18 How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great
如何从单纯的优秀走向真正的伟大
The Truth About Talent (When Genes Matter and When They Don’t)
天赋的真相(什么时候基因起作用，什么时候不起作用)
MANY PEOPLE ARE familiar with Michael Phelps, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest athletes in history. Phelps has won more Olympic medals not only than any swimmer but also more than any Olympian in any sport.
很多人都很熟悉迈克尔·菲尔普斯，他被广泛认为是历史上最伟大的运动员之一。菲尔普斯有不仅比任何游泳运动员获得了更多的奥林匹克奖牌，而且比任何运动项目的奥林匹克运动员都获得了更多的奖牌。
Fewer people know the name Hicham El Guerrouj, but he was a fantastic athlete in his own right. El Guerrouj is a Moroccan runner who holds two Olympic gold medals and is one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time. For many years, he held the world record in the mile, 1,500-meter, and 2,000-meter races. At the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004, he won gold in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races.
很少有人知道 希查姆·艾尔·奎罗伊 这个名字，但是他本身就是一个了不起的运动员。El Guerrouj是一位拥有两枚奥运金牌的摩洛哥运动员，也是有史以来最伟大的中长跑运动员之一。多年来，他一直保持着英里、1500米和2000米的世界纪录。在2004年希腊雅典奥运会上，他赢得了1500米和5000米比赛的金牌。
These two athletes are wildly different in many ways. (For starters, one competed on land and the other in water.) But most notably, they differ significantly in height. El Guerrouj is five feet, nine inches tall.
这两位运动员在许多方面有着天壤之别。(首先，一个在陆地上比赛，另一个在水里比赛。)但最值得注意的是，他们的身高差别很大。ElGuerrouj身高5英尺9英寸。
Phelps is six feet, four inches tall. Despite this seven-inch difference in height, the two men are identical in one respect: Michael Phelps and Hicham El Guerrouj wear the same length inseam on their pants.
菲尔普斯身高6英尺4英寸。尽管他们身高相差7英寸，但是他们在一个方面是一样的:迈克尔·菲尔普斯和希查姆·艾尔·奎罗伊·菲尔普斯在他们的裤子上穿着同样长度的裤缝。
How is this possible? Phelps has relatively short legs for his height and a very long torso, the perfect build for swimming. El Guerrouj has incredibly long legs and a short upper body, an ideal frame for distance running.
这怎么可能？相对于他的身高来说，菲尔普斯的腿比较短，而且躯干很长，这是游泳的最佳体格。El Guerrouj 有着令人难以置信的长腿和短小的上身----一个理想的长跑框架。
Now, imagine if these world-class athletes were to switch sports. Given his remarkable athleticism, could Michael Phelps become an Olympic-caliber distance runner with enough training? It’s unlikely. At peak fitness, Phelps weighed 194 pounds, which is 40 percent heavier than El Guerrouj, who competed at an ultralight 138 pounds. Taller runners are heavier runners, and every extra pound is a curse when it comes to distance running. Against elite competition, Phelps would be doomed from the start.
现在，想象一下，如果这些世界级的运动员转换运动项目。鉴于他卓越的运动能力，经过足够的训练，迈克尔·菲尔普斯能成为奥林匹克水准的长跑运动员吗？不太可能。在最佳状态时，菲尔普斯重194磅，比参加超轻138磅比赛的格鲁吉重40%。个子越高的跑步者体重越重，每增加一磅体重都是对长跑运动的一种诅咒。面对精英赛，菲尔普斯从一开始就注定要失败。
Similarly, El Guerrouj might be one of the best runners in history, but it’s doubtful he would ever qualify for the Olympics as a swimmer. Since 1976, the average height of Olympic gold medalists in the men’s 1,500-meter run is five feet, ten inches. In comparison, the average height of Olympic gold medalists in the men’s 100-meter freestyle swim is six feet, four inches. Swimmers tend to be tall and have long backs and arms, which are ideal for pulling through the water. El Guerrouj would be at a severe disadvantage before he ever touched the pool.
