專四晨讀美文：Born to Win

Born to Win
Each human being is born as something new,
something that never existed before.
Each is born with the capacity
to win at life.
Each person has a unique way of seeing,
hearing, touching, tasting and thinking.
Each has his or her own unique potentials-
capabilities and limitations.
Each can be a significant,
thinking, aware, and creative being-
a productive person, a winner.
The words "winner" and "loser"
have many meanings.
When we refer to a person as a winner,
we do not mean one
who makes someone else lose.
To us,
a winner is one who responds authentically
by being credible, trustworthy,
responsive, and genuine,
both as an individual
and as a member of a society.
Winners do not dedicate their lives to a concept
of what they imagine they should be;
rather, they are themselves
and as such do not use their energy
putting on a performance,
maintaining pretence and manipulating others.
They are aware that there is a difference
between being loving and acting loving,
between being stupid and acting stupid,
between being knowledgeable and acting knowledgeable.
Winners do not need to hide behind a mask.
Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking
and to use their own knowledge.
They can separate facts from opinions
and don't pretend to have all the answers.
They listen to others,
evaluate what they say,
but come to their own conclusions.
Winners do not play "helpless",
nor do they play the blaming game.
Instead, they assume responsibility
for their own lives.
They don't give others
a false authority over them.
Winners are their own bosses and know it.
A winner's timing is right.
Winners respond appropriately to the situation.
Winners know that for everything
there is a season
and for every activity a time.
Although winners can freely enjoy themselves,
they can also postpone enjoyment,
can discipline themselves in the present to
enhance their enjoyment in the future.
Winners are not afraid to go after what he wants,
but they do so in proper ways.
A winner cares about the world and its peoples.
A winner is not isolated from
the general problems of society,
but is concerned, compassionate,
and committed to improving the quality of life.
Even in the face of
national and international adversity,
a winner's self-image
is not one of a powerless individual.
A winner works to make the world
a better place.