A few months ago my good friends Betty and Raymond Hall gave me a copy of Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. When the legendary basketball coach died on June 4, at age 99, I revisited some of his insights.
In the book, Coach John Wooden, who led the UCLA Bruins for 27 years and amassed a record 10 national men's basketball titles, defined himself as a "realistic optimist." He avoided negativism, he said, by setting realistic goals.
"Goals should be difficult to achieve because those achieved with little effort are seldom appreciated, give little personal satisfaction, and are often not very worthwhile," wrote the Wizard of Westwood. "However, if you set goals that are so idealistic there's no possibility of reaching them, you will eventually become discouraged."
Most of us can name people who aim too high or too low — and maybe have done so at times ourselves. Being a "realistic optimist" seemed to work well for Coach Wooden. So his advice is instructive for developing the fine art of goal-setting that helps chart our futures.
4 comments:
能猜得出女人真實年齡的男人也許耳聰目明，但肯定毫無大腦。哈哈！......................................................
No, just 10 national titles:)
JP:
Hope many who see this blog will click on www.charlierose.com for repeat of interview Rose had in late 90's with Wooden, Bill Walton and Bill Russell.
The June 11 program.
Like Ted Williams still talking about the Leon Culberson miff in the 46 World Series, Walton and Wooden were still going over the defeat David Thompson and NC State gave them in 74.
The program is easily accessible for a few days, so don't tarry.
Great stuff and the closing poem is a sweet and tender.
I've noticed last few days as one could imagine several easily googled and stellar tributes to Wooden; another framing of the civic world, virtue and manners of good folks of that era like Stewart Newman,Olin Binkley, Lolley and LD Johnson; all grand story tellers among other gifts.
I found the poem:
It's at the five minute mark in this talk; worth the copy and paste:
Such Splendid Company:
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html
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