同样，埃尔·格鲁伊也许是历史上最优秀的跑步运动员之一，但他是否有资格作为一名游泳运动员参加奥林匹克运动会却令人怀疑。自1976年以来，奥运会男子1500米跑金牌获得者的平均身高为5英尺10英寸。相比之下，奥运会男子100米自由泳金牌得主的平均身高是6英尺4英寸。游泳运动员往往身材高大，背部和手臂都很长，这是拉水的理想选择。埃尔·格鲁伊在接触到游泳池之前就会处于极为不利的地位。
The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition. This is just as true with habit change as it is with sports and business. Habits are easier to perform, and more satisfying to stick with, when they align with your natural inclinations and abilities. Like Michael Phelps in the pool or Hicham El Guerrouj on the track, you want to play a game where the odds are in your favor.
成功几率最大化的秘诀就是选择正确的竞争领域。这对于改变习惯来说，就像对于运动和商业一样正确。当习惯与你的自然倾向和能力相一致时，它们更容易执行，也更容易让你坚持下去。就像迈克尔·菲尔普斯在游泳池里或者在赛道上的希查姆·艾尔·奎罗伊一样，你想要玩一场胜算对你有利的游戏。
Embracing this strategy requires the acceptance of the simple truth that people are born with different abilities. Some people don’t like to discuss this fact. On the surface, your genes seem to be fixed, and it’s no fun to talk about things you cannot control. Plus, phrases like biological determinism makes it sound like certain individuals are destined for success and others doomed to failure. But this is a shortsighted view of the influence of genes on behavior.
接受这个策略需要接受一个简单的事实，即人与生俱来的能力是不同的。有些人不喜欢讨论这个事实。从表面上看，你的基因似乎是固定的，谈论你无法控制的事情并不好玩。另外，像生物决定论这样的短语听起来好像某些人注定要成功，而另一些人注定要失败。但是这是一个关于基因对行为影响的短视的观点。
The strength of genetics is also their weakness. Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavorable circumstances. If you want to dunk a basketball, being seven feet tall is very useful. If you want to perform a gymnastics routine, being seven feet tall is a great hindrance. Our environment determines the suitability of our genes and the utility of our natural talents. When our environment changes, so do the qualities that determine success.
基因的优势也是他们的弱点。基因不容易改变，这意味着它们在有利的环境中提供了强大的优势，在不利的环境中提供了严重的劣势。如果你想灌篮，身高七英尺是非常有用的。如果你想练习体操，身高七英尺是一个很大的障碍。我们的环境决定了我们基因的适合性和我们天赋的利用。当我们的环境发生变化时，决定成功的品质也会发生变化。
This is true not just for physical characteristics but for mental ones as well. I’m smart if you ask me about habits and human behavior; not so much when it comes to knitting, rocket propulsion, or guitar chords.Competence is highly dependent on context.
这不仅适用于身体特征，也适用于心理特征。如果你问我关于习惯和人类行为的问题，我是聪明的;不是当谈到编织，火箭推进，或者吉他和弦的时候。能力高度依赖于环境。
The people at the top of any competitive field are not only well trained, they are also well suited to the task. And this is why, if you want to be truly great, selecting the right place to focus is crucial.
任何竞争领域的顶尖人才不仅训练有素，而且非常适合这项任务。这就是为什么，如果你想成为真正伟大的人，选择正确的关注点是至关重要的。
In short: genes do not determine your destiny. They determine your areas of opportunity. As physician Gabor Mate notes, “Genes can predispose, but they don’t predetermine.” The areas where you are genetically predisposed to success are the areas where habits are more likely to be satisfying. The key is to direct your effort toward areas that both excite you and match your natural skills, to align your ambition with your ability.
简而言之:基因不能决定你的命运。它们决定了你的机会领域。正如物理学家加博尔·马特(GaborMate)所说，“基因可以使之有倾向，但它们不会完全决定的因素。”你在基因上倾向于成功的领域是那些习惯更有可能让你满意的领域。关键是把你的努力引向那些既能让你兴奋又符合你天生技能的领域，使你的野心与你的能力相一致。
The obvious question is, “How do I figure out where the odds are in my favor? How do I identify the opportunities and habits that are right for me?” The first place we will look for an answer is by understanding your personality.
显而易见的问题是，“我怎样才能找到对我有利的机会?”我怎样才能找到适合自己的机会和习惯?”我们首先要寻找答案的地方是了解你的个性。
HOW YOUR PERSONALITY INFLUENCES YOUR HABITS
你的个性如何影响你的习惯
Your genes are operating beneath the surface of every habit. Indeed, beneath the surface of every behavior. Genes have been shown to influence everything from the number of hours you spend watching television to your likelihood to marry or divorce to your tendency to get addicted to drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. There’s a strong genetic component to how obedient or rebellious you are when facing authority, how vulnerable or resistant you are to stressful events, how proactive or reactive you tend to be, and even how captivated or bored you feel during sensory experiences like attending a concert. As Robert Plomin, a behavioral geneticist at King’s College in London, told me, “It is now at the point where we have stopped testing to see if traits have a genetic component because we literally can’t find a single one that isn’t influenced by our genes.”
