Wooden: A Lifetime of Reflections
John Wooden
Summary
From the most successful basketball coach in college sports history (he won 88 games in a row across 4 seasons), Wooden was not only know for winning but also creating great men. He discusses things that helped him coach people to be great.
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Be the best you can be in whatever endeavour you choose to undertake
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Youngsters need role models more than they need critics
Never lie, never cheat, never steal, don’t complain, don’t whine, don’t make excuses
Make each day your masterpiece
Keep trying to do what is right, no matter how hard it is and how often you fail
‘Never believe you’re better than anyone else but remember you’re just as good as everyone else’
Family is first. Always. Always
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation
Learn as if you were going to live forever and live as if you were going to die tomorrow
Try not to be a man of success but rather become a man of value - Albert Einstein
Try your hardest in all ways and you are a success. Do less than that and you have failed to one degree or another
Don’t let success in the past cloud your judgement. You only have control over the present, right now
Proper preparation and attention to details are the key to success
There is a price for achieving anything of significance. You must be willing to pay it
Recognition appeals to the ego but it is a secondary consideration and often counter productive
Reflection of the smallest details make big things happen
The harder you work, the more luck you’ll have
Take what is available and make the most of it
Adversity often produces unexpected opportunity. Look for it and utilize it.
You must never stand still. You’re either moving upward a little bit or you’re going the other way
Focus on improving yourself and giving your full effort rather than comparing yourself to the other team as indicated by a score
The most essential thing for a leader is the respect of his people. Make it clear you are working together
The only goal of criticism or discipline is improvement
Knowledge alone is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and motivate
Develop a love for details. They usually accompany success
Every single member of your team needs to feel wanted and appreciated
Don’t look for the big, quick improvements. Seek small improvement one day at a time, because it’ll last
If you get caught up in things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you have control
People learn more effectively if info is given in bite sized amounts rather than everything at once
Those that matter don’t mind and those that mind don’t matter
Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming
Worthwhile things only come from work
You must believe in yourself if you expect others to believe in you
Competitive greatness is enjoying the challenge when things become very difficult
Happiness begins where selfishness ends
What is right is more important than who is right
Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life
Be slow to criticize and quick to commend
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Make Something Wonderful
Steve Jobs
Summary
The life of Steve Jobs in his own words
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Make something wonderful and put it out there
‘You appear, have a chance to blaze in the sky, then you disappear’
When you’re a stranger in a place, you notice thing you don’t otherwise (Jobs after India trip)
Whenever you start with nothing, always shoot for the moon. You have nothing to lose.
You never achieve what you want without falling on your face a few times
Never be afraid to fail. You never achieve what you want without falling flat on your face a few times
We are never taught to listen to our intuitions, to develop and nurture them. But if you do pay attention to these subtle insights, you can make them come true
Creativity equals connecting previously unrelated experiences and insights others don’t see
Believe that some of what you follow with your heart will come back and make your life richer. And it will. And you will gain even firmer trust on your instincts and intuitions
Make your avocation your vocation. Make what you love your work.
The journey is the reward. The reward isn’t in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it’s in crossing the rainbow
To find A+ talent, if experienced, look at their track record and results
The world we know is a human creation and we can push it forward
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do (read whole ad ‘here’s to the crazy ones)
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit - Aristotle
Hire people better than you are
You can’t plan to meet the people who will change your life
It’s impossible to connect the dots looking forward, but they make sense looking backwards so you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you
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