Coach Wooden

Originally posted February 20th, 2005.

Well I bought myself a book by John Wooden, coach in the 70s for UCLA's men's basketball team. He's probably considered the best coach of all time. In my mind he beats old Phil (Jackson) anytime. Well the cool thing about him is that he based his coaching on his principles rather than on just trying to win. Interestingly, not trying to win made him one of the most winningest collegiate coaches ever.

Well here are some quotes:
"Do your best. The score cannot make you a loser when you do that; it cannot make you a winner if you do less."

"No player is bigger or better than the team."

"Don't try to be better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be."

"Never Lie, Never Cheat, Never Steal.
Don't whine, Don't complain, Don't make excuses."

"I'm not what I ought to be,
Not what I want to be,
Not what I'm going to be,
But I am thankful that I'm better than I used to be."

I believe sport is a microchosm of life and so everything he says can relate to life as well. The amazing thing is that you can stop comparing yourself to others and still achieve greatness. Eric Liddell, from Chariots of Fire, put it great when he said, "Where does the power come from, to see the race to the end? It comes from within." How we motivate ourselves to compete in sports is the same way we motivate ourselves in real life. If we are trying to impress others we will struggle with worrying about what others think about us all our lives. But if it is our goal to achieve greatness of self, giving everything you have, and that being the end - that can bring you much more satisfaction. My goal for this week: my utmost!