#70 - Three Minute Thursday: Coach John Wooden's Rules for Success

Welcome to our new segment, "Three Minute Thursday"  (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and full life. 

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Coach John Wooden is one of the most revered coaches in sports history, the brains behind the Pyramid of Success, and known for his simple, inspirational messages that have impacted thousands of individuals and organizations. Since on this podcast I try to uncover timeless wisdom – no matter who its from or what century it was born in that can help us lead our best lives - I’ve been drawn to Coach Wooden's work for a while and today I wanted to share some bits of wisdom I found from a recent book I read on the life of John Wooden.

It seems John Wooden learned the bulk of his most important life lessons from his father, Joshua, a farmer than a sanitarium worker from Indiana who lived through the Great Depression. One day Joshua wrote down a direct set of rules “Two sets of Threes” for John and his brothers:

Never Lie, Cheat, or Steal.

Don’t Whine, Don't Complain, and Don't Make Excuses.

Coach Wooden never put up with complaining from his players. He expected a see a positive attitude from every player every day. Whining was particularly destructive because it took the spotlight off the “we” and onto the “me”.

Complaining is draining – it drains us and the people around us.

The act of complaining is 100% under our control. The attitude we bring to every moment and every situation in our lives is under our control. 

This little story also made me think immediately of this quote by 18th c French philosopher and writer Voltaire: “The most important decision you make, is to be in a good mood.” 

Our life is only as good as the choices we make. The more we can find that space, the breath, the moment to catch ourselves in every new situation and respond by not complaining rather than reacting by complaining, that’s when we utilize the skills we have on the inside to live our best lives on the outside.

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For more from Host Pooja Mottl:  www.PoojaMottl.com

Podcast Producer: www.Go-ToProductions.com

Twitter: @PoojaMottl

Instagram: @TheCalmandFreePodcast and @PoojaMottl  

LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl

Special Thanks : 

Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro.

Jessica Panian for her help with our graphic design. 

Sufi Kaur for managing and designing our social graphics.