To Have a Not-to-do List

Like most people, you probably have a to-do list to help you finish a task. However, I would also suggest you make a not-to-do list. This list works well with the to-do list and it might be even more important. Let me explain.

This is Mike. He loves video games and plays them every day. But he also has an important exam coming up. So Mike puts studying on his to-do list. That day, Mike picked up the books and studied for half an hour. Then he took a short break and played some games. However, he got so into the game that he played for three hours.

The next day, Mike took on the challenge of studying in a different way. He decided to make a not-to-do list as well. And what he wrote down was, “No video games until 7:00 pm.” Mike went to study, did it for half an hour, and then took a break. However, he didn’t get on his computer like the day before because he didn’t allow himself to play at that time. Instead, he drank a glass of water. Then he returned to studying for three hours more on that day.

Mike realized that having no restrictions (限制) was the problem. He was always choosing between work and free time. Because enjoying himself was an easier choice, hardly any work got done as a result. So Mike made a not-to-do list.

Sometimes what you choose not to do matters more than what you decide to do. We shouldn’t just limit our “bad” behaviors but our “good” behaviors as well. For example, practicing the piano could be considered a good habit. But when you have other more important things in the moment, the piano becomes nothing more than a distraction (注意力分散). However, there’s one thing that should never end up on your not-to-do list. That is to learn something new every day.

4 . I have a question for all of us. Is all winning success? Winning is really, really fun. But I am here to share my idea: Winning does not always equal success.

All around the world, we have created the win-at-all-cost culture. As a society, we honor the champion (冠军). We cheer for those people who win championships. Winning at all costs has become acceptable. We have become so focused on that end result instead of the process, and particularly when the end result is a win, usually how we got there often gets swept under the proverbial rug.

We need to redefine (重新定义) success. Real success is developing champions in life for our world, win or lose. We may be able to plan our way to a win, but we can’t plan our way to success.

Back to 1990, when I was first made the head coach of the UCLA Women’s Gymnastics Team, the best I could do was what other “successful” coaches had done. So, I became tough-talking and mean. I acted like a head coach whose only thought was to figure out how to win.

After putting up with me for a few years, our team asked me for a team meeting. And for over two hours, they gave me examples of how my arrogance (傲慢) was hurtful. That was my time-out, and I chose to change. I realized that I needed to support our student athletes as whole human beings, not just athletes who won.

It is so much easier to give orders than to actually figure out how to motivate (激励) someone to be better. And the motivation takes a really long time to take root. The key ingredient was to develop trust through patience and honesty.

Let’s think about what you are talking with your parents on the car ride home. Are they focusing on the end result? Are you excited to use that time to show you are a winner? All of you care too much about the end result instead of your steps of learning.

We are all coaches in some ways. We all have the responsibility to develop champions in life for our world. That is what real success looks like, and that is what we call a win-win.

5 . As teenagers (青少年), you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize, or they can be small. You may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class. Once (一旦) you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?

Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making our dreams real is our life’s biggest challenge. You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects, or that is impossible for you to become a writer. These kinds of thoughts stop you from making your dream real. In fact, everyone can make his dream come true. The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want. Do this step by step and your dream will come true faster because a big dream is, in fact (实际上), many small dreams. You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties (困难) on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of (代替) watching TV will bring you better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book. If you don’t have dreams, you won’t make up your mind (下决心) to learn something more useful and find new hobbies (爱好).

6 . Most people around the world are right-handed (右撇子). This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B.C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population is left-handed.

Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person’s two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person’s hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.

No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged when they are born. However, this doesn’t happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene (基因) for right-handedness, he/she may become either right-handed or left-handed according to the chance and the people they work or live with.

Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don’t have to.

7 . Nowadays, some schools teach traditional subjects like math, geography, and language, but they also teach life skills(技能). Life skills classes teach students how to keep their rooms clean and tidy, take care of their health, and have healthy personal relationships(关系). Some people say these classes prepare students better for life in the real world. But other people say these classes aren’t important. Students should only pay attention to how to get into university. What do you think?

Some people like the idea of teaching life skills in schools. They believe that life skills classes give students what they need to know to live on their own, whether they go to college or get a job after high school. They help prepare students for everyday real-life situations, such as cooking a meal and managing money. Many of these classes also teach “soft skills”, like how to listen and talk to people in a positive(积极的) way, which are important in the workplace and in personal relationships. As students learn more life skills, they become more confident in themselves.

On the other hand, some people argue that there is no time for more subjects at school. They think it’s more important to teach traditional subjects than life skills at school. Many students choose not to take life skills classes because these classes don’t improve their chances of getting into university. People also think it should be the job of parents to teach their kids what they need to know at home.

Personally, I think we already learn many life skills while doing traditional subjects. For example, we learn teamwork by doing group work, and organizing(安排) our homework teaches us how to use our time well. I believe all schools should teach life skills. It would not need too much work because there is no need to teach them separately(分开地) from traditional subjects. This will make sure that students are better prepared for college and work when they leave school.

8 . Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more. Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature (生态平衡). Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems. For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks (老鹰), the farmers stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied (繁殖) quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger. Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid (禁止) the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

10 . Take a look at the children around. They are all dressing in baggy-pants (宽松裤) drinking soft drinks such as coke and reading Japanese cartoons. Whether you are in Beijing, Wuhan, Hong Kong, you will get the same impression (印象). But should we copy others or should we keep our differences?

It sounds convenient (方便的) that people around the world speak the same language, dress in the same style, eat the same food and play the same games. If the world was like this, you wouldn’t feel strange in any place of the world. But just imagine living in such a world. How colorless it would be!

Different kinds of food that people can taste, the colorful and fashionable clothes that we dress in and different languages we speak are all part of the different cultures that our ancestors (祖先) left us. These differences show their creativity (创造力) and talent. And we all enjoy different cultures in our daily lives. When you travel to other places, you want to see different things. When you talk to foreigners, you hope to listen to interesting stories. These differences in culture make our life colorful.

But with the development of globalization (全球化), the whole world is shrinking into a small village and many different cultures are disappearing. In most big cities around the world, people wear the same clothes. Fast food stores are everywhere. Hollywood movies are kicking traditional (传统的) arts out of our lives. The colors of our lives are disappearing.

There is a joke that even the panda and zebra want to live a colorful life. So let’s take action to protect our colorful culture before it becomes as simple as black and white.

It’s not difficult. We can learn different kinds of songs, try on traditional clothing and even eat food from different places instead of going to KFC. These can help. And we’re sure you will enjoy it.