Do you know that most people never utilize more than 0.1% of their true potential in their lifetime?

你可知道，很多人一辈子也没发挥出他们真正潜能的0.1%这么多.

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.

事实就是如此，人类的潜能是无限的。人脑不像电脑，大脑的"硬盘"永远不会不够用。你可以持续地提高你的极限，努力达到更高的目标，最后你会发现，你也只是发挥了一点点潜能而已。毋须质疑，你限制了自己不可估量的潜能。

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:

不幸地是，许多人无法发挥所有的潜能，还把发挥的潜能放在一些浪费时间精力的工作上。以下列举出10种保证让你高能低用的生活习惯：

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

1.总是旧事重提，而不着眼当下。

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.

有些人总是活在过去的时光里。他们为时过境迁而悲伤，为曾经的辉煌而伤神，为未竟的事业而悔恨。但是，过去已然过去，无论我们用了多久来哀叹，它也不会有任何改变。浪费时间为了过去的事情而郁郁寡欢，会毁掉本来的你。

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.

在过去,有些时候我也会想如果我做了这件事而没做那件事，结果会怎样。可之后，我便会问自己，"这会做何改变么？"我坐在这，沉浸在往日时光中，完全无法改变什么，也不能让我的生活更好。而只有一心向前并积极行动，我才会过拥有一个真正有意义的生活。

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.

你想要什么样的未来？你想做些什么来得到这个理想生活？你从过去得到了什么教训可以助你一路前行？探索并实践这样的问题，就会帮助你延伸当下的一刻，你会向前并得到美好的生活。如果想得到更多关于如何活在当下的建议，请参阅《The Power of Now》一书。

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

2.为琐事发愁VS.着眼大局。

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.

如果你是一个完美主义者，你会发觉自己经常在处理一些小细节。如果这样，你也不是一个人在  这么做，我也是这样的。我会用许多时间在编辑些基本的事实，然后所有的事情都会是完美无暇的，也会按是我设想的那样呈现出来。比如说，在我的文章里，我会花费一个小时或者更多的时间去寻找最匹配的照片，这些照片会准确地表达出文章的旨意。我会耗费几个小时去打理我的博客和论坛，所以读者们在阅读时会感觉非常棒。

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!

但终究我却意识到，我确实在这些小细节上十分用心，可是我并没有最好地利用时间。根据80/20原则，80%的结果得益于20%的时间。为了得到最后的20%结果以达到完美的100%，我们必须要耗费80%这么多的努力！

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.

有些人也许觉得我们应该竭尽全力以达到最好的目标。我虽然也赞同这一点，可是这点在某些情况下并不奏效。比如说，虽然为每篇博客配一张完美的图确实令人庆幸，可是为了这而花费的时间却阻止了我做更大价值的工作，比如写一本新书或者为我的读者带来更多的挑战。后者的价值要高于寻找一张图片，这点不言而喻。

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.

着眼大局可以帮助你看清什么更重要，然后你可以根据重要性重新分配精力。在《The Gift of Imperfection》一书中会有更好的诠释。

3.Let yourself be affected by minor issues.

3.被小事所影响。

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.

有些时候我们也许会被一个伤人的言论所影响，或者一个小挫折而阻碍。虽然产生的情绪是正常的，可是在长远来看这些事情通常并不重要。一种去检验这个事情是否值得去想的方法就是问自己："一年后我还会在意这个事情么？三年后呢？五年后呢？甚至十年后和三十年后呢？"如果答案是否定的话，那这件事就很可能并不值得你的精力去思考这件事情。把注意力集中在那些长远来看很重要的事情上吧。

4.Blame others for your plight.

4.将你的苦境归咎于别人。

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?

在生活中有没有什么事情，你总是归咎于别人的问题？你是否会因没有理想的工作而责怪经济环境的不佳？责备你的父母给你遗传的"胖子"基因？指责你的上司给你的工作负担？或者谴责这个世界不给你多一些机会？还有这个宇宙没有为你营造一个梦想中的人生？

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.

