As a young boy， I grew up with my eight siblings in a tin-roofed shack in Summerfield， Louisiana. I didnt see my circumstance as an obstacle， even though we didnt even have a real toilet in the house. I saw my life more as a card that had been dealt to me and I tried to make the most of it.

I was the youngest of five boys and also had four sisters who had to pull together and take care of each other. Dad wasnt around， so I never knew him well. He committed suicide when I was three years old， leaving mom with the job of raising and providing for nine kids. She worked at a sawmill running a forklift for fifty dollars a week and had another job at a poultry plant. She was a very hard worker， and in order to make ends meet， she hardly ever rested.

My mom believed in doing all she could do to take care of her responsibilities. So no matter what happened， she never asked for a handout. You can imagine： we kids didnt get what we wanted， but we always got the things we needed. With my mom as my example， I learned that hard work is the best way to get what you want.

While growing up， I was surrounded with temptations to do negative things like drugs， alcohol and all that. I chose not to go there. Even as a little boy， I knew I was going to be successful. Some people take that to be cocky or conceited， but I wasnt going to let anybody tell me that I couldnt do whatever I set out to do.

Of course， I dreamed about what I wanted to be when I grew up. At first， I would be a state trooper， then I wanted to be in the Special Forces. After a while， I decided that I wanted to drive eighteen-wheelers. There was even a period of time that I wanted to be in construction. I wanted to play football in high school； in fact， I still do. But regardless of what I chose， I wanted to make my brothers， sisters and mom proud of me—not only by being successful in what I chose to do， but also a person who could be looked up to for the right reasons.

Surprising as it might seem， basketball wasnt in my plans. One day， my mom cut a rim off an old water barrel and then held it up for me to throw an old rubber ball through. By junior high， I started playing basketball on a team. I loved to compete. There was a positive high I got by going out and playing against other people and working hard to win. For me， it paid off. I just let my success in basketball take its course， but I always put the effort in， every day.

No matter what Ive done， some people wait for my downfall， saying， “Karl Malone cant do it.”Instead of letting people like that get to me， they are actually my motivation and I continue to prove them wrong every single day. I try to do the best job I can in a positive way on and off the court.

I am grateful for the life Ive enjoyed as a basketball star. But when I see those shirts that say “Basketball is life”， I think Yeah， right！ It is not life. It can be exciting. But the important thing about basketball is that gives me a way to do good things for others as I move through this journey called life.

Success is really about choosing right from wrong， making a positive contribution to the world around you and valuing the things that are really important—like family and friends.

While everyone was looking to popular athletes， actors and musicians as positive role models， my mom was my inspiration， and she continues to be all these years later. She taught me that hard work never killed anybody. My mom is my hero. She， my family and friends bring me more joy than anything else in life does.

童年时代的我住在路易斯安那州萨默菲尔德的一间简陋的以铁皮为屋顶的房子里，有8个兄弟姐妹，连一个像样的厕所都没有。但是，我并没有把这样的家庭环境看成是一个障碍，而是把它当作发到自己手里的一张牌。我所做的努力是要让这张牌发挥出它最大的用处。

我是家里5兄弟中最小的男孩子，还有4个相依为命的姐妹。父亲已经不在人世。他在我3岁的时候就自杀了，我对他几乎没有什么印象。父亲死后，抚养9个孩子的重担就落在了母亲的肩上。她在一家锯木厂开叉车，周薪50美元。此外，她在家禽加工厂还有一份差事。我母亲是一个非常吃苦耐劳的女人，为了养家糊口，她拼命工作，几乎从不休息。

母亲坚信只要自己努力就一定能够养活全家。因此无论发生了什么情况，她从来没有乞求过施舍。你可以想象我们姊妹兄弟的生活状况：尽管从来买不起自己想要的东西，但是日常生活的必需品总是能够得到满足。从母亲身上，我懂得了勤奋是获得一切的最佳途径。

在成长的过程中，我的周围总是充斥着各种消极事物的诱惑，如毒品、烈性酒等。我从不选择和这类事情沾边。甚至当我还是个小孩子时，我就知道有一天我会成功。有些人将我的这种想法视为骄傲或自负，但我不这么认为。只要我确定了自己想做的事情，就不允许别人说我做不到。

当然，我也梦想过长大以后想做什么。起初我想当个州警察，后来想进入特种部队，不久，我决定了要去驾驶18轮的大卡车，甚至还有一段时间我想进建筑业发展。上高中的时候，我喜爱美式足球，直到现在我还时常玩玩。但不管我选择做什么，我的最终目的是要让母亲和兄弟姐妹们为我骄傲——不仅要为我在事业上获得成功而骄傲，更要为我成为一个受人尊重的人而骄傲。

听起来也许令人诧异——篮球当时并没有被列在我的人生计划中。记得有一天，母亲把一只旧水桶沿边剪下一个圈来，为我举着，让我投橡皮球玩。到了初中，我开始在篮球队里打球。我喜爱打比赛。与人比拼，给我带来一种快感。为了获胜，我吃苦耐劳，常代表学校出去比賽。对我来说，这叫作“天道酬勤”。我并不刻意去争抢成功和荣誉，但是我的的确确每天都在为此付出努力。

不管我怎么做，有些人却并不希望看到我成功。他们说：“卡尔·马龙不行。” 我一点儿也不计较那些不中听的话，相反，它们倒成了我拼搏的动力。不论赛场内外，我总是努力做到最好，每一天以自己的实际行动证明他们的话是错误的。

作为一个篮球明星，我很感谢生活赐予我的一切。可当我看到那些T恤上写着“篮球就是生命”时，我想是啊，是这样的！但其实篮球并不等于生命，尽管它很刺激。篮球能够让我在这段所谓“生命”的旅程中为别人做一些好事，我认为这才是最重要的。

成功其实意味着弃恶扬善，为你周围的世界做积极的贡献，以及珍视那些真正重要的东西——比如家人和朋友。

当人人都将目光聚焦到运动明星、演员和音乐家上，并将其视为典范时，我的母亲却成了鼓舞我力量之人，这些年来一直如此。她教导我说，勤奋工作从来不会累死人。她是我心目中的英雄。母亲、我的家庭，以及朋友所给予我的快乐是生活中其他任何事物所不能及的。