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." What this is trying ti say is that there are other thing in life

This means hard work. For everything you do, you must show hard work. When you start to work, the manager always wants to see that you're a hard worker. You care about your job that you will get everything done without hesitation. There would be no slacking off or distractions. Before anything, you must have a plan. How you're going to get where you want to be and how you are going to accomplish it.

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 excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity. I believe having enthusiasm is what helps you stay focused and accomplish the goals that you have. If you don't have enthusiasm then you won't be motivated to go out and accomplish something. Tell yourself everyday that you can do it and you will be able to do it. You can be the most successful person ever if you go out and try. If you tell yourself you're going to get a job but never go out and look for one, then that's not having enthusiasm. You aren't motivated to do what you say you are going to do. No matter what people tell you, follow your heart. Do what you believe is the right thing to do.

Block 3: Friendship

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

I believe friendship is the ability to keep a conversation with someone. You guys just talk about a whole bunch of things. You feel this click like it was meant for you guys to meet. Having friends is for you to have company and go out with them and just have fun. You can go to the movies, the park, on adventures etc. Friends don't come all the time. In my opinion, there are two types of friends. The first one are the people that help you. The ones that are always there for you when you need them, they'll give you a shoulder to cry on etc. They also never switch up on you. At times you guys may have disagreements but you know you guys are always going to be there for each other no matter what. The second type of friends are the ones that are temporary.

Block 4: Loyalty

"To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect."
Loyalty means: honesty; trustworthiness; reliability. Loyalty is the fact that people are able to trust you and be honest. You need to have loyalty when it comes to friendship, marriages, relationships, your job etc. That will show people that you respect them enough to tell them everything. Both loyalty and honesty go together because it's two of the most important things someone looks for in a person.  If someone isn't being honest with you then there's a chance they won't be loyal to you as well.

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. "

Block 6: Ambition (For noble goals)
Ambition is a feeling or a desire to achieve a goal. Usually that goal revolves around a person’s definition of success or greatness.  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. Ambition, when properly focused, can be a tremendous asset, but if it is out of focus, it can be a fatal flaw for any team.

Block 7: Self-Control

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

Self-control, regardless of what we are doing, whether it involves a physical act or a mental decision, must be maintained to produce desirable results. If emotion takes over, reason usually flies out the window and the acts or decisions are not likely to be as productive as they should be. This is not only true on the basketball court or in the workplace, but in the home as well. Even if it is disciplining your children, and our children cry out for and need discipline, it must be done with reason to be effective. If we lose reason in our discipline of our children, it will not be effective. You cannot antagonize and be a positive influence, and you will antagonize when you discipline through emotion

Block 8: Alertness

"Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn and improve".
To be alert you got to ctr all the time. Alertness is the state of active attention by high sensory awareness such as being watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency, or being quick to perceive and act. It is related to psychology as well as to physiology. A lack of alertness is a symptom of a number of conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, Addison's disease, or sleep deprivation. Pronounced lack of alertness can be graded as an altered level of consciousness.

Block 9: Initiative

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

Initiative means having the courage to take action and make decisions. Keep in mind that we all are going to fail at times. You must understand this and not fear failure. None of us is perfect. But if you are afraid to fail you will never do the things you are capable of doing. If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it everything you've got there is no shame if you fail - nothing to fear in failure. But fear of failure is what often prevents one from taking action - from using initiative.  Failure to act- lack of initiative - is often the greatest failure of all. Use good judgement based on all available information - and then use your initiative.

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 alot easier. Even if you have to try diffferent 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.

Block 11: Sincerity (keeps friends) 

"Sincerity in society is like an iron girder in a house of cards."

Sincerity is the mortar that binds together the blocks of friendship, loyalty, cooperation and team spirit. Therefore, sincerity is also necessary to reach the apex. Sincerity may not make a friend, but it will keep one. It often takes a while to be validated, but once a person knows that our word, character and steadfastness have withstood the test of life, a firm friendship can be established and maintained. When we realize that a friend can be counted on during times of need. When we see that his or her values don’t blow around in the breeze.

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.

Block 13: Condition

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

To condition you must prepare mentally and show moral restraint. So it is with us – we have to nourish our bodies, our minds, and our souls to be at the top of our game. On the physical side, it’s a blend of proper rest with a regular exercise regimen and a healthy diet. On the mental side, seek to learn at least one new thing every day. Also learn how to be mentally tough so you can withstand the inevitable ups and downs. 

Block 14: Skill

"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail."

To have skill it means you are good at a certain thing. Whether it's a game, or reading, or learning, you can do it no matter what. Skill is used in many things today in life as we know it. If you want to go out for a sport, you need to have some skill or experience for that particular sport. In school, you must have the skill to learn. The skill to always want to do your homework and help out the rest of your classmates no matter what. There's this quote by Will Smith and it states, "Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft." This is saying that it takes a while for someone to have and get the skill that they want. Everyone has a talent. You may not know it but soon you will find it and embrace it.

Block 15:  Team Spirit

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

Team spirit is the ability to cooperate and work well with others. You show each other that they can do it no matter what. You give supportive advice and help them succeed throughout anything. You have consideration for other people and don't let them give up. If they need help you are with them through it all and making sure they get it no matter what. The thought of being in a sport and having your team by your side cheering you on is the best thing in the world. This can apply to schoolwork and doing your job as well. In school, your friends will be there for you to make sure you past the test you need. They will give you a shoulder to cry on and remind you that you're not alone. In your job, your co-workers can help you on how to better your assignments or whatever it is your doing. In life, there are going to be people that want to see you fail but you shouldn't let it get to you. 

