五年之约

People commonly 1）overestimate how far they can get in a year， but grossly underestimate how far they can get in five years.

If you actually want results， make a fiveyear commitment to a particular path， like building an online business， developing your social skills， becoming a world traveler， etc. A lesser commitment is largely pointless.

When I began blogging in 2004， I expected Id still be blogging in 2009. If I didnt have that expectation， I wouldnt have started blogging.

Many other bloggers quit within their first year， which is largely a waste of effort. If they were going to quit within such a short period of time， they were never serious about it to begin with. The best results come well after the first year. If you cant make it at least five years， why bother with it at all？

人们往往对他们努力一年之后所能得到的回报期望过高，却又常常低估了他们在五年后所能取得的回报。

如果你真心想要做出点成绩来，那就对你选择的某条道路定下一个五年之约吧。比方说，开展线上业务，提高你的社交技巧，作环球旅行等等。短时间的投入努力是毫无意义的。

我从2004年开始写博客，那时我便期望自己2009年时依旧坚持是一名博客写手。如果没有这样的期望，我是不会展开博客生涯的。

许多其他的博客写手在开始的第一年内就放弃了，这真是白白浪费了他们的努力。如果他们这么短的时间内就放弃，那当初他们就根本没认真将这事放心上。最好的结果往往会在一年之后到来。如果你不能坚持至少五年的时间，干嘛要费神开始呢？

After a single year on a new path， it may look like youre barely getting anywhere. 2）Transformation often looks that way at first. But fast forward five years and look back， and the total transformation can be profound.

In 2004 I also joined 3）Toastmasters to build up my speaking skills and experience. After a year of membership， I had switched to a stronger club， but I was still doing mostly five to seven minute speeches and just beginning to do occasional 20-minute talks. I had done a few speech contests too. To prep for a 20-minute talk would take me a full day. I was gaining skills， but results-wise I didnt have much to show for my efforts.

However， after Id been in Toastmasters for four years， I was doing my first paid speeches， earning $3000 for 90 minutes on stage， and they paid for travel and hotel expenses. Thats a result.

And a little over five years after joining Toastmasters， I was doing my first public workshop， for which I earned over $50，000 for three days of speaking. Thats a result.

Now I can do weekend workshops whenever I desire and earn tens of thousands of dollars for each one. Ive done nine of these so far. Every workshop Ive done has earned more money than I earned in my entire first year of blogging. Thats a result.

It used to take me a month to prepare a new workshop 4）from scratch. Now I can do it in about a week. Today I can also prepare a new one-hour talk in about 15-30 minutes， and the delivery is better than when I used to prep for a full day just for a 20-minute talk.

This isnt the result of luck. Its the result of practice and commitment. Not a six month commitment. Not a year. But five plus years.

在一个新领域坚持一年后，或许看上去毫无进展。变化在初期总是以这样的方式显现。但若是快进五年再回头看，就会发现深刻的变化。

2004年，我还加入了国际演讲会，想让我的演讲技巧更上一层楼并获得更多演讲经验。入会一年后，我转入了一个实力更强的俱乐部，但我大多数时候仍旧是在做一些5到7分钟的演讲，才刚刚开始偶尔进行一些20分钟的演说。同时，我也参加了一些演讲比赛。为了准备一场20分钟的演讲，我要花上一整天的时间。我的演讲技巧不断增强，但从结果来看，我的努力并没有换来什么值得炫耀的成就。

然而，在我加入协会的第四年，我首次进行了个人的有偿演讲，在台上作了90分钟的演讲让我赚了3000美元，而且所有的旅费和酒店住宿费均由对方支付。这就是成果。

在我加入国际演讲协会刚过五年时，我进行了个人的首次公众演讲会，这次历时三天的演讲为我赚得了超过五万美元的收入。这就是成果。

如今，只要我愿意，我可以随时举办周末演讲会，每次会议都可让我进账数万美元。至今，我进行过九次这样的演讲会。每次演讲会所挣得的钱都比我写博客第一年的全年收入还要多。这就是成果。

过去，从头开始准备一个全新演讲会需要花上我一个月的时间。而现在，我只要一个星期左右就够了。如今，我可以在15到30分钟内备好一个历时一小时的新演讲，而且演讲发挥要比以往准备一整天的20分钟演讲更加精彩。

这不是幸运之果。这是锻炼和坚持之果。不是六个月的坚持。不是一年的坚持。而是五年以上的坚持。

And this was my commitment all along. I knew Id make it to this point if I stuck with it.

The first year of any new commitment is invariably the most awkward. Your skills are weakest then. You dont know what youre doing. You make a lot of mistakes.

That first year is also the time when you learn the fastest. However， that fifth year of five is typically when you enjoy the best results.

Dont force yourself to commit to something random for the next five years. But do put some thought into decisions that can rack up longterm results if you stick with them. This requires a degree of self-awareness， i.e. knowing what youll stick with and what you wont. If you know you wont still be into something five years from now， dont bother putting six months into it.

Ask yourself what interests and goals of yours are still likely to be very important to you five years from now. Look to your past. What were you interested in five years ago that youre still into today？ What goals and 5）aspirations keep resurfacing year after year？ Can you expect this pattern to continue？ These long-term interests will give you a hint about where to double down and commit bigger.

Even if youre in your 20s or younger， you have patterns that youve established. What are the threads that you keep weaving into your life？ How far could you get if you actually got serious about these threads and made a genuine five-year commitment to generating some real results？

我自始至终都坚持着自己的约定。我知道，只要我坚定不移，我就可以取得这样的成果。

遵守任何新的约定的第一年总是最难熬的。那时候你的能力最薄弱。你不清楚自己到底在做什么。你会犯无数的错误。

第一年也总是你学得最快的一年。然而，第五年通常才是你享用胜利果实的一年。

不要逼你自己随随便便为某些事情作一个未来五年的约定。而应深思熟虑，选择那些你坚持下来最终可以获得成功的道路。这需要一定程度的自我认知，比方说，清楚了解有什么事自己会坚持下去而哪些你却做不到。如果你知道从现在开始的五年后你并不会继续做某些事，那就连六个月也别浪费在那事儿上了。

问问你自己，有什么兴趣或目标是在五年后对你而言很可能依然非常重要的？回望一下你的过去。有什么事是你五年前一直感兴趣而现在依然在做的？有什么目标和抱负年复一年出现在你的脑海中？你希望这样的模式继续下去吗？这些长期的兴趣就是线索，让你知道有什么是你可以加倍努力，许下重诺的。

就算你现在才二十多岁，或者更年轻些，你也会有一些你已经建立好了的模式。有哪几条线一直在你人生路上交叉穿插呢？如果你能加以认真对待并为取得真正的成果而实实在在地作出五年之约，你会取得怎样的成就呢？