你的基因在每个习惯的表面之下运作。事实上，在每个行为的表面之下。从你看电视的时间，到你结婚或离婚的可能性，再到你对毒品、酒精或尼古丁上瘾的倾向，基因已被证明会影响一切。当你面对权威的时候，你是多么的顺从和叛逆，你是多么的容易受到压力的影响和抵抗，你是多么的积极主动和被动，甚至在感官体验比如去听音乐会的时候，你是多么的着迷和无聊。正如伦敦国王学院(King’sCollege)的行为遗传学家罗伯特·普洛明(RobertPlomin)告诉我的那样，“现在我们已经停止检测性状是否含有遗传成分，因为我们实际上找不到一个不受基因影响的性状。”
Bundled together, your unique cluster of genetic traits predispose you to a particular personality. Your personality is the set of characteristics that is consistent from situation to situation. The most proven scientific analysis of personality traits is known as the “Big Five,” which breaks them down into five spectrums of behavior.
捆绑在一起，你独特的遗传特征集群使你倾向于一个特定的个性。你的个性是一系列特征，这些特征在不同的情况下是一致的。对人格特质进行的最为科学的分析被称为“大五”，它将人格特质分为五种行为模式。
Openness to experience: from curious and inventive on one end to cautious and consistent on the other. 经验开放性:从一端的好奇和创新到另一端的谨慎和一致。
Conscientiousness: organized and efficient to easygoing and spontaneous. 尽责性:有条理，高效，随和，自发。
Extroversion: outgoing and energetic to solitary and reserved (you likely know them as extroverts vs. introverts). 外向性：外向、精力充沛到孤独、拘谨（你可能知道他们是外向型和内向型）。
Agreeableness: friendly and compassionate to challenging and detached. 认同性：从友好和同情到具有挑战性和疏远。
Neuroticism: anxious and sensitive to confident, calm, and stable.神经质:对自信、冷静和稳定感到焦虑和敏感。
All five characteristics have biological underpinnings. Extroversion, for instance, can be tracked from birth. If scientists play a loud noise in the nursing ward, some babies turn toward it while others turn away.
所有这五个特征都有生物学基础。例如，外向性格可以从出生就被追踪。如果科学家在护理病房里放出很大的噪音，一些婴儿会转向它，而另一些则会转身离开。
When the researchers tracked these children through life, they found that the babies who turned toward the noise were more likely to grow up to be extroverts. Those who turned away were more likely to become introverts.
当研究人员追踪这些孩子的一生时，他们发现那些转向噪音的婴儿更有可能长大成为外向的人。那些离开的人更有可能变得内向。
People who are high in agreeableness are kind, considerate, and warm. They also tend to have higher natural oxytocin levels, a hormone that plays an important role in social bonding, increases feelings of trust, and can act as a natural antidepressant. You can easily imagine how someone with more oxytocin might be inclined to build habits like writing thank-you notes or organizing social events.
亲和力高的人是善良的，体贴的，热情的。他们也倾向于拥有更高的天然催产素水平，这是一种在社会关系中扮演重要角色的荷尔蒙，能增加信任感，并且可以作为一种天然的抗抑郁剂。你可以很容易地想象，一个拥有更多催产素的人可能会倾向于建立一些习惯，比如写感谢信或组织社交活动。
As a third example, consider neuroticism, which is a personality trait all people possess to various degrees. People who are high in neuroticism tend to be anxious and worry more than others. This trait has been linked to hypersensitivity of the amygdala, the portion of the brain responsible for noticing threats. In other words, people who are more sensitive to negative cues in their environment are more likely to score high in neuroticism.
第三个例子，考虑一下神经质，这是一种所有人在不同程度上都具有的性格特征。神经过敏的人比其他人更容易焦虑和担心。这种特性与大脑中负责注意威胁的扁桃体过敏有关。换句话说，那些对周围环境中的负面暗示更为敏感的人更有可能患上神经质。
Our habits are not solely determined by our personalities, but there is no doubt that our genes nudge us in a certain direction. Our deeply rooted preferences make certain behaviors easier for some people than for others. You don’t have to apologize for these differences or feel guilty about them, but you do have to work with them. A person who scores lower on conscientiousness, for example, will be less likely to be orderly by nature and may need to rely more heavily on environment design to stick with good habits. (As a reminder for the less conscientious readers among us, environment design is a strategy we discussed in Chapters 6 and 12.)
