Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success 4

   

Think of your mind as a ¹⁾reservoir in which you have been storing up potential power. You will now learn to ²⁾release that power in precise quantities and specific directions. This is the essence of self-discipline.

    Self-discipline calls for balancing your emotions with your ³⁾reasoning. This means you must learn to ⁴⁾consult both your feelings and your reason before you reach any decision.

    You must control and direct your emotions, not ⁵⁾abolish them. Besides, abolition¹ would be an impossible task. Emotions are like a river. Their power can be ⁶⁾dammed up and released under control and direction, but it cannot be held forever in check. Sooner or later the dam will burst, ⁷⁾unleashing ⁸⁾catastrophic destruction.

    Your negative emotions can also be controlled and directed. ⁹⁾PMA and self-discipline can remove their harmful effects and make them serve ¹⁰⁾constructive³ purposes. Sometimes fear and anger will inspire intense action. But you must always submit your negative emotions - and your positive ones - to the examination of your reason before releasing them. Emotion without reason is a ¹¹⁾dreadful enemy.

    What ¹²⁾faculty⁴ provides the ¹³⁾crucial balance between emotion and reason? It is your willpower, or ego⁵, a subject which will be explored in more detail below. Self-discipline will teach you to throw your willpower behind either reason or emotion, and ¹⁴⁾amplify⁶ the ¹⁵⁾intensity of their expression.

 

 The Big Four

     Your self-discipline will not only control your emotions and balance your reason, but also be incredibly useful in four highly important areas.

 

 Appetite

Too much food, drink, and other outside influences - such as drugs - which are bad for your body can shorten your life, ¹⁶⁾sap your energy, and ¹⁷⁾distract you from the work at hand.

 

 Positive Mental Attitude

     PMA is the only frame of mind in which you can have definiteness of purpose. Self-discipline ensures that you use your mental attitude to attract the things you want and to ¹⁸⁾repel⁷ the things that threaten you.

 

 Time

     Time is your most precious ¹⁹⁾asset. If used correctly, it is like money in the bank. You must spend it under strict self-discipline. One of the easiest ways to do this is to schedule your time use for the next twenty-four hours, and stick to that chart. Do it once, and it will be easier the next time.

 

 Definiteness of Purpose

     The importance of definiteness of purpose had better be clear to you by now. You know that it is the beginning of all achievements when it is tied to a strong, ²⁰⁾compelling motive⁸. This is the first step in self-discipline. Even Infinite Intelligence can’t help you get where you’re going if you haven’t made up your mind about exactly where you want to go. CE

 

18、拿破仑·希尔成功学（四）

加强自律

 

把头脑当作积蓄潜能的地方，你要学习的是适量并目标明确地释放你的能力，这是自律的精髓所在。

自律需要以理性平衡好自己的情感，这意味着你做任何决定都必须兼顾好情感与理智。

你要控制并引导感情，而不是将它摒弃不顾。再说也不可能做到摒弃不顾。情感就像河水，它的力量可以积蓄，也可以在控制与指引下释放，但不能被滞留。否则堤坝将崩溃，酿成灾难。

负面情绪也可以加以控制和指导。积极的态度和自律精神能转移负面情绪带来的危害并服务于建设性目标。有时候恐惧和愤怒会激发出激烈行为。但你在表达正、负面情绪之前，务必先用理智检测它们。不带理智的情感是个可怕的敌人。

用什么来取得情感与理智的重大平衡呢？用你的意志，以及自我——这方面我们往后会加以详细讨论。自律将教会你把意志同理智、情感结合起来，而且扩大它们的表达力度。

 

 四大重点

自律不仅能控制情绪、平衡理智，而且还在四个方面起着非常重要的作用。

 

 胃口

过多的食物、饮料、以及其他在身体上产生影响的东西—比如药物—是对身体有害无益的，它们会缩短寿命、消耗能量、让你无法集中精力于手头的工作。

 

 积极的态度

惟有拿积极的态度来武装思想，你才会拥有明确的目标。自律可以确保你有正确的精神面貌去吸引你喜爱的事物及抵制威胁你的事物。

 

 时间

时间是你最宝贵的资产。如果使用得当，它就像银行里的钱一样，你必须要以高度自律性来使用它。要实现这点，最简单的办法之一就是计划好你后边的24小时，然后坚持贯彻。做了第一次，下一次会容易得多。

 

 目标明确

目前你最好要明白有明确的目标是多么重要。一切成就都源自于带有强烈、紧迫动力的明确目标，这是自律的第一步。如果你自己都不知道目标在何处，哪怕天才也难以助你一臂之力。CE

 

1) reservoir [5rezEvwa:r] n. 水库，蓄水池

2) release [ri5li:s] v. 释放

3) reasoning [5ri:zEniN] n. 推论，评理

4) consult [kEn5sQlt] v. 参考，考虑

5) abolish [E5bCliF] v. 废除

6) dam up 筑坝拦水

7) unleash² [Qn5li:F]释放

8) catastrophic [kE5tAstrEfik] a. 悲惨的

9) PMA即Positive Mental Attitude，积极的态度

10) constructive [kEn5strQktiv] a. 建设性的

11) dreadful [5dredful] a. 可怕的，讨厌的

12) faculty [5fAkElti] n. 才能，能力

13) crucial [5kru:FEl] a. 至关重要的

14) amplify [5Amplifai] v. 扩大

15) intensity[in5tensiti] n. 强烈，强度

16) sap [sAp] v. 使衰竭，侵蚀

17) distract [di5strAkt] v. 分散注意力

18) repel [ri5pel] v. 击退，抵制

19) asset [5Aset] n. 资产

20) compelling [kEm5peliN] a. 强制的，强迫的

 

1 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

2 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

3 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

4 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

5 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

6 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

7 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

8 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。