Coach John Wooden was the most successful coach in NCAA basketball history. In his book, “A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring,” Coach Wooden wrote about what mentoring meant to him, seven individuals who mentored him and seven individuals whom he mentored.
Coach Wooden is one of my mentors just as Abraham Lincoln was one of his. I did not have a chance to meet Coach Wooden, but I am blessed to have learned so much from his writings. Mentors are everywhere. Mentors can be found in coaches, teachers, parents, family, authors and coworkers. The possibilities are limitless. Coach Wooden says, “Mentoring can happen at any time or any place. It is both something we receive and something we give.”
My parents are major mentors in my life just as Coach Wooden’s parents were important mentors to him. In his books, Coach Wooden discussed the wisdom passed down from his father that he shared on a small card:
- Be true to yourself.
- Make each day your masterpiece.
- Help others.
- Drink deeply from good books.
- Make friendship a fine art.
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Thank you, Coach Wooden, for being a great mentor! Even though you are no longer with us you will always be in our hearts. Honor Coach by being intentional in mentoring others every day.
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” ~ Mark Twain
Chad A. Wilkins 