Achievements

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Speaker 1: I was never a very ambitious student. I found most subjects difficult to follow. All I wanted to do was play tennis. My PE teacher understood my passion, and he agreed to give me extra tennis lessons after school. He'd been a tennis player in his youth, and he'd won a few tournaments, which I found very inspiring. We started with two lessons a week, but ended with a lesson every day. After about a year, I was getting ready for my first match. I trained very hard, but the hardest for me was gaining enough self-confidence to believe I could win. My teacher noticed that, and he began to work on my personality. Within a few weeks, I felt much more self-confident. I didn't win the match, but I won much more. I gained a lot of self-worth.

Speaker 2: When I was in middle school, I was very good at maths. I didn't need help from anyone to do even the most challenging tasks, which my teacher noticed very quickly. She asked me to take part in some maths competition, but I wasn't keen on the idea because I was not a competitive person. For me, competing with others was extremely nerve-wracking. My teacher insisted, so in the end, encouraged by my parents, I agreed to go for it. I had three months to prepare for the big day. What I was worried about the most was whether or not I would be able to overcome the anxiety. On the day, I was so uptight that I couldn't concentrate on the tasks very much. I didn't do very well in the end, which shocked everybody but me.

Speaker 3: I thrive on competition. Every time I can compete, I do. When I know there is a school competition coming up, I do my best to prepare for it. I study almost day and night, and I must say I love that. I feel the adrenaline in my veins, and this motivates me to keep on going. I don't always win the competitions, but I usually do quite well. But what matters to me is that I can test myself against others. People ask me if I ever feel stressed out before or during the events. Well of course I do, but the stress is a beneficial influence on me. It helps me focus.

Speaker 4: I know that winning school competitions is a great achievement. After all, a good place in a competition gives you a better chance to get into the University of your dreams. However, for me lots of competitions are only a good idea for individuals who can overcome their stress easily and who are good at coping with failure. I'm not one of them so I avoid comparing myself with others as much as possible. The only competition I've ever decided to enter was a photography contest because I love taking photos. I took fourth place and if I'd wanted to, I could have taken part in an international competition. Of course, I was delighted to hear the news but I didn't go any further with it. I was afraid of losing.