Luck or Opportunity

張貼日期：Jun 22, 2011 10:32:51 AM

Luck or Opportunity

Jean Huang

      Oprah Winfrey said, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” Someone also said, “The secret of success lies in your being ready when opportunity knocks at your door.” Those quotes tell us that nobody is the really lucky person; people have to prepare adequately for the opportunity.

      When I was a junior high school student, our school always held an English speech competition every semester. Each class had to choose two to three people to take part in this contest; our teacher selected the top three people who were qualified for the contest. Unfortunately, I was the fourth in my class. I was sad because I lost the opportunity to participate this competition. I had not only written the manuscript already but also memorized it fluently.

      On the day of the speech contest, the teacher suddenly ran into the classroom in a hurry. She said, “One of the top three people got a bad cold; we need to seek another competitor.”A student said, “It’s too late to seek another one, teacher. There is no time to prepare the speech manuscript.”The teacher said, “It’s okay; The school prepared some subjects for us. In addition, they also gave us one hour to prepare for it. Now, who is willing to be the volunteer?”I thought it’s a chance to recommend myself; I raised my hands. My classmate had a word in my ear, “Are you sure? This will be a difficult task; even though the school prepared the subjects for you, there is no adequate time for you to prepare your contents.”I said, “It is not an improvisatory job to me; I have prepared it for a long time.”

      The teacher looked at me and said, “You’re the fourth in our class; I thought you had the ability to take this mission. Furthermore, you are lucky. The school has prepared the subjects for you; you only need to prepare the contents. The school also gives you one hour to make a draft; this advantage is really good for you.”I whispered to teacher, “I have already had my own manuscript, and I can go on the stage right now.”The teacher looked at me with surprise, taking me to the performing scene. Finally, I got the second place.

     After this experience, I realized that if I had not prepared beforehand, I had not any courage to raise my hand. Even if the teacher nominated me, I still didn't have the courage to execute this mission. Although the conditions were favorable for me, I could not accept it in a casual way. Some classmate said that I was lucky to win this prize, but I knew this prize was not a lucky symbol to me. It was a sign to tell me there was no luck to me in this world; only when I am well prepared can I run into an opportunity.