Pain is the best teacher of youth

Chapter 9 Every setback is a new starting point (2)
no one can stop your efforts

In the year of the high school entrance examination, my goal was the No. 10 middle school in the county, but unfortunately after the results came down, I fell short by [-] points.In desperation, I had no choice but to go to a township middle school with poor conditions.

I haven't laughed for a whole summer.When school was about to start, when I walked into the dilapidated middle school with simple luggage, I felt even more depressed, even a little desperate.The conditions here are worse than I imagined: the classroom is dark, the tables and chairs are tattered, there is no heating, there is only a broken stove, and there is a lack of water and electricity.It is said that originally there were a few good teachers here, but they all tried to transfer them away. The foreign language teachers who were finally hired are now thinking about how to transfer to other schools.Looking at the students around me, almost all of them came here to get a high school diploma, and they had no idea of ​​going to college at all in their minds.

I really regret coming here. If I had known this, I might as well go and repeat it.Staying in this ghost place for three years, even if you work hard, it may be in vain.With this kind of thinking, I naturally lost confidence in my future. I was listless in class, confused in my homework, and often held a novel to pass the time.Just when my classmates and I were struggling to get by, a teacher appeared and broke the deadlock.

There was a shortage of Chinese teachers in high school, so the school specially hired a retired old teacher surnamed Zhang.That day, Teacher Zhang walked into the classroom slowly. After introducing himself, he did not open the Chinese textbook, but unfolded an oil painting for us.The painting looks very simple: on the vast desert, a lonely traveler is driving a camel with difficulty. Unique perseverance and perseverance.

The title of the oil painting is - "Out of the Desert", I repeated these words in my heart over and over again.How vast the desert is and how harsh the environment is, the traveler in the painting can't complain, he can only walk hard without thinking about anything else.

Teacher Zhang looked at us affectionately, and said slowly: "Students, I hope you remember that no matter when and where, no one can stop your efforts." Have a cool breeze.With gratitude and understanding, I nodded to Teacher Zhang, and when I looked up to see the rough and old blackboard in front of me, I felt kindness.After that, I wrote two words on every book: work hard.

I no longer complain about all kinds of bad things in the school, and I no longer picky on the teaching level of the teachers. The time I save is all devoted to my studies.Previewing, listening to lectures, doing homework, and reviewing, life suddenly became busy and fulfilling.Later, several young teachers who had just graduated came to the school, and there was a youthful atmosphere in the classroom.My grades have risen steadily, and in a county-wide unified examination, my grades even squeezed into the top ten.I finally saw hope, and I believed that if I continued to work hard, I would not only be able to enter the university, but also enter the ideal university.

Teacher Zhang, who teaches Chinese, had a profound influence on me.Under his affectionate narration, the poems and songs really moved me and made me have a strong interest in literature.I started trying to write, Teacher Zhang gave me serious guidance, and then my works began to appear in newspapers, and that distant dream of being a writer gradually became real.When I showed my parents the certificates of awards and the newspapers and periodicals that published my articles, they were both happy and shocked, and said: "I didn't expect that! It seems that as long as you work hard, you can succeed no matter what kind of environment you are in." promising."

A miracle really happened.Three years later, I was successfully admitted to a well-known university, and several of my classmates were admitted to good colleges and universities inside and outside the province.This caused a sensation in the local area. You must know that most people have no hope for this township middle school, but after learning that there are a few college students here, they also began to pay attention to this dilapidated school. Also began to improve school conditions.

After college, I still kept in touch with my high school classmates.One day by chance, I received a letter from my classmate Zhang Ran. He complained to me that life in college was really boring, he had no goals to strive for, and the people around him were not as easy to get close to as they were in high school. A top student, but now he has become a humble soldier...I know that he has fallen into the swamp of complaints: dissatisfied with the environment, the reality, and himself. Vigorous youth.

When I wrote back to him, I talked about the painting that Mr. Zhang showed us in high school - "Out of the Desert".I said: "No matter when and where, no one can stop your efforts! Circumstances and fate must be changed and reversed by yourself. Even under very bad conditions, there are still people who can feel joy and happiness, create A miracle worthy of life."

I said these words to Zhang Ran, but also to myself.I firmly believe that as long as you are willing and willing to work hard, you can definitely get out of the prison of the desert.

