There are many people who could be Olympic champions, but they have never tried. I'd estimate five million people could have beaten me in the pole vault the year I won it, at least five million. Men who were stronger, bigger and faster than I was could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground to try to get over the bar.
Greatness is all around us. It's easy to be great because great people will help you. What is fantastic about all the conventions I go to is that the greatest in the business will come and share their ideas, their methods and their techniques with everyone else. I have seen the greatest salesmen open up and show young salesmen exactly how they did it. They don't hold back. I have also found it true in the world of sports.
I'll never forget the time I was trying to break Dutch Warmer Dam's record. I was about a foot below his record, so I called him on the phone. I said, “Dutch, can you help me? I seem to have leveled off. I can't get any higher.”
He said, “Sure, Bob, come on up to visit me and I'll give you all I got.” I spent three days with the master, the greatest pole-vaulter in the world. For three days, Dutch gave me everything that he'd known. There were things that I was doing wrong and he corrected them. To make a long story short, I went up eight inches. That great guy gave me the best that he had. I've found that sports champions and heroes willingly do this just to help you become great, too.
John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach, has a philosophy that every day he is supposed to help someone who can never reciprocate. That's his obligation.
When in college working on his master's thesis on scouting and defensive football, George Allen wrote up a 30-page survey and sent it out to the great coaches in the country. Eighty-five percent answered it completely.
Great people will share, which is what made George Allen one of the greatest football coaches in the world. Great people will tell you their secrets. Look for them, call them on the phone or buy their books. Go where they are, get around them, talk to them. It is easy to be great when you get around great people.
【助读词汇】
-feeble adj. 微弱的，无力的
-convention n. 大会，集会
-level off v. 稳定，变得稳定
-reciprocate v. 酬答，报答
-scout v. 守卫；侦察
【参考译文】
很多人都可以成为奥运会冠军，但是他们没有去尝试。在赢得撑杆跳冠军的那年，我估计会有五百万人可能打败我，至少有五百万！那些比我更强壮、更高大、跑得更快速的人，本来是可以赢了我的，但是他们没有拾起撑杆，没有哪怕是付出微小的努力去抬起腿尝试跳过那根横杆。
我们周围有很多优秀的人。变优秀很容易，因为有优秀的人会帮助你。很有意思的是，在我参加过的所有商业集会中，我都会发现商界一些最优秀的人会来与其他所有人分享自己的想法、方法和技巧。我看到过最厉害的销售员敞开胸怀，毫无保留地向年轻销售员传授他们的成功之道。同样，我也在运动领域发现了这一现象。
我永远不会忘记尝试打破德屈·渥门·丹记录的那一次。我差他的记录约1英尺，所以我打电话给他：“德屈，你能帮我吗？我好像停滞不前，不能跳得更高了。”
他说：“鲍布，我当然愿意帮你，你过来吧，我把我会的全教给你。”我与这位世界上最伟大的撑杆跳高大师待了3天。在这3天里，德屈把他知道的全告诉了我。我有些做得不对的地方，他帮我进行了纠正。长话短说，我因此进步了8英寸。这位大师把他所学的精髓教授给了我。我发现运动冠军和其他行业的杰出人物也都乐意这样做来帮助你也变得优秀。
约翰·伍顿是加大洛山矶分校篮球队的王牌教练。他的人生哲学是每天都应该帮助一个无力回报他的人。这是他的义务。
乔治·艾伦当年读大学写一篇关于足球守卫和防御的论文时，他制作了一份长达30页的调查问卷，寄给了全国各地出色的教练。其中百分之八十五的人都为他完全填好了。
伟大的人都愿意分享，也正由于如此，乔治·艾伦成为了世界上最伟大的足球教练之一。伟大的人会告诉你他的秘密。找到他们，打他们电话，或者买他们的书。到他们身边去，和他们交谈。当你在优秀的人身边时，你也容易变优秀。
【人生启迪】
古话云：“近朱者赤，近墨者黑。”这是千载年来经久不衰的真理。你旁边一定也有不少优秀的人，鼓起勇气和他们接触，日子久了，在他们的熏陶之下，你自然也会加入成功人士之列。