10 Surefire Ways To Live Below Your Full PotentialDo you know that most people never utilize more than 0.1% of their true potential in their lifetime?

　　你知道吗？多数人终其一生都没有把他们真正的潜能的0.1%使用完？

　　It's true. The thing is, human potential is unlimited. Unlike computers, you'll never come across a situation where your brain says the hard drive is full. You can constantly push your limits, reaching greater heights, only to find that you're not even reaching a fraction of your true worth! Believe it or not, you harness more power than you can ever imagine.

　　是真的。问题是：人类的潜能是无限的。电脑可能会遇到硬盘已满的情况，而人脑绝对不会。你可以不断地向前推进你的极限，从而大大更高的层次；结果却发现你还没有达到真正价值的一小部分。

　　Unfortunately, many do not utilize their true potential, and lay it to waste by engaging in tasks that are a poor use of their time and energy. Here are 10 sure-fire ways to live below your true potential:

　　更不幸的是，很多人都没有使用自己的真正价值，只把时间精力花费在不值得的任务上。以下是10种定会让你的真实潜能无法挥发出来的方式。

　　1.Harp on the past instead of focusing on the present.

　　1. 停留在过去而不是聚焦于当下

　　Some people spend their lives living in the past. They lament about what has been, what they could have done, and why they didn't do that. However, the past is the past, and no matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about it, it doesn't change anything. To spend time moping about what has been is to waste the person you can be.

　　有些人把自己的生活停留在过去。他们抱怨着过去发生的事情，说着他们本该会怎样，而又为什么没能实现的原因。但是，过去就是过去了，不管你花费多少时间思索追悔过去，都不会再改变什么了。把时间花在消沉过去上，就是对你可能性的浪费。

　　There were times in the past when I wondered how things would have been if I did X instead of Y. Or if I did Z instead of Y. However, after that I'd ask myself, "How would this change anything?" Me sitting here and thinking about the past does absolutely nothing to change things and improve my life. Instead, it is only by thinking forward and taking action that I'm able to live a truly fulfilling life.

　　曾经有一段时间，我在思索如果当初做了X而不是Y，如果做了Z而不是Y, 那结局会怎样呢？但是，在那之后，我问自己：“这么想能改变什么呢？”我坐着回想过去，但绝对不会对我的生活有丝毫改变和提高。反而，是往前看、动起来才能让我过上真正令我满意的生活。

　　What kind of future do you want to create? What actions can you take to create this ideal future? What have you learned from the past that will help you in this journey? Asking and acting on questions like these will help you to maximize your present moment so you can live your best life going forward. For some practical guidance on living in the present, I recommend The Power of Now.

　　你想早就什么样的未来？采取什么样的行动才能创造这样一份理想化的未来？你从过去学到了什么？在未来的路上会帮到你吗？发问对答这样的问题能帮你让当下时刻最大化，以便让你把最好的生活向前推进。对于现有生活的一线实际的指导：我推荐当下的力量。

　　2.Get caught up in the details vs. the big picture.

　　2. 受困于细节与宏大远景之间

　　If you're a perfectionist, you might find yourself caught up with perfecting details on a regular basis. If so, you're not alone - I'm the same way. I spend a lot of time editing the nitty-gritty, so that everything can be perfect and the way I envision it to be. For example in my articles, I can spend an hour or more looking for the perfect photo that expresses the exact intention of my article. I can spend hours just improving my blog and forums so that my readers can get the perfect experience.

　　如果你是个完美主义者，你可能会发现自己定期受阻于完美细节。所以，如果你独自一人，我也是。我会花很多时间编辑事实真相，以便让所有事情都完美，都像我想象的那样。比如在我的文章里，我能花上一个多小时的时间寻找完美的照片，以便精确地表述我文章的含义。我能花上数小时的时间改进我的微博和论坛，因此我的读者们能阅读到我完美的经历。

　　However, I have come to realize that by spending all my time on the details, I'm not making the best use of my time. According to the 80/20 principle, 80% of the results we can achieve comes from 20% of our actions. In trying to achieve the remaining 20% to get the perfect 100% outcome, we have to spend 80% more effort!

