A Gift of a Lifetime

3 Runners, 4 Ruckers and a Short Sale posted for some enrichment Sunday morning.  It was a beautiful morning for getting out of the fartsack to improve oneself.  After a brisk 45 minutes of first F,  6 of us stayed around for “Q Source”  Having just finished Freed to Lead last week, we decided that the Q for the week would have the option of choosing a topic on leadership for discussion.  I choose an excerpt from a book entitled A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court.  This is a short book of reflections from John Wooden (UCLA’s basketball who won 88 straight games and won the national  championship 10 times in 12 years).  I choose this topic as several Pax (including YHC) are going through a time of transition with kids graduating from high school.  The section of the book I choose was a chapter entitled “A gift of a lifetime” in which John Wooden describes a time in his life when he was about to leave home his father gave him the following list of guidelines for life.

1. Be true to yourself – This is the foundation of all the subsequent guidelines – and thus the reason that this is listed first.   Without inner honesty nothing else in this list can be accomplished – you cannot be true to others unless you are honest with yourself.
2. Help others – not just your physical gifts but rather give of your most valuable possession – your time
3. Make each day your masterpiece – do not get caught up living in the past or the future but make the present count
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible – instill a love of reading to your children
5. Make friendships a fine art – nurture friendships that involve two way dialog
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day – do not get caught up in materialism
7. Pray for guidance and count and give thanks for your blessings every day – stop asking for more and give thanks for what you already have.

I hope this short list inspires us all to lead a life well lived.

Until next time –

Defib out