幸福是一种可以培养的技能Happiness Is a Skill You Can Develop
Naval： 提升幸福感的第一步，是意识到自己可以做到。很多人正是在这一点上栽了跟头。对绝大多数人来说，他们的幸福有一部分——很可能比他们以为的多得多——是掌握在自己手中的。
这一步并不容易。你可能会在这一点上卡很久。许多人相信幸福无法培养或改变，于是他们贬低幸福。他们说："好吧，我不想幸福。"
基因很重要，但它只占事情的一半
基因很重要。它在很大程度上决定了力量、运动表现和智力。但你的基因设定点只占其中大约一半。而幸福，或者说普遍的满足感，比这些要可塑得多。
光靠锻炼，我很难大幅改变自己的运动表现。在运动这个领域，我受基因的限制大得多。但像性情、人生观、内心的平和程度、多容易动怒这些，更多地掌握在我自己手中。
你并非被困在自己当前的幸福水平上
所以，幸福就像营养和健身一样，是一门技能。幸福是一门你能识别并培养的技能，随着你越来越擅长，它会慢慢结出果实。它不是上天赐予的。它不是塞到你手里、让你只能一直带着的东西——不过，如果你的起点本来就高，那当然要好好保持。
Naval: The first step to increasing your level of happiness is realizing you can. This is where a lot of people get tripped up. For the vast majority of people, some of their happiness—probably a lot more than they think—is in their control.
This step is not easy. You might be stuck on this for a long time. Many people believe that happiness cannot be developed or changed, so they devalue it. They say, “Well, I don’t want to be happy.”
Genetics is important, but it’s only half the picture
Genetics is important. It goes a long way in determining strength, athletic performance and intelligence. But your genetic set point is only about half of it. And happiness, or general contentment, is much more malleable than the other things.
It would be very hard for me to change my athletic performance dramatically purely by working out. I’m much more limited in that arena because of my genetics. But things like my temperament, outlook on life, how peaceful I am, how angry I get—these are much more in my control.
You’re not stuck at your level of happiness
So, happiness is a skill like nutrition and fitness. Happiness is a skill you identify and develop that slowly gives you results as you get better at it. It is not God-given. It’s not handed to you and now you’re stuck with it—though if you start with a high setting, by all means keep it.