"Success", Seven Point Creed from John Wooden

I just discovered John Wooden, a legendary, if not 'the' legendary coach in college basketball. There was a video on Ted.com which led me to him.

What I gathered from his talk - A person is successful if he/she can realize their full potential, which is obviously achieved by giving their best. This 'potential' will be different for different people, so parents should not go crazy over kids getting lesser marks/grades than other kids and adults should not get depressed by comparing themselves with their friends, colleagues etc. He wanted his team to act the same way at the end of a game whether they won or lost the game. This is very different from the attitude that is prevalent in American sports today and cricket also - A W (Win) is all that matters. This kind of attitude destroys people psychologically and will obviously affect results. So, not just as a philosophy, but from the point of view of results also, I feel the coach's philosophy is far more effective.

"Never try to be better than others, learn from others. And never cease to be your best"
- from a video on Ted.com

He had 3 rules while he coached -
1. Never be late
2. Be neat
3. Never criticize a teammate


From wikipedia -

Seven Point Creed

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed [1], given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:
Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Wooden also has authored a lecture and a book about the Pyramid of Success.[18] The Pyramid of Success consists of philosophical building blocks for winning at basketball and at life. He is also the author of several other books about basketball and life.

I found another quote recently - Be quick, but dont hurry (quoted by Phil Jackson recently)

Below are some more from Luke Walton's blog during 2009 NBA finals -

Happiness begins where selfishness ends

Earn the right to be proud and confident

The best way to improve the team is to improve ourself

I will get ready and then, perhaps, my chance will come

If I am through learning, I am through

The smallest good deed is better than the best intention