Do you know that most people never utilize more than 0.1% of their true potential in their lifetime?

你可知道，很多人一辈子也没发挥出他们真正潜能的0.1%这么多.

It’s true. The thing is, human potential is unlimited. Unlike computers, you’ll never come across a situation where your brain says the hard drive is full. You can constantly push your limits, reaching greater heights, only to find that you’re not even reaching a fraction of your true worth! Believe it or not, you harness more power than you can ever imagine.

事实就是如此，人类的潜能是无限的。人脑不像电脑，大脑的"硬盘"永远不会不够用。你可以持续地提高你的极限，努力达到更高的目标，最后你会发现，你也只是发挥了一点点潜能而已。毋须质疑，你限制了自己不可估量的潜能。

Unfortunately, many do not utilize their true potential, and lay it to waste by engaging in tasks that are a poor use of their time and energy. Here are 10 sure-fire ways to live below your true potential:

不幸地是，许多人无法发挥所有的潜能，还把发挥的潜能放在一些浪费时间精力的工作上。以下列举出10种保证让你高能低用的生活习惯：

1.Harp on the past instead of focusing on the present.

1.总是旧事重提，而不着眼当下。

Some people spend their lives living in the past. They lament about what has been, what they could have done, and why they didn’t do that. However, the past is the past, and no matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about it, it doesn’t change anything. To spend time moping about what has been is to waste the person you can be.

有些人总是活在过去的时光里。他们为时过境迁而悲伤，为曾经的辉煌而伤神，为未竟的事业而悔恨。但是，过去已然过去，无论我们用了多久来哀叹，它也不会有任何改变。浪费时间为了过去的事情而郁郁寡欢，会毁掉本来的你。

There were times in the past when I wondered how things would have been if I did X instead of Y. Or if I did Z instead of Y. However, after that I’d ask myself, "How would this change anything?" Me sitting here and thinking about the past does absolutely nothing to change things and improve my life. Instead, it is only by thinking forward and taking action that I’m able to live a truly fulfilling life.

在过去,有些时候我也会想如果我做了这件事而没做那件事，结果会怎样。可之后，我便会问自己，"这会做何改变么?"我坐在这，沉浸在往日时光中，完全无法改变什么，也不能让我的生活更好。而只有一心向前并积极行动，我才会过拥有一个真正有意义的生活。

What kind of future do you want to create? What actions can you take to create this ideal future? What have you learned from the past that will help you in this journey? Asking and acting on questions like these will help you to maximize your present moment so you can live your best life going forward. For some practical guidance on living in the present, I recommend The Power of Now.

你想要什么样的未来?你想做些什么来得到这个理想生活?你从过去得到了什么教训可以助你一路前行?探索并实践这样的问题，就会帮助你延伸当下的一刻，你会向前并得到美好的生活。如果想得到更多关于如何活在当下的建议，请参阅《The Power of Now》一书。

2.Get caught up in the details vs. the big picture.

2.为琐事发愁VS.着眼大局。

If you’re a perfectionist, you might find yourself caught up with perfecting details on a regular basis. If so, you’re not alone - I’m the same way. I spend a lot of time editing the nitty-gritty, so that everything can be perfect and the way I envision it to be. For example in my articles, I can spend an hour or more looking for the perfect photo that expresses the exact intention of my article. I can spend hours just improving my blog and forums so that my readers can get the perfect experience.

如果你是一个完美主义者，你会发觉自己经常在处理一些小细节。如果这样，你也不是一个人在 这么做，我也是这样的。我会用许多时间在编辑些基本的事实，然后所有的事情都会是完美无暇的，也会按是我设想的那样呈现出来。比如说，在我的文章里，我会花费一个小时或者更多的时间去寻找最匹配的照片，这些照片会准确地表达出文章的旨意。我会耗费几个小时去打理我的博客和论坛，所以读者们在阅读时会感觉非常棒。

However, I have come to realize that by spending all my time on the details, I’m not making the best use of my time. According to the 80/20 principle, 80% of the results we can achieve comes from 20% of our actions. In trying to achieve the remaining 20% to get the perfect 100% outcome, we have to spend 80% more effort!

