You may or may not think you live in a competitive world. But if you look around you in your personal and professional lives, you will see there is competition on many levels. Personally, you compete for resources, material goods, time, attention, and energy. Professionally, you compete for jobs, promotions, clients, customers, recognition, and dollars.
你生活在一个充满竞争的世界中——你可以承认或者予以否认。但是，如果你环视自己的私人生活和职业生活，你会发现有多种形式的竞争。从个人来讲，你为了资源、物质、时间、被关注和能源等竞争。从职业来讲，你为了工作、晋升、客户、消费者、名誉和金钱竞争。

Where do you find yourself in competition on a daily basis? Is it in finding a good parking space at the post office? Or getting a good starting time on the golf course? In business do you find your competitors cutting prices to compete for your customers? Do you see new businesses opening that compete with you by having more current technology and products?
在日常生活中你会在哪里找到处在竞争状态下的自己呢？是不是在邮局门口寻找一个好车位的时候？或者是在高尔夫球场得到一个好的其实时间？在工作当中，你是否发现你的竞争对手正在为了得到你的顾客而降价？你是否看到新的公司开业与你竞争，他们拥有更多当前的技术和产品呢？

In our personal lives, merchants compete in a cutthroat race for our business. Ads on television and in magazines and newspapers tell us what we should buy. In two hours of prime time TV you might see ads for two to three different brands of cars. In grocery stores, there are no less than 50 different breakfast cereals competing for space in your shopping cart. And when you go into a bookstore, don’t you feel like every book is competing against the others for your attention?
在我们日常的生活中，商人们为了得到我们的消费而进行着残酷的竞赛。电视、杂志和报纸上的广告告诉我们该买什么。在观看电视的黄金时间中的两个小时里你有可能看到两到三种不同品牌汽车的广告。在食品杂货店里，会有至少50种不同的谷物在竞争您购物车中的一席之地。再来看看当你走进书店的时候，你难道没有感受到好象每一本书都在争先恐后地夺得你的青睐？

In our everyday lives we encounter competition. Which items on our to-do list can we get done today? Which movie should we see? Which friend should we hang out with? Which shirt should we put on today? With more and more stuff in our lives and more and more options for activities to choose from, we face a highly competitive world every day of our lives.
在每天的生活中，我们都将遭遇竞争。哪些列在计划单上的项目是我们可以完成的？我门会看哪部电影？我们会和哪位朋友一起逛街？今天我们要穿哪件衬衣？要从生活中越来越多的物质材料中进行选择，要在越来越多的行为中进行选择，在每天的生活中我们面对的是一个充满高竞争的世界。

How can you stay sane and make good choices? How can you come out ahead when faced with competition in all areas of your life? I suggest you consider these daily practices that will help you keep your edge in a competitive world.
你如何保持冷静并作出明智的选择呢？当你面对生活中各个领域中的竞争时你如何突出重围呢？我建议你考虑一下这些日常的练习，它们可以帮助你在充满竞争的世界中立于不败。

1. Stay on top of your industry
1 走在行业的尖端

To compete in the business world you must know what is going on in your industry. If you work in the publishing world, for example, you need to know what types of books people are buying, where readers are buying books, and what the next trends are. You do this by reading trade journals, attending conferences, and talking to key people in your industry. If you’re a business owner, such as an accountant, you need to keep up on tax laws and any changes in your industry and you need to keep your entrepreneurial skills sharp. You will definitely be able to keep your competitive edge if you stay informed. For your daily practice, read an industry journal every day.
想要在商业界竞争，你必须要了解行业里在发生些什么。假如你在发行业工作，你需要知道人们会买什么种类的书，读者们在哪里买书，下一个趋向是什么。通过阅读商务杂志，参加会议，与行业中的关键人物保持沟通会使你了解这些问题。如果你是一个企业家，比如，一名会计， 你需要精通税务法律并且了解你所在行业里的任何风吹草动。你也必须保持作为一名企业家的职业敏锐。了解更多的信息，就必定能够保证你的竞争力。所以，请把每天阅读行业杂志作为你的日常训练。

