The Pyramid of Success

The Pyramid of Success

Block 1: Industriousness

"There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning."In plain and simple English this means hard work. Very hard work. There is no substitute for very hard work when it comes to success."

What this is trying to say is that to be successful and to get far, comes very hard work that you need to do. Success isn't handed to you you need to work for it. Industrious means very hard-working. So to be successful means you have to be industrious. That is the first block of the pyramid of success. What it means to me is to not be a procrastinator. Staying on top and doing your work at all times.

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 agree with what John Wooden has to say about his Pyramid of Success. He says that industriousness and enthusiasm is the start of everything and it's true. To be successful, you need to do hard work and actually be enthusiastic about it. If you're not enthusiastic about the work you're doing, it isn't going to be the best you've done and you're not going to put 100% in it like you should. Enthusiasm is very important not only to be successful but you should use enthusiasm in everyday life. It would make things way easier.

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 is a huge part of success. Without friendship you be boring in your life. 

Friendship spark your enthusiasm and your motivation to keep on going. Friendly competition show the best in you making you in becoming better. You need friends to help pick you up when your down. They inspire you when your at your lowest. Friendship spark romance as well. Which is a big help in success.

One of the blocks in the pyramid of success is friendship. To reach the top of the success pyramid you need to have good friendships, which you can rely on. To have a good friendship you need to have joint effort. You must not take it for granted because friendships give support. To be successful something you really need is support. Support in whatever you want to do and dream to do. With no support it is hard to be motivated to keep on going and reaching your goals. It is important to not take the friendships for granted, because if you do, you might lose them. Friendships build when you have the same respect, devotion, and mutual esteem.

Block 4: Loyalty

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

Loyalty something any good person needs weather it being for friendship or a relationship loyalty is always needed. Knowing that someone has loyalty to you is something great but one little mess up and you could lose it and once you loss someone's loyalty you can pretty much never get it back fully. So if someone had given their loyalty to you dont over do it because it's a great thing to have. Loyalty is a gift so injoy it and dont overuse it because soon you won't be able to have it and people will have less self-respect for you.

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. "

The meaning of cooperation is the process of working together to the same end. In order to succeed and be someone in this life, you will need to cooperate with others. Cooperating with others provides a great deal of reward. They will show you new ideas, techniques, and skills. They could also help sharpen skills that you may have already developed. Cooperating with people will show future bosses that you can work well with others and they'll hire you instantly. Cooperating is a way in meeting new people. You could make new friends or new enemies. Cooperation is a joyful way to succeed in life.

Block 6: Ambition (For noble goals)

Having an ambition is a good thing, like wanting to get good grades, or to become a doctor. But if we say someone is ambitious, often we mean they have too much ambition. An ambitious politician might want power so badly that he’ll abandon his ideals in order to win a race. If you hatch a business plan and someone tells you it’s too ambitious, that means you’re probably not being reasonable about how much you can get done.The ambition and disregard for rules is wholly present as Riley dares the viewer to think outside the building that houses whatever box in which your preconceived notions lie.

Block 7: Self-Control

"Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgement and common sense are essential."Self-control separates us from our ancient ancestors and the rest of the animal kingdom, thanks to our large prefrontal cortex. It is the ability to subdue our impulses in order to achieve longer-term goals. Rather than responding to immediate impulses, we can plan, evaluate alternative actions, and, often enough, avoid doing things we'll later regret.

 The ability to exert self-control is typically called willpower. It is what allows us to direct our attention, and it underlies all kinds of achievement. There is significant debate in science as to whether or not willpower is a finite resource. Studies demonstrate that exercising willpower makes heavy demands on mental energy, notably on reserves of glucose, the brain's preferred fuel, creating ego depletion. It's one reason we're more apt to reach for that chocolate chip cookie when we're feeling stressed than when we're feeling on top of the world. Recently, scientists have failed to replicate some of the studies underlying the concept of ego depletion, and more research is underway.

Block 8: Alertness

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

Till about midday he followed the course of the action with his usual alertness He must be in touch with the actual life of the community he is studying, and cultivate " that openness and alertness of the mind, that sensitiveness of the judgment, which can rapidly grasp the significance of at first sight unrelated discoveries or events."

Block 9: Initiative

"Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it."In these tough times, it is absolutely critical you continue to demonstrate your value to your employer, clients, and colleagues on a daily basis. Adding value is THE buzzword for “safe-guarding” your career and propelling yourself to the top of your profession.Always be alert for ways to make something work better. Make the suggestion.Volunteer to take ownership for getting it done.Take it upon yourself be the first to adopt and implement the newest company policy.Stay alert for ideas to simplify processes, and find new and better ways of doing things. Proactively suggest those improvement ideas. Be the example for implementing those processes.Reach out to colleagues and team members who need help.Be the first to volunteer for those tough projects and assignments.Always think ahead.

