Seri: 365 days with self - Discipline

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 ---------------------Week 4-------------------

Day 26: On the Long-Term Consequences of Your Choices

 Whenever you are presented with a choice, ask yourself which option you would prefer to have taken in ten years.

 —Erik D. Kennedy 25

 Self-discipline is largely dependent on your ability to look into the future and imagine yourself not having taken the difficult choice today. If you paint the mental picture with enough detail, you won’t be able to bear the thought of letting the situation remain the same or getting worse.

 A simple exercise of asking yourself which option you would prefer to have taken in ten years can help you avoid succumbing to temptations. And let’s not fool ourselves — it probably won’t work every time, but even if it doesn’t work every time, at least it will make you pause sometimes .

 Let’s imagine that you’re torn between buying a new piece of furniture you don’t really need but like a lot, or saving that money for your retirement. In ten years, would you rather have a crumbling piece of furniture you rarely use or — thanks to the power of compounding — twice the amount you’re now pondering on spending?

 For this technique to work, you need to consider your failure to stick to your resolutions not as a once-off event, but a precedent that can ruin your long-term progress. Otherwise this technique won’t work.

 For example, if you’re on a diet and are tempted to eat this awesome chocolate chip cookie, if you tell yourself that it’s simply this one time, obviously in a ten-year timeframe it means nothing. And it’s true — one cookie eaten today won’t ruin your diet for the next decade.

 However, it’s not about eating this specific cookie. It’s about the precedent it sets and a possible pattern of cheating during a diet that might develop from making this decision. In ten years, would you prefer to have developed a habit of eating cookies while on a diet or established a habit of not eating cookies at all, or only on special occasions?

Vocabulary
bear /beə(r)/
[transitive]
(used especially with can/could in negative sentences and questions)
to be able to accept and deal with something unpleasant
SYNONYM stand
 bear something The pain was almost more than he could bear.
She bore it all with her usual patience.
She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.
 bear doing something I can't bear having cats in the house.
He can't bear being laughed at.
 bear to do something He can't bear to be laughed at.
I can hardly bear to think about it.
How can you bear to eat that stuff?
 bear somebody doing something I can't bear you doing that.
succumb /səˈkʌm/
[intransitive] to not be able to fight an attack, a temptation, etc.
The town succumbed after a short siege.
They were all offered bribes and some of them succumbed.
 succumb to something He finally succumbed to Lucy's charms and agreed to her request.
She succumbed to the temptation of another drink.
people who succumb easily to exploitation.
torn /tɔːn/
crumb/krʌm/
a very small piece of food, especially of bread or cake, that has fallen off a larger piece
She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater.
ruin/ˈruːɪn/
ruin something to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.
SYNONYM spoil (1), wreck
The bad weather ruined our trip.
That one mistake ruined his chances of getting the job.
My new shoes got ruined in the mud.
The crops were ruined by the late frost.
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Translate

Self-discipline is largely dependent on your ability to look into the future and imagine yourself not having taken the difficult choice today. If you paint the mental picture with enough detail, you won’t be able to bear the thought of letting the situation remain the same or getting worse.

 A simple exercise of asking yourself which option you would prefer to have taken in ten years can help you avoid succumbing to temptations. And let’s not fool ourselves — it probably won’t work every time, but even if it doesn’t work every time, at least it will make you pause sometimes .

 Let’s imagine that you’re torn between buying a new piece of furniture you don’t really need but like a lot, or saving that money for your retirement. In ten years, would you rather have a crumbling piece of furniture you rarely use or — thanks to the power of compounding — twice the amount you’re now pondering on spending?

 For this technique to work, you need to consider your failure to stick to your resolutions not as a once-off event, but a precedent that can ruin your long-term progress. Otherwise this technique won’t work.

 For example, if you’re on a diet and are tempted to eat this awesome chocolate chip cookie, if you tell yourself that it’s simply this one time, obviously in a ten-year timeframe it means nothing. And it’s true — one cookie eaten today won’t ruin your diet for the next decade.

