“Don’t whine, don’t complain and don’t make excuses. Just get out there, and whatever you’re doing, do it to the best of your ability.”
How’s that for an intro… It’s a quote from one of my favorite TED talks…
If you have not yet been introduced to TED, please take the time to get acquainted some time this fall or winter. Take your time for it, there is no rush for once… “he” will still be there in a couple of weeks, months or even years. But he’s a great companion for some of the cold, rainy days that lay ahead… when it’s too cold and wet to go outside and for when you have some time to spare. Because when you take the time for TED you’ll be introduced to some rare pearls of wisdom, pure genious, motivational & inspiring thoughts. He’s got some for all people from all walks of life…
John Wooden was my ticket into the wonderful world of TED.com… I’m passionate about people, communication and sports and he offered me so much of his wisdom accumulated over many decades on these topics in less than 20 minutes. We’ve all shared the experience of patiently listening to older people sharing their thoughts. Usually by the time they’ve finished their first sentence we would have sent out 4 text messages, answered 1 whatsapp, befriended 2 more people at Facebook, retweeted 3 tweets and checked out 7 new instagram pics…. However forget about that during this talk. He might have been in his early nineties during this talk, but if you want to follow his train of thoughts during the next 20 minutes you better fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight…
John Wooden, aka “Coach” , is considered to be the most successful basketball coach, ESPN even named him the best coach ever in any sport. He coached and teached for 40 years (!) at UCLA in the US and taught many generations about the difference between winning and succeeding. Don’t forget to turn on the subtitles if he’s going to fast for you 😉
[ted id=498]
The Road ahead or the Road Behind (George Moriarty)
I think the fates must grin,
as we denounce them and insist,
The only reason we can’t win
is the fates themselves have missed.
Yet, there lives on the ancient claim-
We win or loose within ourselves,
The shining trophies on our shelves can
Never win tomorrow’s game.
So you and I know deeper down,
There is a chance to win the crown,
But when we fail to give our best,
We simply haven’t met the test
Of giving all and saving none,
Until the game is really won.
Of showing what is meant by grit,
Of playing through not letting up,
Its bearing down that wins the cup.
Of taking it and taking more
Until we gain the winning score
Of dreaming there is a goal ahead,
Of hoping when our dream are dead,
Of praying when our hopes have fled.
Yet, loosing, not afraid to fall,
If bravely we have given all,
For who can ask more of a man,
Than giving all within its span,
That giving all, it seems to me,
is not so far from VICTORY
And so the fates are seldom wrong,
No matter how they twist and wind;
It’s you and I who can make our fates,
We open up or close the gates
On the ROAD AHEAD or the ROAD Behind