This is a quote from a book Chu Shih-ching published in 2014, and it resonates deeply with me. When pursuing ideals, we often feel anxious in our hearts, unsure of what the future holds, leading to panic. This not only increases our anxiety but also prevents us from settling down, causing us to do things halfway. Without seeing results quickly, we abandon them, possibly never picking them up again.
But an unchanging truth throughout history is that persistence transforms quantity into quality. "No one says dreams must happen all at once." This approach means we first need a big dream to pursue, then use each life stage to break it into smaller goals. As we complete each small goal step by step, we eventually reach the finish line.
Using myself as an example, I loved writing long articles since elementary school. But these articles centered around "idols." Many fans rewrite their idols' personalities and stories, post them on platforms, and even mimic novellas with opening scenes, carefully developing character relationships. Sometimes I projected my idol obsession into the articles themselves. This period lasted about a year, during which I wrote three or four novels, each with about twenty chapters. Though these records are hard to find online now and the stories are fuzzy in my memory, they silently trained my interest and ability in writing long-form pieces.
I remember in high school, my grades were poor except for Chinese, where I always ranked in the top three of my class. I didn't think I studied particularly hard, but in one entrance exam simulation, I scored the highest in Chinese—41 out of 45 points. That year's theme was "The Wish of X," where you'd apply X to a person, thing, or concept. During the exam, I revised my topic twice before settling on "The Wish of a Tree." I remember writing, "The tree simply stands there, letting others speak about it, unable to respond, only looking up at the sky, gazing at the small blue expanse, waiting for others to understand." Of course, the original wording wasn't exactly this, but that year I was dealing with difficulties with classmates. The teacher felt the article fully expressed the yearning to be understood, so she gave it a high score.
Later, in university, I spent some time wanting to become a "columnist," though I had accumulated writing experience, I couldn't find a suitable topic to write about or figure out what I had to offer that was worth writing. Not until graduate school, with assignments of roughly three thousand characters every two or three weeks, could I barely write at first. When I heard my professor say "all of this is nonsense," I nearly cried. Eventually, when my professor asked for three thousand characters, I'd submit eight thousand. Beyond loving it, I'd developed patience.
My first job after graduation was complete speed training. Though I didn't need to labor over word choice and content, the output was intense—eight hours of work meant delivering seven news pieces, essentially one per hour. Everything from finding topics to drafting and finalizing had to be done quickly. In my current role, I complete logical, structured, well-sourced pieces in 20 minutes. This has trained me to write articles that touch people's hearts without much deliberation or effort. My writing isn't particularly exceptional, but it can reach into others' minds. All of this stems from past experiences. Recently, I was fortunate to be invited as a "columnist," quietly fulfilling a years-old dream. I also completed my author dream by publishing a book two years ago. This cultivation period spans from elementary school to entering society—nearly 15 years.
"No one says dreams must happen all at once." As children, we imagine becoming teachers, professors, lawyers, doctors, engineers, and other professions. Every pursuit requires corresponding effort and dedication—nothing comes without work. Therefore, facing our dreams, we must be strong. Keep your grand goals in mind, divide time into segments, set goals for each stage, complete the small goals, strengthen your resolve, and move forward step by step. This is how great things are accomplished.
