You can get pretty in life without being smart. You won’t, however, get anywhere with poor social skills.

One reason is that social skills can only be developed in a social atmosphere (氛围). So unless you plan to live on a lonely island for the rest of your life, you need to learn how to get along with other people. Otherwise social awkwardness (难堪), difficulty in meeting people and being unable to communicate your ideas will hurt you no matter who you are.

On the other hand, having great social skills can be helpful in almost any situation. If you can easily make friends, share your thoughts and understand other persons’ feelings, these abilities can make you better at almost anything you do.

Genes (基因) certainly play a role in how outgoing you can be. But social skills, like reading and writing, can be trained. You aren’t born able to read, why do you expect any other skill to develop automatically?

Several years ago, if you had told me social skills were in your genes, I would have believed you. I had few close friends and had difficulty sharing my ideas. I spent most of my time, lonely. Finally, I was tired of the way things were and tried to change them. I joined Toastmasters to work on Public Speaking. I started writing every day and I put myself in new places to meet new people. No improvement took place at once, but you can hardly see any marks of my old life now.

In the history of the modern Olympic Games, there used to be a mission (使命) of always striving for No.1 and always surpassing (超越) others. Many people can only think of “faster, higher, and stronger” as the Olympic spirit. But I think, there are also more humane (人性化的) ideas in the modern Olympics.

Self-improvement is a part of sportsmanship (体育精神) that a country must hold. At the 16th Winter Olympics, Ye Qiaobo was injured but kept fighting, winning silver medals in both the 500-meter and 1000-meter speed skating events. By winning the first ever Winter Olympic medals for China, she not only stood for herself but also showed the potential (潜力) of China.

Gratitude (感恩) can be reflected at anytime, even in sports competitions. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, US speed skating star Joey Cheek won the 500m gold medal. He donated all of his winnings to a refugee relief organization (难民救济组织) because he had received help from others. It was his turn to express gratitude.

It is also a part of sportsmanship to be brave and never give up. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Pita Taufatofua was the only athlete for Tonga. He worked hard to overcome difficulties.

“People give up way too easily; they look for the quick-and-easy method,” he said.“The reality is that you have to go through the valley (山谷) to reach the mountain…”