你有多大可能实现梦想取决于你承担了人生中的多少责任。当你责怪了别的人或者别的东西，你就在否认承担责任。你赋予别人的权利超过了你自己的。譬如，当你责怪你父母导致了你的肥胖，你还会继续这么胖下去，因为你认为他们才是导致肥胖的原因。你永远不会行使自己的权力去改变这个情况直到有一刻你承担了这个责任。当你为你的生命承担起100%的责任，无论是你的事业情况，健康状况，爱情，财务状况，还是友情等等，那一刻你就在着手实现人生梦想了。

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.

抱怨一两次去发泄感情当然无可厚非，但是如果总是抱怨会让你成为一个负极磁场。无论何时只要你去抱怨，你就在给宇宙注入能量。你用来抱怨的每一秒钟，都本应是用于创造更美好的生活的。如果你可以为了改善生活而采取的措施，而不是一味地抱怨。这样，你便向你的梦想跨进了一步。

6.Try to do everything by yourself.

6.事必躬亲。

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.

你是一个什么事情都要自己去做做看的人么？我也是，但是我却发现这却让我失去很多。我去尝试做所有事情，比如一些基本的事实，不重要的细节（参阅第二条），那都会意味着你不能做更重要的事情，比如你的最高目标和最好的梦想。学会委派，外包业务或者把一些不重要的事情移除出你的计划，扩展自我到更重要的事情中去。你会发现到你的成果会产生很大的变化。

7.Set small goals.

7.设立小目标。

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.

许多人喜欢设立小的目标，因为他们害怕失败。实际上，他们害怕的却是意识到他们有能力去做很多事情，而他们却浪费了这些时间和梦想。你是有能力去做每一个你想做到的事情的。不要再设立小小的目标，而在今天把眼光放的更远大一些吧。这是你欠自己的一个目标！

8.Bottle up unhappiness.

8.把不开心封锁起来。

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.

封锁情绪就好像在设置一个炸弹，它们迟早都会爆炸的。每一次你放进去一些情绪，你的行李就会沉重一些。处理情绪最好的方法，就是无论开心或者不开心，都要把它们公开或者表现在脸上。不要把你的问题藏起来。如果你这样做，就是让自己逃避问题。我找到一个很好的方法去清除感情行李就是练习用大脑去甩掉它们，这样你可以在10-15分钟内去除这些情绪。尝试一下，你马上就会觉得很轻松！

9.Think that you cannot do it.

9.觉得你无法做到。

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.

正如亨利福特所言，"无论你觉得你行不行，你都是对的。"世界上没有什么比我们的信念更加强大有力了。这些信念就是我们来聚焦这个世界的镜头。如果我们觉得自己不具备这个能力，那大脑就会找到证据来证明这个想法。如果我们觉得自己有能力达到它，那同样地，我们的大脑也会自动地锁定一些证据来支持这个想法。

Our limitations have little to do with the world, society, people, or anything like that – our limitations have always been within us – our beliefs.  My personal motto is that as long as there's the will, there's always a way.  Nothing is impossible to achieve in this world.  For some practical positive thinking guidance, I recommend The Magic of Thinking Big.

我们的极限和这个世界、社会、人类或者其他什么东西都无关，只和我们自己的信念有关。我个人的信条就是：有志者，事竟成。没有什么不能做到。更多的积极思考的指导，请参阅《 The Magic of Thinking Big》一书。

10.Procrastinate on your goals.

10.拖延你的目标。

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.

拖延是埋葬你的潜能最好的方法。你想让你的目标永远不要被实现么？如果你想，那你就尽情地拖延吧。在我的生活里我从来都没见过一个快乐的拖延者。每一个我认识的爱拖延的人都背负着一个沉重的包袱。因为延缓了追逐目标的脚步，减慢了实现梦想的速度。所以不要拖延了。最开始只要你确定了自己的兴趣所在，然后就努力去做。只要你在做你热爱的事情，你就永远都不会出问题。