The playing field is never even or equal. Your skills and attitude play a major role in the outcome. Knowing what you can do to have an advantage can make the difference between success and failure.

My kids tell me it's unfair to play with the big children. I tell them that's right. Unfairness is a good thing. There is more to be gained by the effort when things seem unfair. It is true that many things in the world are unfair. But unfair things usually can be a boon to you. For example, the early bird catches the worm. It is unfair that the bird that sleeps in misses out on breakfast but it is nice to know that if it gets up early it is sure to get the worm.

I always try to explain to my kids that complaining about how unfair something is will get them nowhere. Instead, make the most out of it and get on the other side of it. Once you do that you are in the advantage. Above all, you have to focus on gaining that unfair advantage and in order to do that, build your inner strength, When you empower （武装） yourself, you are gaining skills or abilities, confidence and self-esteem （自尊）.

You should look at your place in the world. Where do you want io be financially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically ? You are creating your own story when you empower yourself.

You can build all the advantages that you need to live the life that you want. If you haven't yet, you need to make a list of all the things you want to experience in your new life. This will help you focus on building advantages so that you never have to say that it's Not Fair. When you do this then you will be able to realize that unfairness is a good thing and you will want to teach those around you to see unfairness in this way too.

I used to be the most determined resolution-maker. Even as a child, I was always goal-centered and loved the feeling of accomplishing things, and every January 1st, I would sit down and write out my resolutions for the upcoming year. And what resolutions they were! I always picked big goals, like: In the New Year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon!

The problem? I’d start out strong, but by February or March, I’d be out of willpower and I’d slide quietly back into my old habits. Every winter, I’d feel guilty and ashamed, looking back at all of the amazing things… I think one of my biggest problems with New Years resolutions was wanting to “dream big” but not having the skills and ability to do those things.

Now I take the opposite approach I’m all about the little goals. First, little goals are easy to set. Instead of saying I’m going to run a marathon, I’ve decided I’m going to run 20 minutes three days a week. Second, little goals are easier to accomplish. Every time I check one of my mini goals off my list, I feel a burst of pride and accomplishment. It’s a great feeling, and I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to enjoy it!

The other great thing about making small goals instead of resolutions is that you can build small goals on top of each other, adding the achievements together. For instance, recently I decided to make sure I ate five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. After a few months, this became a solid habit.

At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”

She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”