3. 缺乏耐心

????英國一項調查顯示，高達88%的個人新年目標都歸于失敗，而缺乏耐心的傾向正是主要原因。“就算是積極的變化，在開始的那段時間也會帶來不適，”康奈蘭指出。“可是每次換種方式做某事，大腦就會努力建立新的聯系，形成新的習慣——最終會像它所取代的舊習慣一樣，成為自然而然的事。”

????這里的重點詞是“最終”。“有意努力的情形下，仍然需要最少21天才能形成一種新的習慣，可按照30天的周期來看或許更合適，因為它更符合人們的日程，”康奈蘭說。“變革肯定會帶來一些不適，但在30天的期限內專注于具體的階段性目標正是解決之道。”

????日積月累，此種逐漸、穩步前進的方式能帶來可觀的進展。康奈蘭的一位經紀公司客戶正是這么做的，該公司要求其金融顧問“稍微調整一下行為方式”，包括提高向客戶發送郵件的頻率，提供可能使后者更感興趣的信息，以及安排比以前略多一些的面對面會見。結果，六個月后，這家公司的營收增長了4%.

????“‘眼光長遠’當然沒問題，”康奈蘭表示。“可想要實現巨大成就，必須從小做起。”無論是個人還是公司，這個建議似乎都很值得聽取。

????譯者：小宇

3. Being impatient

????This tendency is a major reason why, one British study showed, a whopping 88% of individuals' New Year's resolutions fail. "Even positive change feels uncomfortable for a while in the beginning," Connellan notes. "But each time you do something differently, the brain goes to work making new connections and setting up a new habit, which will eventually feel as natural as the old one it's replacing."

????The important word here is "eventually." "It takes at least 21 days of conscious effort to form a new habit, but 30 days is probably a better way to look at it, because it fits more easily into your calendar," Connellan says. "So expect there will be some discomfort with change, but commit to specific milestones for each 30-day period."

????This slow-and-steady approach can add up to measurable progress, as it did for a brokerage-firm client of Connellan's that coached financial advisors to make "very small changes in behavior," including emailing clients more often with information that might interest them and scheduling a few more face-to-face meetings than before. The result: sales were up 4% after six months.

????"It's fine to 'think big', of course," notes Connellan. "But if you want to see huge results, start small." That sounds like a resolution anyone, or any company, has a shot at keeping.