42个提升自我的实用技巧

Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?

你是一个渴望成长的人吗？你是否总在想办法提升自己、让自己变得更优秀？

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.

如果是这样，那我们可谓志同道合。我本人非常看重个人成长。想到人生意义，我发现最有意义的莫过于追求人生的提升和完满。通过不断提升自我，我们才能收获完满人生。

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:

作为倡导成长的狂热分子，我总在想办法提升自我。下面是我总结的42条好建议，希望能对你的个人成长有所帮助。其中有些建议可以立刻付诸行动，而有些则需慢慢努力。请看：

1. Read a book every day.

每天读书。

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.

书籍是智慧的精华。越博览群书，越智慧超群。刚开始应该读什么样的书来充实自己呢？在读过的书中，我觉得《思考致富》、《谁动了我的奶酪》、《七大习惯》、《致富的科学》及《80/20生活经》都还不错。

2. Learn a new language.

学习新语言。

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.

我是新加坡华人，主要讲英语、汉语和闽南语（中国方言）。因为感兴趣，过去几年我又学了日语及印尼语等其他语言。我发现，学习新语言绝对是门新技能，而了解语言及其文化的过程让我大开眼界。

3. Pick up a new hobby.

培养新爱好。

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.

除了平时喜欢的兴趣，能不能培养新爱好呢？是否可以掌握一项新运动，比如击剑、高尔夫、攀岩、足球、独木舟或滑冰？新爱好也可以是娱乐性的，比如陶艺、意式烹饪、跳舞、品酒、网页设计等。学习新事物使你在身心或情绪上接触到不同领域。

4. Take up a new course.

参加新课程。

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.

是否有新课程可供参加？课程是获得新知识和技能的好方法。课程不一定非得长期性的，研讨班或讲习班也很有效。我就参加过几次讲习班，学到了很多以前不知道的新观点。

5. Create an inspirational room.

布置创意房间。

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.

环境影响情绪并塑造风格。如果处在有创意的环境，你会每天都充满灵感。以前我一点也不喜欢自己的房间，觉得它又乱又闷。几年前，我决定结束这种状况，开始着手“房间大改造”计划，给房间动了大手术。结果呢？现在房间每天都让我感到愉悦、倍有灵感！

6. Overcome your fears.

战胜恐惧。

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.

所有人都有恐惧：害怕不确定性，害怕公共演讲，害怕冒险……这些恐惧使我们原地踏步，也阻止我们成长。请记住：恐惧恰好表明你在那个领域大有成长空间。我一向认为恐惧是成长的指南针。如果我害怕某件事，说明这件事有待我去搞定，而搞定这件事当然有助于我的成长。

7. Level up your skills.

升级技能。

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?

如果你以前经常玩RPG这样的电脑游戏，肯定知道“升级”的含义——累计经验，从而使自己更强更优秀。作为博主，我就时常升级我的写作技能；作为演讲者，我又常常升级我的公共参与能力。你有哪些技能可以升级呢？

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（比如早上五六点钟）在提高效率和生活质量方面的作用已被很多人肯定（安东尼-罗宾斯、罗宾-夏玛等自助书鼻祖）。我觉得这是因为，早起使大脑提前做好了蓄势待发的准备。

9. Have a weekly exercise routine.

每周规律锻炼。

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.

更好的体型为你带来更好的开始。我每周至少慢跑3次，每次至少30分钟。你也可以变着花样轮流慢跑、去健身馆或游泳。

10. Start your life handbook.

写本“人生手册”。

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.

这个想法是我在3年前想到的。手册上包括如何创造圆满人生的基本信息，比如你的志向、价值和目标，有点类似于人生指南。我从2007年开始写自己的人生手册，因此也获得了很大进步。

11. Write a letter to your future self.

给未来的自己写封信。

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年后你会是什么样子？还和现在一样吗？抑或已经变了？你会成为怎样的人？给未来的自己写封信——写给1年后的自己也可以，然后封印好。日历标注上1年后读信的日期，然后努力成为信中渴望的样子。

12. Get out of your comfort zone.

走出舒适区。

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.

真正的成长需要付诸努力与汗水。太安逸并不利于成长，而只会让我们搁浅。你的舒适区是什么？你是不是常常赖在里面？跳出舒适区和别人在一起时，你会不会保留自己的空间？打破常规，尝试不同。通过接触新领域、适应新环境，你就能获得成长。

13. Put someone up to a challenge.

和别人一起挑战。

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.

