About half of all American adults (48%， according to a Marist polltaken in December) say they are at least somewhat likely to make a NewYear's resolution this year. Their top vows: to lose weight (19%)， quitsmoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Sound familiar?

　　2009年12月份的一份调查问卷表明，有近半数的美国人今年都制定了新年决心。排名前三的是：减肥(19%)、戒烟(12%)和锻炼(10%)。这些决心听上去是不是很耳熟呢？

　　But there may be hope for resolution-makers yet.So whatever your ultimate goal for 2010, experts suggest success maydepend on tempering your behavior, not aiming for temperance, and offerthe following tips。

　　但这些决心有时或许只是人们一厢情愿的想法。怎样才能将这些决心保持下来并付诸实施呢？专家给您支几招。

1. Don't Kid Yourself

勿自欺欺人

　　The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Youneed to know the difference between enjoying yourself andself-medicating. It's not that self-medicating is necessarily bad — butyou should give yourself parameters。

　　最重要的事情是要对自己诚实以待。你得知道自我消遣和不遵医嘱自行用药的区别所在。这不是说自行用药绝对不好，但你得给自己一个尺度。

2. Quit Cold Turkey — Temporarily

断然戒烟——只是一时的

　　Theoretically, there are very good reasons to take a breakfrom a behavior. The best way to stay on course is frequentself-monitoring; use as many behavior-modification tools, supportgroups。

　　理论上讲，打断某种行为需要有很好的理由。在规定的过程中，最好的方法是经常的自我反省。你最好尽可能多的利用行为矫正工具、支援小组。

3. Don't Try to Scare Yourself Straight

切勿自己吓自己

　　Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victoryis a better incentive than the agony of defeat. Punishment is a poormotivator. It sets people up for failure. If all you do is punishing yourself for failure, you won't stay motivated to change for very long。

　　有研究表明，长期以来，胜利的愉悦要好于失败的痛苦。惩罚可不是有效的激励机制，它会让人们有挫败感。如果总是为失败而自我惩罚，那你就没有改变的动力了。

4. Get Better Friends

找几个好朋友

　　Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate thosearound them. Social support is critical to changing all kinds ofbehavior. Good friends can not only help you through slip-ups, but theycan also help keep your New Year's resolution from taking over yourlife。

　　自觉不自觉的，人们总会模仿他们周围的人。来自社会的支持对改变行为习惯能起到至关重要的作用。好朋友不仅能帮你改正错误，还能让你始终保持你的新年决心。所以，走出去，多交几个知心朋友吧。

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