 However, it’s not about eating this specific cookie. It’s about the precedent it sets and a possible pattern of cheating during a diet that might develop from making this decision. In ten years, would you prefer to have developed a habit of eating cookies while on a diet or established a habit of not eating cookies at all, or only on special occasions?

Self-discipline is largely dependent on your ability to look into the future and imagine yourself not having taken the difficult choice today.Kỷ luật bản thân phần lớn phụ thuộc vào khả năng của bạn trong việc nhìn vào tương lai và tưởng tượng rằng bạn không phải lựa chọn khó khăn ngày hôm nay. If you paint the mental picture with enough detail, you won’t be able to bear the thought of letting the situation remain the same or getting worse. Nếu bạn vẽ bức tranh tinh thần với đủ chi tiết, bạn sẽ không thể chịu đựng được ý nghĩ để tình hình vẫn như cũ hoặc trở nên tồi tệ hơn.

 A simple exercise of asking yourself which option you would prefer to have taken in ten years can help you avoid succumbing to temptations. Một bài tập đơn giản là tự hỏi mình lựa chọn nào bạn muốn thực hiện trong mười năm có thể giúp bạn tránh bị cám dỗ. And let’s not fool ourselves — it probably won’t work every time, but even if it doesn’t work every time, at least it will make you pause sometimes. Và đừng tự đánh lừa mình - nó có thể sẽ không hoạt động mọi lúc, nhưng ngay cả khi nó không hoạt động mọi lúc, ít nhất nó sẽ khiến bạn đôi khi tạm dừng.

 Let’s imagine that you’re torn between buying a new piece of furniture you don’t really need but like a lot, or saving that money for your retirement. Hãy tưởng tượng rằng bạn đang bị giằng xé giữa việc mua một món đồ nội thất mới mà bạn không thực sự cần nhưng lại thích rất nhiều hoặc tiết kiệm số tiền đó để nghỉ hưu.  In ten years, would you rather have a crumbling piece of furniture you rarely use or — thanks to the power of compounding — twice the amount you’re now pondering on spending? Trong mười năm, bạn có muốn sở hữu một món đồ nội thất nhàu nát mà bạn hiếm khi sử dụng hoặc - nhờ vào sức mạnh của lãi kép - gấp đôi số tiền bạn đang cân nhắc chi tiêu?

 For this technique to work, you need to consider your failure to stick to your resolutions not as a once-off event, but a precedent that can ruin your long-term progress. Để kỹ thuật này hoạt động, bạn cần coi việc không tuân thủ các quyết tâm của mình không phải là một sự kiện chỉ xảy ra một lần, mà là một tiền lệ có thể hủy hoại sự tiến bộ lâu dài của bạn. Otherwise this technique won’t work. Nếu không, kỹ thuật này sẽ không hoạt động.

 For example, if you’re on a diet and are tempted to eat this awesome chocolate chip cookie, if you tell yourself that it’s simply this one time, obviously in a ten-year timeframe it means nothing. Ví dụ: nếu bạn đang ăn kiêng và muốn ăn chiếc bánh quy sô cô la chip tuyệt vời này, nếu bạn tự nhủ rằng chỉ đơn giản là một lần này, rõ ràng trong khung thời gian mười năm thì điều đó chẳng có nghĩa lý gì. And it’s true — one cookie eaten today won’t ruin your diet for the next decade. Và đó là sự thật - một chiếc bánh quy ăn hôm nay sẽ không làm hỏng chế độ ăn kiêng của bạn trong thập kỷ tới.

 However, it’s not about eating this specific cookie.Tuy nhiên, không phải là ăn loại bánh quy cụ thể này. It’s about the precedent it sets and a possible pattern of cheating during a diet that might develop from making this decision. Đó là về tiền lệ mà nó đặt ra và một kiểu gian lận có thể xảy ra trong quá trình ăn kiêng có thể hình thành khi đưa ra quyết định này. In ten years, would you prefer to have developed a habit of eating cookies while on a diet or established a habit of not eating cookies at all, or only on special occasions? Trong mười năm, bạn muốn hình thành thói quen ăn bánh quy khi đang ăn kiêng hay hình thành thói quen hoàn toàn không ăn bánh quy hay chỉ vào những dịp đặc biệt?





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