The Pyramid of Success
                                                                      John Wooden
                                                                         25 blocks

Block 1: Industriousness

"There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning."

                What Industriousness means is to work hard. People can be that just by working hard.The First block of John Wooden's pyramid of success is industriousness. Which is the will to work hard and do work as John Wooden describes it. It is a critical part of the pyramid because worthwhile results only come from hard work and careful planning. You cannot expect to do great work if you refuse to work hard and refuse to prepare for it. If you wait till the last minute of the days to get your work started, you have already failed. The fruition of your labor will be not great and you will feel like you wasted time just doing the work because you rushed it and it is not the work you know you are able to accomplish. If you prepare your work in advance and are passionate about it, the fruits of your labor will be sweet and worthwhile. That is what this key of industriousness is conveying. Work diligently, passionately, and tirelessly and you will find that your work is highly regarded and held with high-esteem.

         

Block 2: Enthusiasm

"It is the engine that powers all blocks of the Pyramid. It is why I chose Industriousness and Enthusiasm as the cornerstones of my Pyramid of Success. It is where everything begins."

          I sometimes have enthusiasm on some things and it depends on what. Enthusiasm is intense enjoyment, interest, or approval. The word was originally used to refer to a person possessed by a god, or someone who exhibited intense piety.  

Block 3: Friendship

"Comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort."

             Friendship means the emotions or conduct of friend, the state of being friends. The third block of John Wooden's pyramid of success is Friendship. John Wooden does not give an exact definition for friendship but that is uncessary as we all know what friendship is. However difficult it is to explain, we all have experienced it, we all know when it's there and when it is not. John Wooden says it comes down to mutual respect and esteem, it must not be taken for granted and requires joint effort. If you have associates that do not respect you, they are not your friends. There needs to a sense of respect between both parties because no matter how close you seem, a lack of respect in any of the two people means they might do or in some cases not do something a friend will do for you. I once knew a young man named Pedro, I thought he was my best friend but he did not respect me. I decided to stop talking to him in November of 2017 and my quality of life had increased tenfold. Things I could never see happening are now happening. It isn't a coincedence that I began to succeed when I dropped this friend and his toxic, unsupportive, and disrespectful, nature. This is also the case for many other people, such as Shaquille O' Neal. You have to find friendship in those who respect you. It cannot be taken for granted how important mutal respect is between friends. 

                  

Block 4: Loyalty

"To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect."

           Loyalty means the quality of being loyal to someone or something. I am loyal to my friends and family. Try to keep your promises and do your fair share of the work. Also being true to someone or just being true in general.  The power of Loyalty is the reason why John Wooden placed it in the center of the Pyramid's foundation. For example, if your friends tell you to go to the park with them and you promise and said ok , then the day comes and you don't go, your friends will be upset and they will not trust you anymore and you broke your promise. So this makes you not loyal to your friends and that you don't keep your promises. 

Block 5: Cooperation

"With all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way. "

            Cooperation means the process of working together to the same end. Cooperation is the process of working or acting together to the same end. Cooperation can be used  in the workplace and can make the difference between success and failure for many businesses. In a cooperation workplace, individuals voluntarily engage in open communication. Management and low levels employees work together and try to keep arguments to a minimum. Workers are proactive in the sense that they try to prevent problems before they have a chance to occur. Cooperation is not always an easy thing to achieve in the workplace, but it is worth the effort because it leads to a more way to speech and productive operation.

Block 6: Ambition

            A strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. It is also one of the important blocks of the pyramid because it encourages you to achieve/ complete something with hard work. For example, you write on your life planning goals journal a goal, you will be excited to achieve that goal because you are being Ambition, and once you complete it you go on and move to next goals and start writing them down. 

Block 7: Self-Control

"Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgement and common sense are essential."

             Self- Control is so important because it gives you an aspect of inhibitory control, is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of a desire to do something. For example, let's say you have to caught a flight but u have a fear of flying so you need to assemble all of your courage and self control to be calm during the flight. This can boost your confidence and give you the ability to control yourself when you are in tough situations. 

