實戰(zhàn)口語情景對話：Breaking Bad Habits 改掉壞習(xí)慣(1)

Todd: So I'm here with Olga, who's a health coach and a life coach. You've talked a lot about things we should do, but what about stopping doing things or breaking bad habits? That's the hardest thing, right? What's your advice for giving up sugar or alcohol or obsessive behavior, things like that?

托德：奧爾加是健康教練和人生教練。你之前提到過很多我們應(yīng)該做的事情，那有什么是我們應(yīng)該停止做的事或是有哪些應(yīng)該改掉的壞習(xí)慣?這是最難的，是吧?你對戒掉糖、戒酒或戒掉上癮行為有哪些建議?

Olga: Well, actually, I am not suggesting that people fight with themselves, and they avoid or break anything, because that would constitute violence against yourself. I am a student of Marshall Rosenberg, who developed a nonviolent communication system. Instead of taking away the bad, you add something good. You find exciting, fun, new habits that will naturally substitute.

奧爾加：實際上，我不建議人們和自己斗爭或是避免或戒掉任何事，因為這是針對自身的暴力行為。我是馬歇爾·羅森伯格的學(xué)生，他開發(fā)了一種非暴力溝通系統(tǒng)。不要去掉壞事物，而是要增加好事物。你會發(fā)現(xiàn)令人激動又有趣的新習(xí)慣會自然而然地取代壞習(xí)慣。

Todd: Okay, so for example, let's say you watch too much TV, or you're addicted to your smartphone. You would try to maybe play outside or do something like that.

托德：好，比如，看電視時間太長，或是對智能手機(jī)上癮。你要盡量去外面玩或是做類似于出去玩的事情。

Olga: Well, you can develop a lot of new habits and see what works for you. One of the things that I discovered for myself is that willpower is a very finite resource. We don't have infinite amounts of willpower, so we need to use it very sparingly on short distances. It's not for marathons. What I suggest, when you're establishing a new habit that you feel that is the right habit for you, you need to use a little bit of willpower to repeat it enough times. Usually magic number is 21 days.

奧爾加：你可以發(fā)展許多新習(xí)慣，看看哪些習(xí)慣適合你。我的其中一個發(fā)現(xiàn)是，意志力是極為有限的資源。我們沒有無限的意志力，因此我們要在短距離中謹(jǐn)慎使用。那不適用于馬拉松。我的建議是，當(dāng)你建立一個新習(xí)慣并認(rèn)為這個習(xí)慣適合你時，你要用一些意志力重復(fù)足夠多次。一般來說，這需要21天。

Todd: Really? 21 days, why 21?

托德：真的嗎?21天，為什么是21天?

Olga: I have no idea, but this number keeps popping up from different traditions in East and West and also psychology. I saw it in my own practice that it works.

奧爾加：我也不清楚，不過這個數(shù)字在東西方的不同傳統(tǒng)以及心理學(xué)中反復(fù)出現(xiàn)。我自己實踐過，這很有用。