各位老师、家长、同学,大家好!
我是来自初三1班的陈南越,很荣幸也很高兴可以站在这里进行演讲。其实今天与其说我是来演讲的,倒不如说我是来讲故事,讲讲这三年来的故事。
还在小学的时候,我总以为初中不过是多了几节课、多了几门科目、多了几项活动,总不可能是像初中的学长学姐所说的那样不同、那样累人。但是,等到真正来到了初中,那些以前完全意想不到的变化却打了我个措手不及。不如就以成绩为例吧:
以前总认为考试没有拿到80、90以上,就与不及格没有什么两样。不过,渐渐地,我对自己的标准却在潜移默化之下不断地变低。直到某一天在考试之后无意之中跟同学说“这次只要及格就好了”,而周围的同学也在抱怨着这次又会考得多差,我才猛地一下清醒过来。什么时候“及格”二字已经代替“满分”经常性地出现在我的生活中。好怪,真的好怪。
又是已不记得是在哪次竞赛中,手拿着仅有43分的成绩,却也不觉得有什么反常。直至听说了竟然有人可以得到满分时才开始思考,这又是什么时候我擅长的科目的分数会不及别人的一半了。明明以前我才该是那个站在上面的人,什么时候这一切都变了。好怪,真的好怪。
自那以后,每每一个人在夜里独自走在校园的大道上,晚风吹拂过脸庞,就会开始回忆过去,反思自己。但却始终无法理解一切的原因。在那段时间,我每天都拼着命试图找回以前那种游刃有余的感觉。每次考试的时候都需要不断地安慰自己,告诉自己这些题目不需费吹灰之力就能做出来。但现实是没那么好心的,等待我的只有一次又一次的失望与无可奈何。好怪,真的好怪。
我开始怀疑自己,或许我本就没有那个能力能够在初中仍感到轻松。但人的内心都是带有几分傲气的。我不愿承认自己就是比他人要差,更不愿承认我自认为擅长的东西在别人眼中不值一提。
但我最终得到的答案是:这就是事实。事实是不会管我怎么难受、怎么不甘、怎么觉得不公。后来,我开始慢慢接受这一事实,尽管极其不愿,但我不得不承认事实。
到了今天,我总归是有了一个机会用审视的眼光来回望过去。最少我用这一次又一次的失败换到了一个道理:“成功是偶然,失败才是常态。”那些站在第一的位置的人可以站在那里,是因为他们百战百胜吗?——不是,他们大部分的时间里也都被淹没在失败带来的后悔、焦虑、恐惧之中,他们也都会害怕,害怕有一天人们觉得他不如从前了。既然如此,或许我们倒也不必害怕失败了,毕竟所有人都又站回到了同一条起跑线上。而我们要做的,是在每一次失败之后,从其中脱身而去,投入到下一次的机会当中去。
在最后,我想谢谢我身边的所有人,所有的家长、老师、同学。以前的我是个非常内向的人,也害怕和别人说话,总怕会说错些什么,怕会给别人带去麻烦。而我想错了,我身边的这些人要比我的想像中要好的多。因此,我也变成了一个比以前要好的多的人。
在最后的最后,我想用一句我这年很喜欢的、也无数次感动我的一句话作为结尾:
“巅峰的快乐是短暂的。你知道人生最好的感受是什么吗?是虚惊一场。”
谢谢大家!
Hello everyone, I’m Chris Chen from Class 1 of the ninth grade. It's both an honor and a joy to stand here today. Instead of saying I'm here to give a speech, I’d like to say I'm here to share a story—my story over these past three years.
Back in primary school, I thought junior high would just mean a few more classes, a few more subjects, and a few more activities. I never expected it to be as challenging and exhausting as the older students described. But once I stepped into junior high, the changes I hadn’t even imagined caught me completely off guard. Let’s talk about academic performance as an example:
I used to think that scoring below 80 or 90 on a test was almost the same as failing. However, gradually, my own standards began to drop, subtly but surely. It hit me one day after a test when I casually remarked to a classmate, "I just hope I passed this time," while others were also lamenting how poorly they might have done. That’s when I realized how often the word "pass" had replaced "perfect score" in my vocabulary. Strange, isn’t it?
Then there was the time during a competition when I held a report card with only 43 points and felt nothing unusual. It was only upon hearing that someone had scored full marks that I began to reflect: when had my once-strong subject become something where I scored less than half of someone else’s? It used to be that I was the one at the top. When did everything change? Strange, indeed.
Since then, walking alone on the campus roads at night, the cool breeze brushing my face, I often reminisce and reflect, yet I can never fully grasp the reasons behind these changes. During that period, I desperately tried to regain that effortless confidence I once had. With each exam, I had to continuously reassure myself that the questions were easy. But reality is not so kind, and what awaited me were repeated disappointments and helplessness. Truly strange.
I began to doubt myself. Maybe I simply didn’t have the capability to feel at ease in junior high. We all carry a bit of pride within us. I didn’t want to admit I was lesser than others, nor did I want to accept that what I thought I excelled at seemed trivial to everyone else.
However, the harsh truth emerged: reality does not concern itself with how uncomfortable or unwilling I am to face it. Later, I slowly began to accept this fact, reluctant as I was.
Today, I have the chance to look back with a discerning eye. I’ve learned from my repeated failures that “Success is the exception, failure is the norm.” Those who stand in first place are not there because they win every battle. Most of the time, they too are submerged in the regret, anxiety, and fear that failure brings. They fear that one day people might think they are no longer as good as before. Knowing this, perhaps we shouldn't fear failure either, as it brings us all back to the same starting line. What we need to do is move on from each failure and seize the next opportunity.
Finally, I want to thank everyone around me—all the parents, teachers, and classmates. I used to be extremely introverted, afraid to speak for fear of saying something wrong or causing trouble. But I was wrong; the people around me are much better than I imagined. As a result, I’ve become a much better person than before.
And to conclude, I’d like to share a quote that I've cherished and that has moved me deeply this year:
“The joy of reaching the peak is fleeting. Do you know what the best feeling in life is? It’s a narrow escape.”
Thank you all for listening.