As a young boy， I grew up with my eight sibilings 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 raisiring and providing for nine kids. She worked at a sawmill running a foklift 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. 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 chose to do， but also a person who could be looked up to for the night reasons.

Suprising 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， thay are actually my motivation and I continue to prove them wrong every single day. I try to do the best job！ can in a positive way on and off the court. I realize that no matter what Im dealing with， theres somebody else out there who has it a little worse off. Ive been there. And I know that without continued hard work， I could be there again.

I am graceful 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 jourey 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 contiues to be all these year 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.

At the end of my life， I dont want to be remembered as the kind of person who just sit on his rear end and said， “Ive made it.”I dont ever want to have to say that I didnt gibe it everything that Ive got. Sure there are days that I dont feel like working hard but I do it anyway， because that who I am.

當我还是个小男孩的时候，我同我的八个兄弟姐妹在路易斯安娜萨默菲尔德的一个铁皮棚屋中长大。即使在这屋子里都没有一个真正的厕所，我也没有将这种环境视为一个障碍。我更多地将我的生活看做是发给我的一副牌，我要努力打得最好。

在五个男孩中，我是最小的一个，我还有四个姐妹。家境迫使我们做什么事都齐心协力，互相照顾。爸爸已不在人世，所以我无法充分地了解他。在我三岁的时候他自尽了，把抚养九个孩子的责任都留给了妈妈。她在一家锯木厂开叉车，周薪50美元，她还在一个家禽厂做着另一份工。妈妈工作非常努力，为了养家糊口，她几乎从未休息过。

妈妈相信，只要竭尽全力，她就能尽好照顾我们的责任，因此无论发生了什么情况，她从来没有乞求过施舍。你可以想象到，我们这些孩子们是得不到我们想要的东西，可必需的东西却从未缺少过。有妈妈这样的榜样，我懂得了辛勤工作是你达成所愿的最佳途径。

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，甚至在我还是个小孩子时，我就知道有一天我会成功。有些人认为这是过分自信或者自以为是，但我不会让任何人对我说出我做不到我已决意要做的任何事。

当然，我也有着长大以后想干什么的梦想。起先我想当个州警察，后来就是想进人特种部队，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，中学时我想打橄榄球。事实上，现在我还会这么想。但是，不管我的选择是什么，我都要让我的兄弟姐妹和妈妈为我感到骄傲——不仅是因为我在自己所选择的领域中获得成功，而且是因正当的理由受人钦佩。

这似乎显得出乎意料，因为篮球并不在我的计划之中。有一天，妈妈从一个旧水桶上割下一个圆框，然后挂了起来，并让我往里扔一个旧橡皮球。到了初中，我开始在一个篮球队里打球。我喜欢竞争，走出门外与他人对抗并努力争取胜利给我带来了积极向上的快感。于我而言，篮球让我收获了回报。我只是让我在篮球方面的成功自然发展，但我总是不遗余力——天天都如此。

无论我做什么，总有一些人在等着看我失败，他们会说：“卡尔·马龙不会成功的。”他们的打击非但没有让我沮丧，反而转化成了我的动力，每一天我都继续以实际行动证明他们错了。无论是在篮球场上，还是篮球场外，我都会以积极进取的态度，努力将一切做到最好。我明白不论我将面对怎样的境遇，总有一些人的生活比我还要糟糕。我曾经是他们中的一员，而且我也知道假如我不坚持努力，就可能会回到原来的处境。

我非常享受作为篮球明星所拥有的舒适生活。可当我看到那些T恤上写着“篮球就是生活”时，我想是啊，是这样的！但它又不等于生活。篮球可以激动人心，只是篮球最重要的一面还是，当我在名为生活的旅途上行进时，它为我提供了一条为他人做好事的途径。

成功实际上就是在正确与错误中抉择，为你周围的世界作积极的贡献，以及珍视那些真正重要的东西——就像家人和朋友。

当所有人都将目光聚焦到运动明星、影星和音乐家上，并将其视为正面榜样时，我的妈妈却成了鼓舞我力量之人，稍后的这些年来依然如此。她教导我，辛勤工作从不会累死任何人，妈妈就是我心目中的英雄。她同我的家庭，还有朋友要比生活中的任何其他东西为我带来更多的喜悦。

当我的生命结束时，我不愿被铭记为那种坐着轻描淡写地说一句“我成功了”的人。我永远不想不得已地说出，我没有为我取得的成功竭尽全力——确实有些时候我不想努力工作……可无论如何我还是干了，因为我卡尔·马龙就是这样的人。