成功之道，从早起开始
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老桑说
只要早起，
你就会觉得你做了正确的事情，
这可以给你力量和信心，
让你度过一天中余下的时间。
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「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。」
我最近回北京参加了一个为期三天的周末会议。因为有着12小时的时差，那几天我凌晨5点左右就醒了。虽然这不是我正常的起床时间，但我很希望我可以这么早就起床。为了消磨我上午9点开会之前的时间，我到酒店附近的中关村散步。
黎明时分已经有不少人外出活动了，他们似乎不紧不慢，各个年龄段的人都在遛狗、做运动、使用手部按摩球，或只是看着太阳升起。当我早上晚些时候离开酒店去参加会议时，外面的感觉就完全不同了，因为外面的整个节奏确实加快了。
那个星期六早上，我8点乘出租车去参加会议。出租车司机霍师傅称赞我周末起的这么早。我解释了我有一节课要去上的。他说他从凌晨4：30开始就一直在开车了，已经去了两趟机场了，在很多其他司机起床之前已经赚了300元。
The early bird catches the worm
早起的鸟儿有虫吃
司机霍师傅说他总是开早班，即使在周末也是，因为那时有更多的机会。那天晚些时候，我在参加的会议上向其他与会者提到了这一点，他们中很多人都是中国的成功商人。当我让他们分享一些他们的成功习惯时，许多人表示赞同并说：“我们每天都早起。”
“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”是一个成语，意思是有最先机会做某件事的人会比其他人获得优势。
”不像那些把闹钟设置在最可能晚的时间并且在最终爬下床之前还要按几次贪睡按钮的，以及需要用咖啡来振作起来的人，看起来早起者可以享受他们的一天。 这个健康的开始为身心愉悦的一天奠定了基础。
早起的人也会在高峰时段开始之前很久就到达学校或办公室，进入到安静的环境中工作，而与此同时他们的同事则在堵车或cram（挤）在拥挤的地铁中。与早点开始不同，一天的仓促开始为一整天设定了一种仓促而紧张的基调。
奥巴马总统以他的守时而感到自豪。他曾经说过他最大的优势是，“可能我总是早一些。无论我是去参加会议还是要做一次重要的演讲，我总是喜欢提前一些。”他继续说道，“当你能早一些的时候，你可以完成的事情是无限的。”
Early to bed, early to rise
早睡早起
早起是由许多个人发展专家推荐的一种历史悠久的提高生产效率的方法。他们说，早起并始终如一可以使我们能够在一天内完成更多的工作，并创造一种能够帮助我们取得成功的心态。
这种智慧可以追溯到古代。希腊哲学家亚里士多德（公元前384-322年）说：“天亮之前起床很好，因为这种习惯有助于健康、财富和智慧。”美国开国元老、发明家本杰明 富兰克林（1706-1790）曾说过：“早睡早起，使人健康、富有和聪明。”
所以，如果你养成了每天早上5点起床的习惯，你会有什么好处？
养成让自己感觉更好的习惯会增强你的自信心。当你早起开展你的工作、锻炼或计划你的一天时，你会感觉自己比世界其他人都领先一步。然后当其他人都醒来时，对于大多数人来说是在早上6点到7:30之间，你会感觉自己比一般人做了更多。
你睡眠不足吗？你是否只是为了让自己感到疲倦而一直看视频到深夜？早起最大的好处之一就是能够让你早睡。当你早起并保持高效工作时，你会在晚上更累，这样更容易入睡。专家们已经证实了睡眠对你的健康非常重要。
你对获得足够的睡眠方面有问题吗？查看我的8个改善睡眠的提示。
当你早起时，你可以经常做你想做的事。你不会在那个时候接到电话或短信，所以distraction（分心）的次数就会减少。如果你有孩子或室友，那么你就知道他们如何影响你在早上的时间。你会感激这种寂静，这是一个冥想、计划、锻炼或任何你想做的事情的时间。
研究表明，人们在早上的工作效率最高，尤其是在实现个人目标方面。例如，那些早上锻炼的人比那些试图放学或工作后去锻炼的人在维持健身计划方面更能成功。开展副业或从事创意活动也是如此。
很多人对自己的工作不满意，到一天结束时，他们只想吃饭、放松、娱乐。如果你能在早上早些时候腾出时间，那么你将会有更好的机会成功的实现个人和职业目标。
早起的一个关键动机是早起要为了某些事情。那些CEO早起是因为他们有很多责任和长长的待办事项清单。 一定要将这种习惯与你的目标保持一致，例如锻炼、考试准备、做一些副业，或者只是完成读超过1000页的《红楼梦》。
我们经常bemoan（哀叹）自己经常迟到或者完成任务可用的时间太少。我发现这一个周早上5点起床，这一天似乎更长了。通过每天早上挤出几个小时，我觉得我的工作效率可以提高。
几个星期前，我在意大利参观了天普大学罗马校区。按照惯例，意大利人晚餐吃得很晚，睡得很晚。对他们来说，午夜前睡觉可能已经很早了。在中国，我们倾向于早吃饭，并且社交活动在晚上9点之前结束是合适的。在我看来，这是一个很大的优势！
建立时间discipline（纪律）就像锻炼肌肉一样。你练的越多，就能够变得越强大。如果你决定早起，这可能很有挑战性。 但是一点一点地，坚持不懈，你的身体就可以适应这种状态。
你可以从创建睡眠时间计划开始，甚至尝试以10分钟为increment（增量）。如果你通常在晚上11点之前睡觉，请在晚上10:50关灯。然后把你的叫醒时间提前10分钟。 然后保持这种状态，直到达到新的平衡。
这一纪律将反过来影响到你当天的其他任务。你会对自己说，“如果我能掌握早起，那么我就能完成其他任务。”只要早起，你就会觉得你做了正确的事情，这可以给你力量和信心让你度过一天中余下的时间。
一些成功的老师提倡将闹钟放在房间的另一边。这样，当你的闹钟响起时，你将被迫起身将其关闭。
我的朋友，我的时差引起的清晨散步让我睁开了睡眼（只是字面意思）并了解到早起的重要性。同样，如果你想养成一个习惯来推动你走向成功，也许这一件事会给你带来所需的动力。
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英文版
English
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One way to set yourself up for success:
wake up early
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「 Hello, my friend！
I'm John Smagula. 」
I recently returned to Beijing to attend a three-day weekend meeting. With the 12-hour jetlag, I woke up at around 5 am those days. This is not my normal waking time, but I sure wish it was. To pass the time before my 9 am meeting, I went outside and took a walk around my hotel’s Zhongguancun neighborhood.
There were quite a few people already out and about at the crack of dawn. They seemed unhurried. People of all ages were walking their dogs, doing exercises, using hand massage balls, or just watching the sun rise. There was a very different feel outside when I left my hotel later that morning for my meetings, as the whole pace outside had really picked up.
