Many years ago, I bumped into an old friend of mine. He had devoted his life to acting but had never been quite successful. In his middle age, he seemed defeated and sad.
I thought of his dogged (顽强的) perseverance. Was it smart or foolish? What could he have achieved? Had he quit his dream of acting and moved on? Our culture does not look kindly upon quitting. Failure is perfectly acceptable as long as it eventually results in success.
We chant (反复喊着) "Winners never quit" and "If at first you don't succeed, try again. " We lap up (欣然接受) stories of persistence, of the author who submitted stories for years before her novels were published or of the athlete who trained since childhood to win gold at the Olympics.
Persistence pays off when it is rewarded with success, but it does not reward every person. For every JK Rowling, there are thousands of aspiring writers who will never get published. For every Olympic athlete, there are innumerable (无数的) others who trained every day of their lives and never made the cut.
We all agree that doing the same things and expecting a different result is unwise. So why do we believe that persevering through failure after failure is a good idea? We consider quitting in the face of failure to be weak. We believe that perseverance is the key to success. Perseverance is only one part of success. You need talent or skill, as well as passion and drive. Luck and timing are also key to any great success.
Our society believes that anything is possible, as long as you "believe". But not everyone can make it. Quitting when you' re not ahead is sometimes the smartest thing to do. Obviously, if you enjoy a pursuit, regardless of its outcome, you should continue. If you knew your novel would never be published, would you want to write? If you could never be a champion swimmer, would you still train? Sometimes, it is wise to put your energy into something else.
Failure is not always the path to success. Sometimes, failure is the door to something new.
