清楚是何理想，何时产生，有何特性等，你要能描绘出来。

2. Authenticity 真我
      While most self-help literature is about change – changing your life, becoming a different person – it is almost always rooted in the notion that you have to “know yourself” (or know thy self, depending on how far back you go) and be yourself if you want to succeed and be happy in your success. Make sure the “it” that you desire aligns with who you truly are.

      虽然大多数有关自我奋斗的论说都在讲改变——改变你的一生，做个全新的人等，但几乎都植根于一个理念：如果你想成功并快乐着，你就要“了解自己”（或者说了解本我，这要看你对自己了解有多深），并且要坚持做你自己。记住，你的理想和你的真我相辅相成，并行不悖。

3. Drive 动力

      As the old saying goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars could ride.” It is one thing to want something; it is another thing entirely to have the will to get it. Motivation plays a starring role in self-help literature, and for good reason: very few of us come equipped with self-sustaining will power.  Closely related concepts like being “pro-active” and persistent come into play here.

      古谚有云：“理想若是马，乞丐都能骑。”有理想是一回事，有决心实现理想是另一回事。自我奋斗论中，动力是奋斗成功的主要因素，理由很充分：很少有人有足够的意志力。类似的概念还有积极向上、持之以恒等。

4. Discipline 自律

      You can want it and have the will to pursue it, but you still need to cultivate and practice appropriate, consistent habits if you expect to succeed. It is important to remember that “discipline” derives from the Latin “disciplina,” meaning teaching or learning. Desire and drive alone do not add up to discipline. It must be learned.

      你有理想，也下定决心追求理想，但你还需要培养于你有益的行为习惯，并持之以恒坚持下去，你才有可能获得成功。一定要记住，英文中“自律”（discipline）一词源于拉丁语词“disciplina”，意为自我教育，既有“教”，也有“学”。自律并非理想和动力的简单相加，必须依靠后天习得。

5. Reflection 自省

      Reflection is arguably one of the key habits of discipline, but it also serves to counteract mindless discipline. In short, it is an important enough concept in self-help literature to stand on its own. Achieving your goals requires being conscious and thoughtful about how you are performing along the way. Doing so enables you to appreciate your progress and also to adjust as needed

      自省是自律原则中的关键因素之一，这点无可非议，但跟无意识的自律又不一样，自省强调有意识的一面。简言之，在自我奋斗的论说中，自省原则自成一体，非常重要。想要达到目标，就应该做个有心人，随时关注自己的进展，这样才能对其合理评价，适时调整。

6. Connections 人际关系

      While self-help literature by its nature tends to be very focused on the individual, I can't think of a single example I have come across that doesn't also emphasize the importance of our connection to others.

      自我奋斗论本质上往往强调个人的奋斗，但我想不到任何一个自我奋斗成功的案例能隔断个人与他人的联系。

      Among other things, connections may help you enhance your own abilities – as in the concept of the “master mind” pioneered by Napoleon Hill (and represented earlier in Ben Franklin’s “junto”). They may help keep you accountable – as is common in 12-step groups. Or, they may help you reconcile yourself with the past – by saying thank you to those who have had a positive impact on your life, for example, as is so common in “happiness” literature.

      别的不说，人际关系首先会帮你提高自己的能力，拿破仑·希尔（Napoleon Hill）首倡的“大师”概念中包含了这个观点（本杰明·富兰克林（Ben Franklin）在18世纪创立的费城俱乐部“Junto”中也曾提及）。人际关系也会帮你树立责任感，这在12步戒酒者聚会组织（参见12 Step Groups 网站）中很常见。人际关系还会帮你接受自己的过去，比如，向那些曾经对你人生有积极影响的人表示感谢。论述“幸福”的文献中，这样的例子比比皆是。

7. Faith 信仰

      I don't necessarily mean “faith” in a religious sense – thought certainly there is a great deal of self-help literature with a religious orientation.  All of the self-help literature I have encountered posits a “higher power,” whether that is a “God” in a religious sense or something more ethereal. I also place concepts like “making your own luck,” “attitude,” and “resilience” in this bucket because each is rooted in the notion that things somehow work out if you simply believe they will.

      这里的“信仰”并不一定带有宗教色彩，尽管很多的自我奋斗论说确实具有宗教倾向。我所读过的自我奋斗论着中，无一例外宣扬“至高权力”，要么是宗教意义上的“上帝”，要么就是某种虚无缥缈的神灵。我认为“信仰”还应该包括“把握自己的命运”、“态度”、“精神复苏”等概念，因为这些概念的实质都是只要有信，就有可能。