No.1 Creative Recordkeeping

Now many revolutionary inventions started as a simple idea. At one point they were just random thoughts that someone had while brushing their teeth or driving to work. The difference is that they had the foresight to write it down. Now, unlike most of us, they didn’t roll their eyes and let that interesting idea slip away. They saw potential, and they took advantage of the opportunity. Now, from the outside, you will look at these amazingly successful people and you wonder how they came up with such innovative concepts. But the truth is, their random ideas are no better or worse than yours. The only difference is that these successful people made a habit of keeping records. Creative recordkeeping is a fancy way of saying that you should write everything down. So, if you think of something interesting, don’t hesitate to scribble it down some where. You might use Post-it notes or an app on your phone. It doesn’t really matter where you put it as long as it’s somewhere that you’ll remember. The goal is to create a system where you can write down an idea, forget about it, then revisit it later in the day. That’s because the best ideas often pop up at the worst times. If you’re in the middle of a project, you can’t suddenly stop everything to tinker with a new concept. So, just take five seconds to get the idea down on paper and then leave it alone. Go back to your work, and don’t think about it for a while. You’ll find that a few hours or a few days away from an idea will help you differentiate the good from the bad. So, what kind of things should you write down? Well, when it comes to brainstorming, quantity is much more important than quality. You don’t have to conceive a life-changing idea every single day. Writing down a dozen terrible ideas is still much better than not writing down anything at all. As a rule of thumb, if it gets you excited, even for just a few minutes, hold in it’s worth putting on paper. Some ideas may seem foolish at first, and then they evolve into something amazing when you spend time polishing it. But you’d never know if you hadn’t written it down to begin with. Having too many ideas, well it’s hardly ever a bad thing. Even if you don’t use a single one. Why? Well, because this daily habit also stimulates your creativity by training you to think outside the box. It also teaches you to have more faith in yourself by valuing your original ideas. And they might even help you when you’re stuck on another project. It’s very common for unrelated ideas to trigger a sudden shift and perspective. Inspiration can come from anywhere. The most random thoughts may jump start a burst of creativity, letting you see things that you never ever notice before. So, like most successful people, hold on your valuable ideas, you never know when one of them is going to come in handy.

recordkeeping n.保留记录；记录保持
revolutionary adj.革命的；革命性的，突破性的
at one point 在某处；在某一时刻
foresight n.先见之明；（枪的）前准星；前视
roll one's eyes 翻白眼
slip away 消失，逝去
potential n.（事物的）潜力，可能性
from the outside 从外部来看
came up with 提出了，出台了
fancy adj.时髦的，奢华的；华丽的，花哨的；
scribble v.潦草地写，匆匆地写
tinker v.（徒劳地或马虎地）小修补
away from 远离
as a rule of thumb 作为经验法则
foolish adj.愚蠢的
polishing v.[机]磨光；擦亮；修正
box 条条框框
faith n.信任，信心，信念
value 重视
burst 爆发
come in handy 派上用场

No.2 Investigate Your Industry

Successful people set aside time every day to keep tabs on their industry. They read books published by other experts in the field. They investigate new and experimental research to stay ahead of the curve. They explore problems that other people discover. So, they can overcome the same obstacles in half the time. Many people think that being successful means pioneering something entirely new. But that’s not really how it works. Even if you have a great original idea, you need to fall back on the roads that other people have paved for you. There are mountains of knowledge to your disposal. That’s true no more than ever. It’s never been so easy to learn from and connect with countless people all around the world. Now that means you can stay at the forefront of your industry which is an invaluable place to be. Many successful people want the only ones to think of an idea, that they were the first to do anything about it. Their entire careers would been different if someone else had beaten them to the punch. And for the same reason, it’s helpful to stay updated on current events and social trends. When you know where the world is headed, you can better predict what kind of things will be successful in the future. You can also use fads and social icons to make your product more appealing to your audience. Sometimes the smallest changes can separate success from failure. So, follow in the footsteps of these successful people, make researching your industry a part of your daily routine.

keep tabs on 密切关注
stay ahead of the curve 领先潮流
pioneering v.做先锋，倡导
paved v.用石板（或砖）铺（路）；为……铺平道路
disposal n.处理，清除；（土地、财产等的）变卖，转让；<文>安排，安置；<美>污物碾碎器
true no more than ever 千真万确
beaten them to the punch 抢先了他们一步
fad n.时尚
appealing adj.吸引人的，有感染力的
footsteps n.脚步，足迹；脚步声

