Find your favorite. While many athletes are good at several sports, there will usually be one they are best at. Which sport are you most drawn to? Your favorite will make your work seem like play as you become a professional athlete.

Learn that even though you love the sport that is your favorite, it won’t be easy to become a professional athlete. You must be not only very talented (有天赋的), but also very serious. You must have the drive and dream to keep you going on. This needs a strong will. You’ll need a positive feeling.

Train long and hard, starting at a very young age. Little league, private lessons, high school and college teams can all help you to become a professional athlete. Of course, training will be different depending on the sport you choose. Any sport will need long hours and years of practice if you want to make a living as a professional athlete.

Study all the strategies (策略)and rules of your game. Watch videos of your performances. Look for your weak areas so you can work on improving.

Take care of your body by eating well and getting enough rest. Good nutrition (营养)and good rest will help to keep your body healthy. Nutrition and rest also play a key role in keeping your mind smart. Stopping smoking will also help keep your body in good health.

Be a person of honesty. You’ll be a role model for young children everywhere you go.

Brian arrived at the San Francisco airport two hours before the flight to Paris. He was wearing three shirts, a jacket, two pairs of socks, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of jeans. He was carrying one small backpack, which was very full, but he didn't have any other luggage(行李). Brian needed to meet a man named Tony before he checked in (办理乘机手续) for his flight. He found Tony near the Air France counter. Tony gave him a round-trip ticket and a small package.

"Give this package to Jean Paul at the airport in Paris. He will have a sign with your name on it. I think you can find him easily," Tony said, "You don't have any luggage, right?"

"Only this backpack," Brian answered. "You said I could bring one carry-on bag."

"That's right. One carry-on bag is fine. Have a good trip."

"Thanks."

Is Brian a criminal (罪犯)? Not at all. He is an air-courier. And he paid only $110 for the round-trip ticket to Paris. Air-couriers get cheap airline tickets because they take important packages and papers to foreign countries. Businesses sometimes need to get packages and papers to people in foreign countries by the next day. Often, the only way they can do this is to use an air-courier company. It is not cheap for a business to send a package with an air-courier, but it is quick.

Every year about 80,000 people worldwide travel as air-couriers. The number of tickets for the air-courier travel is growing by about 10 percent a year. However, air-courier travel isn't for everyone. But if you have very little money, you can be flexible (灵活的) about your travel plans, and don't mind wearing the same clothes for a week, it can be a great way to take a vacation!