The Pyramid of Success
John Wooden

Block 1: Industriousness

"There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning."

The first block to John Wooden Pyramid of Success is Industriousness. Industriousness means to be actively engaged or occupied , to be industrious you need to be a hard working, energetically and devotedly person. An example of a Industriousness person can be a high school student who is working hard to get into college and become successful in life. Getting straight As is hard work because you have to focus and study every day and night , getting good grades is very hard because you can not slack of.

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."

Block two to the pyramid of success is Enthusiasm, this means to be intense in enjoyment. An employee with enthusiasm comes across as someone who wants to be at work and who is willing to do what it takes to get the job done. The activities in this section seeks to teach participants about the important of enthusiasm and a positive attitude in the work place. You have to have a passion for what you are doing if you want to build enthusiasm for it. You need to be excited about it as you wake up in the morning and as you go to bed at night. This passion is what will keep your enthusiasm high, even during rough patches, which we all go through. Simply put, love what you do and enthusiasm will follow. One of the ways that I build my enthusiasm with my work and my business is that I always remind myself everything that it has given me. I express gratitude for all that I have and this helps me become even more excited about what I’m doing. As we go through the daily grind, it is very easy to forget about all the little things that make our life easier and comfortable. Remember all the good things that you have going on in your life and be grateful for being who you are today.

Block 3: Friendship

"Comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort." 

 A friend is a person that someone knows and likes People who are friends talk to each other and spend time together. They also help each other when they are in trouble or are hurt. Friends are people that can be looked up to and trusted. Usually friends have similar interests. A friend is one who admires a person's skill and helps or encourages them to make the right choices and do not get into any trouble at all. The strength of the bond of friendship between two people can vary. If the bond is very strong, they are called best friends. This can usually be achieved by possessing the elements of friendship, by being kind, generous, loyal, honest and by having fun. With these qualities you can truly enjoy the bliss of friendship .There are expectations, demands and complaints in friendship too. If friends don't match with your expectations, it does not mean you will break the friendship. It is all about understanding, realizing and helping whenever possible .Friendship is both good and necessary. Man cannot live all alone. He is a social being. He needs someone to share his joys and sorrows. Generally, it is only people of similar age, character and background, mentality, etc., who can understand him and his problems. Friends are needed for support and for sharing.

Block 4: Loyalty

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

Loyalty is a strong feeling of support or allegiance; the quality of being loyal to someone or something. For example, lets say you're in a relationship , you have to be loyal to your partner as in being faithful to ones obligations. You can also be loyal to yourself by being true with others and stay committed. Someone who is loyal is trustworthy is worth keeping and you can be sure that this person will be there for you anytime, anywhere. Also someone who is loyal has a strong positive strong emotion in regard of others. "To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect." You have to be loyal in life because it will take you to great places. For example in a job no one wants to hire someone untrustworthy. They want someone who can do the job and keep things confidential.

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. "

I agree with this quote about cooperation by John Wooden. Although you may not always agree with another persons thoughts/ideas, you should still be an active listener. If the tables were turned, you as well would want people to listen to your ideas. Cooperation means that both sides put in the equal amount of time and effort. Cooperation also means having an equal understanding of consensus on both sides. You need to be able to come to an agreement after all in order to cooperate with someone. Also, you should keep in mind that you are trying to find the best way of doing something, not just your way. It can be that the best way can be a mixture of everyone's ideas. You should not have a mindset and be stubborn that it has to be your way or not at all. We should not judge people based on looks because everyone has something different to bring to the table. For example, some people may have connections or resources needed to complete a specific task. In order to cooperate, you just need to have to be open minded and willing to put in your part.

Block 6: Ambition (For noble goals)

Ambition is something that we all need to have in order to succeed in our goals. If there is no ambition there is no strive to win or succeed only to fail. We always need to believe that we can win or achieve our goals. You need to have confidence and believe in yourself. That is why we need ambition in order to succeed. Ambition is a feeling or a desire to achieve a goal. Usually that goal revolves around a person’s definition of success or greatness. I believe we are most likely to succeed when ambition is focused on noble and worthy purposes and outcomes rather than on goals set out of selfishness. If our ambition is to be highly publicized, receive a lot of recognition, attain a position of power or prestige, or make a lot of money, we do not have noble goals. If we are focused away from ourselves and on the team and others, we possess noble goals. Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing. 

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. Many say that the first step to leadership is self-leadership.  The ability to discipline yourself is important in achieving any goal.  Whether a New Year’s resolution or a business goal, I am inspired by these quotes on the subject.  Mastering yourself is one of the hardest things to do.

Block 8: Alertness

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

   Block 8 talks about alertness which means the quality of being alert. But in this case it's telling you how to be open-minded, observe, and learn. You should be able to stay alert and achieve great things in life if you are constantly trying to do your best even when it gets rough. An example of alertness would be when you are trying to learn new things and you may think, why even try, but you need to remember to always have faith in yourself and be open minded.  The quote explains how you should constantly be aware and seek not only to improve yourself but the team as well. I can apply this block into my daily life by taking opportunities and being eager to learn something new everyday as I come to school. Being alert includes the function of your brain and how you treat it. What this Block 8 means is that you should always be observing everything that goes on around you. You should always stay open-minded about different things/ideas. It is always a good thing to be eager to learn about different things to ultimately improve yourself.If you take on an eager attitude for things you do in life, you cannot go wrong. Learning new things can be exciting and it can also be intriguing to know about things you did not know before. You should always observe those things around you because you never know when something can happen. You should always be aware of your surroundings and also of opportunities that can be given to you. If you have an open mind, you will be able to achieve many things in life.

Block 9: Initiative

"Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it."

This quote means is to be able to make decisions for yourself without having to depend on others. Not everyone is in the same situation as you, so sometimes you have to make decisions based on what's best for you. You should be able to take initiative and take the lead when there is no one else there to do it. You shouldn't be afraid to fail because in order to really succeed, you need to fall a couple times and pick yourself up. It is always a great help to have support from others, but unfortunately you will not always have people around you. In this case, you will need to step up and take the lead in order to make a decision that you will not regret. "Act like others, but think like yourself." You can act like the people around you, but it is important that for some things you have your own mindset and ways of thinking about things. When you fail, the failure doesn't live on forever, soon you will get over it and move on. Then you will try again to succeed because you really want to be successful i initiate things independently.n life. It also means the ability to assess and

Block 10: Intentness

"Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations and being determined and persistent."

What this quote mean is that you shouldn't set a goal so unrealistically high that you get discouraged from it. You should set a goal that you know you can achieve, and then set another goal. Intentness is the thing that keeps a person reaching for the next achievement, to make each possibility a reality. The road to achievement may be difficult, but if you set realistic goals it can be a lot easier. Even if you have to try different methods, you should never quit. Be intent, persistent and determined to reach your realistic objective. Once you set a goal, you should be determined to reach it. You should not give up no matter what circumstances are put in your way. You should always try to overcome circumstances, no matter how hard they may get. The more obstacles you overcome, the stronger your mindset will be towards achieving your desired goal. It takes a lot of hard work and persistence to achieve a goal, but if you stay dedicated you will get there.