夜航船

没做到完美,练习仍然改好了人

富兰克林的德行计划失败了。他没有达到自己设想的道德完美,甚至给半途而废找过很像道理的理由。要求太细可能显得可笑,毫无缺点的人可能招来嫉妒,一个善意的人也该保留几处毛病,让朋友自在一点。他把这种妥协叫作“有斑点的斧头最好”。

And I believe this may have been the case with many, who, having, for want of some such means as I employ'd, found the difficulty of obtaining good and breaking bad habits in other points of vice and virtue, have given up the struggle, and concluded that "a speckled ax was best"; for something, that pretended to be reason, was every now and then suggesting to me that such extream nicety as I exacted of myself might be a kind of foppery in morals, which, if it were known, would make me ridiculous; that a perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated; and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance.

但他最后没有把失败等同于无效。临摹字帖的人未必能写得和范本一样好,手仍然会因为练习而改善。德行计划没有完成原定目标,却让他比从未尝试时更好,也更快乐。

But, on the whole, tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it; as those who aim at perfect writing by imitating the engraved copies, tho' they never reach the wish'd-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavour, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible.

这给 行动与准备:重复比完美计划更能形成习惯 添了一条限定。完美可以让人迟迟不开始,也可以作为一个明知达不到的方向。两者的差别要看它是否持续产生真实练习。目标没有兑现,练习留下的改变仍然存在。

这句是富兰克林给自己那份德行清单下的结论,也是它最诚实的一部分。 他一条都没练成,但他确认自己比不练要好。

痛苦加反思等于进步 给的是同一种记账:过程本身有产出,不必等到达成目标才结算。系统思维:目标决定方向,系统决定日常结果 说的是该盯的本来就不是那张清单上的勾。

快速失败,是为了留下用得上教训的年头 是另一头的算法。而这条最实用的地方是它把"没做到"从失败改判成了部分成功,这个改判本身决定了一个人会不会继续练。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 零星感触

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