2006年NPR美国国家公共电台七月-Do What You Love

I believe in honor, faith and service.

I believe that a little outrage 1 can take you ...

I believe in freedom of speech.

I believe in empathy.

I believe in truth.

I believe in the ingredients of love.

This I Believe. On Mondays, we bring you our series This I Believe. And today our essay about personal conviction comes from the icon 2 of skateboarding, Tony Hawk 3, whose accomplishments 4 include a successful touring road show and one of the best-selling video games of all time. Here is our series curator, independent producer Jay Allison.

Tony Hawk's commitment to his work is intense. He says he rarely attended school activities like dances or homecoming. He skateboarded, instead. He got his first board at age 9, went pro 5 at 14 and he has never stopped. He says skateboarding is his means of expression. Here is Tony Hawk with this essay for This I Believe.
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I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.

I have been a professional skateboarder for 24 years. For much of that time, the activity that paid my rent and gave me my greatest joy was tagged with many labels, most of which were ugly. It was a kids' fad 6, a waste of time, a dangerous pursuit, a crime.

When I was about 17, three years after I turned pro, my high school "careers" teacher scolded me in front of the entire class about jumping ahead in my workbook. He told me that I would never make it in the workplace if I didn't follow directions explicitly 7. He said I'd never make a living as a skateboarder, so it seemed to him that my future was bleak 8.

Even during those dark years, I never stopped riding my skateboard and never stopped progressing as a skater. There have been many, many times when I've been frustrated 9 because I can't land a maneuver 10. I've come to realize that the only way to master something is to keep at it-- despite the bloody 11 knees, despite the twisted ankles, despite the mocking crowds.

Skateboarding has gained mainstream 12 recognition in recent years, but it still has negative stereotypes 13. The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos 14 are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows 15 during PTA meetings.

So here I am, 38 years old, a husband and father of three, with a lengthy 16 list of responsibilities and obligations. And although I have many job titles -- CEO, Executive Producer, Senior Consultant 17, Foundation Chairman, Bad Actor -- the one I am most proud of is "Professional Skateboarder." It's the one I write on surveys and customs forms, even though I often end up in a secondary security checkpoint.

My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, "My dad sells money" and "My dad figures stuff out." My son said, "I've never seen my dad do work."

It's true. Skateboarding doesn't seem like real work, but I'm proud of what I do. My parents never questioned the practicality behind my passion, even when I had to scrape together gas money and regarded dinner at Taco Bell as a big night out.

I hope to pass on the same lesson to my children someday. Find the thing you love. My oldest son is an avid 18 skater and he's really gifted for a 13-year-old, but there's a lot of pressure on him. He used to skate for endorsements 19, but now he brushes all that stuff aside. He just skates for fun and that's good enough for me.

You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.
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Tony Hawk with his essay for This I Believe. It should be noted 20 that his success has made his very name a brand now, although he did turn down the option of Tony Hawk Pasta. To see all the essays in our series, and to submit one of your own, we hope you'll visit our website npr.org or call 202-408-0300. For This I Believe. I'm Jay Allison

Next Monday on Morning Edition, a This I Believe essay from poet and onetime drug addict 21, K.K Avelence on the belief that he hopes will save his life.

Support for This I Believe comes from Capella University.

【WORLD BANK】
homecoming
[uncountable and countable] American English an occasion when former students return to their high school or college
bleak
without anything to make you feel happy or hopeful
a bleak future/prospect The company still hopes to find a buyer, but the future looks bleak .
hairdo
plural hairdos
[countable]
informal the style in which someone's hair is cut or shaped
synonym hairstyle
PTA
[countable] especially British English
parent-teacher association an organization of parents and teachers that tries to help and improve a particular school
American Equivalent: PTO
an active member of the PTA
PTO
American English Parent-Teacher Organization an organization of parents and teachers that tries to help and improve a particular school
British Equivalent: PTA
practicality
[uncountable] how suitable something is, or whether it will work
doubts about the practicality of your suggestion You need to think about comfort and practicality when choosing walking shoes
aside
left to be considered or dealt with later, or not considered and dealt with at all
He brushed aside criticisms of his performance. Leaving aside the heat, we really enjoyed our holiday. You must put aside your pride and call her.