文︰子慧
知己知彼，百戰百勝。知道自己和對手的優缺點，自然會增加取勝的機會。但現實生活中，「知彼」可能會比「知己」容易。旁觀者清，要了解對方可憑客觀的細心觀察，但了解自己就要過自欺這一關。
Delusion解錯覺、妄想。To be under delusion是有錯覺。Delude是動詞，解欺騙。Delude others是騙人，self-delusion就是自欺。Psychology: Essential Thinkers, Classic Theories, and How They Inform Your World的作者、臨牀心理學家Andrea Bonior說，自欺是人之常情，人人都會不時對自己說謊，而這未必是壞事。
Plenty of these lies are harmless or even beneficial, as we try to lessen the friction that daily life can generate（產生）. But what about the lies we cling to more stubbornly（頑固地）, the ones that become ingrained（根深柢固的、難以清除的） and that influence our behavior in ways that might not be for the best?
Harmless是無害的，beneficial解有益的。日常生活不會事事如意，有些自欺的謊話可以幫助我們減輕因摩擦而產生的不快，但有些自欺的話卻有害處。自欺的想法是改變和改善的絆腳石。
拖得就拖
其中一種自欺法是：
Tomorrow, I’ll start fresh. Today I might as well not try.
明天我會從頭開始，重新上路。所以今天什麼也不要做，連向前試走一小步都不需要。這是典型的「明日復明日」的心態。
And of course it digs an even deeper hole for you to get out of tomorrow. This mindset（心態、想法） is classic all-or-none-thinking, where you convince yourself you need a perfectly clean slate of a fresh day （or a fresh year!） in order to make some positive changes.
Slate是用來寫字的石板，to wipe the slate clean解既往不咎，或把以往的過錯（或不和、債務等）一筆勾銷。”A perfectly clean slate of a fresh day”是新一天從頭再來。要改就一次過改，若要逐小的、一步步的改進就不如不改。這種就是”classic all-or-none-thinking”，典型的「非全有即全無」心態。不過，這隻我們哄騙自己、裹足不前的謊話。
But, think about it: why? Why isn’t progress（進步） at 8:56 pm the same as progress first thing in the morning? If you’re looking to keep your house organized, save your money, exercise, eat healthier foods or be kinder to your loved ones, you only make it harder to reach that goal by refusing to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you – right here, right now, no matter how far “gone” the day seems.
若要做得好一點，改變一些不良的習慣，這一刻開始與明天早上或一月一日開始又有何分別呢？拖的結果就是做不成。
意志力不足
第二種常見的自欺方法就是對自己說：”I just need more willpower.”（我需要更大的意志力。）
Yes, self-discipline（自律） is an asset, and plenty of successful people seem to benefit from having truckloads of it. But lots of other people have increased their productivity（生產力） and happiness simply by changing their environments, making it easier for them to adopt the habits they want.
與其等自己慢慢培養意志力，不如藉助環境，例如覺得自己花錢太多，可以把不必要的信用卡剪掉；不想半夜睡覺時仍不斷check smartphone，就索性別把電話帶上牀。
大家都以為很了解自己，但細心想想很多時影響行為的心理因素不易察覺。多了解心理學可以幫助我們了解和控制自己的行為。
