The Hard 90 With Zach Sorensen

Friendship, according to Coach Wooden, is the cornerstone upon which all success is built. It’s about building strong, positive relationships with others.

John Wooden defined Industriousness as one of the foundational cornerstones of his Pyramid of Success, emphasizing that "there is no substitute for work". It represents, in his view, consistent, hard work combined with careful planning to achieve worthwhile results. 

John Wooden's principle of Intentness is defined as the ability to resist temptation, stay focused on your goals, and be determined and persistent to achieve them, even when facing setbacks, making it a crucial part of his Pyramid of Success. It's about unwavering focus, continuous effort, and refusing to quit, viewing obstacles as setups for comebacks, embodying "patience with action". 

John Wooden viewed initiative as the crucial ability to make decisions and act, even without being told, emphasizing that inaction is the greatest failure, requiring courage to try, fail, learn, and try again, all while building on solid preparation and teamwork.

John Wooden's concept of Alertness within his Pyramid of Success emphasizes being constantly observant, open-minded, and eager to learn and improve from everything and everyone, avoiding tunnel vision and self-absorption to find opportunities for growth, even from mistakes

John Wooden viewed self-control as fundamental, emphasizing discipline, emotional mastery, and focusing on what you can control, rather than reacting to external events, to achieve success and maintain peak performance, famously stating, "Discipline yourself and others won't need to" and that losing it causes everything to "fall."

"This block of the Pyramid addresses a most important characteristic: selflessness which is the opposite of selfishness. I mean by this that you are eager to sacrifice personal glory or gain for the greater good, namely, the welfare and success of your organization, your team, your group. This is a player who would make our team 'great' rather than a someone who was just a 'great player'."

In John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, Skill is a crucial level 4 block, defined as the knowledge and ability to execute fundamentals correctly and quickly, requiring preparation and attention to detail to master techniques, ultimately supporting the top blocks of Poise and Confidence for achieving Competitive Greatness. 

In John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, Condition is a crucial building block in the pyramid's center, alongside Skill and Team Spirit, emphasizing that true success requires holistic fitness: mental, moral, and physical. It's about being prepared and resilient, working through challenges to build inner strength, making the right choices daily, and aligning mind, body, and character to function at your best. 

John Wooden viewed confidence as "respect without fear" built primarily through thorough preparation, self-discipline, and focusing on the process, not just results, enabling poise and the right to be proud. He stressed that you can't expect others to trust you if you don't trust your own preparation, and that true confidence comes from knowing what you are capable of. Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" highlights confidence as a key trait, achieved by mastering fundamentals and consistently doing your best. 

Wooden on Poise: Just be yourself. Being at ease in any situation.  Never fight yourself.

Competitive Greatness. Be at your best when your best is needed. Love the battle.”

Faith is the strong belief in something unseen, while patience is the endurance to wait calmly for it to happen, with both working together in spiritual and personal growth to inherit promises or achieve goals, as faith provides the "why" and patience provides the "how long," preventing discouragement during delays. Faith is the confident expectation, and patience is the steadfast perseverance. All good things take time.

Top 12 Things All Successful Athletes Have In Common 1. Self-Confidence 2. Motivation 3. Self-Discipline 4. Optimism 5. Acceptance of Criticism 6. Poise Under Stress 7. Focus 8. Resiliency 9. Competitive Spirit 10. Natural Leadership 11. Humility 12. Passion

John Wooden defined success as "the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming," focusing on maximum personal effort and character growth.  What is your definition of success?

Focused on the process, addicted to the result!

Your energy is contagious. Is yours worth catching?

Is it going to end up good? We Will See. Is it going to end up bad? We Will See. Stay judgement free, stay neutral, and We Will See what happens.

Non-judgement allows us to be more attuned to the present moment, instead of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. When we remove the value-based judgments of our thoughts and remember that they are just thoughts, not facts – we remove their power.

What are you going to say to yourself each morning to remind yourself how amazing you are?