If you take too much care of your feathers and let them not be damaged, you will lose both wings, and never be able to fly again. /British Poet Shelley
One hundred setbacks is success
David Beckham, this name is probably familiar to most people.That's right, he is the famous English football star who is handsome and handsome on the football field and has attracted the shouts of countless fans. People affectionately call him "Xiaobei".

Some people think that playing football depends on interest and talent, but for Beckham, his childhood wish was not to play football at all, but to be a player in a cross-country sports car team.In this regard, his family is also very supportive, saving money and paying all the expenses for him, creating opportunities for him to realize his dream.

Not long after Xiaobei joined the team, the famous Essex cross-country competition announced that it would kick off in four months.For racers, this is a great opportunity.Regrettably, when Beckham learned the news, the time for registration had passed.Fortunately, the owner of the team was very courageous. He wholeheartedly hoped to use this opportunity to make his team famous. For this reason, he specially brought a generous gift to visit Mr. Huntry, who is the organizer of the competition.

The result of the visit was unsatisfactory. The other party did not accept the gift from the team owner and politely rejected his request.The team owner did not give up, and later sent several capable assistants to visit Huntley again, but he still failed to get what he wanted.After hearing about this incident, many runners in the team were also very depressed. Could it be that they really want to watch their opponents show off their talents in the Essex cross-country running competition and practice hard for a long time, but they can only be a bystander? ?

Beckham was well aware of the embarrassment of the boss and the frustration of his teammates. He volunteered and said, "Let me try! I believe that I can get this spot." Facing this young child, the team boss only thought that he It was young and frivolous, and said disdainfully: "You? Forget it! I was rejected even when I went to visit. How can you persuade him?"

"I promise, I can do it. However, if I can get the spot, I hope I can represent the team." Seeing Beckham's confidence, the boss readily agreed.

Beckham successfully found Huntley's home according to the address given by the boss.However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the villa, he was stopped by the nanny.He politely took out the team's business card and said to the nanny: "Please tell Mr. Huntley, I want to talk to him about racing." A few minutes later, the nanny came out and said: "I'm sorry, sir I've been here several times already, so there's no need to waste any more time." Although he was rejected, Xiaobei still smiled and said, "It's okay, please tell Mr. Huntley, I will come tomorrow."

Sure enough, on the second night, Beckham appeared in front of Huntley's villa again.At eight o'clock, he knocked on the door on time, and the person who received him was still the nanny from yesterday.Beckham smiled and said, "Please tell Mr. Huntley that I want to talk to him about racing." Seeing that the boy was sincere, the nanny couldn't bear to walk away, so she had to go in and report.

After a while, the nanny came out, shook her head, and said regretfully, "Son, Mr. doesn't want to see you, you'd better go!" Beckham replied, "I'll still come tomorrow."

For the next three months, Beckham would come every day.On weekends off, he even came to visit twice a day.But even so, Mr. Huntley never received him once.Unwilling to just give up like this, he decided to keep going.

On a rainy night, Beckham came to Huntley's house again.At this time, the nanny was already familiar with him, and she said: "My child, I have counted for you. Including this time, you have come here a full hundred times. But, sorry, our husband is watching the game. He shouldn't have time to see you."

Hearing that Huntley is a big fan, Beckham's eyes lit up, and he said to the nanny: "Please let me in, I want to have a word with Mr. Huntley in person, just one word." The nanny hesitated For a moment, but in view of the weather and the sincere attitude of the boy in front of her, she still took the risk and agreed.

Beckham walked into the hall and said, "Mr. Huntley, I'm not here to talk to you about cars today. Can we talk about football?" Mr. Huntley didn't come out, but it was obvious that he Reduced the sound of the TV a lot.Beckham knew that Mr Huntley was a little interested in what he had just said, and he began to talk about the current situation in English football and his own ambitions.

After a while, Mr. Huntley came out from the back room and said: "Young man, you have a deep understanding of football. For such a persistent person, I believe your future will be bright. I would like to talk to you about this time." The details of the race." Then, Beckham was invited into the study, and two hours later, they had already negotiated all the details of the Beckham team's participation in the Essex cross-country race.