我们的习惯不仅仅取决于我们的个性，但毫无疑问，我们的基因将我们推向了一个特定的方向。我们根深蒂固的偏好使某些人的某些行为比其他人更容易。你不必为这些差异感到抱歉或内疚，但你必须与他们一起工作。例如，一个人在尽责性中得分较低，就不太可能成为由于天性井然有序，可能需要更多地依赖环境设计来坚持良好的习惯。(为了提醒我们中那些不那么认真的读者，环境设计是我们在第6章和第12章中讨论过的一种策略。)
The takeaway is that you should build habits that work for your personality.* People can get ripped working out like a bodybuilder, but if you prefer rock climbing or cycling or rowing, then shape your exercise habit around your interests. If your friend follows a low-carb diet but you find that low-fat works for you, then more power to you. If you want to read more, don’t be embarrassed if you prefer steamy romance novels over nonfiction. Read whatever fascinates you.* You don’t have to build the habits everyone tells you to build. Choose the habit that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.
关键是你应该养成适合你个性的习惯。人们可以像健美运动员一样锻炼，但如果你喜欢攀岩、骑自行车或划船，那么就围绕你的兴趣来塑造你的锻炼习惯。如果你的朋友遵循低碳水化合物饮食，但你发现低脂肪对你有用，那么你就会有更多的能量。如果你想读更多的书，如果你更喜欢色情言情小说而不是非小说，不要感到尴尬。读任何你感兴趣的东西。你不需要养成每个人都告诉你要养成的习惯。选择最适合你的习惯，而不是最受欢迎的。
There is a version of every habit that can bring you joy and satisfaction. Find it. Habits need to be enjoyable if they are going to stick. This is the core idea behind the 4th Law.
每个习惯都有一个版本可以给你带来快乐和满足。找到它。如果习惯要坚持下去，那么它必须是令人愉快的。这是第四定律的核心理念。
Tailoring your habits to your personality is a good start, but this is not the end of the story. Let’s turn our attention to finding and designing situations where you’re at a natural advantage.
根据你的个性调整你的习惯是一个好的开始，但这不是故事的结局。让我们把注意力转移到寻找和设计你处于自然优势的情况上。
HOW TO FIND A GAME WHERE THE ODDS ARE IN YOUR FAVOR
如何找到一个对你有利的游戏
Learning to play a game where the odds are in your favor is critical for maintaining motivation and feeling successful. In theory, you can enjoy almost anything. In practice, you are more likely to enjoy the things that come easily to you. People who are talented in a particular area tend to be more competent at that task and are then praised for doing a good job. They stay energized because they are making progress where others have failed, and because they get rewarded with better pay and bigger opportunities, which not only makes them happier but also propels them to produce even higher-quality work. It’s a virtuous cycle.
学会在对你有利的情况下玩游戏，对于保持动力和感觉成功至关重要。理论上，你几乎可以享受任何东西。实际上，你更有可能享受那些轻而易举就能得到的东西。在特定领域有才能的人往往更能胜任这项工作，然后因工作出色而受到表扬。他们保持活力，因为他们在别人失败的地方取得进步，因为他们得到更好的报酬和更大的机会，这不仅让他们更快乐，而且推动他们创造更高质量的工作。这是一个良性循环。
Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle.
养成正确的习惯，进步是很容易的。选择错误的习惯，人生就是一场斗争。
How do you pick the right habit? The first step is something we covered in the 3rd Law: make it easy. In many cases, when people pick the wrong habit, it simply means they picked a habit that was too difficult. When a habit is easy, you are more likely to be successful. When you are successful, you are more likely to feel satisfied. However, there is another level to consider. In the long-run, if you continue to advance and improve, any area can become challenging. At some point, you need to make sure you’re playing the right game for your skillset. How do you figure that out?
