Walk into any bookstore, and you'll see shelves full of books about personal development. You'll know the titles of some classics, even if you've never read them: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Getting Things Done, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway ... and loads more.
走进任何一家书店，都会看到书架上堆满了个人发展的书。甚至不用去翻，你都能知道一些耳熟能详的书名：《高效能人士的七个习惯》，《尽管去做》，《如何战胜内心的恐惧》...等等诸如此类。

You've probably read some of these books, or at least come across major personal development ideas in magazines or online. If you've been reading Dumb Little Man for any length of time, you'll definitely have soaked up a lot of great personal development advice.
可能你已经读过其中一些书，或者至少在杂志或网上浏览过主要的励志个人发展观点。如果你已经读过《Dumb Little Man》一些，你肯定了解了许多个人发展的建议。

You might even spend time every day reading personal development blogs and books, or listening to audio.
你可能每天都在花时间读个人发展方面的博客和书，或者听录音。

But ... are you wasting your time?
但...你是在浪费时间吗？

Just Reading Won't Get You Far
光去读没什么用

When you want something to change in your life, it's tempting to look for a quick fix. And books can promise a lot – with titles like I Will Make You Rich.
如果你想改变生活，肯定想找个捷径。而书能承诺许多——例如《我会让你富有》的书名。

Can they really deliver?
他们真的能实现？

Yes – but only with a bit of work from you.
能——但是对你只有一点用。

The problem is, many of us find that simply reading about personal development gives us a little boost. We read 7 Habits and we feel like we've done something productive ... but we might not quite make the leap into actually doing something with what we've read.
问题是，我们大多数都发现简单读读个人发展的书能给我们一点激励。我们读了七个习惯，我们会觉得我们某些事做的很有效率...但我们实际上可能不会真的就像书中所言那样做事。

Have you fallen into this trap? Do you find yourself buying book after book, or reading blog after blog, hoping that this time, you're finally going to find that secret which will help you change your life?
你掉进过这个陷阱吗？买了一本又一本书，或者读了一个又一个博客，你是否发现，自己总是希望这次你就会彻底发现那个秘密：那个能帮你改变你一生的秘密？

The problem is, you might never find it. Because unless you're engaging with what you read, nothing is ever going to be any different.
问题是，你可能永远不会发现它。因为除非你按照书中所说去做了，不然神马改变也不会发生。

Do You Really Want to Change?
你真地想要改变？

It's a tough question, but it's an important one to think about. Do you really want to change?
似乎是个幼稚的问题，但确实是一个很重要的问题需要你去想想。你真的想改变吗？

That might seem like such a no-brainer. Of course you want to get out of your dead-end job. Of course you want to lose weight and get healthier. Of course you want to quit smoking.
似乎是个幼稚的问题，但确实是一个很重要的问题需要你去想想。你真的想改变吗？

That might seem like such a no-brainer. Of course you want to get out of your dead-end job. Of course you want to lose weight and get healthier. Of course you want to quit smoking.
看起来似乎根本不用想。当然想搞定棘手的工作。当然想减肥健身。当然想戒烟。

The thing is, whenever you change, you're also giving something up. To get out of your dead-end job, you'll be leaving behind your familiar daily routine. To lose weight, you'll have to stop eating so much junk food.
这些事情是你一直想改变，事实上你却一直放弃改变的事。要想搞定棘手的工作，你就得变更你的日程表。要想减肥，你就不能吃垃圾食品。

Plus, change can take a lot of energy and dedication. You might have to do things which are hard or scary – like going back to college, facing up to someone, or tackling a big issue in your life.
而且，改变是需要许多精力和奉献的。你可能必须去做那些很难或者很恐怖的事：比如返回大学，直面某些人，或者列出你人生的大清单。

If you're not ready to change your whole life, that's okay. Instead of focusing on far-off dreams, start smaller with your personal development aims. Maybe you'd like to eventually move into a new career – but for now, a good start is tackling your procrastination habit.
如果你还没准备好改变你的整个人生，那好。不要去想那些遥不可及的梦想，根据个人发展目标从小事开始。可能你最终会换一个新职业——但是现在，一个好的开始就是丢掉拖延的习惯。

Taking Action
开始行动

I'm a firm fan of good personal development books, blogs, audio programs, seminars and so on. A great writer (or speaker) can open your eyes up to new ideas, give you just the advice you need, and genuinely change your life.
我是一个坚定的粉丝——喜欢读各类个人发展的书，博客，音频资料，演讲等等。一个伟大的作者（或者演讲者）能开阔你的视界，给你适中的建议，真诚的助你改变生活。

The problem is, most people don't get as much as they should out of the material they read.
问题是，大多书人并不能从他们所读的书中获取很多。

It's very easy to nod along in agreement with a writer or speaker. You might feel inspired or even determined while you're reading – only to end up forgetting all about those insights you had.
很容易点头赞同一个作者或者演讲者。读的时候，你可能受到鼓舞甚至下定决心——读完就忘的一干二净。

To help yourself take action:
为了真正有效，你应该采取的行动：

Get clear about what you want to learn or change. You're probably not just reading a book or blog post out of general interest: there's a specific situation in your life where you want to improve something. What's your goal?
弄清楚你想学什么或者改变什么。你不应仅仅出于兴趣读一本书或者博客：生活中有一个特殊的东东是你真正想提高或改善的。目标是什么？

Choose good material. Ask friends to recommend their favorite blogs or books, or check out reviews on Amazon. You want solid content and a style which makes it easy for you to read.
挑选好资料。看朋友推荐的一些喜欢的博客或书，或者看看亚马逊的书评。你要一个有硬料的书，风格最好有助于你读。

Read with a notebook in hand. Jot down questions which occur while you're reading, or any new ideas or insights. Make a particular note of anything you want to try out for yourself – a new way of managing your time, for instance.
读的时候手边放个记事本。记下阅读中碰到的问题，或者任何新想法或思考。对任何你想尝试的东东——例如一种新的时间管理方法——在书上做一个特殊的标记。

Set aside time not just to read but to act. Try writing down one to three steps to take every single week, based on what you've been reading.
读了之后一定要花时间去执行。根据你所读的，试着写下一到三步可以在每周实行。

So – you've just read this post. Don't let it be yet another piece of good advice that you promptly forget: instead, take a minute now to figure out what you're going to do differently next time you pick up a personal development book.
所以——你已经读了这篇网志。别让它又成为一个你不就就会忘掉的建议：现在就花两分钟去找本个人发展的书，你下次肯定会照着尝试的书。