如果你想工作的有效率并持续进步，需要什么样的品格特质呢？某种程度上讲，取决你做的工作，但是有一种品质是任何人都需要的，那就是毅力。
最新调查显示，在一个人毅力不坚时，往往失去他人的信赖。
当你的老板不信任你时，你错失了重要的委派任务、升迁甚至是以自我方式工作的自由。当你失去同事的信任时，便无法从他们身上得到有效影响你决策的信息。调查显示，人们不会信任那些意志力薄弱的人。我们信赖一个人，是因为他在面对困境或诱惑时，表现出抵制诱惑，做出正确选择的毅力。因而，如果你想成功，试着培养自己的毅力吧。
得到他人信赖的秘诀：毅力
自控能力犹如人身体中的肌肉，如二头肌与三头肌一样，毅力时刻变换着其力量，这种变换不仅是整个人的改变，而且还是时刻进行着的。人的二头肌在强壮的过程中总会产生疲惫，随后变为胶状，毅力的“肌肉”训练也是如此。
即使是每天努力做决策或试图留下好印象，这类活动就像应对事业和家庭压力一样，都会削减毅力这一珍贵的资源。当你一次攫取太多，或持续时间过长，毅力的源泉就会枯竭。而甜甜圈（香烟或坏脾气）就是在这一刻将你击败的。
因此，如果真想抵制诱惑，你需要做的第一件事，就是接受毅力是有限的这一事实。如果你把所有的毅力都用在对付工作上，那么到头来你就没有多少利益可以坚守决心了。想想什么时候你最容易感到疲惫和脆弱，然后制定计划使你免受伤害。准备一些帮助你替换诱惑，免除压力的方法。
好消息是，毅力的耗尽只是暂时性的。休息一段时间，然后回到战斗状态。研究发现，当无法休息时，你可以通过回想你所知的毅力强大的人，加速你毅力的恢复。或者，你可以通过某种愉快的方式让自己轻松下来。
毅力另一方面像肌肉的地方是，如果你经常锻炼，它可以变强。近期的调查表明日常活动如锻炼身体、记录开支状况或饮食情况——甚至是每次提醒自己坐直身体 ——都可以强化你的毅力。例如，一项调查中，收到免费的健身房会员资格，并坚持2个月每天参加一个锻炼项目的人不但身体变得健康了，而且吸烟和饮酒的次数都减少了，垃圾食品的摄入量也减少了。他们更能控制自己的脾气，不太可能冲动消费，不会把碗碟留在水槽中，不会将事情拖延，错过约会的次数也逐渐减少。实际上， 他们生活中需要用到毅力的方方面面都发生了戏剧性的变化。
因此，如果你想要增强毅力，从选择（或拒绝）一项活动开始，这项活动应该适应你的生活你的目标——包括任何一件需要你一次又一次克制自己冲动和欲望的事，并将其整合到你的日常行动中。一开始会困难，但如果你能坚持，它将逐渐变得容易起来，因为你的自制能力将得到加强。
在懂得了意志力的工作原理，以及如何进行改善后，还有什么理由不在今年，将困扰你的问题一劳永逸地解决掉呢？
Which character traits do you need to have if you want to work effectively and get ahead? The answer depends, to some extent, on the kind of work you do – but there’s one trait that everyone needs to have if they want to succeed, and that’s trustworthiness. Technically, it’s not so much being trustworthy, but being perceived as trustworthy, that matters. You can be as honest, fair, and reliable as the day is long, but if nobody else sees you that way, it won’t help you.
When your boss doesn’t trust you, you don’t get key assignments, promotions, or the latitude to do things your own way and take risks. When your employees don’t trust you, you don’t get their best effort, or all the information you need from them to make good decisions.
If you want other people to believe that you are trustworthy, you should be aware that you may be seriously undermining that belief if you appear to lack self-control. New research shows that people just won’t trust you when you seem like you might have a willpower problem. If you think about it, this makes a lot of intuitive sense. We trust people because we know that when things get hard, or when it might be tempting for them to put their own interests first, they’ll resist temptation and do what’s right.
Studies show that when you engage in behaviors that are indicative of low self-control, your trustworthiness is diminished. In other words, all those things you know you shouldn’t do – smoking, overeating, impulsive spending, being lazy, late, disorganized, excessively emotional, or having a quick temper – may be even worse for you than you ever realized, because of the collateral damage they are doing to your reputation.
So if you want to be trusted, you’re going to have to conquer these trust saboteurs. To do that, you’ll need to understand how willpower really works, and how you can get your hands on some more of it.
The Secret to Earning Trust: Willpower
Your capacity for self-control is like the muscles in your body. Like biceps or triceps, willpower varies in its strength, not only from person to person, but from moment to moment. Just as well-developed biceps sometimes get tired and jelly-like after a strenuous workout, so too does your willpower “muscle.”
Even everyday actions like decision-making or trying to make a good impression can sap this valuable resource. So can coping with the stresses of your career and family. When you tax it too much at once, or for too long, the well of self-control strength runs dry, no matter who you are. It is in these moments that the doughnut (or the cigarette, or your hot temper) wins.
So if you are serious about resisting your unwanted impulses, start by making peace with the fact that your willpower is limited. If you’ve spent all your self-control handling stresses at work, you will not have much left at the end of the day for sticking to your resolutions. Think about when you are most likely to feel drained and vulnerable, and make a plan to keep yourself out of harm’s way. Decide, in advance, what you will do instead when the impulse strikes.
The good news is, willpower depletion is only temporary. Give your muscle time to bounce back, and you’ll be back in fighting form. When rest is not an option, recent research shows that you can actually speed up your self-control recovery, or give it a boost when reserves are low, simply by thinking about people you know who have lot of self-control. (Thinking about my impossibly self-possessed mother does wonders for me when I’m about to fall off the no-cheesecake wagon.)
Or, you can try giving yourself a pick-me-up. I don’t mean a cocktail – I mean something that puts you in a good mood. (Again, not a cocktail – it may be mood-enhancing, but alcohol is definitely not willpower-enhancing, nor trust-enhancing). Anything that lifts your spirits should also help restore your self-control strength when you’re looking for a quick fix.
The other way in which willpower is like a muscle (and the really great news for those of us trying to rid ourselves of a trust saboteur) is that it can be made stronger over time, if you give it regular workouts. Recent studies show that daily activities such as exercising, keeping track of your finances or what you are eating – or even just remembering to sit up straight every time you think of it – can strengthen your capacity for self-control. For example, in one study, people who were given free gym memberships and stuck to a daily exercise program for two months not only got physically healthier, but also smoked fewer cigarettes, drank less alcohol, and ate less junk food. They were better able to control their tempers, and less likely to spend money impulsively. They didn’t leave their dishes in the sink, didn’t put things off until later, and missed fewer appointments. In fact, every aspect of their lives that required the use of willpower improved dramatically.
So if you want to build more willpower, start by picking an activity (or avoiding one) that fits with your life and your goals – anything that requires you to override an impulse or desire again and again, and add this activity to your daily routine. It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier over time if you hang in there, because your capacity for self-control will grow. Other people will notice the change, and trust you more.
Armed with more willpower and the trust of those around you, you’ll be more successful than ever before.
