托福写作例子：完成工作还是实现梦想

　　保住日常工作，不必抹灭梦想

　　怎样才能不用抹灭梦想，又能继续自己的日常工作呢?每个困难的问题，都没有统一的正确答案。我从训练班上的客户学到的是，你的理想选择不会是别人的理想选择。尽管如此，这里有几个可以考虑的策略，帮助你想出如何抓住日常工作有形与无形的好处，同时又能向大志愿迈进：

　　找出日常工作和梦想之间的交接点。那个营销部门的工作或许沉闷不堪，但你在那里是否能学到一些能帮助你的营业或艺术工程更成功的事物?另一方面，你为乐团营销CD的经验，是否能让你的雇主更成功?最理想的安排，就是你的日常工作能和你的梦想有关联，反之亦然。寻找连接两者的方法，就是一种帮助很多人在日常工作中保持思想理性、心情愉快的策略。

　　寻找一份不需用到太多精力的工作。对有些人来说，追逐梦想的最佳途径，就是阻力最小的那个途径。Philip Glass在忙于搬运家具、驾驶德士与修理厕所的当儿，创作了惊人数目的作品。他谈论这个时期时说，“我故意选择了那些对我完全没有意义的工作。”但是我怀疑，Glass从工作上遇见的人和经历的事所得到的灵感，都以某种形式出现在他的作品里头。这刚好把我们带到第三个策略。

　　从你的梦想的角度对待你的日常工作。日常工作，尤其是企业工作，有着“吸血鬼”的坏名声，因为它无情无面，会吸干你的生存的意志，更别说是梦想了。实际上，工作是经验的一个丰富的来源。你会遇见有趣(又时常令人抓狂)的人。你要处理困难(理想中又有意义)的问题。你会学到有用的技巧。这些事物可能会为你的艺术提供灵感，或者为你的事业提供支撑。你只要转移角度，以不同的眼光看待你的日常工作。

　　要实际一些。许多日常工作提供的福利会帮助梦想变得更容易实现。显然地，你应该利用赚来的钱投资于你的梦想的发展。但是，还有许多方法能让你利用日常工作，实际地支持你的志愿。如果你的雇主提供学费补贴或其他培训福利，就利用它来增长你的知识、技能及学历。如果你能通过雇主获取相关的交流机会，就利用它和志同道合的人联系。如果你享有有薪假期，就偶尔把这个时间花在你的生意上面。

　　Keep your day job without killing your dreams

　　So what can you do to keep your day job without killing your dreams? Like all difficult questions, there's no single right answer, and as I've found with my coaching clients, the right solution for you won't be the right solution for anyone else. Nevertheless, here are a few possible strategies to consider when figuring out how to hold onto all the benefits -- tangible and intangible -- of a day job while still making progress toward those big ambitions:

　　Find an intersection between your day job and your dream. That job in the marketing department might seem like a soul-sucking grind, but might there be things you can learn from it that will make your business or your artistic endeavor more successful. On the other hand, is it possible that your experience marketing your band's CDs might actually help your employer be more successful? The ideal arrangement is if your day job somehow feeds into your dream and vice versa. Finding ways to connect the dots between how you make your living and the life you want to make is a strategy that helps many people keep their heads and their hearts while keeping their jobs.

　　Find a job that requires as little energy as possible. For some folks, the best path to pursuing their dreams is the one of least resistance. Philip Glass composed a truly shocking number of works while laboring in furniture moving, taxi driving, and toilet repair. Of this time, he says, "I was careful to take a job that couldn't possibly have any meaning for me." I suspect, however, that the inspiration Glass took from the people he met and experiences he had in these jobs showed up in his compositions in some way -- which brings us to the third strategy.

　　View your day job through the lens of your dream. Day jobs -- especially corporate ones -- get a bad rap for being heartless, faceless vampires that sap your will to live, much less dream. The truth, however, is that a job is a rich sources of experiences. You meet interesting (if sometimes maddening) people. You solve difficult (and ideally worthwhile) problems. You learn useful skills. Any and all of these things might provide inspiration for your art or girders for your business, if you shift your perspective and start looking at your day job differently.

　　Be practical. Many day jobs provide benefits that make dreams more achievable. Obviously, you should be using the money you make to invest in the development of your dream, but there are many other ways to use your day job practically to support your ambitions. If your employer provides tuition reimbursement or other training benefits, use them to build your knowledge, skills, and credentials. If you have access to relevant networking opportunities through your employer, take advantage of them to connect with more like-minded folks. If you have paid time off, use it occasionally to put time into your business.