Soft Skills – Problem-Solver

A story about how my brother solved a problem

English Level: B1 🇨🇦

Full Transcript

My mom never let us have video games at home. “Video games are a waste of time” she would say. But as teenagers, we convinced my dad to let us buy an Xbox with the money we had saved from working odd jobs. We were so excited when we got home. We waited until my mom left the house and started playing. “She’s gone! Turn it on!”

We were so into our game that we didn’t hear my mom’s car return. She walked into the house and saw us playing. She came downstairs with a pair of scissors and cut off the power cords of the TV and Xbox. We were devastated. “What are we going to do now?” I sighed and walked back to my room.

A few minutes later I could hear the sounds of the game music. “hmmm that’s strange.” I came out and saw my little brother playing again. He had figured out a way to tape the cords back together. “How did you fix it?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and kept playing.

My little brother sees a problem and finds a solution.

Be like Jona. Be a problem-solver.

Vocabulary Words

convince (verb): persuade (someone) to do something.
power cord (noun): an electrical cable that temporarily connects an appliance to the main electricity supply via a wall socket.
devastated (verb): cause (someone) severe and overwhelming shock or grief.
sigh (verb): emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or similar.
shrug (verb): raise (one’s shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference.

Phrases to Remember

waste of time: a bad use of time
odd job: a casual or isolated piece of work, especially one of a routine domestic or manual nature.
to be into: be interested in or involved with.
figure out: solve a problem or discover the answer to a question.

Question to Consider

When you are faced with a problem, do you focus on the problem or possible solutions?

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