John Wooden has received just about all the accolades one could ever dream of in a lifetime, yet while many recognize him as the greatest coach ever, he believes his role as a teacher is where the real credit is due.

Celebrating his 99th birthday today, October 14, 2009, Wooden is likely focusing on what he says are, “the two most important things in the world, family and love.” While his family life is full, it is likely fewer in numbers than the numbers of people who love him. He has touched the lives of countless people in all walks of life and has created a legacy that many believe will be unmatched.

I am one of the lucky ones who had not only the pleasure of meeting Wooden, but also the extraordinary opportunity of listening to his timeless words of wisdom. While I thoroughly enjoyed his basketball tales, it was apparent that more important to him was his role as a teacher of life lessons that was the foundation of his success.

Interestingly enough, it never was about success to him perse, it was about teaching life principles and the role they played in helping others in both personal and professional achievement. The core of his message is all about being the best you can be because that’s the only thing a person really has any control over.

While many likely believe this philosophy originated on the basketball courts, in reality it was a fourteen-year process of which he completed in 1948 while working as an English teacher at Indiana State University. He considered it a labor of love and never would have dreamed that some sixty years later it would still serve as the foundation of his philosophy and be trademarked as the ‘Pyramid of Success’.

At Wooden’s core is a commitment to helping others be the best they can be.  As both a teacher and a coach it was the same life lesson he wanted to instill, “to give the youngsters something to which to aspire other than higher marks in the classroom or points in an athletic contest.”  In fact, Wooden’s own definition of success is simply, “peace of mind obtained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.”

While it may seem simplistic in theory, it’s certainly effective and that’s what makes it so great and able to translate into all aspects of life. It’s all about a complete effort to be the best that you can be, without worrying about others.

“We’re not all equal in talent,” Wooden stated. “All we can do is make the most of what we have and try to improve at all times.  That was the idea I’ve always tried to get across, whether I was teaching in an English classroom or whether I was teaching my basketball team or whether I was talking to a group of people in business. If you know in your heart that you’ve made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable, that’s not failure, that’s success,” he continued. “And I want each individual to feel that. It doesn’t matter if it’s in business or in the classroom or on the athletic field.”

It’s easy to see why Wooden believes it’s not about winning or losing, but more importantly how you play the game that matters most.

And that’s a lesson for life from the wisdom of Coach Wooden. Not only the greatest coach ever, but more importantly, maybe the greatest teacher ever, too.  Happy Birthday John!

Kelly Ferrin, gerontologist and author of “What’s Age Got To Do With It? Secrets to Aging in Extraordinary Ways” has been studying aging and retirement issues for over 25 years. She was one of the first to ever receive a degree in this field from the prestigious Andrus School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the top school in the nation for age-related studies.

website: kellyferrin.com ••• email: ageangel@earthlink.net