很多人都說,毀掉一首心愛歌曲的方式是什麼?把它作為起床鬧鐘的鈴聲!基於同樣的道理,當一個人把自己的愛好變成職業,愛好就不再是興趣,而是變成了一種毒藥。那麼問題來了,你認可愛好和職業是魚與熊掌不可兼得這種理論嗎?開言英語學員Kenny在Talk演講比賽中以《Hobby and Profession》為主題,結合自身經歷對這個大家關心的問題進行了解答。
Kenny目前是一家體育網際網路公司的體育營銷經理,也是一名喜歡英語的足球狂熱愛好者。他對於足球的有多熱愛呢?長達20年的時間!並且這種熱愛會隨著時間的推移而不斷增加。
在Kenny10歲的時候,有一次,老師讓班裡所有的學生一起在教室裡觀看中國隊的比賽。球員們精湛的足球技巧以及他們之間的精妙傳球配合深深吸引了年幼的Kenny,從那一刻起足球就像一顆種子種在了Kenny的心裡。
當時的Kenny剛剛意識到這是世界盃,是足球世界裡的最高殿堂,也是中國隊的巔峰之作。Kenny有一種很強烈的感覺,那就是將來他和足球之間還會發生更多的故事。也就是從那時起,足球成為了Kenny生活中非常重要的一部分。如果別人在外面遇見他,他要麼是在踢足球,要麼就是在去踢足球的路上。
後來,隨著大學畢業,Kenny也遇到了和很多人一樣的選擇,或者說難題,是該找一份報酬豐厚的工作還是追尋心中的夢想。經過一番思考之後,Kenny決定尋找一份和足球相關的工作。經過半年多時間的嘗試和努力,他最終應聘上了一份做體育運營的工作。
但是,在父母的眼中,公務員,醫生和律師這樣的穩定工作才是適合Kenny的。為了這件事,Kenny和父母發生過眼中的爭吵,甚至還差一點離家出走。隨著時間的推移,Kenny也明白了父母的良苦用心,他們只是擔心自己不能很好的應對逆境。
帶著對工作的熱愛,Kenny在7年的時間裡已經從一名稚嫩的新手成長為可以帶領團隊舉辦職業足球賽事的人。在這期間,他曾多次在國際比賽中擔任英語翻譯,並有機會與之最喜歡的球星見面。每當看到觀眾為比賽歡呼時,每當得到團隊和合作夥伴的認可時,Kenny都會更加得堅定。
誰說我們不能把業餘的愛好變成自己的職業?如今,對Kenny來說,他的愛好不僅僅是職業,也是前進時最大的推動力。Kenny用自己的親身經歷告訴大家,愛好完全可以變成自己的職業,並且可以做的非常出色。
為了能夠讓廣大學員能夠快速提升英語能力,尤其是口語方面的表達,開言英語除了在線上建立了一套包含面試、商務談判、西方婚禮禮儀、客戶關係維護、外出旅遊等50多個英語常見場景專輯,500多項針對場景的英語核心能力知識點,以及超過2000節付費課程及近1000節FM課程的學習系統,母語沉浸式英語學習環境當中之外,還積極組織和發起Open粉絲見面會、開言Talk演講比賽、WeMeet英語角這樣可以面對面溝通、交流的線下活動,旨在通過讓學員大膽開口說英語,勇於自我表達提升英語能力。每次活動,都會吸引到大量學員的踴躍參與。
最後,送大家一個彩蛋——Kenny的英語演講稿,你能把他完全翻譯出來嗎?
Hello everyone, nice to meet you here. My name is Kenny.
I am a sports marketing manager from a sports internet company, and I am a huge fan of football.
Before I start my speech, I would like to ask you some questions. Has anyone maintained a hobby for 20 years?
Oh, I see so many hands. Maybe. Okay, so how many people have turned your hobbies into professions?
Cai Kangyong once said that you should never turn your hobby into a profession.