 Preempt likely obstacles with well-thought-out plans that take those obstacles into consideration.Provide, in advance, the answers to the questions you know are going to be asked.

Block 10: Intentness

"Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations and being determined and persistent."
 Prince Andrey watched every word and gesture of Speransky's with peculiar intentness .
 They came stalking through the long grass with great intentness.

Intentness Poems. Below are examples of poems about intentness. This list of poetry about intentness is made of Poetry Soup member poems. Read short, long, best, famous, and modern examples of intentness poetry. This list of works about intentness is a great resource for examples of intentness poems and show how to write poems about intentness. Definitions may be included where appropriate.

 There was an air of intentness about him, a concentrated purpose that set a whole carillon of alarm bells ringing.

 Buck did not comprehend that silent intentness , nor the eager way with which they were licking their chops.I suspect that the couscous made me ramble, but he listened with absolute intentness,interrupting only to ask questions.

Block 11: Sincerity (keeps friends)

As we all know, these special relationships do more than just get us by. Friends are our concert buddies. They’re the people that come over to trap a mouse that’s in the apartment. They’re the ones who see us through relationship blunders and changes at work. Research has also found that friends help us live longer.Aristotle once described a true friend as a “single soul dwelling in two bodies”  but what differentiates a true, lasting friendship from the other, temporary social bonds.One of our greatest faults can be our negative self-criticism,  true friends lift us up when we’re down. “People feel better about themselves when they have close, supportive and encouraging people in their lives,” he explains.Whether it’s feeling inadequate in a job interview or just not liking what’s staring back at us in the mirror, our closest friends are the ones who beg to differ when our self-opinion starts getting low. “Real friends naturally boost your self-esteem,” he says. “And in turn, helping out a good friend [in this way] can help you feel better about yourself as well.”

Block 12: Adaptability (to any situation)

If you’ve read the book Life of Pi please raise your hand. Even though I can’t see it I greatly appreciate the gesture.Actually, I forgot that we’re in the age of technology so if you’ve seen the movie please also raise your hand.Both are excellent representations of how your circumstances force you to evaluate or reinvent perspectives in your life, actions, and the choices that you’ve made.Sometimes these evaluations or reinventions are done by choice while other times they are forced upon you.Regardless, these changes can often be difficult. Some of them may be huge.Getting married, Having kids, Starting your own business, Overhauling your nutritional habits, Ending a relationship, Losing a loved one, Staring college, Taking a trip around the world ,Moving from one state to another and starting fresh. While at other times they may be small and seem insignificant.

Block 13: Condition

"Mental-Moral-Physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated." Conditions of Worth are the conditions we think we must meet in order for other people to accept us as worthy of their love or positive regard. As children, we learn that there are certain things we do that please our parents or caregivers, and we strive to do those things. As we grow up, we also learn what our teachers, friends, and society in general seem to expect from us. Eventually, we internalize the conditions of worth imposed upon us, and live our life according to those conditions. This may result in unhappiness and a lack of self-worth as we strive to satisfy conditions that may be unrealistic. 

For example, someone may think that she is inadequate if she does not get straight A's in school, or she is only acceptable if she fits into a certain dress size.

Block 14: Skill

"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail."

You can use these skills lists throughout your job search process. Firstly, you can use these skill words in your resume. In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. Secondly, you can use these in your cover letter. In the body of your letter, you can mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated those skills at work. Finally, you can use these skill words in your interview. Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here. Of course, each job will require different skills and experiences, so make sure you read the job description carefully, and focus on the skills listed by the employer.To draw attention to a skill, highlight it on your resume when you describe your previous positions, and possibly also in a separate  skills list section. As you prepare for your interview, ready specific examples of times you embodied that skill in a professional context.

Block 15:  Team Spirit

A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all.

Team spirit is an important quality that everyone should have because with out teamwork you can't do much. Having team spirit is knowing how to work in team with others and collaborate, you should provide help to your team and let them help you when you need it.People work together effectively to achieve a common target. Every individual must be involved in making the decisions of what to do in a certain project or tasks given. Team members should have listening skills so that they could listen to other member's ideas. Members should be respecting of each other in order to achieve teamwork. Team spirit means to want to work with others and to be willing collaborators and to be very optimistic when working with others.