　　然而我逐渐意识到：把自己所有的时间都花费在细节上，我并没有最好使用时间。根据80/20黄金原则——我们所能达到的80%的结果来自于行动的20%。要试着达到剩下20%以追求100%的完美结果，我们还需要花费80%更多的努力！

　　Some of us may think that we should do everything to achieve the best outcome. While I agree with this, it fails to hold true outside of certain situational contexts. For example, while it may be gratifying to get the best picture for each blog article, the extra time spent looking for that best picture prevents me from working on higher value tasks, such as writing new books or creating new challenges for my readers. It goes without saying that one hour spent on the latter adds more value than one hour spent looking for a picture.

　　有些人会想：我们应该做好一切以达到最好的结果。在同意此话的同时，这话如果脱离了具体的情况情境，是不真实的。比如说，为了给每一个微博文章都配上最好的图片 <http://edu.qq.com/photo/ctsh.shtml>，花多余的时间找最佳照片的行为阻碍了我去完成高附加值的工作，比如谱写新书、或者为自己的读者创造一些心的挑战。把一小时的时间用来增加附加值还是花一小时的时间找相片？毋庸多说。

　　By looking at the big picture, it helps you realize what does matter and what doesn't so that you can then channel your energy accordingly. The Gifts of Imperfection is a good read on this topic.

　　想着心里的远景，就能帮你意识到做什么值得，什么不值得；这样你就能相应地引导你的能量。《不完美的馈赠》，从标题上看就不错。

　　3.Let yourself be affected by minor issues.

　　3. 让自己受到小事件的影响

　　Sometimes we may be affected by a hurtful comment or discouraged by a small setback. While these emotions are justified, often times these events are insignificant in the long run. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: "Will this matter in one year's time? Three years? 5 years? 10 years? 30 years?" If not, then it's probably not worth your energy to think about these things. Concentrate on things that do matter in the long run instead.

　　有些时候我们会受到恶意批评或者因小挫折而气馁。貌似这些情绪是有正当理由的，但通常这些事件从长期来看是无关紧要的。想知道一件事情是否值得思虑，有一个方法，那就是：“1年中它的影响是怎样的？三年呢？五年？十年？三十年？”那如果不是，就证明可能不值得的你花费精力去思考这些事情；相反的是，把精力集中在那些从长远看很重要的事情上。

　　4.Blame others for your plight.

　　4. 自己的困境却怪罪他人

　　Is there anything you're blaming others for in your life? Are you blaming the economy for not getting the job you want? Your parents for giving you "fat" genes? Your boss for your workload? The world for lack of opportunities around you? The universe for not giving you the life of your dreams?

　　你生活里有没有什么事情是你责怪他人的？你是否在怪罪经济没能让你得到你想要的工作？责怪你的父母遗传给你“肥胖”的基因？老板给你的工作量太多？周围世界缺乏机会？世界没能给你所梦想的生活？

　　The extent to which you can live your dream life depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame someone/something for what you're going through, you deny responsibility. You give others power over that part of your life. For example, if you blame your parents for your obesity, you'll continue to remain obese because in your mind they are the reason why you're obese. You'll never have the power to change the situation until you take responsibility for it. When you take 100% responsibility for your life, be it your career status, your health, your relationship status, your finances, your friendships, etc, that's when you're set to achieve the life of your dreams.

　　你能过上梦想中的生活的程度取决于你对自己生命负责的程度。当你正经历某事却责怪某人某事的时候，你就是在否认你自己的责任。你把你生命里那部分的权利交给了别人。比如说，如果你印字机的肥胖而责怪父母，那么你将会继续胖下去，因为在你脑海中这才是你肥胖的原因。除非你为此担负起责任来，要不你就不可能有力量改变现状。当你为自己生活担负起百分百的责任，让它成为你的职业状态，健康，关系状态，经济，友谊等等，那个时候才是你开始实现你梦想生活的时候。

　　5.Complain.

　　5. 抱怨

　　It's okay to complain once in a while as a way to vent, but doing it too often makes you a magnet for negativity. Whenever you complain, you give your power away to the universe. For every second you spend complaining, that's one second you could have spent creating the life you want. Rather than lament, think about the actions you can take to improve your situation instead. Every time you do, that's one step toward the life you've been dreaming about.

　　偶尔把抱怨当做一种发泄的方式是可以的，但如果经常这样的话，就把你变成负磁场了。当你抱怨的时候，你把自己的能量释放到宇宙里。你花费在抱怨上的每一秒钟，原本都是你用来创造梦想生活的一秒钟。与其悲叹，不如思考一下将境遇提升所能采取的行动。如果每次都这么做，都会向你梦想的生活迈进一步。

　　6.Try to do everything by yourself.