竞争是成长的最佳途径之一。设定一项挑战（减肥、健身、经济目标等），和感兴趣的朋友相互竞争，看谁先实现目标。相对于单独行动，这么做更能两全其美。

14. Identify your blind spots.

揪出盲点。

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.

科学上，盲点是指眼睛看不到的地方：就个人发展而言，盲点则是我们自身不曾察觉的方面。发现盲点有助于提升自我。我用来发现盲点的一个办法是：找出所有刺激我的人或事——所谓刺激，就是能使我愤怒、古怪或感动。这些能折射出我的盲点。这么做非常有趣，因为我总能发现自身新的特质，包括那些我自以为了解的盲点（既已了解，就算不上盲点，是吧？）。发现盲点后，我会努力攻克它们。

15. Ask for feedback.

寻求反馈。

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.

在提升自我的过程中，我们会发现许多盲点，而反馈则能提供给我们不同的视角。你可以向朋友、家人、同事、老板或认识的人寻求反馈，因为他们不持偏见，可以作出客观反馈。

16. Stay focused with to-do lists.

专注于任务清单。

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.

我每天都按任务清单做事，这让我保持专注。相反，要是我哪天没这么做，肯定过得效率极低。

17. Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).

设定野心勃勃的目标。

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.

我非常热衷于设定野心勃勃的目标。这类目标远大而又野心勃勃，远远超出了正常能力范围，平时也很少会去尝试。你最具野心的目标是什么？实现什么样的目标会让你有种站在世界顶峰的感觉？定下这样的目标，开始努力吧。

18. Acknowledge your flaws.

承认缺点。

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?

谁都有缺点。重要的是承认并理解缺点，然后克服它们。你觉得自己有哪些缺点？哪些缺点是你现在就能改正的？你将怎样克服它们？

19. Get into action.

采取行动。

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.

学习与成长的最佳途径就是行动。有哪些事是你一直想做的？你将如何立即采取行动？等待无济于事，行动才能立刻带来收获。

20. Learn from people who inspire you.

向激励你的人学习。

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?

想想你钦佩的人、激励你的人。你也渴望拥有这些人身上的某些品质吧？它们是什么呢？你将如何获得这些品质？

21. Quit a bad habit.

戒掉坏习惯。

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坏习惯，比如睡懒觉、不运动、迟到、懒散、咬指甲或抽烟？赶快了解如何戒除坏习惯吧。

22. Cultivate a new habit.

养成新习惯。

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?

读书、早起、锻炼、每天读篇个人成长文章以及冥想都是值得培养的好习惯。你是否还能养成其他新习惯、从而提升自我呢？

23. Avoid negative people.

远离消极的人。

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-罗恩所言：“你常交往怎样的人，你就是怎样的人。”世上各个角落都有消极的人存在。当你感到这类人在拖你后退，就赶紧远离他们吧。

24. Learn to deal with difficult people.

学会应对刁蛮的人。

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.

有时你确实无法回避刁蛮的人，比如在办公室或日常交际圈中。既然如此，那就学会面对他们。这对将来与人打交道很有帮助。

25. Learn from your friends.

向朋友学习。

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!

只要我们用心观察，人人都有出色优点。身边朋友也有你值得学习的地方。现在就想想某位朋友有哪个品质值得你学习。你将如何学习并养成那个品质呢？必要时可以跟朋友讲讲——他们肯定乐意帮助的！

26. Start a journal.

开始写日记。

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.

日记是提高自我认知的好方法。写日记是自省的过程。写的同时也在整理思绪，而当你从第三者角度再读日记时，会有不一样的感悟。日记既可以是私密的，也可以是网络博客。我的个人成长博客也是个人日记。过去几年，写博客让我获益匪浅。

27. Start a blog about personal development.

开设个人成长博客。

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.

若想帮助他人成长，你先得身体力行。因为不仅你自己，别人也会对你有所期待，所以你必须能够驾驭得住。我开了个人成长博客，就如何过更好的生活分享个人历程与见解。读者期望我的文章能帮他们提升自我，因此我必须鞭策自己不断成长，这样才能达到自己和他人的期望。

28. Get a mentor or coach.

找个导师或教练。

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.

如果有人帮助实现目标，那无疑会事半功倍。我的很多客户都希望我指导他们，结果实现的目标远远超过了个人努力的成果。

29. Reduce the time you spend on chat programs.

减少使用聊天工具的时间。

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.

