Describe an important decision/ choice that you made in your life.
You should say:
What the decision was
When you took the decision
What the results of the decision was and whether it was a good choice.
and explain why it was an important decision or choice for you.
Decisions, decisions. I’m not always good at making decisions. I worry about making wrong choices, and often seek advice from friends to help me think through the consequences of picking one option over another. Mind you, some people say that we choose who to ask for advice depending on what advice we want to hear. That might be true. Some decisions are easy to make – perhaps because all the possible options are good ones (like choosing a favorite pudding) others seem to have no good options only ‘least bad’ ones, those are hardest to make. The important decision I can think of, and which I’m going to talk about today, worked out in the end, but it was terrifying to have to make at the time.
决策,决策。我不总是善于做决定。我担心做出错误的选择，经常向朋友寻求建议，帮助我考虑选择一种而不是另一种的后果。请注意，有些人说我们根据想听的意见来选择向谁寻求建议。这可能是真的。有些决定很容易做——也许是因为所有可能的选择都是好的(比如选择最喜欢的布丁)，而其他的似乎没有好的选择，只有“最少的坏”的选择，这些是最难做的。我能想到的一个重要的决定，我今天要讲的这个决定，最终得到了解决，但当时不得不做出的决定太可怕了。
I’ll talk you through what the decision was, when I took it and what the results were. Finally, I’ll explain why it was so important that it still impacts on me today.
我会告诉你们我的决定是什么，我什么时候做的以及结果是什么。最后，我将解释为什么它如此重要，至今仍影响着我。
The decision was whether or not I should relocate to a different part of the country to take up a new job. I had to make the decision about 6 years ago. I had been self-employed for a while, but then there was a downturn in the economy and I stopped getting enough work to support myself. I applied for a job in Sheffield, which was a city I didn’t know at all, and when I had first an interview, and then a job offer, I was faced with a big decision. Should I leave my home and friends to start a new life in Sheffield for a promising job at a prestigious university; or should I stay where I was in my lovely house and familiar surroundings, and hope the work might pick up again in the future?
决定是我是否应该搬到另一个地方去找一份新工作。6年前我不得不做出这个决定。我当个体户已经有一段时间了，但是后来经济衰退了，我没有找到足够的工作来养活自己。我在谢菲尔德申请了一份工作，那是一个我一点都不了解的城市，当我第一次参加面试，然后被录用时，我面临着一个重大的决定。我应该离开我的家和朋友，在谢菲尔德开始新的生活，在一所名牌大学找一份有前途的工作;或者我应该呆在我那可爱的房子里和熟悉的环境里，希望将来工作能重新开始?
I thought a lot about the pros and cons; I cried a lot to be honest, as the thought of making a new start was really scary. I’d be all on my own, and what if I didn’t make friends or couldn’t do the job well? However, ultimately it came down to income. I couldn’t live on fresh air, and this was a well-paid job. I also thought if I turned the work down, and then didn’t manage to pick up new contracts I’d always wonder ‘what if?’ or how might things have been different if I’d just been brave enough to ‘give it a go!’ I accepted the job and started to pack. In less than three weeks I was renting a flat in a new city and turning up to work in a new office with new colleagues. One resolution I made early on, was to be really positive about the decision once I’d made it. I’d join societies, say ‘yes’ to every social invitation, and really try to build a new life quickly. I wouldn’t ever look back!
我考虑了很多利弊;说实话，我哭了很多，因为一想到要重新开始就真的很可怕。我只能靠自己了，如果我不交朋友或者不能做好工作怎么办?然而，最终问题还是在于收入。我不能靠新鲜空气生活，而这是一份高薪的工作。我还想，如果我拒绝了这份工作，然后又没能拿到新合同，我就会一直在想，‘如果没有呢?或者，如果我当时足够勇敢地“试一试”，事情会有多么不同!我接受了这份工作，开始收拾行装。在不到三周的时间里，我在一个新城市租了一套公寓，然后和新同事一起在新办公室工作。我早期做的一个决定是，一旦我做了决定，就对它持积极的态度。我会加入社会，对每一个社会邀请都说“是”，并努力快速建立一个新的生活。我永不回头!
The result of the decision? Well, I moved to a new city, and took a new job. It was hard at first, there was a lot to learn and sometimes it was lonely too. However, I’ve never regretted it. Sheffield is a lovely city near to beautiful countryside. I’ve rented an attic flat which has great views over the city in one direction and woodland in the other. I think this city must be one of the friendliest ones in the UK, people were incredibly welcoming to me as a newcomer, and there is always lots to do. I don’t have that job anymore, but I don’t regret taking it at all. I do sometimes miss my old house in Lamington where I used to live, but I don’t miss anything else. I think the move revitalized me and took me on a great new adventure, sometimes you do just have to take a bit of a risk in life to progress, this bit of risk taking worked for me.
决定的结果是什么?我搬到一个新城市，找了份新工作。一开始很难，有很多东西要学，有时也很孤独。然而，我从未后悔过。谢菲尔德是一个美丽的城市，靠近美丽的乡村。我租了一套阁楼公寓，可以俯瞰城市的一面，也可以看到树林。我想这座城市一定是英国最友好的城市之一，人们都非常欢迎我，因为我是新来的。我已经没有那份工作了，但我一点也不后悔。我有时会想念我以前住过的拉明顿的老房子，但我不会想念其他任何东西。我认为这一举动让我重新焕发了活力，让我开始了一场伟大的新冒险。
So in conclusion, I think it was a big decision, but I made a good choice. Of course, it was an important one as it changed everything for me, from where I lived and worked, to who my friends are. Honestly though, I think perhaps with decisions it matters less what you decide, and more that once you have made a decision you make the best of it, wherever it may take you. Sometimes the journey is speedy and smooth, sometimes it is rocky along the way, but whatever path we choose, it is what makes us the people we are – for better or worse!
总之，我认为这是一个重大的决定，但我做了一个很好的选择。当然，它很重要，因为它改变了我的一切，从我生活和工作的地方，到我的朋友。不过说实话，我认为也许在做决定的时候，你做什么并不重要，重要的是一旦你做了决定，你就会充分利用它，无论它会把你带到哪里。有时候，我们的旅程是快速而平稳的，有时候，路途是崎岖不平的，但是无论我们选择哪条路，它都能让我们成为我们自己——无论是好是坏!
