John Wooden was one of the greatest coaches in history. He was a man of character and integrity; a champion on and off the court.

I was reminded this weekend of a reason for his success.   His father, Joshua Wooden,  gave him an example to live by and instilled wisdom into John.   We would do well to follow Joshua Wooden’s example.  One of the priceless things John Wooden’s dad gave him was a simple 3×5 card where he wrote seven simple rules for John to follow if he wanted a successful life.  Those rules are worth mentioning here and worth passing on to our children…

1. Be true to yourself
2. Help others
3. Make each day your masterpiece
4. Drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible
5. Make friendship a fine art
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day (faith in God)
7. Pray for guidance and counsel and give thanks for your blessings each day