They Ask Me Why I Teach, a poem written by teacher Glennice L. Harmon. The poem is often recited and is a favourite of former UCLA Basketball hall of fame coach John Wooden.
Coach Woodens Pyramid Of Success: Building Blocks For a Better Life is based on former UCLA basketball team coach John Wooden’s framework for victory and success in life. The Pyramid reveals that success is built block by block, where each block is a crucial principle contributing to lifelong achievement in every area of life.
Coach Wooden should know a thing or two about the principle of success. His UCLA Bruins team won ten NCAA national championships, seven of them in consecutive years, and had four undefeated seasons, including an 88-game winning streak. John Wooden had a 620-147 record during his 27-year tenure.
Coach John Wooden is considered one of the most successful National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coaches of all time. He guided the UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA championships in his 12 years reign as the head basketball team coach. Coach Wooden is famous for his maxims and sayings on success, his pyramid of success and his love for poetry.
In her 2021 book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, author and psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke, delve into the neuroscience of reward with an emphasis on the neurotransmitter: Dopamine. Dr. Lembke shared true stories of her patients and their journey of recovery from addiction. She also shared a framework that helps the reader better understand Dopamine and strategies for recovering from addiction. The framework is based on the Acronym DOPAMINE.
In Government Cheese, author Steve Pressfield narrates his roller coaster journey of becoming an author, how he dealt with resistance, the multiple jobs he undertook (Marine Corps reservist, truck driver, secretary, orchard picker, copywriter, cab driver, Golf Caddie, Janitor), navigating the challenges of becoming a creative and the mentors that guided him on his path to greatness.
Steve Pressfield’s story is an excellent reminder of what a lot of creatives go through before they eventually get their breakthrough. Pressfield dealt with shame, poverty, resistance, self-doubt and rejection. But in spite of all these challenges, he persevered, endured, kept showing up daily and eventually achieved his goal of becoming a writer.
We know our friends during adversity, and our friends know us during prosperity.
As author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn often said, “You are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” I agree with Rohn; your thought process & worldview is determined by who you surround yourself with, the people, and the media you consume daily. You cannot take people farther than you have gone, and we cannot give what we do not have; who we surround ourselves with matters a lot. Most of us surround ourselves with default friends disguised as frenemies, the familiar (family), our comfort zone, and low-growth individuals.
“You are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn
The above statement by Jim Rohn cuts across every area of our lives, your income is the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and your perspective is proportional to the five people you interact with often. Who we surround ourselves with is one of the most important decisions that we all have to make. One of the recurring themes in my study of people through the reading of multiple Biographical books is the importance of choosing the right partner, whether in life or business.
In The Self-Aware Leader: Play to Your Strengths, Unleash Your Team, leadership author Dr. John C. Maxwell asserts that lack of self-awareness is the single greatest obstacle leaders face in their development, effectiveness and advancement. When leaders don’t see themselves clearly, understand their strengths & weaknesses, or recognize their negative interactions with their team, they. limit their influence & undermine their own influence.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
The Death Song Poem is often attributed to native American Shawnee chief and warrior Tecumseh. The poem is often referred to by different names: Sing Your Death Song poem, die like a hero going home poem, The Indian Death Prayer, The Indian Death Poem, Live Your Life poem etc.
Tecumseh was a Native American Shawnee chief and warrior who became the primary leader of a multi-tribal confederacy that led his people to resist the expansion of the United States into Native American land. He was one of the most celebrated leaders of his time.
A company of one resists and questions some forms of traditional growth, not on principle, but because growth isn’t always the most beneficial or financially viable move.
In Company Of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business, author and entrepreneur Paul Jarvis argues that staying small provides one with the freedom to pursue more meaningful pleasures in life―and avoid the headaches that come with traditional growth-oriented business. The core philosophy of Company of One: Start small, Define growth, and Keep learning.
“Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
John Wooden won ten NCAA national championships, seven of them in consecutive years had four undefeated seasons, including an 88-game winning streak. John Wooden had a 620-147 record during his 27-year tenure as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins.
Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is the key to obtaining peace of mind that is the direct result of the self-satisfaction achieved when you know that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
John Wooden was born on October 14, 1910, in Martinsville, Indiana, the second of four brothers. Coach Wooden’s father, Joshua, instilled in his sons the basic principles of honesty, hard work and respect for others—the elements that make up the Pyramid of Success. He also passed along to them a love for reading, especially the Bible and poetry.
In Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, Coach Wooden shares timeless wisdom about every aspect of life, his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence. Coach John Wooden won 10 NCAA champions in his 12 years reign as the UCLA Bruins, including seven national championships in a row: 1967, 1968, 1969,1970, 1971, 1972, 1973. He is considered one of the most successful National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coaches.
One of the hallmarks of highly successful people is their morning routine and regimen. Some of the early risers include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Indra Nooyi, and Barrack Obama, to name but a few. I have always been fascinated by success and the routine of the successful people in our world. As it is often said, “Success leaves clues”. One of the clues and patterns have found in my reading of multiple biographies and autobiographies is the dedication, routine, consistency, and regimen of the greats.
“People don’t remember what we think is important; they remember what they think is important.”
In Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently, master communicator and leadership author John C. Maxwell shares five principles and five practices to develop connection skills needed to become an effective communicator. He also highlights strategies for connecting with people one-on-one, in a group and in an audience. He recommends communicating in ways that consistently build potent connections. Maxwell asserts that everyone communicates, but the authentic communicator takes the time to know their audience, hone their message and present it in a simple way that the audience would quickly grasp.
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