Muriel James & Dorothy Jongeward

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(1) —capabilities and limitations. Each can be a significant, thinking, aware, and creative being — productive person, a winner.

The word “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. Although winners can admire and respect other people, they are not totally defined, demolished(2), bound, or awed by them.

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. Their responses are related to the message sent and preserve the significance, worth, well-being, and dignity of the people involved. 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. Winners do not get their security by controlling others. They do not set themselves up to lose.

A winner cares about the world and its peoples. A winner is not isolated from the general problems of society, but is concerned, compassionate(3), 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.

注釋

(1) potential [pE5tenF(E)l] n.潛能，潛力

(2) demolish [di5mCliF] vt.駁斥，推翻(觀點)

(3) compassionate [kEm5pAFEnit] adj.富于同情心的，熱忱的

人皆生而為新，為前所未有之存在；人皆生而能贏。人皆有其特立獨行之方式去審視、聆聽、觸摸、品味及思考，因而都具備獨特潛質——能力和局限。人皆能舉足輕重，思慮明達，洞察秋毫，富有創意，成就功業。

“成者”與“敗者”含義頗多。談及成者我們并非指令他人失意之人。對我們而言，成者必為人守信，值得信賴，有求必應，態度誠懇，或為個人、或為社會一員皆能以真誠回應他人。

成者行事并不拘泥于某種信條，即便是他們認為應為其奉獻一生的理念；而是本色行事，所以并不把精力用來表演，保持偽裝或操控他人。他們明了愛與裝愛、愚蠢與裝傻、博學與賣弄之間迥然有別。成者無須藏于面具之后。

成者敢于利用所學，獨立思考，區分事實與觀點，且并不佯裝通曉所有答案。他們傾聽、權衡他人意見，但能得出自己的結論。盡管他們尊重、敬佩他人，但并不為他人所局限、所推翻、所束縛，也不對他人敬若神靈。

成者既不佯裝“無助”，亦不抱怨他人。相反，他們對人生總是獨擔責任，也不以權威姿態凌駕他人之上。他們主宰自己，而且能意識到這點。

成者善于審時度勢，隨機應變。他們對所接受的信息做出回應，維護當事人的利益、康樂和尊嚴。成者深知成一事要看好時節，行一事要把握時機。

盡管成者可以自由享樂，但他更知如何推遲享樂，適時自律，以期將來樂趣更盛。成者并不忌憚追求所想，但取之有道，也并不靠控制他人而獲取安然之感。他們總是使自己立于不敗。

成者心憂天下，并不孤立于塵世弊病之外，而是置身事內，滿腔熱忱，致力于改善民生。即使面對民族、國家之危亡，成者亦非無力回天之個體。他總是努力令世界更好。