Block 16: Honesty (in thought and action)

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

Honesty mean telling the truth. Being true to yourself and others. When you have honesty then you tell the truth no matter how in trouble you might get. If you do something wrong and try to cover up for it, you will get caught eventually. It may not happen right away but it will. Who knows, the longer you keep in a secret the more trouble you might be in. I know for a fact that my if I don't tell the truth right away, I can get into more trouble than I already will be in. Being honest means people are able to count on you to tell the truth even if it's protecting a friend. When you go to court, they have you say an oath to make sure you tell the truth and nothing but the truth. If you lie for a friend that did something wrong, you both can end up getting into serious trouble. 1) for knowing and not saying anything about it and 2) for lying when an adult asked you to give your input on what happened. 

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

Resourcefulness means the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. This means you are able to get over the bumpy roads you encounter throughout your life. You are able to enjoy what you have even if it's not what you expect. You make the most of what you have. You find ways that will make you happy no matter what. For example, I will make sure someone is happy even if at the time I'm not. It's just me but I love seeing someone else other than me with a smile on their face. It makes me happy that I'm able to help people and do the right thing without being asked because I know I would like for someone to do the same thing for me. 

Block 18: Poise

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

"The key to winning is poise under stress. " This quote has meaning because it challenges you to stay calm even in hard situations. If you be yourself then you're already winning no matter what. Being under stress people tend to lose their minds and become someone they aren't. When I'm under stress I can't concentrate anymore and tend to give up. I still haven't learned how to control myself but now I do. Poise will help me calm myself down and be ease. I will be myself because being yourself will help you win in life. If you change and become someone that you aren't then you will be too busy focusing on that rather than yourself. 

Block 19: Confidence 

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

  

When you have confidence, you are never doubting yourself for what you do. When always keep your head up and keep the positive thoughts in your mind. You won't let negative things get to you because you know you are able to make it no matter what. You trust yourself in everything you do whether it's presenting or turning in an assignment. For example, I must work on my confidence for today at 6:30 pm. I will be presenting our IDP in front of many important people and I'm so nervous. I must keep in mind that I can do it and my group and I are going to do great on the presentation. I will keep my head high and breathe before and during everything. Everyone must have confidence because if not, that will hold them back. 

Block 20: Reliability (creates respect)

Reliability is being able to count on someone and have their full trust. Someone who is trustworthy of what you say or do. One way reliability comes in handy is when doing a school project. For example, I had to rely on my team members for IDP to get all their slides done and show up for the showcase. I also had to rely on them to show up for our call to action presentation at Huntington Park City Hall. When you rely on someone, you show them that they can trust you no matter what. You are there to keep your word on the things you say. If you say you're going to show up for the presentation, then show up to it. Don't lie to not hurt someone's feelings. I want to be someone's friend if I see they are reliable and I can trust them. If someone has shown me many times that they aren't trustworthy at all, I have to let them go. I can't trust someone that doesn't keep their word. People that you can rely on would be your family. I have grown to realize that you don't quite have friends in your life.

Block 21: Fight (determined effort)

Fight is a determined effort to do the very best we can do. It's digging in, gritting our teeth, standing our ground. When we have fight, we are always ready to respond. We are quick but we don't hurry. We make fewer mistakes because we have the level of our intensity under control. A player with fight has a contained fire burning in his or her belly. This emerges as focused passion. Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time. I always want to win, but I never fight with an opponent. My fight is within me. It is the struggle to be the best I can be at whatever I do.

Block 22: Competitive Greatness

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

True competitive greatness is a learned trait that has been taught or discovered by anyone who has ever achieved greatness. To be great at anything in life including athletics, you need to have the skills, passion, and desire. To be truly great and achieve competitive greatness, you need more than this. You have to have that internal motivation to be your driving force. Sure you can become great utilizing external motivators, but if you can’t motivate yourself from within, and that is not the true, driving force that makes you tick; then I don’t believe you can ever achieve true competitive greatness. The first step towards competitive greatness comes from being competitive. Children in today’s society are taught that there are no winners and losers in sports; that just being involved makes everyone a winner.

Block 23: Integrity (purity of intention)

you could say that integrity is always doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, and even when the choice isn't easy. Or, you might see integrity as staying true to yourself and your word, even when you're faced with serious consequences for the choices that you're making. When we have integrity, we're whole and in perfect condition, and we're not compromised by awkward "inconsistencies." When we live our lives with integrity, it means that we're always honest, and we let our actions speak for who we are and what we believe in

Block 24: Faith (through prayer)

Believe and Achieve. Positive belief.

When you have faith, you believe that something will go as planned. You keep your head up and go on with life. When you have faith, you always have hope and confidence. You have to believe that you will get things done when you need it. You have faith that you're going to do good on the test you took or that you're going to get that dream job of yours. You can say a little prayer, if you believe in the lord, and believe that he can make things happen for you. Having faith comes with believing in yourself first. If you don't believe in yourself, then you won't have faith in the things you do.

Block 25: Patience (good things take time)

what this is trying to say is that 

When you have patience it means you wait for your actions to come into place. Waiting patiently can build up anxiety because you just want to know the answer really quick. If you have the patience to wait, then good things will come. Good things come for those who wait. You can do so many good things in your life, but you're not going to get rewarded right at that moment. It will all take time. In time, good things will come to you for all the CTR experiences you had while growing up. If you don't have patience, then nothing will come into place. For example, when you apply for your dream college. 

With these 25  blocks of refelection i learn alot of stuff for example like on the block 25 it was about patience not everything in life is going to be fast you need to learn how to waite