赖得芸 辅仁大学

Pressure vs Passion: To Strive, or to Dream?

When I was little, my grandma told me if I shut my eyes and blew on a dandelion puff, all my wishes would come true. At that time, I wished to have more pocket money. I wished to have my parents’ company. And then I wished to enter a good high school. I wished to be a ‘it girl’ at school. But dreams sometimes begin in expectations and ends in frustrations. When my dreams didn’t come true, I turned to my grandma and she said I just hadn’t done it right.

“Dream” is different for everyone. I dream to be an actress. Yet, so many difficulties lay ahead to block my way, my parents’ opposition, financial problems, uncertain outlook, just to name a few. When lost in contemplation, Robert Frost’s poem “The Road not Taken” runs through my mind “…two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” I ask myself “Am I ready to make a difference and recognize the difference?”

I love jogging. Striving after dreams is like jogging with a destination on a predetermined route. In the beginning, I usually jog with a fast, long stride at a steady pace, trying to keep my breathing even. But, after 30 minutes, I start to plod wearily along the road. I feel fatigue and my mind goes blank. However, with my destination ahead, I can always find back strength and energy to move on. Each run brings fatigue. But it also tells me more about myself. So does striving. I can reach the destination as long as I succeed in bearing the pain. I can achieve this goal as long as I manage to clear away every obstacle.

I am a dreamer and a doer. To achieve my goal, I work hard but I don’t succeed all the time. I just cling to a saying: “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” After all, this is what I have: “youth and guts.” Last semester, my classmates and I gave a performance at school. I failed to play the leading role. Despite a bit frustration, I swallowed hard and resolved to give it my best shot. I remembered that day my knees were like jelly and my cheeks twitched violently. I felt shameful and wondered if I am timid in a small contest, can I attain my goal and become an actress? I chose to hang on and do my best. The moment I became resolved, my chest was filled with warmth and radiance, melting away all the tension. Surprisingly, “the best actress” went to me. I then realized that you never know what you are going to get out of life unless you live it up. Dream requires persistence.

All in all, I learned not to panic and lose sight of my priorities in the face of pressure. Instead of balking at pressure or shying away from challenges, I should face it, tackle it and coexist with it. Besides, I go jogging and swimming. I watch movies and listen to music. I value these hobbies that guide me through daily struggle. In a competitive society, there are some people who merely daydream, and there are some who float around the harsh realities; and then there are still some who turn one into the other. That’s me. I believe one day after countless tries my dream will become “a reality”. And on that day I can tell my grandma I have finally done it right.