Block 8: Alertness

"Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn and improve."

             Alertness is the quality of being alert.  Alertness is when you are alert like aware of you and your surroundings. This can help you stay or be open- minded about yourself or others, you will be excited to learn and improve. For example, if you are in a group project and the teacher explains the directions, you have to be alert and aware of what the teachers is saying because without being aware you will never finish that group project, that's why is it ever important to be alert. Helps you focus and be happy to learn new stuff and to improve on them. 

Block 9: Initiative

"Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it."

           This can help you a lot in your future by beginning with a process on your own with no other help for you can learn from your mistakes, for you can make your own decision, think alone, and to never be afraid of failure, but learn from it. For example, an employee might take the initiative to come up with a new product or service that the company could offer. So the employee did it all by himself/herself so he/she made her/his own decisions. 

     

Block 10: Intentness

"Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations and being determined and persistent."

            Intentness means to be firmly or steadfastly fixed or directly. Initiative is an individual's action that begins with a process, often done without direct managerial influence. This can help you a lot in your future by beginning with a process on your own with no other help for you can learn from your mistakes, for you can make your own decision, think alone, and to never be afraid of failure, but learn from it. For example, an employee might take the initiative to come up with a new product or service that the company could offer. So the employee did it all by himself/herself so he/she made her/his own decisions.

  

Block 11: Sincerity (keeps friends)

            Sincerity means to be the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy. Sincerity is the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy. This can help you in your future because you can keep your friends and friends really help you in your life. For example, they are by your side when you need them. 

Block 12: Adaptability

              That means the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. Adaptability is the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. This can really help you because it shows that you are not afraid of trying something new. For example, in math class you learn how to solve a problem but with that one method and then the teacher shows another method to solve the problem and tells you if that method doesn't work do the other one. This is when you need to have adaptability to show you are able to adjust to new conditions.  

Block 13: Condition

"Mental-Moral-Physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated."
           Condition the state of something, especially with regard to its appearance, quality, or working order. This block is the work to quality and working, it's an important block because this is where you have to work and show your skills and what you capable of doing. For example, you have a essay that is due in 1 day you will need to use this block to work and work to finish that essay but don't take to much pressure and focus on what your doing.
        

             

Block 14: Skill

"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail."
             Skill is important because it is better to excel at one or a few things as opposed to knowing how to do a little bit of everything. Skill makes everything that much easier. If you are going into a certain profession it is best for you to be highly skilled in said subject. As you will be the person people go to whever someone is seeking assistance or just chooses to appreciate someone skilled in their craft. Being skilled does not mean being really good in some aspects and having glaring weaknesses in others, it means you must be able to answer any potential question or counter any potential situation thrown at you. It is highly important you be skilled in whatever you do. 

            

Block 15:  Team Spirit

"A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all."
           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.For me it meant I was constantly searching for that player who would make our team 'great' rather than a someone who was just a 'great player'. There is a big difference and that difference is what constitutes Team Spirit.I did not want a person on our team who was reluctant to sacrifice for the good of the team. I prized the individual who was eager to sacrifice for our common good.  

              

Block 16: Honesty (in thought and action)

"Honesty is the best policy." (Ben Franklin)

         Honestly means the quality of being honest. Honesty can help you in the future and in your everyday lives because it shows if people can trust you or not and if you give them your honesty you can have trust and make new friends that will help live your life and help you threw it. And it will help you in school a lot for example, the math teacher finish explaining the notes and ask the class is there any questions and you want to ask a question but you don't do it, you have to be honest and raise your hand to ask that question or else it will prevent you from learning and you are just not gonna get it and then when the test comes you are gonna be clueless.

