Anne Johnson responding to John Wooden on true success

John Wooden's definition of success is doing your best, reaching your full potential.  It is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have done your best - not winning or losing.  He enjoys the journey toward success and the development of the player.  Character trumps reputation.


John Wooden's message resonates with me personally in this later stage of my life.  I am able to look back and see how each experience in my life's journey has contributed to who I am and where I am.  That is one of the delightful aspects of reaching this stage of life! As a parent, I have so much more perspective about the importance of events in my children's and student's lives, that at the time were painful.  Those times and experiences contributed a great a deal to their character and ultimately their success.


 I think the parents of our children aspire to this idea of success, but struggle at times.  Parents of young children have limited perception of their child's abilities comparative to those around them. They want the best for their child and certainly more than what they may have been able to achieve.  They also know at this stage of their life what regret is . . . regret for opportunities lost or poor judgements made.  They are anxious.  They don't want their child to miss opportunities or make the mistakes that they may feel held them back or prevented them from reaching their potential.  They are also uncertain about what kinds of mistakes a child can or should make.  And sometimes they are not certain that their child will learn from the mistake they make.  In short, they don't know when to worry and when not to worry - so they just worry.


John Wooden's concern for the development of each individual's potential is clear.  He wants the best for them, not what they can produce for him.  In his final comments he talks about two players.  He notes that they were not the fastest, but they maintained good position to achieve rebounds.  They didn't have the most natural talent for shooting, but maintained the best percentages because they maintained position and shot when they should (and gave the ball to others when they shouldn't).  What a great illustration of maximizing your qualities to overcome weaker areas . . . I loved this.  You don't have to be perfect - you have to be coachable and use your assets to greatest advantage.  John Wooden makes a personal investment in his players - their character and their potential.