Last semester in my final year of high school, I had a kind teacher whom I can never forget. I was not the best student when it came to writing tests. I had to work extra hard to get good marks, although I enjoyed learning. Anyway, this class that I truly enjoyed still had me struggling to do well on my tests. My teacher willingly helped me and was always willing to answer my questions, and I greatly appreciated it. He was a remarkable teacher, always reaching out to students and helping them achieve their greatest potential.

I remember the day of writing my final exam, I was the last one still writing in the exam room as always, reviewing my exam paper, while everyone else had already finished and left the room. After turning in my exam-paper, I started to leave the classroom, but decided to turn around and say what I had meant to say.

What I did right then was that I sincerely thanked my teacher for everything. What I said to him lastly meant a lot more to him than I thought it would —“I really enjoyed this class.” I did not think much about it. I was just being honest with him, but the look on his face was remarkable. He seemed really touched and appreciated my simple comment, just knowing that one of his students had truly enjoyed his class. That is what I call a simple, yet very meaningful act of kindness to brighten a teacher’s day, because they work so hard for us and truly inspire us to learn.

It is what we say and do to show concern to others that can make somebody else’s day extra special. I believe that a simple praise can mean a lot more than one can think.

Albert was an ordinary worker in an oil company in America. His workmates gave a nickname(绰号) “Four dollars a bucket (桶)” to him, for he was always used to leaving an advertisement of his company “Four dollars a bucket of oil” below his name whenever and wherever he wrote down his name.

As time went by, people forgot his real name. Later, when Rockefeller, the board chairman of the oil company, heard of it, he was very surprised, so he invited Albert to come to his office.

“Some people give you a nickname for ‘Four dollars a bucket’. Why aren’t you angry?” asked Rockefeller with some puzzlement in his eyes. “Oh! Mr. Rockefeller! I like this nickname very much, because ‘Four dollars a bucket’ is our company’s advertisement. As long as someone calls me ‘Four dollars a bucket’ once, I think it’s a free advertisement for our company. I have no reason to get angry. Don’t you think so, Mr. Rockefeller?” “Oh! What a fantastic man!” Rockefeller said excitedly when hearing Albert’s words. “Young man, work harder! You must succeed in the future! I believe in you!”

Five years later, Albert became the second board chairman after Rockefeller. Later Albert said in one of his reports, “I don’t think we should feel frustrated when we have no way to do the world-shaking things. We should treat everything actively because maybe our future success will begin with a small thing!”

The Importance of Failure

When the world-famous author J.K. Rowling gave a speech at a Harvard University graduation ceremony, some may have a little surprised by the topic she chose: “The Benefits of Failure”.

Rowling’s first novel was rejected by 12 publishers before it was finally published, yet paradoxically, it was this experience that helped her to succeed: “【小题1】. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had expected.”

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs experienced failure early in his career, when he was fired form the company he had co-founded. 【小题2】. However, it was, in his view, “the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life.”

Even Bill Gates has experienced failure. His first company was called Traf-O-Data, but unfortunately, its product didn’t work. It was a total disaster. But what Gates learnt from this experience helped lay the groundwork for the global success that is now Microsoft. He didn’t make the same mistake twice.

Talented fashion designer Vera Wang has built a global fashion empire, yet life wasn’t always so straightforward. A dedicated ice skater as a young woman, Wang was bitterly disappointed when she did not make the 1968 US Olympic team. 【小题3】. After 15 years at the magazine, she was passed over for promotion to editor-in-chief. However, this setback prompted her to set up her own bridal fashion label. The rest is history.

【小题4】. Twice failing the college entrance examination at home, Lee turned to study drama in the US, but his poor English prevented his form becoming an actor. After being accepted for a directing major, Lee spent six years looking for opportunities to direct a film, but was only asked to look after filming equipment. He then spent most of his time writing plays which were rejected by more than 3- companies within two weeks. During six years with no income, he had to depend on his wife. In the end, whit his wife’s encouragement and his determination, all his efforts finally paid off.

All these individuals share something in common: At tough moments in their lives, they showed grit. But what is “grit” exactly? Put simply, it’s a passion for something and the determination to work hard and to stick with it. 【小题5】.

So. how can we become “grittier”? This is where the importance of failure comes in” If we can learn how to manage failure, we’ll learn how to succeed. By working through a series of failures, we’re better prepared for the bigger challenges we’ll face int the adult world: We’ll have the resilience we need to keep going. We’ll have true grit.