Pyramid Of Success

The Pyramid Of Success 

John Wooden 

25 Blocks 

Block 1: Industriousness

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

To me by "Industriousness" he means to be a hard worker. If you want something to happen in life, you must put in the effort to get the results you want. If you just sit there and wait for it to come to you, you will never see it. Hard workers are the only people that get results and gain progress. An example can be like being good at basketball. You can't expect to be a great player by simply showing up to practice. One must put all of their effort to be better than the day before. The hard worker will come to practice before everyone else and stay there longer than anyone else. On the other hand, the one who just goes to practice and does the basic drills, will just stay at a certain peek of their ability. This is why the person just showing up should be industrious and work to their full potential. That being said, this is a great way to build your success. By being a hard worker, you will receive what you put in. 

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."

Enthusiasm is absolutely necessary if you ever want to accomplish anything of value. You need a larger-than-life excitement in whatever it is that you are doing for it to be successful. You can amass incredible enthusiasm within your life. Enthusiasm cannot survive in a negative environment. If you always have negative thoughts and are always looking at the glass as half empty, you will find your enthusiasm dissipate very quickly. You need to be positive for your enthusiasm to thrive. Look at the silver lining. Look on the bright side of things. Take away positive lessons out of seemingly bad situations, and you will find yourself submerged by a wave of amazing enthusiasm that will help carry you along the way towards your goals.

Block 3: Friendship

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

Friendship is like having another family. Just like a family you should respect it and devote some with them. You should not take advantage of friendship, because it requires a joint effort. You can't just be the one calling all the shots without your friends consent. Having friendship can also help in the future. Let say one of you friends becomes an electrician he is more likely to give you a discount because of the mutual esteem for you. Friendships don't come easy, because both parties have to have trust in one another. You also need to choose your friends wisely as they can also influence you. People that do drugs, curse, smoke and immoral are not the people you want to hang out with. Many people that associate themselves with CTW's are more likely to be unsuccessful. It's like lyric I remember "Now look at you, you came a long way, but the thing is you went the wrong way"(J-Cole). Don't quote on that quote because I don't know if it's right or not, but it means to stay on the right track and not fall with the negative people in life.

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)

In order to be successful, you must have some greedy ambitions inside of you. To be ambitious is not being selfish, it just means you believe you deserve more than what you have. It basically means you are never satisfied and are always thriving for more. But in fact, this is a good thing, especially in the workplace. Employers are usually looking for someone with goals and ambitions, and to create relations inside of the company.

“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." "Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."

Block 7: Self-Control

"Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgement and common sense are essential."

Self-Control is an aspect in inhibitory control, its to regulate ones emotions, thoughts and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. For example, lets say there is this bully that happens to bug you and you want to do something about it to end the situation but it can cause in chaos, so instead you take deep breaths and try to calm yourself down and just say to yourself that it isn't the right thing to do. Another example is that like a dog in order for him to earn a treat they put a treat on their nose and if they move just to eat it they aren't using self-control and if they don't eat it that's because they are controlling their behavior. Self-control means being able to control yourself. When you're in a bad situation, you are able to control how you react or how you deal with it. Self-control is not only used in bad situations but in good situations it could be like you're extremely excited about something and you need to control how happy you are. Or another thing can be when you have a secret or have to surprise someone, you have to control yourself to not spill the beans or accidentally surprise the person before intended to.  

Block 8: Alertness

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

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."

I believe what 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." This is a quote that my dad always told me growing up. 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 in life. 

Block 10: Intentness

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

What this quote means is basically 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. 

Block 11: Sincerity (keeps friends)

Being sincere means that you are honest about what you say and feel. For example, when you apologize to someone it should always be sincere. Sincerity is really important in life because it shows your character and the type of person you are.  Being sincere is an important because it also makes you be more believable to people. Most of the time, you can tell straight out when someone is giving sincere thanks or meaning it in a fake way. A person who means what she/he says is a sincere person. When someone doesn't mean what she/he says, then that person may be a hypocrite.Sincerity should also be rational and intelligent and not foolish. It is not enough to be sincere, you must also be right. People will always want to be around you if you are sincere because it shows that you are trustworthy. When we have a genuine mindset of expressing what we feel, we learn a lot about ourselves as people. If we become truthful of ourselves and accept that we are not perfect, it allows room to grow and to improve. You should always Choose the Right 24/7 because if you do, it will make it easier to be honest and make the right decisions.

