1 . There’s a great example of the power of persistence(坚持) in the way Chinese bamboo grows. When farmers plant the seeds and _______ the soil day after day and year after year, they see no _______ results. Four years can go by before they see any _______. But in the fifth year, a bud(芽) _______ through the soil and it’s said this particular type of bamboo can grow ninety feet in five weeks. This begs the question: Is the bamboo _______ to an overnight success doing all that growing in just five weeks, or does it take five years for the bamboo to reach this _______?

Of course, the bamboo is growing the whole time even though it’s not _______ to anyone other than the _______ farmer. Over the first four years, the bamboo is busy developing a solid root system necessary to _______ its height and weight over a life time. But in the fifth year, all the earlier __________ becomes obvious as the bamboo actually grows before your eyes. __________, this story shows the power of persistence. The farmer’s __________ attention is vital for the bamboo to grow ninety feet and achieve this great result.

As Angela Duckworth shares in Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, our natural talent gives us a(n)__________ when it comes to achieving success. __________, talent on its own is not enough and we all know people who don’t __________ their own potential. Rather, our effort __________ so much more than talent when it comes to achieving a goal. And like the bamboo farmer above, sometimes our effort needs to persist for a long time before we see any __________.

__________ sustained effort is easier when we are passionate(充满激情的)about what we do. When we __________ our work on a sense of purpose and meaning, we are better prepared to use the passion and the persistence to __________ the great results we are capable of achieving. How can you find meaning in your work?