Pyramid of Success

[00:00:00] Well, hello. This is The Daily Five with Aurooba, that's me, where we reflect on creating our best lives a little bit every day. Here we go.

[00:00:15] This episode is coming at you near the end of the day when it's supposed to go live, simply because once a month, I switch up how I work to better sync with a few teammates, and I forgot to account for how it would affect my routine for The Daily Five.

[00:00:34] Anyway, I just finished watching Ted Lasso with my spouse the other day. I'd seen most of it, but then I wanted to watch it with him, so I hit pause and restarted the whole show with him. And a couple days ago, we finally finished it. And I love that show so much.

[00:00:51] So the main character, Ted, he gets this new coaching gig. And when he's setting up his office along with his coaching partner, he puts up this picture slash poster of a pyramid as one of the first things when he's setting up his office.

[00:01:06] At first, I thought it was Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and I was like, oh yeah, I know what that is. But later, I realized I was wrong, but I didn't get around to looking up what it was until just yesterday. And since then, I've been thinking about it a little.

[00:01:24] So it turns out that pyramid is John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. John Wooden is a very famous basketball player, not player, coach. And this pyramid is made up of 25 things. And John Wooden calls these his 25 proven behaviors that produce true success. And I thought I would read them out loud today, to give us, you and me, something to chew on and think about.

[00:01:58] So the first one is industriousness: there is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning.

[00:02:07] These little descriptions, by the way, are in the pyramid themselves. The block themselves.

[00:02:12] Friendship. Comes from mutual esteem, respect, and devotion. Like marriage, it must not be taken for granted, but requires a joint effort.

[00:02:22] Loyalty. To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self respect.

[00:02:28] Cooperation. With all levels of your coworkers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.

[00:02:38] Enthusiasm. Brushes off upon Those whom you come in contact with, you must truly enjoy what you are doing.

[00:02:49] So, these five things make up the base layer.

[00:02:53] And there's self control. Practice self discipline and keep your emotions under control. Good judgment and common sense are essential.

[00:03:01] Alertness. Be observing constantly. Stay open minded. Be eager to learn and improve.

[00:03:07] Initiative. Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it.

[00:03:15] Intentness. Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptation and being determined and persistent.

[00:03:24] Condition. Mental, moral, physical. Rest, exercise, and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Anticipation must be eliminated.

[00:03:35] Skill. A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail.

[00:03:44] Team spirit. A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all.

[00:03:53] Poise. Just being yourself. Being at ease in any situation. Never fighting yourself. I like that definition of poise, by the way.

[00:04:03] Confidence. Respect without fear. May come from being prepared and keeping all things in proper perspective.

[00:04:10] And then, at the very top, competitive greatness. Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge.

[00:04:19] And then the little ones are ambition, adaptability, resourcefulness, fight, faith, patience, integrity, reliability, honesty, and sincerity.

[00:04:29] I will put a link in the show notes. That is a lot of stuff, and it's all really hard to achieve those things. It would take a whole lifetime, and even then it wouldn't be perfect. But isn't that something to think about? Something to chew on and strive for? Maybe some element that you're not as good at that you want to try out?

[00:04:54] Thanks for listening. Same time tomorrow?