但终究我却意识到，我确实在这些小细节上十分用心，可是我并没有最好地利用时间。根据80/20原则，80%的结果得益于20%的时间。为了得到最后的20%结果以达到完美的100%，我们必须要耗费80%这么多的努力!

Some of us may think that we should do everything to achieve the best outcome. While I agree with this, it fails to hold true outside of certain situational contexts. For example, while it may be gratifying to get the best picture for each blog article, the extra time spent looking for that best picture prevents me from working on higher value tasks, such as writing new books or creating new challenges for my readers. It goes without saying that one hour spent on the latter adds more value than one hour spent looking for a picture.

有些人也许觉得我们应该竭尽全力以达到最好的目标。我虽然也赞同这一点，可是这点在某些情况下并不奏效。比如说，虽然为每篇博客配一张完美的图确实令人庆幸，可是为了这而花费的时间却阻止了我做更大价值的工作，比如写一本新书或者为我的读者带来更多的挑战。后者的价值要高于寻找一张图片，这点不言而喻。

By looking at the big picture, it helps you realize what does matter and what doesn’t so that you can then channel your energy accordingly. The Gifts of Imperfection is a good read on this topic.

着眼大局可以帮助你看清什么更重要，然后你可以根据重要性重新分配精力。在《The Gift of Imperfection》一书中会有更好的诠释。

3.Let yourself be affected by minor issues.

3.被小事所影响。

Sometimes we may be affected by a hurtful comment or discouraged by a small setback. While these emotions are justified, often times these events are insignificant in the long run. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: "Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? 5 years? 10 years? 30 years?" If not, then it’s probably not worth your energy to think about these things. Concentrate on things that do matter in the long run instead.

有些时候我们也许会被一个伤人的言论所影响，或者一个小挫折而阻碍。虽然产生的情绪是正常的，可是在长远来看这些事情通常并不重要。一种去检验这个事情是否值得去想的方法就是问自己："一年后我还会在意这个事情么?三年后呢?五年后呢?甚至十年后和三十年后呢?"如果答案是否定的话，那这件事就很可能并不值得你的精力去思考这件事情。把注意力集中在那些长远来看很重要的事情上吧。

4.Blame others for your plight.

4.将你的苦境归咎于别人。

Is there anything you’re blaming others for in your life? Are you blaming the economy for not getting the job you want? Your parents for giving you "fat" genes? Your boss for your workload? The world for lack of opportunities around you? The universe for not giving you the life of your dreams?

在生活中有没有什么事情，你总是归咎于别人的问题?你是否会因没有理想的工作而责怪经济环境的不佳?责备你的父母给你遗传的"胖子"基因?指责你的上司给你的工作负担?或者谴责这个世界不给你多一些机会?还有这个宇宙没有为你营造一个梦想中的人生?

The extent to which you can live your dream life depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame someone/something for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility. You give others power over that part of your life. For example, if you blame your parents for your obesity, you’ll continue to remain obese because in your mind they are the reason why you’re obese. You’ll never have the power to change the situation until you take responsibility for it. When you take 100% responsibility for your life, be it your career status, your health, your relationship status, your finances, your friendships, etc, that’s when you’re set to achieve the life of your dreams.

你有多大可能实现梦想取决于你承担了人生中的多少责任。当你责怪了别的人或者别的东西，你就在否认承担责任。你赋予别人的权利超过了你自己的。譬如，当你责怪你父母导致了你的肥胖，你还会继续这么胖下去，因为你认为他们才是导致肥胖的原因。你永远不会行使自己的权力去改变这个情况直到有一刻你承担了这个责任。当你为你的生命承担起100%的责任，无论是你的事业情况，健康状况，爱情，财务状况，还是友情等等，那一刻你就在着手实现人生梦想了。