TED Talk – John Wooden: The difference between winning and succeeding

Rating: ****

John Wooden is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who is considered by ESPN as the greatest coach of all time! In this TED Talk, his inspiring insights, wit and anecdotes convey a simple message in a very captivating conversational style - winning is more than just scoring. Drawing upon his farmer father’s wisdom and his own experiences, he explores the concept of success and defines it as “…peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

                                                  

Despite being “Coach” he saw himself as a life-long educator who wanted his players to reach their maximum potential to succeed in life and not just on the court. There are numerous quotable bits in this talk, but they all seem to reflect a direct and simple approach to success such as “don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses, just get out there and whatever you're doing, do it to the best of your ability.” This is something that the listener may see as intuitive, yet it is a simple model to remember and follow. He emphasizes that with appropriate rules, life needs to be lived and enjoyed because "the journey is better than the end." Winning isn't everything, yet things will usually turn out as they should if we work to make them so.

For me, this TED Talk provided lots of advice. I think it is true that to feel good about something, it really comes down to knowing that you did your best no matter what happens.  I highly recommend this inspirational video and I think everyone could apply some of his advice to their own lives.

Wooden, John. "The difference between winning and succeeding." TED Talks. Filmed Feb 2001 and posted Mar 2009. Web. 16 Dec 13. <http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html.>