B2 – Upper-Intermediate
There are tons of successful people and they have different stories to tell. My personal favorite is the ones who didn’t get their success overnight. Those who fought hard to achieve everything they want.
Successful people struggled too. They have struggled but they continued. They have doubted themselves countless times but every night, they still envision themselves winning. They don’t just give up easily and that’s what makes them different.
Here’s a motivational speech from Les Brown:
Discussion Questions:
- What can you say about Les Brown’s story?
- Why do people quit on their dreams?
- Have you ever doubted yourself? Cite your experience.
- What does Les Brown mean when he said, “You have to stay hungry”?
- Talk about the lowest point in your life and how you overcame it?
10 replies on “Why It Pays To Be Hungry?”
1. What can you say about Les Brown’s story?
It´s a very interestig and motivational speech in which he explains that we have to chase our dreams in order to succeed. I think he has got a lot of experience about solving problems as he says in the first part of the video.
2. Why do people quit on their dreams?
In my opinion, some people stop chasing their dreams because they ran out of solutions to solve their problems. Some people give up to easily on their dreams and the video is focusing on that, triying to give advices to become more successful.
3. Have you ever doubted yourself? Cite your experience.
Yes, many times, and not only to make important decisions but also to smaller ones. For exmaple, when I have to do exams I doubt myself everytime.
4. What does Les Brown mean when he said, “You have to stay hungry”?
That expression means that we have to keep being hungry in order to chase our dreams and we have to try not giving up on them.
5. Talk about the lowest point in your life and how you overcame it?
When I´m low I just try to focus on the good things that I have and not the problems that are making me sad. I think every thing has a positive side and we only need to find it.
Good to have you on the PE blog! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the topic on this lesson.
Here’s a better word choice you can use in this sentence:
Keep using this exercise to further improve your writing skills. Cheers to your future entries!
1. What can you say about Les Brown’s story?
I totally agree with him, if you want to get something you have to go for it, you have to work hard, things don’t come on their own. It’s a very motivating, inspiring and encouraging story.
2. Why do people quit on their dreams?
People quit on their dreams for some reasons: 1) they aren’t enough patient and they want to have quick results, 2) Fear – it is one of the most common reasons from quitting on one dream, 3) lack of Self-confident – you have to believe in yourself
3. Have you ever doubted yourself? Cite your experience.
Yes, I doubted myself in a lot of situations, specially in a work environment when you have to do something different or new. I worked in the past in a consultancy company, and when you go for the first time to a new client for starting a project, you feel that you are not going to be able to understand the way they work or their processes.
4. What does Les Brown mean when he said, “You have to stay hungry”?
He means that you always should go for your dream even if you think that it is not for you, you have to try several times, even if you fail, because you don’t know if the next time will be the one in which you get it.
5. Talk about the lowest point in your life and how you overcame it?
The lowest point in my life was a long time ago when I lost my first job and I had to search another one. When you try to get something and you have to do several tries, you feel that you are not be able of getting it. Finally I thought in a positive way and when you believe in yourself you can get everything.
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Here is how you can improve the following sentences:
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1. It’s a very motivational story
2. Sometimes people want quick results, and it is not easy. If you fail it’s hard to try it again
3. Sometimes I have had doubts, but I never stop to work hard, it’s not a choice for me
4. If you want something, you have to go for it, you have to try it
5. The worst moment was when I had the firsts sympton of a disease 20 years ago, but I had to get over it, not fight it was not a choice. It was not a deadly disease but it affected, an affects, to my image and it affects me psicologically
Thank you so much for answering the questions on this lesson. Feel free to elaborate more on your answers for your next entries.
Look at how you can improve this sentence a bit.
Good insights!
Answer 1: Les Brown is the living example of a person who fights for his dream, who does not quit at the 1st failed tentative and who has learned to believe in himself despite the continuous impediments that were placed on him as a child.
Answer 2: I’m afraid that people are angry of having easily quick results. Unfortunately, they do not keep going after they fail, they do not try again and again until they get good results. Self confidence and perseverance are so important.
Answer 3: Yes, I have doubted myself many times. When I was young I used to play Basketball and before each match, I was convinced I wouldn’t make it… Huge lack of self-confidence.
Answer 4: he means that if you desire/want something, you have to go for it, take action, you have to try again and again, that you have never give up till you get it.
Answer 5: in 2011, when the most important part of my life was collapsing, I was alone, living far away from my family in a foreign country, and I decided to spend my time doing something new for me instead of crying. I started painting… and used all my (unknown) creativity in something new/good for me. Painting took my mind out of the problem reverting it on something really good.
Great job writing your answers to this lesson’s discussion questions.
Look at other expressions you can use on this sentence in order to make it more accurate.
Les Brown is the living example of a person who fights for his dream, who does not quit at the 1st failed tentative and who has learned to believe in himself despite the continuous impediments that were placed on him as a child.
Keep going!
Answer 1: It is a story about self improvement and effort. It is about a person with a dream and his fight all his life to reach his goal, despite the difficulties in the way.
Answer 2: In my opinión, people some time quit on their dreams because they don’t have enough self – confident or because the problems that they could have are bigger than their dreams and finally they finish giving up them.
Answer 3: I think all have doubted ourselft, at least once in our lives. I have doubted a lot of times. For example before to make and important exam or when I had to apply for an important job.
Answer 4: “You have to stay hungry” means that you have to desire something with all your strength. Only when you are “starving” anything may you to change your mind.
Answer 5: When I have been in a difficult situation and I felt that I can’t do it, I tried think about the satisfaction that I will feel if I get it, or I tried to imagine with my desire reached and these trought help me to fight for my dreams or goals.
An inspiring story, right? Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic.
Here are better word choices for this sentence:
You just have to keep doing this writing practice to continue improving your skills.