Summary
John Wooden gives the definition of success that he developed in 1934 after noticing parents’ high expectations of their children: they required them to get an A or B, not a C. He recognized that people were created with different levels of intelligence, hence the need to judge them differently. His father taught him invaluable lessons such as learning from others instead of competing with them, always striving to better oneself, and focusing on things under one’s control.
From that, he defined success as the peace of mind that ensues from the knowledge that one gave his all in any endeavor. He had three main rules that he required his students to follow: never be late, do not engage in profanity, and never criticize a teammate. All activities were started and closed on time. Players who used profanity were either suspended from the team for the day or asked to sit on the bench. Players were not allowed to criticize each other because that was the coach’s responsibility. Wooden created a pyramid that would help him to become a great teacher and coach. It had values such as industriousness, enthusiasm, faith, patience, enjoying one’s work, and hard work.
As A Student
The information could be used in many ways as a student to achieve personal goals and attain excellence. First, the rules about never being late and striving to be the best are invaluable. Students can better themselves through proper time management. This could include going to class on time, spending less time socializing and more time studying, doing the best in all activities, and learning from other people.
Second, Wooden’s definition of success could be an effective guide in appreciating the effort put in the attainment of personal goals. This would involve working hard to exceed one’s previous accomplishments instead of pursuing goals that are aimed at becoming better than other people. Third, the values of the pyramid could also be useful in the creation of character. Patience, faith, hard work, and enthusiasm are values that could lead to success if embraced and applied in daily undertakings.
Post-Graduation
After graduation, the information in the video will be applied in numerous ways, be it in the pursuance of a master’s degree or in the workplace. In both instances, the lessons of keeping time and the values of patience, hard work, and faith will be invaluable. Juggling work and education is a challenging undertaking that necessitates proper time management and hard work. Wooden’s advice to his players to keep time is invaluable. In that regard, I will ensure that I am never late for work or class and that I do my best every day to attain my goals. Patience is a virtue that will facilitate the attainment of success either at work or school.
The other “threes” (do not complain, do not whine, and do not make excuses) will also be useful. For instance, I will refrain from making excuses for failure to accomplish goals because of reasons such as lack of time management, unpreparedness, lack of skills, or ignorance. In addition, I will not complain whenever things fail to work out because whining does not help to mitigate the challenges. Instead, solutions to problems will be sought and decisions that improve effectiveness will be made.