Block 12: Adaptability (to any situation)

Adaptability is being able to adjust to new conditions wherever you go. In order to adapt, you need to have an open mind towards change. To adapt is to grow and change, and in order to do so you have to let go of what you think is "right" or "wrong." You have to be able to adjust to new thoughts and ideas that may not seem familiar to you. Another great quality of being an adaptable person, is not whining about a situation you cant change. An adaptable person will accept the situation for what it is and move on. Being an adaptable person also means that they will forego the old in order to adapt to something new. They’re not a victim to external influences because they’re proactive. An example of this can be shown through getting a new job. It may not be easy at first, but you have to learn to adapt to the new environment. 

Block 13: Condition

"Mental-Moral-Physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated." 

I believe what this block is trying to say is to take care of yourself in all aspects. Make sure you are well rested and eat healthy for the physical component. Then for the mental component, you should take care of your mind by not over stressing and meditating. You should take care of your overall condition because it may affect you in the future. You should have a strong mentality that makes you always Choose the Right 24/7. You must be in physical condition, but also have mental and moral condition. Weak mental or moral condition precludes top physical Condition. 

Block 14: Skill

"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and 

quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail."

You must have skill for whatever you decide to do in life. Skill is very important because when you do something in life, you need to have skill. Many employers in the work place look for skill over experience, and it might help you out. When we do something, it should be to the best of your ability.Also, when you have skill you feel better prepared during an interview.For example, here at HPIAM we have SLO's that will help prepare you for the future. One skill that is very important to have is being a critical thinker. To be a critical thinker, you must examine the details very clearly and make the best sense out of it. Another good skill you should have is being an effective communicator. This way you can effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas to others. Having skill is an ongoing lifelong process that you should accustom to.

Block 15:  Team Spirit

"A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all."

I agree strongly with this quote by John Wooden. You should take others into consideration because if the tables were turned, you'd want people to do the same for you.Whether serving others’ needs physically or emotionally, even the simplest acts of kindness can have a tremendous positive impact.  If you think of the human race as your team, having team spirit means helping your fellow man to succeed in life. Having 5 minds versus one is always beneficial, and everyone has something different to say, which is better than one. You should help others if you see someone is in need of help. For example, when I was in color-guard we all had to work as a team to perform the routine. If even one girl does something wrong, it affects all of us. So we would work as a team to clean routines so we can perform it. It is important to be able to work in teams because it can also help you in the future in your career.

   Block 16: Honesty (in thought and action)

"Honesty is the best policy." (Ben Franklin)

   When you stand for honesty, you believe in yourself and everything you represent. When you stand for honesty, everything you say carries the voice of credibility. But, when you’re dishonest, your soiled reputation will do the speaking for you.The truth shouldn’t be told only when it’s convenient. Honesty must be a way of life. Honesty means that you care deeply about trust, cherish your relationships, and value the importance of a solid reputation. Honesty means that you try to do your best and are willing to accept the consequences of your actions. Honesty means that you respect others enough to tell them the truth and that you value your opinion of yourself enough to never live a lie. As the saying goes, “It’s simple. Never lie to someone who trusts you, and never trust someone who lies to you.” That’s why it’s critical to always tell the truth — or the truth will tell on you. Honest.You should never lie when you are trying to explain something to somebody. You should always choose the right 24/7 no matter what the situation is. For example when you are taking a test, you should never cheat and you should be honest.

Block 17: Resourcefulness (proper judgment)
 “Make the most out of what you have.” (Anonymous)

"If you have a dream, if you have something you've always wanted to do, look within yourself because that is where resourcefulness resides; and go for it. (Jennifer Witterick)

I agree with this quote by John Wooden strongly. You should use everything that you have around you to create your dreams. For example if you need to get a book for a class that you cant afford, you can just rent it from the library. This is being resourceful because you are taking advantage of what is around you, and not depending on others. A lot of the time we have resources that we are not aware of. Resourcefulness is the ability to find and use available resources to achieve goals. Being resourceful also means that you are determined to solve your own problems. You should take full advantage of any resources you have at home and at school that will help you succeed. You are resourceful if you can achieve maximum success with the most minimal things around you. You wont always have everything available to you, this is when you have to seek things that will benefit you. Being resourceful also makes you think in clever ways to use only what you have available to you. 