No.3 Maximize Temporal Value

Successful people are constantly making sure they’re using their time wisely. Now, I’m not just talking about being efficient or avoiding distractions. Successful people actively prioritize work that’s worthy of their time and their talent. The simple fact is that not all work is worth doing. For example, you might be spending hours and hours on some menial task that doesn’t really impact your long-term goals. Yeah yeah you’re working, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your time. You could be using those hours to make genuine progress, instead of wasting them on busy work. The problem might be that you don’t know what your time is worth. This is an issue for tons of people when their first starting out. Now, they think that their time isn’t valuable, just because they don’t have a fancy title or years of experience. But if you want to be successful, you have to spend your time doing work that challenges you and pushes your limits. Now granted sometimes, you won’t have a choice, especially in the beginning. But over time as you overcome more obstacles, it’s important that your work reflects your value. But that leaves us with one really big question: how do you know what work is valuable and what isn’t? It this really depends on your individual ambitions and priorities. so let’s try this, when you’re getting ready in the morning, imagine yourself at the end of the day you just finish work, you’re taking some time to wind down and relax. Now at that point, what would you like to have accomplished? What would prove to your future self that you made the most to your day? No matter what your answer is, put it at the very top of your to-do list and make sure that you get it done. Now of course many successful people take it one step further. They continue asking these questions throughout the day. At every turn, you should make sure that you’re still on track to finish what you wanted to finish. And by doing this daily ritual, every day will feel like a worthwhile step in the right direction.

temporal adj.时间的，与时间有关的
menial adj.卑微的；仆人的；适合仆人做的
genuine adj.真正的，非伪造的；真诚的，真心的
fancy adj.时髦的，奢华的；华丽的，花哨的
fancy title 显赫的头衔
pushes your limits 挑战你的极限
obstacles n.障碍；障碍物；阻碍
reflects 反照 反射
ritualritual n.（宗教等的）仪式，典礼；习惯，例行公事
worthwhile adj.重要的，有益的，值得做的

No.4 Neutralize Excess Pride

It’s crucial as it is to understand your worth. It’s also important to keep your pride in check. When you achieve your goals, it’s really easy to let your accomplishments go to your head. You become so infatuated by your own success that your pride gets the best of you. It damages your decision-making, your relationships and your self-discipline. In fact, many successful people have lost everything because of their over inflated ego. Excess pride will make you stubborn and inflexible. It will prevent you from adapting to the ever-changing landscape of any professional environment. If you’re unwilling to change, it won’t take long before other people start passing you by. Excess pride also closes your ears to the valuable advice of people around you. No matter who you are, you can’t be the best at everything. You can’t be successful all on your own. But that’s a good thing. There will always be people with creative ideas that can help you grow your success. So, instead of clinging to your pride, let them help you find ways to cooperate and create the best possible product that you can. Successful people are fantastic at recognizing when they need this kind of help. They regularly communicate with and rely on the people around them. Because real progress requires collaboration.

neutralize v.使失效，抵消；中和，使成为中性；使中立；击毁，摧毁
crucial adj.至关重要的，决定性的；<非正式>极好的
your accomplishments go to your head 你的成就冲昏了头脑
infatuated v.迷恋；使糊涂（infatuate 的过去分词）
your pride gets the best of you 你的骄傲战胜了你
self-discipline n.自律
inflated v.膨胀（inflate 的过去式和过去分词）
over inflated ego 过度膨胀的自我
stubborn adj.（人）固执的，倔强的
clinging v.坚持，紧贴（cling 的现在分词）
are fantastic at recognizing 非常善于识别

No.5 The Relentless Pursuit of Growth and Learning

Your journey doesn’t end when you become successful. Even if you’re at the top of your field, you should always be searching for new ways to learn and evolve. Successful people excel at personal and professional growth, because they know that it’s a lifelong process. They don’t let a day go by without absorbing new knowledge. They’re constantly challenging their preconceptions about success, about motivation, and progress. This kind of cerebral exercise also maintains a healthy and powerful brain. Successful people use it to keep their mind sharp, quick and innovative. Not to mention all that exciting information will inspire their creativity and broaden their horizons. Oh and the best part is, the more you learn, the more useful it becomes. Now, a few random chunks of information don’t seem like much on their own. However, these individual pieces will build on top of each other. And before you know it, you’ll be sitting on a lifetime of wisdom. Though learning isn’t just about growing your intelligence. By constantly pursuing knowledge, your slowly but surely changing your mindset as well. Most importantly, you’re developing a powerful kind of intellectual confidence. For every skill you gain, your discovering more and more reasons to believe in your own ability. So, make time to pick up a book, to read an article, or to listen to an educational video. The most successful people never stop exploring, and neither should you.

relentless adj.坚韧的，不屈不挠的；残酷无情的，不留情面的；不停的，不间断的
pursuit n.追求，寻找
preconceptions n.偏见（preconception 的复数）；先入之见；先前概念
cerebral adj.大脑的，脑的；理智的，智力的
broaden their horizons 开拓他们的眼界
pursuing n.追求；追逐；追赶；v.从事；追赶（pursue 的现在分词）
mindset 心态
intellectual adj.智力的，理智的

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partnered with 与。。。合作
autopilot n.[航]自动驾驶仪
digital decluttering 数字整理
trial n.试用
negotiated v.谈判，协商（negotiate 过去式和过去分词形式）
premium adj.高价的，高品质的