　　6. 尝试所有事情都亲力亲为

　　Are you someone who likes to do everything yourself? So do I - but over the years I realize that this prevents me from achieving more. In trying to do everything, including the nitty-gritty, less important details (see #2), that means you're not able to do the higher level, important things like your biggest goals and dreams. Start by delegating, outsourcing or removing the less important tasks and scaling yourself up to do the more important ones. You'll notice a big difference in your productivity.

　　你是哪种什么事情都喜欢自己上手去做的人吗？我也是，但是多年来，我渐渐意识到这种方式阻碍我更多的进步。在尝试完成所有事件的时候，包括那些事实真相，不太重要的细节，（见#2），那就意味着你就不能去做那些高一个层次的事情，重要的事情，诸如你最大的目标和梦想。从授权开始，外包或者去除那些不太重要的任务，放开比例让自己去做一些更重要的事情。这样以来，你将会注意到你自己在效率上的大不同。

　　7.Set small goals.

　　7. 设定小目标

　　Many people set small goals because they're afraid to fail. Actually what they're really afraid of is to realize that they've always had all the power to achieve everything they want and that they have wasted their own time and dreams. You have all the potential and power in this world to achieve everything you want. Stop settling for less and set your highest goals today. You owe it to yourself.

　　很多人设定小目标是因为他们畏惧失败。而事实上他们真正害怕的是：他们总是具有实现一切所想的能力，而他们浪费了自己的时间和梦想。你有这世上一切潜力和能力去实现你所想的任何事。别再安于稍许，尽在今天设定好你的最高目标。你得归功于自己。

　　8.Bottle up unhappiness.

　　8. 压抑苦恼

　　Bottling up your emotions is like creating a bomb that will eventually self- implode. Every time you bury an emotion, you're weighing yourself down with baggage. The best way to deal with your emotions, whether happy ones or unhappy ones, is to lay them out on the table and face them. Don't hide from your problems. When you do you're just hiding from yourself. I found a great way to clear emotional baggage is to use the brain dumping exercise, where you dump your emotions in a journal for about 10-15 minutes. Try it - you'll feel lighter almost immediately.

　　压抑情绪莫过于设定了一个最终会自动爆炸的炸弹。每当你掩埋情绪的时候，都在用辎重将自己称量。应对情绪最好的方式是，不管是开心还是不高兴，都把它们放在桌面儿上，面对它们。不要回避你的问题，如果那么做，那就是你在回避你自己。我发现一个清除情绪辎重的好方法，就是做大脑信息垃圾训练，花上10至15分钟的时间把情绪倾倒在日记里。试试看，你立马就会感到轻松起来。

　　9.Think that you cannot do it.

　　9. 认为自己不能做

　　As Henry Ford put it, "Whether you think you can or think you can't – you are right." There is nothing more powerful in the world than our beliefs. Our beliefs are the lenses we use to see the world. If we think we don't have the power, then our minds will find the evidence to support that thought. If we think we have the power to achieve what we want, then similarly, our minds will automatically lock down on all the evidence that supports that thought.

　　正如亨利·福特所说：“不管你觉得自己是能还是不能——你都是正确的。”世上再没有什么能比我们的信仰更有力的东西了，我们的信仰就是我们用之来看世界的镜头。如果我们认为自己拥有实现梦想的力量，那么同样的，我们的头脑也会自动锁定所有支持这种想法的证据。

　　10.Procrastinate on your goals.

　　10. 拖延自己的目标

　　Procrastination is the best way to bury your potential. Do you want your goals to never come true? Sure, procrastinate on them. I've never in my life seen a happy procrastinator. Everyone I know who procrastinates usually holds a heavy heart, because deep down they want to achieve their goals. Deep down they know they are meant to live their dreams. So stop procrastinating. Start by first identifying what you're passionate about, then go from there. As long as you're doing what you love, you can never go wrong.

　　拖延是埋没自己潜能的最“好”方法。你是否想让自己的目标从不能实现？确定的话，那就拖延吧。我这辈子从来就没有见过一个开心的拖延者；我所认识的每一个拖拉者通常都有一颗沉重的心，因为内心深处他们是想实现他们的目标的。内心深处他们知道自己打算要实现自己的梦想。那么，停止拖延吧，首先从确定你激情所在开始，然后从这里开始，。只要你做着自己喜爱的事情，那你就绝不会弄错。