Marty Durden
Columbus FCA Area Director
MDurden [@] fca.org
Columbus Valley Edition
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Success is the peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming! – John Wooden, The Pyramid of Success
Tribute to the Wizard
by Marty Durden
With the recent passing of John Wooden, I feel compelled to pay him this tribute as one of the most influential coaches who ever lived. The “Wizard of Westwood” taught many coaches the meaning of genuine success. He explained his theory in his book, The Pyramid of Success.
His quest to understand the concept began in grade school when a teacher asked his class to define success. Many of Wooden’s classmates thought success was wealth, power or status. At this formative stage in life, Wooden did not fully understand what success was but began to ponder its meaning.
Wooden sought the input of his father, who believed that “whether we are better than someone else should not be the focus of success, since our position in relation to others is out of our control.” After all, we cannot control what others do — we are only in charge of what we do. We simply cannot measure ourselves against others and deem that as success or failure. Wooden’s father told him that success is doing the best we can do with what we have at our disposal.
Thus began Wooden’s lifelong journey to seek the true meaning of success. He devised The Pyramid of Success in 1934, when he was a high school English teacher. Through the years, he modified many parts of the pyramid, changed the wording and altered the content, but the underlying principles never changed. The core building blocks that form the pyramid are unchangeable.
Based upon his understanding of success, Wooden never mentioned the words “win” or “lose” to his players. Coach believed that success was about the process and not the product.
Countless coaches have contemplated his concept of success for decades. In June 2010, Wooden imparted his final lesson to us. In his last interview on ESPN, Wooden was asked if he was scared of dying. Without blinking, Coach replied, “No! Dying will be the best thing that ever happened to me.” Wooden knew he would be with the Lord as well as his beloved wife, who passed away many years ago. Wooden believed that true success is a peace of mind – not material possessions, notoriety, titles or any of the trappings of life that confuse us. Wooden’s peace of mind conquered his fear of death, because he understood the true meaning of success.
Material possessions, winning scores and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord,– John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood
because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters!
At God’s footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
“I failed,” he cried. The Master said,
“You did your best; that is success.”
- Anonymous