你如何选择正确的习惯？第一步是我们在第三定律中提到的:让它变得简单。在许多情况下，当人们选择了错误的习惯，这仅仅意味着他们选择了一个也是错误的习惯困难的。当一个习惯变得容易时，你就更有可能成功。当你成功的时候，你更有可能感到满足。然而，还有另一个层面需要考虑。从长远来看，如果你不断进步和提高，任何领域都会变得具有挑战性。在某些时候，你需要确保你正在进行适合你技能的游戏。你怎么知道的？
The most common approach is trial and error. Of course, there’s a problem with this strategy: life is short. You don’t have time to try every career, date every eligible bachelor, or play every musical instrument. Thankfully, there is an effective way to manage this conundrum, and it is known as the explore/exploit trade-off.
最常见的方法是尝试和错误。当然，这种策略存在一个问题:人生苦短。你没有时间去尝试每一种职业，和每一个合格的单身汉约会，或者弹奏每一种乐器。值得庆幸的是，有一种有效的方法可以解决这个难题，这就是众所周知的勘探/利用权衡。
In the beginning of a new activity, there should be a period of exploration. In relationships, it’s called dating. In college, it’s called the liberal arts. In business, it’s called split testing. The goal is to try out many possibilities, research a broad range of ideas, and cast a wide net.
在一项新活动的开始，应该有一个探索的时期。在恋爱关系中，这叫做约会。在大学里，它被称为文科。在商业上，这叫做对比测试。我们的目标是尝试多种可能性，研究广泛的想法，并撒下一张大网。
After this initial period of exploration, shift your focus to the best solution you’ve found—but keep experimenting occasionally. The proper balance depends on whether you’re winning or losing. If you are currently winning, you exploit, exploit, exploit. If you are currently losing, you continue to explore, explore, explore.
在最初的探索阶段之后，把你的注意力转移到你已经找到的最好的解决方案上ーー但是要保持偶尔的尝试。适当的平衡取决于你是赢还是输。如果你正在赢，你就开发，开发，开发。如果你正在失去，你继续探索，探索，探索。
In the long-run it is probably most effective to work on the strategy that seems to deliver the best results about 80 to 90 percent of the time and keep exploring with the remaining 10 to 20 percent. Google famously asks employees to spend 80 percent of the workweek on their official job and 20 percent on projects of their choice, which has led to the creation of blockbuster products like AdWords and Gmail.
从长远来看，最有效的策略可能是在80%到90%的时间内实现最好的结果，并与剩下的10%到20%的人一起继续探索。众所周知，谷歌要求员工每周80%的工作时间用于公务工作，20%的工作时间用于自己选择的项目，这促成了AdWords和Gmail等热门产品的诞生。
The optimal approach also depends on how much time you have. If you have a lot of time—like someone at the beginning of their career— it makes more sense to explore because once you find the right thing, you still have a good amount of time to exploit it. If you’re pressed for time—say, as you come up on the deadline for a project—you should implement the best solution you’ve found so far and get some results.
最佳的方法也取决于你有多少时间。如果你有很多时间——就像某人刚开始职业生涯时那样——那么探索就更有意义，因为一旦你找到了正确的东西，你仍然有大量的时间来利用它。如果你时间紧迫ーー比如说，当你赶上一个项目的最后期限时ーー你应该实施迄今为止找到的最佳解决方案，并取得一些成果。
As you explore different options, there are a series of questions you can ask yourself to continually narrow in on the habits and areas that will be most satisfying to you:
当你探索不同的选择时，你可以问自己一系列的问题，不断缩小你最满意的习惯和领域:
什么东西对我来说是有趣的，但对其他人来说是工作？衡量你是否为一项任务而生的标志不是你是否喜欢它，而是你是否比大多数人更容易处理任务的痛苦。什么时候你在享受，而其他人在抱怨？对你的伤害比对别人的伤害小的工作就是你被造来做的工作。
What makes me lose track of time? Flow is the mental state you enter when you are so focused on the task at hand that the rest of the world fades away. This blend of happiness and peak performance is what athletes and performers experience when they are “in the zone.” It is nearly impossible to experience a flow state and not find the task satisfying at least to some degree.
是什么让我忘记了时间？流动是你进入的精神状态，当你如此专注于手头的工作，世界的其他部分都消失了。这种融合了快乐和巅峰表现的状态是运动员和表演者在 "状态 "中的体验。几乎不可能体验到流动状态而不觉得任务至少在某种程度上是令人满意的。
Where do I get greater returns than the average person? We are continually comparing ourselves to those around us, and a behavior is more likely to be satisfying when the comparison is in our favor. When I started writing at jamesclear.com, my email list grew very quickly. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing well, but I knew that results seemed to be coming faster for me than for some of my colleagues, which motivated me to keep writing.
