Written by: Third-year student Cai Lin
On November 21st, the College Day lecture featured a book discussion on "Atomic Habits," led by the translator, Professor Cai Shiwei. This was my first time attending a session where the translator personally shared insights into the book. As the translator, he is likely one of the most meticulous readers of "Atomic Habits" in the world, so I was curious about the content the speaker would bring.
The lecture began, and since "Atomic Habits" is an immensely popular bestseller both domestically and globally, the speaker did not need to spend much time on introductions. Instead, he directly displayed the book's key message—"Ignore Goals. Focus on Systems."—in black and white on the slide. This short phrase may seem simple, but to put it into practice requires overcoming the human tendency to focus on goals and the desire for quick results. The speaker pointed out that this tendency is often the reason we cannot truly make lasting changes. This is because the goal or task is ultimately separate from us, and the outcome usually results in either hitting a specific target or failure. In contrast, the approach of "I want to run five laps every day" versus "I want to become someone who loves exercise" is the latter that allows the change to transcend a moment and become part of one’s character.
Teacher Cai then introduced several principles mentioned in the book, and after personally practicing them, he believes they are truly effective methods. The one that left the deepest impression on me was "Showing Up Even on a Bad Day." Using running as an example, if you usually run one kilometer, but one day you feel extremely tired and want to rest, if you still manage to run even one lap or simply walk to the running track, it will greatly benefit the development of your habit. This is even more helpful than maintaining a steady one-kilometer jog. The speaker also supported this idea with his own experience in translation work. This made me, someone who often finds excuses, reflect on whether I can still make an effort to maintain a habit, even in the most unfavorable circumstances.
I am very grateful to the Whole Person College for inviting到Teacher Cai Shih-wei to lead the reading session. With his humorous and sincere tone, he shared his personal experiences and the similarities and differences with the theories in the book, allowing us to read and practice *Atomic Habits* from a different perspective!
Link to the news report by our campus reportershttps://pr.ntnu.edu.tw/news/index.php?mode=data&id=21206
