One of the truly greatest motivators and coaches of our time passed away on Friday night, and we send him on with warm remembrances. Coach John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach, was known for being selfless and giving, always composed and in control - even under the most stressful of circumstances. Even though this simple, yet complex man, retired before I got to high school, I have heard his name, his quotes, and his praises sung for decades. One of my favorites - "Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you" contains words I have repeated many times.
I have such a great admiration for coaches, after all it is how we should see ourselves whether it is our vocation or not. Parents, friends, mentors, leaders at every level have a responsibility to look for the best in others, and encourage them to achieve it. If each of us approached our days with a coaches mentality, with the people who look to us for guidance as being our players, forgetting about ourselves as individuals and having a "team" outlook, would the world be better? I think so.
Thank you, Coach Wooden, for your excellence and example. A life well lived indeed.
"Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow"
Thank you for being my coach <3
ReplyDelete