英语美文：简单一小步 丰富每一天

 I love to have simple ways to improve my life. Everyday is a chance for improving our life, and it's up to us to best use it. What I want is to have good, balanced progress everyday.

我喜欢用简单的方法提升自己的生活质量。对我们来说每天都是一个新的机遇，关键在于我们如何最有效地利用它。我所希望的便是每天都可以有良好平稳的提升。

To ensure balance, my favorite way is using the four facets² of prosperity: material, spiritual, physical, and social. By achieving material prosperity, spiritual prosperity, physical prosperity, and social prosperity, I believe I can have complete and balanced prosperity in my life.

我最倾向于通过物质生活、精神境界、身体素质、社交活动四个方面的互补来保持生活的平衡。如果可以达到物质富足、精神愉悦、身体健康以及社交活跃，那么你一定会拥有和谐美妙而丰富多彩的生活。

You may add other facets of prosperity if they work for you, but in my opinion these four facets are easy to remember and already cover practically everything.

当然啦，你还可以添加一些你认为对你有用的东西。不过，我认为以上的四个方面很容易记住，它们基本已经包涵了所有。

To put this concept into practice, what I do is ensuring that I do something to improve each facet¹ everyday. Here is how I do it:

为了实践这个观念，我每天都会努力来完善这四个方面。下面是我的个人做法：

1. Decide on something to do daily in each facet

1. 每天都要做一些关于这几个方面的事情。

To keep things simple, choose only one or two tasks to do daily in each facet. More than that, it could be difficult to keep up with them. Of course, you may want to do more than just one or two tasks to improve a facet, but choose only the most important ones to be made daily. In my case, I have just one task for each facet.

每天每个方面只做一两个任务，把事情简单化。不过，要坚持下来还是蛮难的。当然啦，为了提高，可能你每天做了不止一两个任务，要记住，挑最重要的去做。关于每个方面，我一天只做一个任务。

One thing to remember is each of the tasks should be measurable so that you know for sure whether or not you have done it. Here is an example:

还有一点就是，你所做的任务最好有可以衡量的标准，这样你才能知道你到底完成了没有。下面举个例子：

* Material: do project for at least 2 hours

物质方面：至少工作两个小时

* Spiritual: meditate³ for 30 minutes

精神方面：自我反省30分钟

* Physical: exercise for 20 minutes

身体方面：运动20分钟

* Social: ping at least one friend

社交方面：至少和一个朋友唠嗑

2. Record your performance

2. 记录你的进度。

After setting the daily tasks for each facet, all you need to do is ensuring that you do them. Recording⁴ your performance can greatly help you here. You may use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or any other medium you want. Write down there whether or not you have done a task in a particular day.

在设定了每天的任务计划后，我们所要做的就是确保自己有所行动。记录每天的进度是个很有效的办法。你可以用一个笔记本、电子表格或者任何你喜欢的工具。在那里记录你一天之内是否完成任务。

I myself use Joe's Goals. It's a simple web application that can help you track your progress. Whenever I finish something, I check the corresponding box in Joe's Goals. This way I can easily see if I often miss a facet so that I can put more effort there.

我自己是用的"Joe's Goals"，它是一个简单实用的网络应用，可以跟踪记录你的进程。每当我完成一个任务，我都会在相应的方格里打上勾。这样，我就可以很清晰明了地看见自己忽视了哪些方面，并且去完善。

（这一点沪江部落21天计划也能帮你实现哦，点击去看>>）

3. Adjust accordingly

3. 合理调整

If you think that you can more effectively improve yourself doing something else, don't hesitate to change the tasks. For example, maybe you think that reading spiritual text will give you better result than meditation⁵ for spiritual prosperity. In that case, you can change your daily task from meditation to reading spiritual text. On the other hand, if you think that they are both necessary, you can decide to do both (though you shouldn't forget to keep things simple).

如果你觉得通过其他的途径你可以更有效的提升自己，那么不要犹豫，果断地调整任务吧。例如，你觉得品读一些心灵鸡汤方面的文章会比自我反省更好地提升你的思想境界，那么你可以把每日自我反省调整成阅读有关精神方面的文章。另外，如果你觉得这两个都很不错，你可以两个都选（但还是得记住不要把事情复杂化）。

Another possibility is increasing the intensity⁶ of the tasks to bring you to the next level. For instance, instead of exercising for 20 minutes a day, you could make it 30 minutes a day.

还有一种可能就是增加任务的强度以进阶，例如，你可以从每天锻炼20分钟提升到每天锻炼30分钟。

By using this system, you can be sure that you do something everyday to improve yourself in all facets. It's as if you make balanced progress on autopilot. I've used it for some time and - though I miss my daily tasks here and there - I'm glad to see how it helps me have balanced progress to complete prosperity.

通过实践这套体系，你可以确保每天都有做一些事情来提升自己的各个方面，稳步提升自我似乎变成了一件驾轻就熟之事。我曾这样做过一段时间，虽然时不时就会忘这忘那。但很高兴的是，在稳步提升自己的生活质量方面，它确实有帮助到我。

What do you think? Do you have other tips for daily improvement?

你有怎样的想法？对于提升自己的日常生活质量你有其它的建议吗？

1 facet   

n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面

参考例句：

• He has perfected himself in every facet of his job.他已使自己对工作的各个方面都得心应手。
• Every facet of college life is fascinating.大学生活的每个方面都令人兴奋。

2 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

6 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。