Block 16: Honesty 

(in thought and action)"Honesty is the best policy." (Ben Franklin)

Almost everyone has been hurt at some point because of a secret, a distorted truth, a lie, and/or the discovery of something that should have been talked about openly. Dishonesty hurts because it undermines the relationship, breaks trust and is the opposite of intimacy. That means that instead of feeling secure in the fact that you know the other person and are known by them in turn, you now have doubts about them and no longer feel totally safe in the relationship.Being honest isn't always easy, otherwise we'd all do it all the time, but there are five main reasons why honesty is important. Without honesty there is no foundation for a lasting or enjoyable relationship in any context, whether that be with a family member, friend or romantic interest. Honesty is a voice for love that builds trust. Without it, even 'I love you' becomes a lie in itself and there's no real security in the relationship.

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 defined as the ability and creativity to cope with difficulties. If you are stranded in a house without power and you are able to find a way to get a fire going and cook yourself some lunch, this is an example of resourcefulness. The more resourceful you are, the better able you are to deal with unexpected situations.

Block 18: Poise

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

n my quest for answers I've found that it is very much possible to just be yourself. The person who is a jerk to others and the person who is afraid of social situations are, in actuality, not being themselves. Their real self is just being covered up with conditioned, fear-based thinking.

Our true self is who we really are when we let go of all of the stories, labels, and judgments that we have placed upon ourselves. It is who we naturally are without the masks and pretentiousness.

It is who we really are when we let fall to the floor the cloak of other people’s stuff that we have taken on.Everything else that we claim to be when we say, “This is who I am!” is only a story.

Block 19: Confidence 

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

Confidence has a common meaning of a certainty about handling something, such as work, family, social events, or relationships. Some have ascribed confidence as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self confidence  is having confidence in one's self. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison is having unmerited confidence – believing something or someone is capable or correct when they are not. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief in someone (or something) succeeding, without any regard for failure. Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy as those without it may fail or not try because they lack it and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than because of an innate ability. Taken to an extreme, over-confidence can cause problems as evidenced by the famous author Matthew Syed and mentioned here in this reference in regard to sport.

Block 20: Reliability (creates respect)

The top block on Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, Competitive Greatness, is defined as, “Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge.” Coach never mentioned being competitive in association with winning or being a great competitorin association with being a winner. For John Wooden, being a great competitor was not about winning or losing. He had a much higher standard. Coach 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. What a wonderful thing competitive greatness is, enjoying it when things are difficult.

Block 21: Fight (determined effort)

 To move forward or make progress by pushing, fighting, or struggling. We leave it for tomorrow and before you know it, "tomorrow" is ten years later. And if you're careless, you've spent half your life behind a desk doing something you do not like.
Life is not always easy. You already know that. He can give you a thousand hits and then he will want to give you a thousand more. The question is if you are going to let them take you while you try to live the life you want or if you receive them while you live a life that does not fill you.

Block 22: Competitive Greatness" Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge."The top block on Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, Competitive Greatness, is defined as, “Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge.”

Fight for what you want, It sounds like a no-brainer right? It's almost as if I was saying "do not forget to breathe!" But the reality is that we forget to pursue our dreams and goals. Coach never mentioned being competitive in association with winning or being a great competitorin association with being a winner. For John Wooden, being a great competitor was not about winning or losing.

Block 23: Integrity (purity of intention)

Integrity is the qualification of being honest and having strong moral principles, or moral uprightness. It is generally a personal choice to hold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards.

In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can stand in opposition to hypocrisy, in that judging with the standards of integrity involves regarding internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding within themselves apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs. The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. 

Block 24: Faith (through prayer)

Believe and Achieve. Positive belief. Faith is trust, assurance and confidence in God. Living faith is shown by service and obedience to God. God will increase our faith if we fervently ask and draw close to Him.



Block 25: Patience (good things take time)

Patience or forbearance is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances such as: perseverance and or the ability to wait in the face of delay; provocation without responding in negative annoyance, anger; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms include hastiness and impetuousness.

Final Reflection : He brought an entire community together, inspired them with championships, and taught them how to master the fundamental skills that turn any dream into reality. The gyms he coached in became chapels, the court a pulpit where he preached a different kind of success approach. Wooden spent decades identifying the characteristics and traits that help define a successful person and narrowed the list to 25 common behaviors. By 1948, he created the iconic triangular diagram and named it the “Pyramid of Success.” When Coach Wooden introduced the world to the Pyramid of Success, he offered us all a roadmap for individual and team excellence—the same roadmap he used to build a legacy unmatched in the game of basketball. The life principles summarized in the Pyramid of Success had no explicit reference to basketball or athletics. The coach’s diagram was simply a roadmap to being a better person.