Taking Action
开始行动

I'm a firm fan of good personal development books, blogs, audio programs, seminars and so on. A great writer (or speaker) can open your eyes up to new ideas, give you just the advice you need, and genuinely change your life.
我是一个坚定的粉丝——喜欢读各类个人发展的书，博客，音频资料，演讲等等。一个伟大的作者（或者演讲者）能开阔你的视界，给你适中的建议，真诚的助你改变生活。

The problem is, most people don't get as much as they should out of the material they read.
问题是，大多书人并不能从他们所读的书中获取很多。

It's very easy to nod along in agreement with a writer or speaker. You might feel inspired or even determined while you're reading – only to end up forgetting all about those insights you had.
很容易点头赞同一个作者或者演讲者。读的时候，你可能受到鼓舞甚至下定决心——读完就忘的一干二净。

To help yourself take action:
为了真正有效，你应该采取的行动：

Get clear about what you want to learn or change. You're probably not just reading a book or blog post out of general interest: there's a specific situation in your life where you want to improve something. What's your goal?
弄清楚你想学什么或者改变什么。你不应仅仅出于兴趣读一本书或者博客：生活中有一个特殊的东东是你真正想提高或改善的。目标是什么？

Choose good material. Ask friends to recommend their favorite blogs or books, or check out reviews on Amazon. You want solid content and a style which makes it easy for you to read.
挑选好资料。看朋友推荐的一些喜欢的博客或书，或者看看亚马逊的书评。你要一个有硬料的书，风格最好有助于你读。

Read with a notebook in hand. Jot down questions which occur while you're reading, or any new ideas or insights. Make a particular note of anything you want to try out for yourself – a new way of managing your time, for instance.
读的时候手边放个记事本。记下阅读中碰到的问题，或者任何新想法或思考。对任何你想尝试的东东——例如一种新的时间管理方法——在书上做一个特殊的标记。

Set aside time not just to read but to act. Try writing down one to three steps to take every single week, based on what you've been reading.
读了之后一定要花时间去执行。根据你所读的，试着写下一到三步可以在每周实行。

So – you've just read this post. Don't let it be yet another piece of good advice that you promptly forget: instead, take a minute now to figure out what you're going to do differently next time you pick up a personal development book.
所以——你已经读了这篇网志。别让它又成为一个你不就就会忘掉的建议：现在就花两分钟去找本个人发展的书，你下次肯定会照着尝试的书。