Legendary coach John Wooden in this simple talk redefines success. He says that the score of a game is just the by-product and not the end of playing the game. Yet many many of us live our lives with the misperception that achieving our goals is the most important thing in life. And we want to achieve them by hook or by crook.
The key in Coach John Wooden’s mind is the effort we put in and not the result. Too many of us, he says, want the result but are indifferent when it comes to putting in the required effort. He assures us that things will turn out as they should if we do what we should.
So how can we play the game without being tied to the outcome? How can we play the game so that we give it our all and yet be indifferent to how we shall be judged? The answer lies in our ability to take down the ego and leave the results to a greater power. Besides continuously practicing and getting better, the only other thing that can help improve results is if we can manage our ego. This is best done by yoga. When we transform our life in the spirit of yoga our actions naturally turn into the mould of “egoless effort” that Coach John Wooden is talking about.
Related: John Wooden’s Pyramid Of Success