I’m born a sentimental people. More often than not, I’ll think of my past and sigh for the lost. I’ve lost the admission to my ideal college; I’ve lost the chance to take part in a world-famous algorithm competition; I’ve lost some much, much more important things better left unsaid here.
Scraps of memory make me painful, frustrations let me down, and then failures become excuses for my laziness. When ideal goals are no longer achievable, why work hard? Every time I’m about to give up as such, something will well up from my deep heart.
Just a month before the college entrance examination, a psychologist was invited to give us a lecture on preparing for the exam. He told us that he could not deny that the exam was a rather important one, which might, to some degree, determine our future development. But there were some crucial rules that one should always keep in mind. “You may not have the chance to choose the best, but you are always welcome to make the optimum.” He wound up his speech with these words. And these words, I treasure.
Yes. Everyone has his ideal. But not every dream can come true. When a dream shatters, I have to reconcile. I have to reconcile because there is no other choice. This reconciliation makes me painful, yet makes me grow. Past has passed. I’ve got better things to do than dwell upon the past. When best is no longer achievable, my focus should be on the optimum. Of course, optimum bears no comparison with best; but the former is still realizable. Attempting something unrealizable is like living in the fantasy; grasping the chances still available is the only rational choice.
But even this optimum is not something I can take in my stride. I’ve to pay a lot though the outcome is unpredictable. I’ve to work hard when others are resting, to refrain myself from entertainment when everybody is amusing themselves. Sometimes I may gain less than those who don’t pay so much. And the discouraging results may make me slack at my work for a while. But I have to revive as soon as possible, because I know while endeavor doesn’t ensure optimum, slack means total failure. I may be exhausted, but I shall never be overwhelmed.
The retrospect is always depressing and the future is yet to come. I’ll never have the right to retrieve the best, but I can always strive for the optimum!