This is the simple creed that Coach John Wooden kept in his wallet since his father gave it to him at the age of 12. Wooden was the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins basketball team that won an unprecedented 10 national championships (including 7 in a row) over two decades.
The words on the piece of paper served as Wooden’s guidepost for his entire life.
- Be true to yourself
- Make each day your masterpiece
- Help others
- Drink deeply from good books
- Make friendship a fine art
- Build shelter against a rainy day
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day
Wooden told John C Maxwell about his 9 point strategy to find happiness.
- Promise yourself you will talk health, happiness and prosperity as often as possible
- Promise yourself to make all your friends know there is something in them that is special that you value
- Promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best in yourself and others
- Promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own
- Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind
- Promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future
- Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile
- Promise to give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others
- Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit trouble to press on you.
For the full text of an article on Wooden and his principles, see the April 2011 edition of Success Magazine.
Andrew Stewart's Blog 