下面这句名言或许能激发你挑战自我的兴趣：
There’s this famous quote that can spark an interest to challenge yourself within you:
“If something that you’re doing doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you.” Unknown
“如果你做的事情毫无挑战，那么你也将毫无改变。”——无名氏
Of course, since every one of us has room for improvement, this can also mean if you don’t change yourself, then you can’t be responsible for changing your situation in life. You can never see any improvement in your life if you stick to your comfort zone. We all need a healthy dose of normal stress in our lives, after all. We can only see what we’re really capable of if we make the effort to go over our pre-conceived limits. Don’t limit the challenges you encounter in life - challenge the limits that your “lizard brain” crafted instead:
当然，每个人都有提高的空间。这也表示，如果不改变自己，你也就无法改变你的生活境况。如果沉溺在舒适区，你永远也不会看到生活有所改观。要知道，生活中我们都需要适量的正常压力。只有努力战胜预想的极限，我们才能发现自己真正擅长什么。不要限制生活中遇到的挑战——而应挑战大脑设定的各种极限。
1. Learn a new language.
学一门新语言。
Hangul, Nihonggo, French, Filipino, Mandarin, Spanish: these are just some of the languages you can discover as you strive to challenge yourself. Learning a new language isn’t just another way to pad your resume; if you really get into it, you can even use this skill to tutor on the side and earn extra cash.
韩语、日语、法语、菲律宾语、汉语、西班牙语：当你准备挑战自己时，可以尝试学习这些语言。学一门新语言并不只是为了丰富简历；如果你全心投入，或许还能靠这个技能做家教挣点小钱。
2. Figure out what you’re scared of – and do it for one week consistently.
弄清自己害怕什么，然后坚持尝试一周。
If you’re in sales, and you’re scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, then you have a problem. You can’t just relate with your clients online, can you? Now, instead of crippling in fear and automatically thinking you’ll fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call to a prospect. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, you may embarrass yourself. And yes, someone may hang up on you. But don’t stop on the first try just yet! You’ll get the hang of it eventually. After a while, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, “Go on, I’m not scared!”
如果你从事销售工作，却很害怕跟人当面或电话交谈，那可就有问题了。你不能只通过网络联系客户，对吧？现在，不要再畏缩害怕，不要再不自觉地认为会做不好，每天至少花5分钟拿起电话联系某个潜在客户吧。没错，这让你感到害怕。没错，你可能会出糗。而且，也会有人挂断你的电话。但是，千万不要刚尝试就放弃！因为最后你肯定能做到的。不久，你就能直面恐惧并告诉自己：“来吧，我不怕！”
3. Take a class for a hobby you’ve been wanting to pursue.
报培训班学习一直想发展的爱好。
Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and de-stress while performing this. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and graphic designing online.
确定这个爱好跟工作无关；在从事这项爱好时，你必须能够解压放松。类似爱好可以是烹饪、缝纫、绘画或网络平面设计。
Aside from helping you challenge yourself now, taking a class for your hobby can also give you extra income if you learn how to monetize it. (You get plus points if you take the class with a loved one. This way, you combine bonding, boosting your income and challenging yourself.)
如果你懂一点生财之道的话，参加爱好培训班除了能帮你挑战自我，还可以为你带来额外收入。（如果你是和心爱的人一起参加，你不仅能挑战自我、赚外快，还可以增进彼此感情。）
4. Attend one career-related seminar a month.
每月参加一场职场类研讨会。
Don’t settle for your current job position. Aim high in your career. Of course, with that aim, include in your action, too. Book conferences that are relevant to the industry of your profession. There, absorb the lesson. Ask sensible questions. And don’t forget to connect with the attendees and the keynote speakers. Sometimes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” may be a reality.
不要满足于当下的职位。将职业目标定高一些。当然，除了目标，还要拿出行动来。预定和自己职业行业有关的会议，然后在会上多加学习，多提合理问题，并且，别忘了和其他与会者以及重要发言人保持联系。有时候，现实就是“重点不在于你知道什么知识，而在于你认识什么人”。
5. Make a realistic budget and find out how you can cut back on something so you can invest more.
制定合理预算，想办法削减某些部分，以便加大对其他方面的投资。
Challenge yourself to step out of your current budget and develop a better budget for yourself. Money management is not about what you make – it’s what you do with what you make.
挑战自己抛开现在的预算，然后制定一个更好的。财务管理不在于你能挣多少钱，而在于你能用挣到的钱干什么。
- So, produce a budget on paper, or in an Microsoft Excel file.
所以，在纸上制定一个预算吧，用Excel也可以。
- Identify the item you’ve been spending so much money on.
找出自己开销比较大的方面。
- Cut back on that item so you have more money to put in your emergency fund or in your investment fund.
然后削减在那方面的开销，这样你就有更多钱用来投资到应急基金或投资基金里了。
6. Dedicate at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.
每天至少花9分钟锻炼身体。
You don’t need to go to the gym, you know. A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood or an intense dance routine done in your living-room can do wonders for yourself. Aside from the obvious reason that exercise can help you maintain your regular weight or shed those unnecessary pounds, it can also aid in making you feel better about yourself by releasing endorphins.
要知道，你不一定非去健身馆不可。绕着小区跑步9分钟或者在卧室集中跳一段热舞，其实也能帮你维持正常体重或甩掉赘肉，而且还可以通过释放内啡肽让你感觉良好。
7. Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.
旅行——敞开心胸认识新朋友。
We’re not talking about the expensive kind of travelling here. Something cost-effective like going to your local museum or visiting the resort in the next city can all count as travelling! Here, don’t just limit yourself to your fellow travelers – try to connect with the service staff, like the lifeguard, or the receptionist, or the tour guide. You never know what kind of people they’re going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. Start now and learn to challenge yourself from time to time. We all need a little push once in a while.
这里说的不是那种要花大把银子的旅行。像参观本地博物馆或邻市旅游景点这种花钱少的方式，也可以称为旅行！请不要只去认识同行的人——试试搭讪一下救生员、接待员或导游等服务人员吧。你永远不知道自己将会认识什么样的人呢。到外面或在网上报班学习吧。现在就开始学习时不时地挑战自己。我们都需要时不时地推一把。