Block 17: Resourcefulness (proper judgment)
 “Make the most out of what you have.” (Anonymous)

"If you have a dream, if you have something you've always wanted to do, look within yourself because that is where resourcefulness resides; and go for it. (Jennifer Witterick)

                Resourcefulness is an important key to success because it gives you the ability to find out clever ways to overcome difficulties quick. With this you can do stuff you always wanted to do and become what you wanted to become. For example, you have a project due in 2 days you need to be Resourcefulness to get what you need to get done, so you need to find some ways to finish this by tomorrow and quick. 

Block 18: Poise

"Just being yourself. Being at ease in any situation."

           What poise means is that to be graceful and elegant bearing in a person. Poise is somethign everyone should have as everyone should be themselves. No person should have to try and be someone else to get others to like them, it is great to emulate some people but you should not be a carbon copy of them. If you want to be successfull, it is wise to copy the lifestyle and actions of others succsessful people such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos but living your life like theirs will not amount to anything because although both Musk and Bezos are probably some of the most intelligent and hard working people on the planet, there was luck involved in their success. That is where poise comes into play. If you choose to work hard and learn from the mistakes of others than you will amount to great things, only if you be yourself. Because if you are someone you are not then people will not like you for you, they like you for the person you are trying to emulate. It is very important that you do not lose sight of this and how crucial it is to be yourself and at ease in any situation, poise. 

Block 19: Confidence 

"Thorough preparation breeds confidence" Gerald Bell in
"The Carolina Way"

        Confidence is a great way to success because it is about yourself and if you don't care about yourself and don't feel that you can do the impossible such as your goals. You need to fix that now and then it will help you in many problems. For example, you have to presentation for school but you don't feel confidence that your going to do well, you are going to do bad because you don't think positive have faith in yourself. 

Block 20: Reliability (creates respect)

       Reliability is the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well. Trust is very important because you need to have people who trust you for they can help you get to the future you always wanted trust is a big deal with it comes to your future and career.

Block 21: Fight (determined effort)

         Fight is not the kind of fight of physical this kind of fight is more like work, hard work because in order to be successful you need to fight for it not physical but work hard for it. For example, you want to get in to a college you really want to go to, you need to fight to get in show them you really want to go in that college and prove them wrong, hard work pays off.  

Block 22: Competitive Greatness

" Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge."

         He never mentioned being competitive in association with winning or being a great competitor in association with being a winner. For John being a great competitor was not about winning or losing. He had a much higher standard. He also described competitive greatness this way: “The next and last block in the structure just above poise and confidence is competitive greatness. This is the ability to be at your very best when your very best is needed. Competitive greatness is enjoying it when things are difficult. 

Block 23: Integrity (purity of intention)

        Integrity simplest form is purity of intention and it also kinda related to reliability. When we have integrity we are not going to do anything that will be demeaning to anybody else either on or off the court. When you use Integrity as a character term is defined as the quality of being unimpaired or an adherence to moral principles.What this means is that you need to be honest and to be able to stand up for yourself and your beliefs. If you have no integrity people will always mistreat you and disrespect you. This also means that you need to respect others and respect their beliefs.

 

Block 24: Faith (through prayer)

Believe and Achieve. Positive belief.
           Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something, The expression “just have faith, it will work out” is used by people to encourage and comfort someone facing serious problems or stressful situations. Faith is very important because you need to trust and have confident in someone or something. For example,  you have a group project and you need it.

Block 25: Patience (good things take time)

           Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Patience in life can make them reach out for the stars. With patience you can avoid making hasty decisions. Life is not about living in the future or in the past. Life is about accepting the present moment. Patience is an important tool in overcoming frustration. Patience allows us to suspend judgment long enough to make informed decisions, thus paving the path to a happy and peaceful life.

  

Reflection: The Pyramid of Success really help out people who played basketball and to show them about Patience and many other terms that are great. But the Pyramid of Success isn't just applicable to basketball it's also relevant to the business world, marriage and even health struggles. We need to set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations and being determined and persistent. John Wooden was a living legend.  He was also one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time and he lived a simple life focusing on personal excellence, personal integrity, love, and balance.