Well, I did. And I wish to use my own story as to prove that turning your hobby into a profession can actually bring you much more than you can imagine.
The story began when I was 10 years old. Our teacher asked all the students to watch the Chinese team's game in the classroom together.
The superb football skills of the players and the exquisite passing between them fascinated me deeply.
It was then I realized that this was the World Cup, the pinnacle of the Chinese team.
And I had a strong feeling that there will be more stories between me and football in the future.
Since then, football has become an important part of my life.
If you meet me outside, I am either playing football or on the way to play football.
When I was about to graduate from college, I was stuck with a question that everyone would encounter, that is what I am gonna do in the future.
To settle with a job that pays well, or to follow my heart and pursue my dream?
Then I suddenly realized that I didn't have to compromise at all.
Why can't I just try to find a job in the football industry?
Since then I have made up my mind to find a job in football.
I tried every way I could think of to look for such kinds of jobs.
I sent resumes to every company that related to football, went to the job fairs every day.
After nearly half a year of continuous searching, I finally did it. I got an offer in sports operation.
It may seem bland to others, but only I know what this job meant to me.
You may ask: Kenny, have you ever thought of giving up?
Sure, I have.
When I realized the expectations given by my parents were different from my dreams, my faith got shaken.
In the eyes of most parents, stable jobs such as civil servants, doctors and lawyers are the best choices for their children.
My parents, especially my father, found my hobby rather meaningless. And I fought in a silent way by refusing to communicate with him.
Over time, the misunderstanding grew like a snowball, and an inconspicuous argument made the quarrel broke out like an avalanche.
I had never seen my father so angry before, scolding, cursing, venting out loud his anger that had been repressed for such a long time.
This job had never been truly accepted by my father, and my persistence was just pale and weak.The idea of "running away from home" came into my mind.
Well, if you can't understand me, then I'll leave.
When I was leaving, my father was gasping and tried his best to hold my hand and urge me to stay.
Only then did I notice the wrinkles on my father's face. I asked myself, how long had it been since the last time I took a good look at my father’s face?
How long had it been since the last time I had a genuine conversation with my father?
I turned around and saw my mother weeping silently. I hesitated and I felt empty and lost.
"Am I wrong? Is it really worth my persistence?"
That was really a tough day. Two villains were fighting in my head. One said, Kenny, you have to face the reality. Another said, Kenny, you have to follow your heart.
How do I choose? Since then I hadn't talked to my father for a very long time.
My mother would still call me occasionally and ask me how I was doing, did I need money.
It turned out that what they were actually afraid of was that I couldn't handle adversity, so they insisted on letting me choose a more secure job.I finally understood them.
And I told myself that I must work even harder and prove to my father that I can lead myself to a better life by doing something I truly love.
For seven years, I have grown from a newbie to someone who is now able to lead a team to hold professional football games.
I have also worked as an English translator in international competitions for many times and have been given the opportunities to meet with my favorite stars.
Every time I see the crowd cheering at the game, every time I get the recognition from my team and partners, I would become more and more certain of myself and know that my persistence finally pays off.
Who says you cannot turn your hobby into a profession? For me, my hobby is now not only my career, but also my biggest driving force.
In the past seven years, I travel for work a lot. Even though I mentioned my progress in work many times when I was at home, my stubborn father still didn't say any words of approval for my work.
However, when I share photos of my work to the family's WeChat group, he always holds the mobile phone and carefully looks at each photo, and nods silently. This moment is worth a thousand words to me.
At this point, my story is almost over.
As you can see, I am just an ordinary person with ordinary life experience, so my story may not be exciting enough. But that's okay, isn't it?
Because the most important thing is that I want you to know that, although it is not easy to find your inner hobbies, but perseverance will surely result in unexpected gains. We may all be ordinary, but we can be our heroes through hard work and perseverance.
If I can do it then you can do it! Thank you!