Describe a person you know who did something difficult and was successful.

I'd like to talk about my friend Mei, who used to work with me in a small office. She decided to take a public-service exam because she wanted a more stable job. She studied for about a year and passed, so she got a position at a local office.

It was difficult for her because she had to keep working while she prepared. She was usually tired after work, and there was a lot of material to learn. Also, many people wanted the same kind of job, so she felt nervous about the competition. She didn't have much free time, either, because she also helped her parents at home.

She made a plan and studied for a few hours every evening. At weekends, she reviewed her notes and did practice questions. If she didn't understand something, she asked a friend who had taken the exam before. She didn't give up, even when her practice results were not very good. I really admire her. She is hardworking and patient, and her success shows me that steady effort can bring good results.

Honestly, the person I have in mind is my friend Mei, who I used to work with in a small office. She wanted a more stable career, so she decided to sit a public-service exam. After roughly a year of preparation, she passed and got a job at a local office, which was a big change from her previous role.

The hard part was fitting the studying around a full-time job. She often came home tired, but she still had a large amount of material to get through. The exam was competitive, too, and she worried that other candidates might be better prepared. On top of that, she helped her parents at home, so her evenings weren't completely her own.

What impressed me was how practical she was about it. She set herself a weekly study plan and worked through a few hours each evening, rather than trying to cram everything in at the last minute. At weekends, she reviewed her notes and did timed practice questions, which helped her see where she was losing marks. If she got stuck, she asked a friend who'd taken the exam before to explain the difficult parts. Her early practice results weren't great, but she used them to adjust her plan instead of getting discouraged.

I'm genuinely proud of her. Passing the exam took patience and consistency, and she managed it without putting her whole life on hold. If I had to take on something similarly demanding, I'd try to follow her example and make steady progress rather than expect quick results.