Choosing A Life Of Character

John Wooden is considered to be one of the greatest NCAA basketball head coaches of all time.  Not only was he one of the most successful college basketball coaches in history (winning 10 out of 12 NCAA National Championships, at one point winning 88 games in a row!) but he was also a great human being and a great leader. Coach gave us all great inspirational wisdom. Here are a few more of my favorite Wooden quotes:

 

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

 

"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

 

"Never mistake activity for achievement."

 

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

 

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."

 

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

 

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

 

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

 

Coach Wooden was a man of great character. This was how he lived his life. Character is more than just talk. It is how you carry yourself when no one else is looking. Your character determines who you are, and what you do. Best thing about it is, you have the power to choose to live a life of character. We create it every time we make a choice. It is a result of the habits we form.  He said this on character:

 

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. Talent is God given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful. It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."

 

Because from great character comes great leadership. Great leadership never dies. Because the true measure of a great leader is not how many followers he has, but how many other leaders he creates. If your people don't know what to expect from you as a leader, at some point they won't look to you for leadership. Character communicates consistency. The greatest leaders continue to teach us, even after they leave us.  Make sure the outside of you is a good reflection of the inside of you. Choose to live a life with great character.  What will you choose?

 

One final Wooden quote: "Make each day your masterpiece."

 

Start today. Live the life you deserve...live it with ENTHUSIASM...make TODAY a great day!