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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. - Abraham Lincoln

Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good. - Joe Paterno

Too many years ago, when I was in high school, I had a chance to see John Wooden speak. It was one of thousands of speeches he gave to students, businesses, trade groups and about anyone else who would listen. I was thrilled, not because I was a basketball player, but because John Wooden represented winning. After all he had won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years. I wanted to hear him talk about the his UCLA teams, the big games and his great players. Coincidently he was speaking in the city where he lost in the 1974 Semi Final game — his last NCAA tournament loss.

Being a history buff I was hoping to hear stories about that game and the great NC State (my favorite team at the time) team that went on to win the tournament that year. Instead he did nothing of the sort. He didn't talk about the big games he won, or the ones that got away. He talked about teaching and self discipline. Boy was I ripped off, at least that is what my 15 year old mind thought at first.

Then I started to listen to what he had to say. He didn't talk about himself or his teams at all, instead he talked to us about teaching, team work and self discipline. Not exactly top 10 material for several hundred high school kids, but he held our attention for the two hours he spoke.  After that speech I became a John Wooden fan. I've never passed an opportunity to read a book by or about him or watch a show that mentions him. Even after 30 years of retirement, John Wooden remains relevant because he is talking about universal truths.

Starting when he was in high school, John Wooden tried to create a definition of success. As he tells the story in his autobiography "They Call Me Coach", after several years and hundreds of hours of effort he came up with his "Pyramid of Success". The pyramid is five levels tall with additional qualities tying each level together along the outside of the pyramid. But at the top there is a single sentence:

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

There is nothing about winning games, being better than 50%, 60%, 90% of your peers, scoring more goals, or anything about comparing yourself to others. In the end success is solely about being the best you can be and the only person who can decide if you succeeded is you. After spending some time with the pyramid you can see how each level builds upon the other.

Coach Wooden builds a foundation based on hard work and enthusiasm. "There is no substitute for hard work. And to really work hard at something you must enjoy it." Forget basketball, that sounds like a good life lesson to me.

Check out his official web site, www.CoachJohnWooden.com or read his autobiography, "They Call Me Coach", for a complete explanation of the pyramid. I think you'll agree that for a guy that hasn't won anything in 30 years he still knows about success.