📘 Part 3: Feeling proud

This episode's vocabulary

Pensioner (noun) - a person who receives a pension, especially the government pension given to old people.

The former (noun) - the first of two people, things, or groups previously mentioned.

To build (someone/something) up (phrasal verb) - to increase or become larger or stronger, or to cause someone or something to do this.

To amass (verb) - to get a large amount of something, especially money or information, by collecting it over a long period.

To refine (verb) - to improve an idea, method, system, etc. by making small changes.

To sniff something out (phrasal verb) - to search for and discover something.

Beyond/out of (sb's) reach - that someone is not able to get or buy.

Expertise (noun) - a high level of knowledge or skill.

To get away with something (phrasal verb) - to succeed in avoiding punishment for something.

To pull something off (phrasal verb) - to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected.

To work out (phrasal verb) - to happen or develop in a particular way.

To beat the odds - to succeed despite having a disadvantage.

Willpower (noun) - the ability to control your own thoughts and the way in which you behave.

Unavoidable (adj.) - impossible to avoid.

Inevitable (adj.) - certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented.

Recognition (noun) - if you are given recognition, people show admiration and respect for your achievements.

Non-toxic (adj.) - pleasant.

Metaphorical (adj.) - not having real existence but representing some truth about a situation or other subject.

-

Questions and Answers

M: Do people usually set different goals at different stages of their life?

R: Well, I'm hardly an expert in this area. But if I were to guess I'd say so, since ideally, you're making some progress as you go through life and set goals to match where you are. It would be silly for a pensioner to have the goal of buying a house under normal circumstances, for example, wouldn't it?

M: What are the differences between the goals and ambitions that young and older people have?

R: Well, it seems that young people have more self-oriented goals and older people are more group or community-minded when it comes to their achievements. I don't mean that the former are more selfish, just that they usually need to build themselves up so they can contribute more effectively. By contrast, older people probably should have amassed more resources, so less focus on the self is needed.

M: How can people get better at achieving their goals?

R: Ideally, through effective practice and feedback. You find a way to do something well, refine it, and then keep going. I suppose having some presence of mind to make changes if something isn't working would also be helpful in that respect. They also need to find opportunities in front of them. Sniffing those out is much more of an art than a science, I think.

M: And what are the things that don't let people achieve their goals?

R: Well, if you pick a goal that's totally out of your reach, then, like in terms of expertise, or the resources that you have access to, then you know, you wouldn't be as successful at achieving them.

M: When do people feel proud of themselves?

R: Well, after accomplishing a goal, or some tasks they've set themselves to would be the best time or if they've managed to get away with something or pull something off, that was unlikely to work out. I think that feeling of having beaten the odds can be quite a powerful one.

M: And is it always a good feeling to be proud of yourself?

R: Usually, yes, it's a good feeling for you, you might not necessarily have done something right. But you might feel proud that you've done it and got away with it.

M: What sorts of goals could be considered unrealistic?

R: Well, let's like I said, actually, probably ones which go beyond the resources needed to meet them. For example, many people would like to become astronauts, but they lack the connections, the willpower and opportunities to do so. At least at the moment.

M: And do you think many people set unrealistic goals for themselves these days?

R: I have absolutely no idea. If I were to guess, given the rates of depression and mental illness that seemed to be afflicting people, yes, probably, probably people, lots of people do have many unrealistic goals for themselves.

M: Is it important to have goals in your life?

R: I think it's unavoidable since you need to accomplish something in order to live. I mean, it's almost built into the fabric of reality. You need to find shelter, get food and water and stay safe. And beyond that, there are more goals for personal achievement to consider and build on what you have and attract others to you. So it's pretty much inevitable. You just need to be careful what goal you pick and think about how you're going to get there.

M: And do you think it's a good idea not to have goals in your life?

R: Well, no, because then you're doing nothing. I think if you don't have any goals at all, then you're dead. Probably.

M: What rewards can companies offer to their successful employees?

R: I suppose a bonus or salary increase are the basic ones. Though, things like recognition and promotion go a long way too. It's nice when people know you've done well for yourself and others.

M: What rewards are important at work?

R: Other than those that I mentioned? I suppose having a non-toxic work environment that supports people and makes them feel welcome and happy there. You could offer people all the money in the world but they wouldn't want to work in a metaphorical volcano for a very long, would they?

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers! Do you feel proud of your answers Rory?

R: I do feel proud because I think that they have sophisticated grammar and vocabulary for a high score.

M: Band nine score!

-