I was sitting in a beginner calligraphy (书法) class when a student asked the teacher, “What do I need to become a professional calligrapher?” The answer, to our surprise, was pen and paper. “The materials are no different from those of a beginner calligrapher,” the teacher explained, “The difference between a beginner and a professional calligrapher is not in the tools they use, but in the time and efforts they put into learning and practising.”

The same goes for any professional at their skill. When we look up to the expert, we think that increasing the quality of materials or having excellent resources is what makes them great. Actually, the time they spend learning something new and achieving their goals is more important. However, we tend to look for a shortcut, a direct way to achieve the goal.

My current goal is to become an independent filmmaker. What would it take? What would I need to make the best movies? I too, wanted the shortcut. After watching online videos about filmmaking, I realized I had all that I needed to achieve my goal. It just took time and efforts to succeed.

We easily get caught in wasting time looking for a shortcut. In the end, we lose energy and motivation (动机). We do things to go fast rather than go far. We focus on the end result instead of allowing ourselves to enjoy the journey. Go for it. Reach farther to become your best self.

4 . In the Hollywood movie The Martian, actor Matt Damon plays an astronaut who grows food on Mars (火星) to survive alone on the red planet.

After seeing the movie, Washington State University physicist Michael Allen and University of Idaho food scientist Helen Joyner decided to carry out a case study helping students figure out how to farm on Mars. In the case study, students had to imagine they were mining on Mars and decide how to feed themselves there before starting on the journey. They got advice from Allen and Joyner on how to select crops and take the challenges of growing crops over long periods on Mars. Students used a scoring system to select three foods to plant on Mars.

Allen found the results impressive: among 30 students, “no two people have ever gotten the same answer”, he said.

Human travelers to Mars will likely have to make use of resources on the planet rather than take everything they need with them on a spaceship. This means farming their own food on another planet, one that has a very different ecosystem (生态系统) from Earth’s.

One challenge for those who would like to live on Mars is the fact that there can be no farming tools. Like real astronauts, students taking part in the study cannot take farming tools with them. As Joyner put it to his student astronauts, “You are starting with nothing.” Besides, students also have to deal with a very limited choice of diet. “If you had to eat a single food for the rest of your life, could you do it?” Joyner asked.

But Allen believes the case study is about more than farming and eating on the Red Planet. “I’m not teaching about growing food on Mars,” Allen said, “I’m teaching about living with choices. I’m teaching about problem solving.”

5 . Many families take their children on vacation. They will usually travel for a few days or weeks during school breaks. But Mr and Mrs Smith have planned a longer vacation with their two children. The Smith family is on a one-year trip around the world, and they planned to visit 30 countries in all. Right now, the four travelers are about halfway through their trip.

Mrs Smith says they are trying to see as much of the world as they can. Mr Smith says one of the most interesting experiences of the trip has been meeting new people. He says people have been extremely friendly, very welcoming and love their kids. Eleven-year-old Tyler says he has enjoyed learning about the people they have met. He says, “I learned in Africa that people have very different lifestyles.” His sister, Kara discovers that she likes Thai food. Mrs Smith says that the trip teaches the children a lot.

The Smiths made good preparations for the trip. They did a lot of research, choosing destinations and arranging accommodations. Mr Smith uses unpaid leave. They carry small bags filled with lightweight clothing and whatever else they need. Mrs Smith says she enjoys being able to carry everything she needs on her back. “What has become important is making unforgettable memories as a family and taking ‘those’ with us instead.” The Smiths will continue to head east for the next six months.

6 . I would often watch the kids from my window as they played basketball. One day, among the children a girl ________ me. She seemed so small as she pushed her way through the crowd of boys. They always tried to stop her but no one could. She ________ to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the basket. Later I often saw her practise alone until dark.

One day I asked her ________ she practised so much. Without hesitation, she said, “I want to go to college on a scholarship (奖学金). The only way I can do that is to play basketball well enough. My dad always says to me that if the dream is ________ enough, nothing could stop me.”

I ________ her through junior high and into high school. One day in her senior year, I saw her ________ in the grass, head in her arms. ________ I asked her what was wrong. She said softly that she was too short. The coaches told her that she would probably ________ get to play for a top college team — much less be offered a scholarship.

Sensing her ________, I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were ________. They didn’t understand the ________ of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to ________ for a top college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, nothing could stop her ________ one thing — her own attitude.

The next year, the girl was ________ a full scholarship to a NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to ________, which she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.