The difference between winning and succeeding | John Wooden | TED | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Legendary basketball coach shares his personal definition of success as self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best.

Key Insights

• 🤔 Success should not be solely defined by external measures such as grades or wins in sports.
• ♂️ Not everyone is equal in terms of intelligence or abilities.
• 🔎 Alumni and fans often judge success based on predicted outcomes and materialistic gains.
• 💡 Success should be defined as self-satisfaction in knowing that one has done their best.
• 🏫 Teachers have a significant impact on shaping the character and future of students. ⏰ Being punctual and valuing time is important for success.
• 🔇 Avoiding profanity and not criticizing teammates are essential principles to instill in students or athletes.
• 🥇 Winning is not the ultimate goal; the effort put forth and personal improvement are more important.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker's upbringing shape his definition of success?

The speaker's father taught him the values of learning from others, always striving to do one's best, and not comparing oneself to others, which influenced his definition of success.

Q: Why did the speaker reject society's traditional definition of success?

The speaker believed that material possessions, power, prestige, and external accomplishments were not true indicators of success, as they did not necessarily bring peace of mind or personal satisfaction.

Q: What were the three rules that the speaker emphasized with his players?

The speaker's three rules were to never be late, not to use profanity, and to never criticize a teammate.

Q: How did the speaker's approach to coaching differ from others?

The speaker never mentioned winning to his players, focusing instead on self-satisfaction, personal growth, and effort. He viewed scoring as a byproduct of these values rather than the ultimate goal.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker, a former basketball coach, became disillusioned by the pressure parents put on their children to achieve top grades.

• He rejected society's judgment based solely on achievements and victory in sports and sought to define success for himself.

• His definition of success centered around self-satisfaction in doing the best one is capable of, with character and personal growth being more important than external achievements.