John S. Gordon - Business and Personal Coach

"You have the greatness and the power.  I just help you turn on the switch."

MARVELOUS MONDAYS

 

September 30, 2013 - Issue 245     

 

Joshua - The Father Behind The Wizard

 

This is the eighth in a series on Success

 

 
Dear ,

 

Welcome to Issue 245.  The mission of "Marvelous Mondays" is to offer an inspirational thought, a practical exercise, some humor, or a simple tip to jump-start your week and to enhance your life, business, outlook or relationships. 

 

Please feel free to forward "Marvelous Mondays" to others who will enjoy it.   

Did you miss a previous issue?  Click here to view an Archive.   

 

 

JOSHUA WOODEN

In our last issue we discussed coach John Wooden, also known as "The Wizard". Like most successful leaders he attributes his success to the mentors, coaches and leaders who trained him. Fittingly, his very first mentor was his father, Joshua Wooden. When John was very young, all of the hogs on the family hog farm suddenly  died, causing the family to go into bankruptcy and to lose their home.  Joshua chose not to complain or blame things on bad fate. He didn't even complain about the merchant who sold him the contaminated serum that killed the hogs. Despite these tragedies Joshua remained resolute and optimistic, traits that his son John carried nobly throughout his life

 

 

JOSHUA'S 3 RULES FOR SUCCESS

Joshua taught John these three rules for success: No Whining! No Complaining (about trivial matters)! No Excuses!

 

An example of how John Wooden followed his father's three rules is the fact that in all of his 40+ years of coaching in approximately 1,000 games, he recalls only one occasion when he was called for a technical foul. Coach Wooden saw complaining as a character flaw and unbecoming of a leader.

 EXERCISE

 This week I invite you to do the following:

  1. Joshua's 3 Rules   
    • Be aware of when you might begin to break the 3 rules.
    • Choose to be quiet, or substitute something positive, or use humor.

    • Avail yourself of the opportunities for growth by talking to a friend, mentor, coach, or others.

  2. Gratitude

    • Reflect on mentors, coaches, teachers, leaders, and others who have followed Joshua's rules of success. How have they impacted you?
 






For a short 1 minute humorous video on complaining, click here.

  

JOHN'S BIO
John has owned several businesses and is an attorney who has practiced in the business and estate  areas.  In addition, he coaches business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, speech makers and presenters.  He also coaches persons who are determined to accelerate their careers and leadership skills or who are considering a career move or retirement.  John uses coaching as a tool in his leadership and business results based consulting.  He is also a life coach.

                   **John is currently accepting a few new coaching clients.**