That Saturday morning, I got in a taxi at 8 am to head to a meeting. The taxi driver, Driver Huo, commended me for being up so early on a weekend. I explained how I had a class to get to. He said he had been already been driving since 4:30 am, having made two trips to the airport already and earning 300 yuan even before many other drivers had even gotten out of bed.
The early bird catches the worm
Driver Huo said he always takes the early shift, even on weekends, as there are more opportunities then. Later that day, I mentioned this to the participants at the meeting I was attending, many of whom are successful business people in China. When I asked them to share some of their habits of success, many agreed and said, “We get up early every day.”
”The early bird catches the worm” is an idiom meaning that the person who takes the earliest opportunity to do something will gain an advantage over others.
”Unlike those who set their alarm clocks for the latest possible time and hit the snooze button a few times before finally crawling out of bed, needing to jolt themselves with coffee just to get going, it seems like the early risers have the luxury of easing into their day. This healthy beginning sets the stage for a great day, both mentally and physically.
The early risers would also be on their way to school or the office long before rush hour began, being productive in a quiet environment while their colleagues were stuck in traffic or crammed into crowded subways. Unlike an early start, a hurried start to a day sets a rushed and stressed tone for the entire day.
President Obama prided himself on his punctuality. He once said that his greatest strength is, “Probably that I am always early. Whether I’m headed to a meeting or about to give a big speech, I like to know I’m running early.” He continued, “When you’re early, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish.”
Early to bed, early to rise
Waking up early is a time-honored productivity method recommended by a number of personal development gurus. They say that rising early and consistently enables us to accomplish more during the day and creates a mindset that positions us for success.
This wisdom goes back into antiquity. Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) said, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom." American Founding Father and inventor Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is quoted to have said: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
So, if you get in the habit of waking up at 5 am every day, what benefits might you expect?
Cultivating habits that make you feel better about yourself builds your confidence. When you’re up early working on your business, exercising, or planning your day, you will feel like you are one step ahead of the rest of the world. And then when everyone else wakes up, which for most people is between 6:00 and 7:30 am, you’ll feel on track to get more done than the average person.
Are you not getting enough sleep? Are you watching videos late into the night just trying to make yourself tired? One of the biggest benefits of waking up early is the ability to go to sleep early. When you wake up early and stay productive through the day, you’ll be more tired at night, making it easier to sleep. And experts have shown that sleep is important for your health.
Are you having problems getting enough sleep? Check out my 8 Tips for Better Sleep.
