How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave, Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病). Believing my career (职业生涯) was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it — the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”

Karen Pickering, Swimming World Champion

“I swim 4 hours a day,6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success — you can’t follow a career in any field without being well­organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”

Kirsten Best, Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological (心理的) tool.”

A young painter had just completed a beautiful painting. To get people's opinions about his painting skills, he put his painting at a crossing on a busy street and put up a board that read," Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new, I might have made some mistakes in my work. Please put a cross wherever you see a mistake. ”

When he came back in the evening, he was completely shocked to see that the whole painting was filled with crosses. He ran to his master and said to him, "I’m useless and if this is what I have learned to paint, I'm not worth teaching.”

The master smiled and said, "I'll let you know that you are a great artist. Now go to paint the same painting again and give it to me.”

Then they went to the same street the next morning and put the same painting exactly at the same place. Now the master took out another board which read, "Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. I might have made some mistakes in my painting. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. If you see a mistake, pick up the brush and correct it. " Two days later, they came back to the place. The young painter was surprised to see that actually there was not a single correction.

If you want to help people improve their behavior, you’d better learn how to help people change their behavior, attitudes and skills. Also, always remember not to judge yourself by someone else’s criticism(批评), because you are the best judge to judge yourself.

I was excited to take my rescue Beagle (比格犬) to the river the other day, as it’s within walking distance of our new home. Having spent her first six years in a cage, Georgie had never seen a body of water, and I wanted to get there before sunset to watch her experience it.

I was growing increasingly impatient about all the stops her little Beagle nose required. She inspected the grass, dirt, and trees, and licked (舔) whatever was stuck to the road. These were all new discoveries for her, and she took her time studying them.

When I accepted that it was fruitless to hurry her along, I whipped out my cell phone and began texting. I thought that I needed something to do while Georgie was slowing us down. Then, for some reason, I heard the cicadas (蝉) ,and I remembered that the sound of cicadas is my favorite sound in the world. That awakened something buried within me that longed for the simple pleasures that had been replaced by technology.

I made a conscious decision to be present, and to enjoy the journey to the river Just like Georgie. Now, I admired the flowers and the winding ivy on our path. I smelled the grass and the flowers, and the dirt and the air. I treasured each one equally, as if discovering them for the first time.

As we neared our destination,1 realized something even more important: It didn’t matter if we even reached the river. Why must there always be a destination? Georgie had no idea that we had a destination. She was present for the journey, and she savored every bit of that sweet experience. There was no race and no finish line.

Now I’m not sure who rescued whom.