摘要:自信的价值毋庸置疑。事实上，研究显示人们看重自信更甚于实际能力。

No one doubts the value of confidence. In fact, research shows people often prefer confidence over actual expertise.

G. Richard Shell teaches at the Wharton School and his book Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success, out in paperback this week, has a great chapter on how to be more confident.

自信的价值毋庸置疑。事实上，研究显示人们看重自信更甚于实际能力。

理查·谢尔现任教于沃顿商学院，他著作的《跳板：启动你的个人成功搜索》一书的平装版于本周与读者见面，书中有很精彩的一章内容是关于如何变得更加自信。

Here’s what you need to know.

以下是大家需要知道的。

1. Surround Yourself With People Who Believe in You

1. 和相信你的人一起

I’ve posted a lot about how the power of context can improve behavior. And people are a part of that.

我发过很多关于环境的力量如何提升行为的论述。而人，也是这环境的一部分。

When you’re told you’re good by someone you respect, you believe it. Partially it’s aplacebo effect. But that’s perfectly fine.

当你尊敬的人告诉你你很棒的时候，你会相信他。部分地讲，这也是一种安慰效应。但这种感觉真的很棒。

This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you believe you can do it, you work harder. When others believe in you, they push you harder.

这就创造了一个自我实现的预言。当你相信自己可以的时候，你会更加努力。当别人相信你的时候，他们会更尽力地推动你前进。

Together, these things make you do better — so you have a reason to be confident. And then next time, confidence comes easier.

所有因素一起作用都会让你做得更好—所以你有理由变得自信。然后下一次，自信来得更加容易。

Via Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success:

以下来自于《跳板：启动你的个人成功搜索》：

The phenomenon of transferred expectations, also called a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” occurs for a combination of two reasons. The person holding the expectation treats the other person differently, giving him or her more challenging work to do. This leads to more learning. At the same time, the person receiving the suggestion accepts it as an accurate assessment of his or her ability, and that in turn increases the level of effort the person gives.

期望传递，也被称为“自我实现的预言”。这种现象的产生是由两个原因共同引起的。心怀期望的人对待其他人的方式是不同的，他会给其他人更有挑战性的工作，从而让人可以学到更多。与此同时，接受工作建议的人会将这看作对自己能力的准确评估，反过来也会付出更多努力。

The lesson here is plain: you should understand the power of being in a high-performing/ high-expectation social environment versus a low-performing/ low-expectation one. Your social setting can strongly affect what you believe is possible— and that will affect your confidence, the effort you expend, and the results you achieve.

其中的道理很直白：要懂得高表现/高期望的环境与低表现、低期望相比所能赋予的能量。你所处的社交环境会很强烈地影响你的信念—而信念会影响你的自信，你付出的努力，和你获得的成果。

2. Focus On Learning

2. 专注于成长

When you focus on learning, failure is just a part of the process and won’t shake your confidence.

当你集中注意力在学习上时，失败只是过程的一部分，不会动摇你的自信。

Tests are not a gauge of self-worth or unchangeable, innate ability. They’re a measure of how much improvement you’ve made.

测试不是对自我价值或者固有天赋的评估，而是对你的进步的估量。

Building on the research of Carol Dweck, you want to have a “growth mindset”: Measure yourself by effort, not by results.

根据卡罗尔·德伟克的研究，你需要有一个“成长的心态”：用付出去评估自己，而不是用结果。