This month our Love’s Notes Book Club has been reading A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court by the late John Wooden.
One of the things that I have pointed out in earlier posts about this book is that even if you are not a sports fan of any type… you can learn from the principals that this gifted basketball coach shares about life and success.
One of the things in his book that he shares really hit a chord with me, it is a passage from an unknown author. This passage shares a parent’s conversation with their child before their first game.
This is your first game, my child. I hope you win. I hope you win for your sake, not mine. Because winning’s nice. It’s a good feeling. Like the whole world is yours. But, it passes, this feeling. And what lasts is what you’ve learned. And what you learn about is life. That’s what sports is all about. Life. The whole thing is played but in an afternoon. The happiness of life. The miseries. The joys. The heartbreaks.
There’s no telling what’ll turn up. There’s no telling whether they’ll toss you out in the first five minutes or whether you’ll stay for the long haul. There’s no telling how you’ll do. You might be a hero or you might be absolutely nothing. There’s just no telling. Too much depends on chance. On how the ball bounces.
I’m not talking about the game, my child. I’m talking about life. But it’s life that the game is all about. Just as I said. Because every game is life. And life is a game. A serious game. Dead serious. But that’s what you do with serious things. You do your best. You take what comes. And you run with it.
Winning is fun. Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never being satisfied with whatyou’ve done is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never letting anyone down is the point. Play to win. Sure. But lose like a champion.
It’s not winning that counts. What counts is trying
Can you imagine what a different world this could be if every parent would exchange similar words with their child early in life??? .
Wooden says it best when he writes, “Try your hardest in all ways and you are a success. Period. Do less than that and you have failed to one degree or another.”
Commit today to pass this important lesson along to a child in your life this week- if it yours or someone else’s who you interact with over the holidays… help them to know that trying hard is what really makes them successful.