A month later, the Essex cross-country race came as scheduled.Beckham won the championship with his outstanding performance.It didn't make him a professional racer, though.Many years later, he moved to the football field. Relying on this belief and persistence, his football career has also flourished. The free kick and long pass skills he practiced hard have also become the magic weapon for winning on the field.

Every time I interact with fans, someone asks the same question: "How did you succeed?"

In this regard, Beckham always said seriously: "In this world, there is no weapon more powerful than persistence. I want to give you a sentence, which is also a summary of my life: one setback is a failure, and a hundred times Failure is success.”

One setback is failure, one hundred setbacks is success. /England star David Beckham

Apples outside the wall are sweeter than those inside
This story takes place in Grand Havana, the capital of Cuba.

A 7-year-old black boy from a poor family, his father worked in a coal mine.He has to deliver three meals a day to his father every day, rain or shine, and each journey takes half an hour.On the way to the coal mines, he always passed a track and field where many kids around his age were training.He knew that it was a simple national training center in Cuba, and those children were preparing to participate in the National Games, the American Games and even the Olympic Games.

How much he envied these children in his heart, and how much he longed to have such an opportunity!However, the family was too poor to support him at all.The only thing he can do is to use the time of food delivery every day to lean on the wall and look inside.At first, the guards often came to chase him away. In order not to attract their attention, the boy deliberately found a place where there was an apple tree planted in the wall, and the leaves of the apple tree could just cover his thin body.The scene inside is really exciting, all kinds of intense training and competitions dazzled him, and he forgot the time several times.

After all, he was just a young child. Although he knew that the family conditions were not good, he still couldn't hold back his inner desire.After he returned home, he begged his mother to send him to school, and also named him and said he wanted to go to the playground for training.He likes sports, likes sports, and hopes to become a big star one day in the future.

The mother loves the child, but there is nothing she can do.She sighed and said, "Son, your father works hard in the coal mine every day, and it is only enough to support our family. There is really no extra money in the family. If you want to train, practice running! Every day , you can calculate the time it takes to deliver your food, if you can reach the coal mine in the shortest time, then you will be successful."

The little boy nodded to his mother and started his running journey.Every day, he ran wildly on the road, but when he passed the playground, he couldn't help but stop, and then leaned on the wall with the apple tree and looked in.It was not until it was almost time to deliver the meal that he reluctantly left.

After a long time, the apple tree also grew up, and many branches began to protrude outside, and many apples were formed on it.However, the apples outside the wall are always picked by passers-by before they are ripe, leaving only a few apples inside the wall rippling in the wind.The family didn't have any extra money to buy fruits. Looking at the attractive fruits, he thought he could bring some back to his mother.

While looking for apples on the tree, he suddenly found an unattractive apple on a branch outside the wall. He picked it off and took a bite, feeling very sweet.He thought: such an ugly apple is so delicious, the one inside the wall must be better!So, he jumped into the wall, picked a lot of beautiful fruits, and wanted his mother to taste this rare delicacy.

After returning home, his mother was very moved when she saw the apples he had picked back.Mother picked up an apple and took a bite.He was looking forward to seeing his mother enjoying the delicious expression, but what puzzled him was that her mother's expression was very weird.He asked, "Isn't it delicious? I just ate one that didn't look good, but it was too sweet!" His mother smiled and said, "No, it's delicious."

In the evening, he also ate one of those apples, and the sour taste made him grin.what happened?Are the apples outside the wall sweeter than those inside?He ran to his mother, hoping to solve this doubt.

His mother touched his head and explained: "The apples outside the wall have endured more hardships than the apples inside the wall. The outside of the wall is near the roadside, full of dust, and it has also experienced rain, snow, wind and frost, and it is inadvertently rubbed by passers-by. Pulling, this makes them learn to be tenacious, so the fruit they bear is even sweeter." He suddenly realized, nodded, and then his mother said: "Don't look at the apples outside the wall, they are small and inconspicuous, but As long as you grit your teeth and survive those tests, you will be able to grow into delicious fruits when they are ripe. The same is true for apples and human beings."

From that day on, he no longer missed the scenery inside the wall, and insisted on running every day.This persistence lasted for eight years.

What happened to him later?Tell you, he later broke the world record for the 110-meter hurdles and won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.This black boy is Roberts.

Everything you learn, every hardship you suffer, will come in handy at some point in your life. / Fitzgerald "Offshore"

(End of this chapter)