心靈雞湯:如何做一個積極正面思考的人

Positive thinking is a significant element of happiness. In order to become a positive thinker, determination and consistency are important. The first thing to know about positive thinking is that everyone can do it. With certain cognitive and behavioral modifications, we can all become positive thinkers. Another important factor is that being a positive thinker does not mean you become numb to anything that is not working properly in your life or is negative — it just means that you approach life and face challenges with a healthier outlook.

正面思考是幸福的重要組成部分。要想成爲一個積極的思考者，決心和毅力必不可少。首先你要知道，每個人都能成爲積極思考者。只要改善一定的認知和行爲，我們都可以做到。另外一個很重要的因素就是：你不需要對那些不是很完美的事情麻木不仁或是帶有悲觀的色彩——只是說人生和挑戰你都要積極的對待。

To become a positive thinker, these may help you:

要想成爲一個積極的思考者，下面這些也許能幫到你：

1. Change your self-monitoring:

改變自我監督

Instead of selectively attending to negative events, focus on the positive ones. Then pay attention to the delayed consequences of your behavior rather than the immediate ones. For example, if a job is not going like you want, focus on the fact that you have a job and how you can take your time to make the situation better.

與其選擇做那些消極的事情，不如集中做些積極的吧。然後看看你的行爲之後的效果。不是立竿見影的那種。比如，如果工作不是很喜歡，就記住你有一份工作的事實，專注如何能把情況變得好點。

2. Change your self-evaluation:

改變自我評價：

Challenge any inaccurate internal attributions and see if you compare your behavior to standards that are excessively rigid and perfectionistic. If so, change these and be reasonable with your comparisons. For example, if you constantly compare your weaknesses with other peoples' strengths, then switch this and compare yourself with those who are doing poorer than you as well. Overall, people who focus more on their strengths than their weaknesses but at the same time are aware of their weaknesses have a healthier self-evaluation result.

探究那些內部失敗的原因，看看自己的行爲是否是沒有達到嚴格完美的標準。如果是，就改掉那些標準，接受自己目前的不足。比如如果你總是把自己的缺點和別人的優點作比較，那麼換一下，也和那些做的沒有你好的人比一比吧。一般來說，人們都會更關注他們的強項而非弱點，但同時他們也會意識到缺點會有更健康的自我評價結果。

3. Change your self-reinforcement:

改變自我獎勵機制：

If you have low rates of self-reward and high rates of self-punishment when it comes to certain aspects of your life, then you want to modify this. For example, think more of how far you've come, how hard you've worked, acknowledge yourself for it and then see how much further you want to go.

如果你對自己獎勵很少懲罰很多，而這似乎已成爲一種慣性時，是時候改變一下了。比如，多想想你已經達到哪些成就，多麼努力地工作，獎勵一下自己，然後看看你還能走多遠。

4. Draw conclusions with evidence:
根據事實得出結論：

Look at the evidence, look at the events, look at patterns and don't base your conclusions on assumptions. For example, don't just assume someone will cheat you because they look like or in some ways act like an ex you didn't get along with. Look at other elements to see if there is any evidence for your assumption.
根據事實得出結論：看看事實，看看事件，看看形式，千萬別把結論基於猜想上。比如，不要因爲某些人看起來像在騙你或是表現的讓你覺得不怎麼舒服，就認爲他們的確在騙你。看看有沒有其他證據能證實你的觀點吧。

5. Don't be that individual:
別把事情過分個人化：

The majority of how people interact with you is due to their own personality, strengths, and baggage and does not have as much to do with you. Pay attention to how to differentiate between different interaction signals. For example, instead of immediately getting frustrated because the waitress was a little late attending to you, think that maybe she is having a really tough day or too may tables to take care of.
大部分時候人們如何和你交往都取決於他們的個性、能力和精神狀態，和你其實沒多大關係。注意如何區分不同的交際信號。比如，與其爲遲來的服務生感到生氣，不如換位思考，想想他今天心情不好，或者實在是太忙了吧。

6. Don't do “either/or” thinking:
別做選擇題

Black and white thinking based on perfectionistic thought is counterproductive. Every time a thought pops up and has words like “should” or “must,” challenge it. For example, instead of saying “this should be done this way,” say something like, “I prefer it this way but I am sure there are other ways to do and am willing to be open.
基於完美的非黑即白想法反而會讓你達不到預期的效果。每次出來一個想法，有着類似於“應該”“必須”這樣的字眼，那麼不妨改變一下吧。比如與其說“應該這麼去完成”，不如說“我喜歡這個方法，但是我覺得肯定會有更好的方法能達到我們預期的效果。”

7. Don't do emotional reasoning:
不要太情緒化

This is a belief based on feeling alone without any rational thinking behind it. For example, you don't like such and such but you don't have any logical reason for not liking them.
衝動是魔鬼，這句話的確是是真理。例如，你總是沒來由的不喜歡一些東西。

8. Challenge your “what if” thoughts:
改變那些“假使……”的想法：

When faced with too much fear about a situation, imagine the worst case scenario and visualize a solution for it, then let go of fear. This way, you will be prepared for anything and your fear would not block you from being open and creative to different solutions. For example, if you are constantly worried about losing your job up to a point where it is creating a lot of anxiety and fear and is effecting your performance and your happiness negatively, then think of losing your job, visualize how you will handle it, find solutions in your mind and then let go of the thought and the fear attached to it.
遇到太多的恐慌，想想最糟糕的的情況吧，設想一下那樣的場景，然後把恐懼丟到腦後。這樣你就算是做足了準備，恐懼感也不會再阻礙到你對於不同情景的創造力。例如，如果你總是擔心失業，十分的焦慮和害怕，甚至影響到了你的表現和幸福，那麼就想想如果你真的失業了，你會如何處理，自己想一想解決方案，然後就果斷拋棄這些消極的想法和恐懼吧。

At the end, positive thinkers are better problem solvers and have better interactions. In addition to that, people who are positive thinkers are happier and more satisfied with their life.
最後，積極思考者都更善於解決問題，更好的與人交際。除此之外，那些積極思考者會更開心更知足。