When you’re up early, you can often do what you want. You tend not to get phone calls or messages at that hour, so there are fewer distractions. If you have children or roommates, then you know how they can influence how you spend your time in the morning. You’ll appreciate the silence, which is a time to meditate, plan, exercise, or anything else you want.
Studies have shown that people are most productive in the morning, especially with respect to achieving personal goals. For example, those who exercise in the morning are often more successful at maintaining their fitness program than those who attempt to go after school or work. The same is true for starting a side business or engaging in creative pursuits.
Many people are dissatisfied with their jobs, and by the end of the day, they simply want to have dinner, unwind, and be entertained. When you free up your time earlier in the morning, you’re giving yourself a better chance at succeeding in your personal and professional goals.
A key motivation to waking up early is having something to wake up early for. CEOs wake up early because they have a lot of responsibility and long to-do lists. Be sure to align this habit with your goals, such as exercising, test preparation, a side business, or maybe just finishing 1000+ page Dream of the Red Chamber.
We often bemoan how we frequently are running late or how little time we have to complete our tasks. I found that having been up by 5 am this week, the day just seemed longer. By squeezing out a few extra hours each morning, I felt my productivity could increase.
A few weeks ago, I was in Italy, visiting the Temple University Rome Campus. Italians, as a matter of practice, eat very late dinners and go to sleep late. For them, getting to sleep by midnight may already seem early. In China, we tend to eat earlier, and it is appropriate for social engagements to be over by 9 pm. This, in my view, is a great advantage!
Building discipline is like building muscle. The more you practice, the stronger you get. If you decide to start getting up early, it may be challenging. But little by little, and with perseverance, your body can adapt.
You can start by creating a sleep schedule, even trying 10-minute increments. If you normally get to sleep by 11 pm, turn the lights out at 10:50 pm. And then advance your wake time by 10 minutes. And then keep this up until you get to a new equilibrium.
This discipline, in turn, will affect the rest of your tasks that day. You’ll say to yourself, “If I can master waking up early, then I can handle this other task.” Just by waking up early, you’ll feel that you have done something right, which can give you strength and confidence to get through the rest of your day.
Some success teachers advocate placing your alarm clock on the other side of your room. This way, when your alarm goes off, you’ll be forced to get up to turn it off.
My friend, my jetlag-induced early morning walks opened my eyes (quite literally!) to the importance of waking up early. If you’d like to start a habit to propel you toward success, perhaps this one thing will give you the boost you need.
{ 今日英文速记卡 }
1.Cram \ ˈkram \
a)含义：v. 填满；塞满
b)例句：
i.The early risers would also be on their way to school or the office long before rush hour began, being productive in a quiet environment while their colleagues were stuck in traffic or crammed into crowded subways.
早起的人也会在高峰时段开始之前很久就到达学校或办公室，进入到安静的环境中工作，而与此同时他们的同事则在堵车或挤在拥挤的地铁中。
ii.Research has shown over and over that you'll quickly forget information that you cram, so it won't help you in the long term.
研究已经一次又一次表明死记硬背的知识很快就会被遗忘，所有，死记硬背从长远来看并不能帮助你记住知识。
c)近义词：jam, pack, stuff
2.Distraction \ di-ˈstrak-shən \
a)含义： n. 分心
b)例句：
i.You tend not to get phone calls or messages at that hour, so there are fewer distractions.
你不会在那个时候接到电话或短信，所以分心的次数就会减少。
ii.You do not let the distractions put you off.
你不要让分心的事情阻碍你的工作。
c)近义词：diversion, escape, time killer
3.Bemoan \ bi-ˈmōn \
a)含义：v. 哀叹
b)例句：
i.We often bemoan how we are frequently running late or how little time we have to complete our tasks.
我们经常哀叹自己经常迟到或者完成任务可用的时间太少。
ii.They sat bemoaning the fact that no one would give them a chance.
他们坐着埋怨别人不肯给他们一个机会。
c)近义词： deplore, lament, regret
4.Discipline \ ˈdi-sə-plən \
a)含义：n. 纪律
b)例句：
i.Building discipline is like building muscle.
建立时间纪律就像锻炼肌肉一样。
ii.Strict discipline is imposed on army recruits.
新兵受严格的纪律约束
c)近义词： constraint, restraint, suppression
5.Increment \ ˈiŋ-krə-mənt \
a)含义：n. 增量
b)例句：
i.You can start by creating a sleep schedule, even trying 10-minute increments.
你可以从创建睡眠时间计划开始，甚至尝试以10分钟为增量。
ii.This not only can increment interest in study, but also can deepen comprehension of the text.
这不仅能够大大增加学习兴趣，而且还能够加深对课文的理解。
c)近义词：addition, augmentation, uptick
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
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