I was still not sure what competition really meant. One day, I was taking part in an English-speaking competition. When I went to the stage, I saw other students looking at me kindly. I suddenly knew what competition was. It is not as cruel as my teacher and parents told me. In fact, competition is the opposite4: it is kind and necessary.
I learned a lot from realizing this fact. Now I understand more about the world. Competition is important for us all.
妈妈曾经给我讲过这样一个故事。在非洲，一只羚羊每天早上醒来想到的第一件事是：“我必须跑得比最快的狮子还要快，否则就会被吃掉。”与此同时，一只狮子从梦中醒来，想到的第一件事是，“我必须抓住跑得最慢的羚羊，否则就会饿死。”所以，羚羊和狮子几乎同时起床，并开始向着太阳升起的地方奔跑。
这就是生活：充满着机遇和挑战。不论你是羚羊还是狮子，太阳升起的时候，你必须往前跑。对于学生，亦是如此。如果我们不努力学习，迟早会落后于其他人。我开始并不懂得“考试”的真正含义，后来我明白了，考试也是一种竞争。在竞争中，总会有胜利者和失败者。长大后，我对竞争有了深层次的认识。人生当中，必须有竞争，人类才会进步。
每次，看到孩子们做游戏，听着他们朗朗的笑声，真希望自己重新回到那个年纪。但是，我记起父母的忠告，“你是必须努力学习，才会有光明的未来。”于是，我又重新拾笔，开始刻苦学习。
我并未真正懂得竞争的内涵。直到参加英语口语竞赛那天，我才真正弄清什么是竞争。当我踏上讲台，看见其他学生很友善地看着我。突然间，我明白了竞争并不像老师和父母说的那样残酷。相反，它是善意的，也是必要的。
明白了这个道理后，我学会了很多，也更了解这个世界。竞争对每个人都很重要。
行动带来幸运
Meet the Goddess of Good Luck
乔治·克拉森 / George Clason
Is there a way to attract good luck?
Most would think first of the gaming tables. When a man plays the games, the chances for profit are always against him and in favor of the game keeper. Even if he were to win, do the winnings bring permanent1 benefit? As Arkad says,"I am unable to name a single one who started his success from such a source."
"Is it not natural if we conclude a profitable transaction to consider it not good luck but a just reward for our efforts? Why not consider the successes we almost enjoyed but which escaped us, happenings which could have been more profitable2. They would have been rare examples of good luck if they had actually happened."
"Good luck waits to come to that man who accepts opportunity."
We all have countless situations where we regret afterwards not acting swiftly enough. Procrastination3 very often gets in the way of good luck!We desire riches, yet, how often when opportunity presents itself, the spirit of procrastination urges delays in our acceptance and we become our own enemy.
Some of as grasp opportunity by the horns and move towards gratifying our deepest desires, while the majority hesitate, falter and fall behind.
"To attract good luck to oneself, it is necessary to take advantage of opportunities."
"Men of action are favored4 by the Goddess of Good Luck."
真的有赢得好运的方法吗?
大多数人可能首先会想到赌博。当一个人赌博时，通常他赢钱的机会是很少的，而幸运之神总是对赌场的庄家眷顾有加。 就算他会赢，他会一直赢吗？正如阿卡德所说：“我没有听说过谁是靠赌博发家的。”
“如果我们将一次盈利的交易归结为是对自身努力的回报，而不是幸运作宠，难道不是再自然不过的事情吗？为什么我们不认为那些令人欣喜却难以获得的成功可以更好地完成呢？如果真的有幸运庇佑的成功，那也只是个例外。”
“好运只会垂青于懂得把握时机的人。”
有很多次，我们对自己没能果断行事而懊悔不已。我们都曾为自己没能抓住机遇而追悔莫及。做事拖延常常会阻碍好运的到来。我们渴望财富，然而，当机遇出现的时候，办事拖拖拉拉的习惯常常会使我们错失时机，因此，我们成了自己的敌人。
当我们大多数人还在犹豫不决时，有一些人已经抓住机会，朝我们最渴望的成功进发了，于是我们不知不觉地落后了。
“要想赢得好运，就必须懂得好好利用机遇。”
“有行动的人总是受到幸运之神的青睐。”
灵魂的限度
The Story of Life
佚名 / Anonymous
Sometimes people come into your life and you come to realize that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbor, co-worker, long-lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know in an instant that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles1 you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower2 or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, brilliant achievements, and sheer3 stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
