Friday’s List To Live By #57

In his little book, Winners and Losers, the late syndicated columnist, Sydney J. Harris succinctly offers insight on success and failure with wit and wisdom.

In the language of the sports world, Harris shares 5 scoreboards for success. They speak to issues of attitude, personal responsibility, and relationships.

Here are just a few thoughts from scoreboard #1.

A winner makes commitments;
A loser makes promises.

When a winner makes a mistake he says, ‘I was wrong;”
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”

A winner works harder than a loser and has more time;
A loser is always “too busy” to do what is necessary.

A winner goes through a problem;
A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

A winner says “Let’s find out:”
A loser says “Nobody knows.”

A winner knows what to fight for, and what to compromise on;
A loser compromises on what he shouldn’t and fights for what isn’t worth fighting about.

A winner shows he’s sorry by making up for it;
A loser says, “I’m sorry, but does the same thing the next time.

A winner listens;
A loser just waits until it’s his turn to talk.

A winner says, “There ought to be a better way to do it;”
A loser says, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”

A winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn from them;
A loser resents those who are superior to him and tries to find chinks in their armor.

So, how did you score?

Winner?

Loser?

If you find yourself losing, it’s not too late to mount a comeback and change your score.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

Note:  To access the previous 56 lists, click here.

If you missed the special tribute list honoring Dee Bowman, click here.