- 此系列內容來自詹姆斯．克利爾的免費郵件課程，使用其著作《Atomic Habits 原子習慣》的理論基礎，旨在30天內提供以下的資訊：
Ｖ 消除習慣養成中可能產生的任何疑問
Ｖ 獲得採取行動所需的工具與策略
Ｖ 學習任何習慣養成都能適用的架構 - 這章點明了「努力當然重要，但方向比努力更重要」的概念，從「比起選擇你想要的結果，不如先想想你想成為怎樣的人」談起，讀過《Atomic Habits 原子習慣》的朋友應該會覺得這論調十分熟悉。
我認為裡頭敘述在理：你的行為終究會成為一種自我驗證（self-proving），而自我驗證會成為一種自我認知／自我認同，週而復始的永動機。此外，「自我敘述（self-narrative）」同是自我認知建立重要的一環，之前讀到一則推書文說，許多人的自我敘述是有害的，但當事人往往沒有注意到。
最後分享Aristotle，預祝大家能得到一些啟發：
「認識自己」是所有智慧的源頭。
How to Choose a Habit that Sticks
如何選擇一項持之以恆的習慣
Lesson 1 of 11
第一堂課
How to Choose a Habit that Sticks
如何選擇一項持之以恆的習慣
The most important decision you will make is what habit to build.
Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle. It is much more important to work on the right habit than it is to work really hard. (Working hard is still important, of course.)
In this lesson, we’re going to discuss how to choose the right habit for you.
「建立什麼習慣」是你將面臨的、最重要的選擇。
選擇好習慣，進步是容易的；選錯了習慣，生命將困頓不已。比起努力本身，選擇為正確的習慣努力重要得多（但是當然，努力也是很重要的）。
在這一課，我們會討論怎麼為你選擇正確的習慣。
When most people think about the habits they want to build, they naturally start by considering the outcomes they want to achieve. "I want to lose weight." Or, "I want to stop smoking."
The alternative is to build what I call “identity-based habits” and start by focusing on who we wish to become, not what we want to achieve. (This is an idea I unpack more fully in Chapter 2 of Atomic Habits.)
當多數人思考他們想要建立的習慣時，自然而然地，他們往往會從他們想要達到什麼結果開始思考。例如「我想要減重」或「我想要戒菸」。
而有種另類選擇，是我稱為「以自我認同為基礎的習慣」，旨在聚焦於「我們想要成為具有怎樣特質的人」，而不再是「我們想要達到怎樣的成就」。（詳情可以閱讀《原子習慣》的第二章）
Here's the short version:
Anyone can convince themselves to practice yoga or meditation once or twice, but if you don’t shift the belief behind the behavior, then it becomes hard to stick with long-term changes. Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
- The goal is not to get straight A’s, the goal is to become a person who studies every day.
- The goal is not to finish a painting, the goal is to become an artist.
- The goal is not to win the game or competition, the goal is to become a person who practices every day.
這裡有個簡易版本：
任何人都能說服他們自己去練習一兩次瑜伽或冥想，但如果你不轉換這行為模式後頭的思維，長期下來，這些行為就變得很難堅持了。在這些行為成為建立你自我認知的一部分之前，進步與改善都只是短暫的。
- 目標不是得到成績全優，而是成為每天都讀書的人
- 目標不是完成一幅畫，而是成為一位藝術家
- 目標不是在遊戲或競賽中獲勝，而是成為每天都練習的人
The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.
It’s one thing to say “I’m the type of person who wants this.”
It’s something very different to say “I’m the type of person who is this.”
This brings us to an important question: if your identity plays such an important role in your behavior, where does it come from in the first place?
內在動機的終極型態，是當一個習慣徹底變成你自我認同的一部分。
「我是想要這個（東西）的人」，與「我是這種類型的人」的自我敘述是非常不同。
這為我們帶來了一個重要的問題：若你的自我認同在行為模式上，扮演如此重要的角色，那該從哪裡開始塑造它呢？
To a large degree, your identity emerges out of your habits. It’s like a self-improvement feedback loop. The more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior. And the more you reinforce the identity, the more natural it will feel to repeat the behavior.
If you volunteer at your local homeless shelter, you start to believe you are the type of person who cares about your community. The more weekends you show up at the shelter, the more you reinforce that identity, and the easier it becomes to see community service as part of who you are.
在很大的程度上，你的自我認同由你諸多的習慣組成。這就像一個不斷循環的，自我改善的回饋機制，你越常重蹈覆徹的特定行為，越會強化該行為與你自我認知的連結；而當這種自我認知在你內心固著，自然而然地，你越會反覆從事那些特定行為。
如果你在當地遊民庇護所擔任志工，你就會開始相信你是「那種關心你的社區的人」。而當你在庇護所出現的次數增加，就更加深你的這份自我認同，而也越容易將社區服務視為你身上的一部分。
As I say in Atomic Habits: Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
Each habit is like a suggestion: “Hey, maybe this is who I am.” No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. And when your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, you are no longer pursuing behavior change. You are simply acting like the type of person you already believe yourself to be. As Benjamin Franklin quipped, “The things you do often create the things you believe.”