我在哪里得到比一般人更高的回报？我们不断地将自己与周围的人进行比较，当比较对我们有利时，一种行为更有可能让我们感到满意。当我开始在jamesclear网站上写作时，我的邮件列表迅速增长。我不太确定自己做得怎么样，但我知道结果对我来说似乎比对我的一些同事来得更快，这促使我继续写作。
What comes naturally to me? For just a moment, ignore what you have been taught. Ignore what society has told you. Ignore what others expect of you. Look inside yourself and ask, “What feels natural to me? When have I felt alive? When have I felt like the real me?” No internal judgments or people-pleasing. No second-guessing or self-criticism. Just feelings of engagement and enjoyment. Whenever you feel authentic and genuine, you are headed in the right direction.
什么对我来说是自然而然的？就一会儿，忽略你所学到的。无视社会告诉你的。忽略别人对你的期望。看看你自己的内心，然后问自己:“我觉得什么是自然的？我什么时候觉得自己还活着？我什么时候觉得自己才是真正的自己?”没有内部判断或取悦他人。没有事后批评或自我批评。只是参与和享受的感觉。无论何时，只要你感到真实和真诚，你就是在朝着正确的方向前进。
To be honest, some of this process is just luck. Michael Phelps and Hicham El Guerrouj were lucky to be born with a rare set of abilities that are highly valued by society and to be placed in the ideal environment for those abilities. We all have limited time on this planet, and the truly great among us are the ones who not only work hard but also have the good fortune to be exposed to opportunities that favor us.
说实话，这个过程中的一些只是运气。和希查姆·艾尔·奎罗伊很幸运地生来就拥有一套罕见的能力，这些能力受到社会的高度重视，并且被放置在拥有这些能力的理想环境中。我们在这个星球上的时间都是有限的，真正伟大的人不仅工作努力，而且还有幸接触到对我们有利的机会。
But what if you don’t want to leave it up to luck?
但是如果你不想把它交给运气呢？
If you can’t find a game where the odds are stacked in your favor, create one. Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind Dilbert, says, “Everyone has at least a few areas in which they could be in the top 25% with some effort. In my case, I can draw better than most people, but I’m hardly an artist. And I’m not any funnier than the average standup comedian who never makes it big, but I’m funnier than most people. The magic is that few people can draw well and write jokes. It’s the combination of the two that makes what I do so rare. And when you add in my business background, suddenly I had a topic that few cartoonists could hope to understand without living it.”
如果你不能找到一个对你有利的游戏，那就创建一个。迪尔伯特背后的漫画家斯科特·亚当斯说:“每个人都至少有几个领域可以通过努力跻身前25%。就我而言，我比大多数人画得都好，但我算不上一个艺术家。我并不比一般人有趣喜剧演员，从来没有成功过，但是我比大多数人都有趣。神奇之处在于，很少有人能画得很好，能写出笑话。正是这两者的结合使得我做的事情如此罕见。再加上我的商业背景，我突然有了一个话题，几乎没有哪个漫画家不靠经历就能理解。”
When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different. By combining your skills, you reduce the level of competition, which makes it easier to stand out. You can shortcut the need for a genetic advantage (or for years of practice) by rewriting the rules. A good player works hard to win the game everyone else is playing. A great player creates a new game that favors their strengths and avoids their weaknesses.
当你不能通过变得更好来赢得胜利时，你可以通过与众不同来赢得胜利。通过结合你的技能，你降低了竞争水平，这使得你更容易脱颖而出。你可以通过重写规则来缩短对遗传优势的需求(或多年的实践)。一个好的运动员努力工作以赢得其他人正在玩的游戏。一个伟大的玩家创造一个新的游戏，支持他们的优势，避免他们的弱点。
In college, I designed my own major, biomechanics, which was a combination of physics, chemistry, biology, and anatomy. I wasn’t smart enough to stand out among the top physics or biology majors, so I created my own game. And because it suited me—I was only taking the courses I was interested in—studying felt like less of a chore. It was also easier to avoid the trap of comparing myself to everyone else. After all, nobody else was taking the same combination of classes, so who could say if they were better or worse?
