In 2013, China chose “中国梦,”which means “Chinese dream,” as the Character of the Year to symbolize the overall feeling of the past 366 days. It’s easy to see why the word “dream” would be chosen as so many Chinese dreams have been recently realized: space exploration, a China-made aircraft carrier and a Nobel Prize-winning author. Finishing national dreams makes us proud, but realizing personal dreams makes us worthy in our own eyes. Though the media would try to convince you, there is no set of “approved” dreams that we should all go after. Some may strive for money, fame and power, but others have more humble dreams that are just as important: learn English, study abroad, achieve inner peace, and be of service to humanity. It’s normal for people to create lofty New Year’s resolutions and just as normal to start strong and give up a few weeks later on our goals. How do we make sure that we achieve our dreams? Make your resolutions SMART and they’ll come true. S — specific, detailed goals are easier to accomplish. M— measurable goals enable you to complete a fixed amount of something. A— achievable goals are possible, not ones that would take magic or miracles to accomplish. R— relevant goals are meaningful to you. T— time bound goals have an ending date. They’re not infinite. You know when you’re done. Trip Bethel, a local college professor suggests that all goals should be positive and future-focused. “You can’t make a goal about being perfect. You’ll always disappoint yourself. But you can make a goal about perfecting your process. Then, you’re always on the way to a better life.” Trip says many people write endless lists, but he just writes his resolutions once. He states them simply on a piece of paper and then puts the paper away for a year. “Often, when I look at the paper a year later, I’ve accomplished everything, or gotten close. There is something about writing things down that makes goals real and the opportunities to achieve them will come into your life.” 小题1:In 2013, China chose “__________” as the Character of the Year?
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