2. Keep educated
2 掌握更多的知识

You can’t compete if you’re not the best at what you do. Some industries have ongoing education, such as the beauty field. Most hairstylists take seminars continually as hair styles and cutting techniques change. Read books, take classes and seminars; hone your skills, and learn a new skill if you want to advance in your company. Education will provide you with a strong edge above your competition. For your daily practice, read a book or study some educational material.
做到最好，才有竞争力。一些行业有持续教育，比如美容界。大部分的发型设计师们会参加一些有关发型和剪发技巧的转变的研讨会。如果你希望在行业中处于优势，那么就去读书，上课，参加研讨会以学习一些新的技能，提高你的能力。教育会给你带来强大的竞争优势。所以，请将读书和学习教育资料作为你的日常训练。

参加外教免费试听课，加强你的职场英语口语>>

3. Review your goals daily
3 每天审视你的目标

With all the options competing for your attention, how can you make informed choices? I’ve often advised my coaching clients to measure these alternatives against their goals. If you have a goal to lose 10 pounds and you are looking at the foods competing for your attention in the grocery store, you may choose the ones that fit your goal of losing weight. If your goal is to get a promotion at work, and you have competition for the job, you might need to learn a new skill to give you the edge. If your goal is to reach a certain income level in your business and the competition is cutting prices, you could develop a new product line to gain the edge. Your daily practice is to read your goals each day and use them to help you make decisions from the competing choices and to stay ahead of your competition.
如何能够在所有吸引你的选项中选择出正确的一项？我常常建议我所辅导的客户们衡量这些选项作为他们的目标。如果你决定要减掉10磅，当你看着食品杂货店中那些吸引你的食物，你可能会选择有助你达到减肥目的的那些食品。如果你的目标是得到晋升，并且你已经开始为此而努力，那么你可能需要学习那些给予你竞争优势的新技能。如果你的目标是在行业中达到某个收益水平，可是竞争却在减价，你就应该开发一条新的生产线以获得你的优势。你的日常练习就是每天都审视你的目标，并且让它们来帮助你在竞争选项里做出决定，从而是你在竞争中保持你的优势。 

4. Stay healthy
4 保持身体健康

It’s difficult to maintain a competitive edge if you’re not mentally and physically fit. You need clear thinking to determine your actions. You need physical energy to take on the competition. What you will do as a daily practice is up to you, but here are some suggestions. For mental fitness you might start the day repeating 5 positive affirmations that put you in a positive mindset for the day. An example would be: “I am excited about all the challenges I face each day with ease and victory.” To stay fit physically, do a morning stretch routine, jump on a trampoline, or take a 2-mile walk. Also, choose foods that energize rather than exhaust.
不做一些适当的精神和体力劳动是不会让你在竞争中保持优势地位的。你要保持清醒的头脑去决策你的行为。你要有足够的体力去承担竞争。你可以做一些你想做的日常锻炼，不过我们有一些建议。心理上来说，你可以每天重复5个积极地想法作为你一天的开端。这些想法可以让你保持一整天的积极态度。举了例子来说：“我很高兴对于我能轻松地战胜每天的挑战。”在身体上来说，习惯性地做一些晨练，跳蹦床，或者走两公里的路程。还有一点要注意的，选择那些给予你体力的食物。

5. Take a risk
5 敢于冒险

What can you do each day to stretch yourself? To keep an edge up on the competition, you need to do new things and do things differently. What are you afraid of? What’s holding you back? What are your limitations? Do something each day that moves you out of your comfort zone. Drive a new route to work, pack a new lunch, wear a new combination of clothes, talk to a stranger, read a newspaper you’ve never read.
为了解乏平常你会做些什么？为了保持在竞争中的优势，你就要做一些新的或者是不同的事情。你害怕什么？是什么阻碍了你？你的极限在哪儿？每天做一些事使自己走出你的舒适区。另辟一条上班的路，带一份新式午餐，穿不同类型的衣服，和陌生人聊一聊，读一些你从来没有读过的报纸。在日常训练中，你会做些什么来帮助你在一个充满竞争的世界里保持住你的优势呢？