Block 18: Poise

"Just being yourself. Being at ease in any situation."

I strongly agree with this quote by John Wooden. You should always be yourself no matter what. Something my dad always told me growing up is to act like others but think like yourself. For example, when hanging with your friends you can act like them, but always make sure to make your own decisions. Also being yourself takes alot of confidence and being able to believe in yourself.  You should always be true to yourself because you never know what may happen if you don't. It is important to be poised because it is a quality that not many people have today. You should always think about being poised because people will look at you in a positive way if you do. Being yourself is very important because it makes you stand out from others and makes you unique. Without being yourself, everyone would be the same as everyone else. I always try to stay true to myself because many things can affect that such as money, or people. 

Block 19: Confidence 

"Thorough preparation breeds confidence" Gerald Bell in
"The Carolina Way"

I really like what this quote is saying because it inspires me. You have to prepare before you do something. You need to practice. If you don't practice you might not do it right. By preparing you will get confidence and you will do it right. An example of this would be when I was in color guard, you would have to prepare and practice for the games.When you prepare for any test or quiz you have lots of chances of passing the test or quiz. For example, when you study hard you are preparing yourself getting ready. by preparing yourself it brings you lots of confidence because you know you could do anything after you prepared.I agree with this statement because thorough preparation we do get confidence in what we want to do. We all have to prepare for everything in our lives and we have to be confident in what we do. We have to be in control and show that we know what we doing. Like for us seniors we have to be confident that we will graduate and will have a good future. Life is about preparing for new things to come to u, and we should  have the confidence that it will go all right. Being ready is always better than being unprepared or doing things last minute. 


Block 20: Reliability (creates respect)


Being reliable means that you do what you promised to do and that others can count on you. It is a positive social character trait.People don't like to deal with those who are unreliable. They'd rather give their business and rewards to someone they can count on.Being reliable means that you do what you promised to do and that others can count on you. It is a positive social character trait. People don't like to deal with those who are unreliable. They'd rather give their business and rewards to someone they can count on. For example, if I am supposed to be present at a meeting at 1;30, and I am known to be reliable, then people know I will  be there. An unreliable person constantly finds excuses to not be present somewhere or is always late. The benefits of being reliable are that people trust you and feel they can count on you. A reliable person will get and keep friends much easier than someone who is careless in personal relationships and can't be counted on to keep his or her word. A reliable worker will be trusted to do the job as promised and can reap the rewards of raises and promotions. An example of this can be seen at my job, I think I am very reliable when it comes to work. I'm hardly ever late to work, and my coworkers can rely on me doing a good job at work. I usually try to come in to cover shifts as well as come in on days that I don't work. 

Block 21: Fight (determined effort)

What this block by John Wooden means is to fight for what you believe in. You should always fight to reach your goals and do better things with your life. This doesn't mean to physically fight, but actually to fight mentally. There is no person living on this planet who doesn't have goals that are worth fighting for. In this harsh world, everyone is fighting for success so in the end, it's about who is the strongest fighter. There are also other things we should fight for such as for our rights. I am part of the organization CBE (Communities for a Better Environment), in which we fight for clean air, soil, and water for everyone. This is regardless of race, income, financial status, heritage etc. There's some things in the world that we will have to fight for because of so much corruption that is going on nowadays.

lock 22: Competitive Greatness

" Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge." 

What this quote means is that there is nothing wrong with a challenge. Nothing comes easy to us in this world, and it is a good thing to be challenged sometimes. Instead of getting frustrated when we are challenged, we should try to enjoy it. For example, at work I enjoy tackling difficult issues at work because they make me look at things from a different perspective. It helps me to come up with a creative solution to the problem and perform at high levels of competency. Competitive greatness is when you aren't focused on winning, you are focused on being the best you can be.Real joy and pleasure comes from being involved in something difficult. Whatever we do, whether simple or complex, we should do it at the best of our ability. It isn't truly rewarding when you can do something simple and ordinary that everyone can do. A great  competitor "revels" in doing the most difficult things. 