我发现挂着聊天工具太浪费时间了。有这个时间还不如去做其他活动。哪天我要是没怎么聊天，必定能完成更多任务。我取消了聊天工具开机自动启动的功能，只在确实需要且真正有空时才登陆使用。

30. Learn chess (or any strategy game).

学会下棋（或其他益智游戏）。

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.

我觉得下棋对学习策略和磨练大脑很有帮助。下棋不仅有趣，还能训练分析能力。你也可以从其他棋类游戏或电脑游戏中学习策略，比如奥赛罗棋、中国象棋、魔兽争霸等等。

31. Stop watching TV.

停止看电视。

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.

我已经4年多没看电视了，感觉真自由！我觉得主流频道上大部分节目和广告都不怎么需要思考。反之，把看电视的时间省下来，我可以做很多其他有意义的事情，比如联络朋友、做喜欢的工作、锻炼身体等等。

32. Start a 30-day challenge.

设定30天挑战。

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.

制定一个目标，限定30天实现。目标既可以是养成新习惯，也可以是自己一直想做的事。30天足够用来定方案、做计划、具体落实、反馈并敲定一切了。

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.

冥想使人镇静清醒。我还发现，睡前冥想能缩短睡眠时间。整理思绪的过程使我神清气爽。

34. Join Toastmasters (Learn public speaking).

加入Toastmaster（学习公共演讲）。

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，世界第一恐惧是公共演讲，第二恐惧才是死亡。当我成为个人成长演讲者及训练师并开始四处演讲后，我学到了很多——关于如何更有效地沟通、展现自我、与人互动。Toastmasters是训练公众演讲能力的国际组织。你可以参加距离最近的Toastmasters俱乐部。

35. Befriend top people in their fields.

与各行各业的优秀人士做朋友。

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.

这些人之所以取得成就，是因为他们态度端正、方法得当、懂得诀窍。还有什么能比跟这些已经很优秀的人学习更有效呢？从这些人身上学习新见解，然后努力取得同样成就。

36. Let go of the past.

放开过去。

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.

你是否对过去的委屈或痛苦一直耿耿于怀？果真如此，那是时候放手了。对过去念念不忘只会阻碍你前进与成长。忘记过去、原谅自己、继续前行。最近，我也刚从一场5年恋情的阴影中走出来。释怀使我感到自由并充满能量，我从未这样开心过。

37. Start a business venture.

着手创业。

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.

你是否有一直感兴趣的事情？何不在学习的同时借此创业挣点钱？创业需要你掌握商务管理技能、发展商业洞察力并具备竞争优势。我在创立并发展“个人成长”事业时学到了很多技能，诸如自律、领导力、组织性和管理能力。

38. Show kindness to people around you.

善待身边的人。

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.

对人再善良都不为过。其实，很多人对身边的人都不够好。善良能培养同情、耐心及爱心等品质。读完这篇文章，今天回家就开始更好地对待身边的人，看看他们反应如何；不仅如此，你还应留意善待他人时自己的感受。相信你很可能会大为欢欣。

39. Reach out to the people who hate you.

与讨厌你的人沟通。

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.

如果你曾有过立场，那肯定会有讨厌你的人。讨厌我们的人，我们也很容易报以厌恨；喜欢他们绝对是难上加难。尝试原谅并释怀，向对方展现你的肚量和宽容吧。生活中是否有人不喜欢甚至讨厌你呢？若有，那就尝试和他们沟通，向他们展示友好，想办法消除以往的怨怼。哪怕对方拒绝回应，你也该一如既往地友好，这总比心怀怨恨来得好。

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.

一直以来是否都在辛苦工作？自我提升也要求学会休息，这样才能继续漫漫征途。汽车没油怎能开动？每周花点时间放松一下，为后面的努力给自己补充能量。

41. Read at least 1 personal development article a day.

每天至少读一篇个人成长文章。

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.

有读者表示，他们规定自己每天至少读一篇个人成长文章，我认为这是很棒的习惯。现在有关个人成长的博客非常多，不妨搜索一下。

42. Commit to your personal growth.

全心投入个人成长。

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.

有关个人成长，我可以列出十到上千种方法，但如果你不专心付诸努力，我写什么都无济于事，一切也都毫无意义。我们得为自己的个人成长负责——这无关其他任何人。请下定决心全力投入个人成长，准备用一辈子来改变和成长吧。先尝试前面提到的建议，尽力做好。效果不可能一下子就能看到，但我保证，只要你足够坚持，肯定能看到自己和生活变得越来越好！