一如我在《原子習慣》說的：你採取的任何行動，都將影響你希望成為怎樣的人。
任何習慣都像縈繞於心的忠告：「嘿，或許我就是這樣的人。」沒有任何單一案例會改變你的信念，但當這些影響積沙成塔，它們就會成為你一種新的自我認同與自我證明；但凡你的行為模式與你的自我認同感趨於一致，你就不再追求改變自己的行為，你將能如魚得水地、自在地表現成「你相信你是這樣的人」的樣子。就像美國開國元勳，班傑明．富蘭克林說過：「你的行為會造就你深信不疑的結果。」
So, this is the first lesson: think about your desired identity and ask, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”
What would a healthy person do? What would a productive person do? What would X do? These questions help reveal the desired identity you should be working toward and the habits that support that identity. This is the way to determine which habit you should focus on.
Once you have a handle on the type of person you want to be, you can begin taking small steps to reinforce your desired identity.
因此，這就是第一堂課的主題：想想你渴望的自我認同，然後捫心自問「誰（哪種類型的人）是那種可以得到我想要的結果的人」。
健康的人會怎麼做？生產力高的人會怎麼做？＿＿的人會怎麼做？這些問題協助你釐清你渴望建立的自我認同是什麼，而你又需要哪些習慣的輔助才能達成？這是一種讓你能決定要專注於哪些習慣的好方法。
一旦你掌握了你想要成為哪種類型的人，你就能開始採取小小的嘗試，以建立你渴望的自我認同感。
Here are some more examples of linking your habits to your desired identity:
- If you want to write a book, you should focus on becoming the type of person who writes every day.
- If you want to learn a new language, you should focus on becoming the type of person who studies every day.
- If you want to retire early, you should focus on becoming the type of person who saves money every month.
The focus should always be on becoming that type of person, not getting a particular outcome. In the beginning, it is far more important to cast small votes for your desired identity than to worry about a particular result.
這裡有更多將你的習慣連結到你追求的自我認同的範例：
- 如果你想寫一本書，你應該專注於成為每天都寫點東西的人
- 如果你想學習一門新語言，你應該專注於成為每天都讀書精進的人
- 如果你想要早點迎來退休生活，你應該專注於成為每個月都存錢的人
這些專注點都是某種類型的人的特質，而不是一個具體的結果。在一切的開始，如何一丁點一丁點鑄造認同感，遠比能達到什麼具體結果來得重要。
Your habits reshape your identity in a gradual way. It's slow and nearly impossible to see. You can rarely tell a difference between who you were yesterday and who you are today. But with each rep, with each vote cast, your internal story begins to shift.
Start by focusing on who you want to become, not what you want to achieve.
你的習慣會漸進式地重塑你的自我認同。這是一個緩慢且幾乎無法察覺的過程，你很難說出昨天的你和今天的你究竟有什麼不同，但在每一次重複的行為中，每一次的鑄造中，你內在的自我敘述就會開始轉變。
從專注於你想成為怎樣的人著手，而不是你想要獲得什麼。
That's all for Lesson 1. See you in the next lesson,
James Clear
Author of Atomic Habits and keynote speaker
這就是第一課，期待下一堂課再見。
詹姆斯．克利爾
《原子習慣》作者與keynote講者
Progress Check-In
By the end of this lesson, you should have an idea of the habit that reinforces your desired identity. Who is the type of person you want to become? What is one habit that casts a small vote for becoming that type of person?
Helpful bonuses and downloads
- Identity-Based Habits template – Use this template to write down your desired identity and the habit you're choosing to reinforce that identity.
- Workbook – This 18-page PDF includes an action checklist (including templates for key strategies) for each lesson of the course, plus lesson summaries and a key terms dictionary.
- Examples Database – The examples database is a Google Sheet of 140+ examples of how to implement each strategy covered in this course for dozens of different habits.
References and further reading
- For more on identity-based habits, see Chapter 2 of Atomic Habits
- Acting in alignment with a perceived identity: Christopher J. Bryan et al., “Motivating Voter Turnout by Invoking the Self,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108, no. 31 (2011): 12653–12656.
- Internal pressure to act in alignment with perceived identity: Leon Festinger, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957).
章節回顧
在這堂課結束後，你知道習慣是如何強化你所追求的自我認同的。那誰（或哪種類型的人）是你想要成為的？怎麼樣的習慣能鑄造出那種類型的人呢？
能幫上忙的可下載資源
- Identity-Based Habits template – 使用這份範本寫下你所追求的自我認同，以及你選擇用來強化這種自我認同的習慣吧。
- Workbook – 這是一份18頁的PDF檔，內容包括一份每一堂課的行動檢查表（內有關鍵策略的範本），加上課程統整與專有名詞辭典。
- Examples Database – 這是一個內有超過140個策略應用實例的Google表單，每個策略都適用於數十種不同的習慣培養。
參考資料與其他文本
- 以自我認同為基礎的習慣的詳細說明，請參見《原子習慣》第2章
- 行為與顯化的身份認同趨於一致：克里斯多福J．布萊恩等人共同撰寫的論文《透過自我調整來激勵內在動機（暫譯）》，收錄於美國國家科學院院刊108，第31期，2011年
- 行為與顯化的身份認同趨於一致的內在壓力：利昂．費斯廷格（Leon Festinger）《認知失調理論（1957）》，史丹福大學出版社