在大学里，我设计了自己的专业，生物力学，它是物理学、化学、生物学和解剖学的结合。我不够聪明，无法在顶尖的物理或生物专业中脱颖而出，所以我创造了自己的游戏。而且因为它适合我----我只是选择了我感兴趣的课程----学习不再像是一件苦差事。也更容易避免把自己和其他人相比较的陷阱。毕竟，没有其他人选择相同的课程组合，所以谁能说他们是更好还是更差呢？
Specialization is a powerful way to overcome the “accident” of bad genetics. The more you master a specific skill, the harder it becomes for others to compete with you. Many bodybuilders are stronger than the average arm wrestler, but even a massive bodybuilder may lose at arm wrestling because the arm wrestling champ has very specific strength. Even if you’re not the most naturally gifted, you can often win by being the best in a very narrow category.
专业化是克服坏基因“意外”的有力方法。你掌握的技能越多，别人就越难与你竞争。许多健美运动员比一般的摔跤运动员更强壮，但即使是一个巨大的健美运动员也可能在扳手腕摔跤比赛中输掉，因为扳手腕摔跤冠军有非常特殊的力量。即使你不是最有天赋的人，你也可以通过在一个非常狭窄的领域里成为最优秀的人而获得成功。
Boiling water will soften a potato but harden an egg. You can’t control whether you’re a potato or an egg, but you can decide to play a game where it’s better to be hard or soft. If you can find a more favorable environment, you can transform the situation from one where the odds are against you to one where they are in your favor.
开水可使土豆软化，但使鸡蛋变硬。你不能控制你是一个土豆还是一个鸡蛋，但是你可以决定玩一个硬的还是软的游戏。如果你能找到一个更有利的环境，你就可以把不利于你的环境变成对你有利的环境。
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR GENES
如何最大限度地利用你的基因
Our genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on. Once we realize our strengths, we know where to spend our time and energy. We know which types of opportunities to look for and which types of challenges to avoid. The better we understand our nature, the better our strategy can be.
我们的基因并没有消除我们努力工作的需要。他们澄清了这一点。他们告诉我们要努力做什么。一旦我们意识到自己的优势，我们就知道该把时间和精力花在哪里。我们知道哪种类型的寻找机会和避免哪些类型的挑战。我们越了解自己的本性，我们的策略就会越好。
Biological differences matter. Even so, it’s more productive to focus on whether you are fulfilling your own potential than comparing yourself to someone else. The fact that you have a natural limit to any specific ability has nothing to do with whether you are reaching the ceiling of your capabilities. People get so caught up in the fact that they have limits that they rarely exert the effort required to get close to them.
生物学上的差异很重要。即便如此，把注意力集中在是否实现了自己的潜力上，比把自己和别人比较更有成效。事实上，你对任何特定能力都有一个天然的限制，这与你是否达到了能力的极限没有任何关系。人们被这样一个事实所困扰，他们有限制，他们很少努力去接近它们。
Furthermore, genes can’t make you successful if you’re not doing the work. Yes, it’s possible that the ripped trainer at the gym has better genes, but if you haven’t put in the same reps, it’s impossible to say if you have been dealt a better or worse genetic hand. Until you work as hard as those you admire, don’t explain away their success as luck.
此外，如果你不做这项工作，基因也不能使你成功。是的，健身房里肌肉发达的教练可能有更好的基因，但是如果你没有进行同样的重复训练，就不可能说你的基因是更好还是更差。除非你像那些你崇拜的人一样努力工作，否则不要把他们的成功解释为运气。
In summary, one of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills. Work hard on the things that come easy.
总而言之，确保你的习惯长期保持令人满意的最好方法之一就是选择与你的个性和技能相匹配的行为。在来得容易的事情上努力工作。
Chapter Summary
The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition.
成功几率最大化的秘诀就是选择正确的竞争领域。
Pick the right habit and progress is easy. Pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle.
养成正确的习惯，进步是很容易的。选择错误的习惯，人生就是一场斗争。
Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavorable circumstances.
基因不容易改变，这意味着它们在有利的环境中提供了强大的优势，在不利的环境中提供了严重的劣势。
Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities.
当习惯与你的天生能力相一致时，它们就会变得更容易。
Choose the habits that best suit you.
选择最适合你的习惯。
Play a game that favors your strengths. If you can’t find a game that favors you, create one.
玩一个有利于你长处的游戏。如果你不能找到一个对你有利的游戏，那就创造一个。
Genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it.
基因并不排除努力工作的必要性，它们只是澄清了这一点。
They tell us what to work hard on.
他们告诉我们要努力做什么。
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