My lesson today
centers on a man who, in my opinion, was the best basketball
coach—college or pro—to ever live: the great John Wooden.
To most he was
known as the “Wizard of Westwood,” the UCLA basketball coach who
guided the Bruins to an unprecedented 10 national championships over
two decades. For those who played for him, he was much more than a
coach. He was a teacher, father figure, mentor and master
motivator
who got every inch and more out of his players.
When I heard of his passing last
June, my mind was flooded with many memories of this great man’s
life, and the impact he had on so many people, including me. I was
also reminded of memories and life lessons I shared with him
personally.
I spent some time with Coach
Wooden a few years ago at his modest home in Los Angeles, where he
lived for more than 30 years. It would have taken several hours just
to read all of the plaques, memorabilia and awards that adorned his
walls.
For three weeks, I prepared for
our meeting, and I had my questions ready. I came away from that day
with stories I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Wooden’s Creed for Life
I want to share with you the
simple creed Coach Wooden kept in his wallet since his father gave it
to him at the age of 12. The words on this tattered paper served as
his guidepost his entire life:
Be true to
yourself.
Make each day
your masterpiece.
Drink deeply
from good books.
Make friendship
a fine art.
Build shelter
against a rainy day.
Pray for
guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
For 87 years, this
creed molded Coach Wooden’s life. When I asked him how successful
he was in keeping each of these principles, he said, “You know,
Craig, we’re never perfect. But every day I still try to live up to
the creed.”
What a great lesson to us all.
Wooden was at the pinnacle of success and still strove to live up to
those principles in his late 90s.
Most of you reading
this are interested in winning and learning how you can get ahead. I
want to share with you two things that helped set Coach Wooden apart
from other coaches.
A Life of Discipline
First, he achieved
personal victories before
he led his team to
victory. One of the things you’ll notice quickly when you look
at John Wooden’s life is he
was truly disciplined.
Many people feel that a leader’s biggest challenge is leading other
people. I don’t subscribe to this opinion. The biggest challenge as
a leader is living the
life of a leader. As I listened to Coach Wooden that day, I asked
myself, how could he bring such success to the teams that he led? The
victory he had over himself allowed him to help others become
victorious.
Our standard of excellence and
code of conduct is summed up by Coach Wooden’s strategy to find
happiness. He said happiness comes from making and keeping nine
promises:
1.
Promise
yourself that you will talk health,
happiness and prosperity as often as possible.
2.
Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in
them that is special that you value.
3.
Promise
to think only of the best,
to work only for the best and to expect only the best in yourself and
others.
4.
Promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you
are about your own.
5.
Promise
yourself to be so strong
that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
6.
Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater
achievements in the future.
7.
Promise
to wear a cheerful appearance
at all times and give every person you meet a smile.
8.
Promise to give so much time improving yourself that you have no time
to criticize others.
9.
Promise
to be too large for worry,
too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit
trouble to press on you.
I learned so much
from John Wooden that day in Los Angeles. The time we spent together
is etched forever on my mind. His words continue to touch lives the
world over. And I don’t say this about a lot of people, but after I
left his home I said to myself, “I want to be just like him.”
Thanks, Coach. You will be missed.
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