A mentor is defined as someone who imparts wisdom and shares knowledge to a less experienced colleague; a trusted advisor or guide.
In his book A Game Plan for Life:The Power of Mentoring along with Don Yaeger, Coach Wooden said:
“While I made a living as a coach, I lived my life to be a mentor – and to be mentored! – constantly.
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“Everything in the world has been passed down. Each piece of knowledge is something that has been shared by someone else. If you understand it like me, mentorship becomes your true legacy. It is the greatest legacy you can give to others. This is why you rise every day – to teach and to be taught. ”
Coach Wooden often pointed out the profound influence his father Joshua had on him. Along with his dad's two sets of threes and sevens, Coach credited him with these key points of wisdom:
Never try to be better than someone else. But always learn from others. Never stop trying to be the best you can be. One is in your control, the other is not.
You will never know anything that you haven't learned from someone else.
The more we care about the things we can't not control, the less we will do with the things we can control.
Mother Theresa and Abraham Lincoln were two historical figures Coach considered his mentors. He described their influence this way:
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“Both lived their lives completely devoted to others.
“Lincoln served as president during our country's most difficult time. He never lost his ordinary man approach. At the end of the terrible war between the States, he was criticized by the Secretary of State, who told him:"You are supposed to destroy your enemies, not make friends." His response, of course, was, "Am I not destroying an enemy if I make a friend of him?" Lincoln was my favorite American.
“Mother Theresa said, 'A life not lived for others is no life. “And if anyone really lived their life for others, it was Mother Theresa. I would say he is the person I have the most respect and admiration for in my life.
Coach also considered his high school coach, Earl Warriner; high school coach Glenn Curtis; and college coach Piggy Lambert will be invaluable mentors. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the incredible impact Coach Wooden has often alluded to what Nellie, his wife of 53 years, has had on his life.
The example that Coach Wooden tells us has given is that we all have opportunities to positively influence others every day. Remember, as the trainer liked to say, you can't have a perfect day without doing something for someone without thinking about reimbursement.
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