Block 23: Integrity (purity of intention)

Purity of intention is basically a reflection of the heart, having a pure heart is also important. A person with integrity always wants to do what's right, once he/she knows what that is. Having integrity is doing the right thing 24/7, even when no one is watching. It means that you are true to yourself, and will never do anything that will dishonor or demeans you. An example of integrity can be something as simple as showing up to work on time. A person with integrity also keeps his/her promises or explains the difficulty to the other person as soon as they are aware they can't upkeep the promise. Integrity is also a fundamental value that employers seek in the workplace. People who have integrity naturally draw others to them because of their honesty and reliability. Choosing the Right, can also help you be a person with more integrity. If you CTR 24/, it will become natural overtime to always do this, and not feel forced. 

Block 24: Faith (through prayer)

Believe and Achieve. Positive belief.

I agree with this quote by John Wooden. You need to have faith in everything you do in life. If you have faith in your life then you will not have anything to worry about. We need to have faith that everything we do in life will workout and be as it should be. Without faith, we couldn’t expect that things would turn out all right for us no matter what the situation might be.Faith isn’t just a notion that some people hold onto in tough times; faith is an important element to all human life on earth. Life is precious, but it can also be difficult at times. Faith is what helps to get us through, illuminating the pathway in times of darkness, helping to give us strength in times of weakness. Without faith, we are nothing. Faith can also help us discover what our purpose in life is. Faith can also help us at times when we are feeling stressed or anxious about something. If you believe you can do something in life and you have faith, then 


Block 25: Patience (good things take time)
We must have patience to maintain our enthusiasm and industriousness when pursuing our goals. It is patience that reminds us that our hard work will pay off, that worthwhile goals take time to achieve. We must have patience to be a good listener, which is a requirement of cooperation. Patience is required to maintain our intentness in the face of adversity. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.” Or as Isaac Newton wrote, “If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.”In simple words patience makes life very easy.Patient people are best human beings. They have good mental health and keep calm in difficult situations. They can easily achieve whatever they want in their life. Indeed to keep ourselves patient in difficult situations is very difficult. Perhaps that is the reason why patient people are great and successful.Acting with patience is a way of telling life that you are in no hurry, there is no distress—only peace and confidence in your truth. When we have patience, we become less reactionary, which avoids many unwanted tensions, issues, 
arguments etc.


FINAL REFLECTION:
I am very happy that I got to learn about the Pyramid of Success in Mr. Haymore's class. I learned that you need to work hard in life in order to see results that pay off. You also need to be enthusiastic because without being enthusiastic you will not succeed in life. If you take on difficult things with a more positive approach, it will seem easier and you might enjoy yourself more. Friendships are extremely important because just having a friend brings a lot of benefits to you, such as lending, helping physically, emotionally helping, and just helping you build character.Someone who is loyal is trustworthy is worth keeping and you can be sure that this person will be there for you anytime, anywhere. Loyalty is a trait that will help you succeed because it shows you are reliable.In order to be successful, you must have some greedy ambitions inside of you.You need to be able to come to an agreement after all in order to cooperate with someone to be successful. Self-control is not only used in bad situations but in good situations it could be like you're extremely excited about something and you need to control how happy you are.You should always stay open-minded about different things/ideas.You should set small goals that you know you can achieve, and then set another goal. Being sincere is an important because it also makes you be more believable to people. You should also watch your condition, and make sure you are healthy in all areas.You must have skill for whatever you decide to do in life.You should help others if you see someone is in need of help, and be considerate. Another thing that will help you be successful is to always tell the truth, honesty pays off in the end. Being resourceful also means that you are determined to solve your own problems. You also have to have confidence that you will do something correctly, or else there is a chance you can fail.A reliable worker will be trusted to do the job as promised and can reap the rewards of raises and promotions. Nothing comes easy to us in this world, and it is a good thing to be challenged sometimes. You also need to have patience in life in order to be a successful person. You also need to have faith in life that things will turn out to be in your favor.