Pyramid of Success and the One-Day Contract

By Marty Gaughan

Each and every year I have had the honor of being asked to speak to the senior class at my high school on leadership. This year, my talk was based on the concepts and ideas of two great coaches, John Wooden and Rick Pitino.

Using the “Pyramid of Success,” I talk about three elements from Coach Wooden’s Model. The first two characteristics are the cornerstones of the pyramid. One cornerstone is industriousness and the other is enthusiasm. Nothing great has been accomplished without enthusiasm and hard work.

The third segment of the pyramid is the definition of success. According to Coach Wooden: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

In Coach Pitino’s book, “The One-Day Contract: How to Add Value to Every Minute of Your Life,” I conveyed his message of passion. Life is about passion and you need to become passionate about something to become great and to make a difference.

Passion is a hard thing to have on a daily basis, but by putting yourself on a “one-day” contract, it is possible.

These two great coaches have taught me that success is knowing you did your best, and doing your best requires industriousness, enthusiasm and passion.

-Guest Blog by Marty Gaughan

Based in Naperville, Ill., Marty Gaughan is a basketball trainer for teams, individuals and small groups. He works with college, high school and grade school players. He coached for 25 years at the high school basketball level and has also guided AAU teams. You can find him on the web at http://drill4skill.weebly.com/index.html or follow him on Twitter at @d4straining.