John Wooden one of the most successful coaches in basketball history. He set the standard for excellence for generations of coaches and players: 10 NCAA Championships (seven of them in a row). 

John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success consists of 10 key components: 

Industriousness, Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation, Enthusiasm, Self-Control, Alertness, Initiative, Intentness, and Condition, Skill, Team Spirit, Poise, Confidence, & Competitive Greatness

What did Coach Wooden mean by success?

“Success is… 

… peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”

Success is about striving for personal excellence.

• Maintain a positive attitude, exercise self-control, & take care of body and mind.
• Further, paying attention to the details, striving to learn & taking action.
• This requires a team: meaningful relationships, sticking to commitments, and working together for a common goal.

Through his Pyramid of Success…

…he showed that success is achievable when these components are followed. *His inspiring words of wisdom are included here for anyone lucky enough to encounter them.

In his description, Coach Wooden states he often focused simply on the base and the apex of the pyramid. If an athlete can master these, he believed they would find success in time.

The Base

• Industriousness
  • Being persistent and striving for excellence.
• Friendship
  • Creating meaningful relationships with others.
• Loyalty
  • Sticking to your commitments and promises.
• Cooperation
  • Working together for a common goal.
• Enthusiasm
  • Maintaining a positive attitude.

The Apex

• Faith
  • “Real faith is not only believing in yourself, but also in others.”- Wooden
  • If you have faith, you have hope. When you keep your faith, you will find success.
• Patience
  • “Patience should be practiced in all areas of life, but especially in the pursuit of success.”  – Wooden
  • *By exercising patience, we can think before we act and make decisions.*

Coach Wooden believed….

…success was about striving for personal excellence. By mastering the base and the apex of the pyramid, one could find success in time. 

💡 Perhaps in time we can strive for personal excellence and find our own peace of mind knowing we truly gave our best effort.