Now what?

Now that the surgery is done, what am I going to do next? It's amazing how long roads must go on before you actually reach a goal! I gotta say, it sucks! So, until I reach the point of signing, there are things that keep me motivated, such as finding people who I can model myself as a leader after.  So the next couple blogs are going to be about leaders, and how they're going to make ME a better officer!!


I think one of the best leaders, and one of my dad's personal heroes, is John Wooden.  He was the head coach at UCLA, and here's how he ended up there:

"UCLA had actually been his second choice for a coaching position in 1948. He had also been pursued for the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota, and it was his and his wife's desire to remain in the Midwest. But inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking that they had lost interest, Wooden accepted the head coaching job with the Bruins instead. Officials from the University of Minnesota contacted Wooden right after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined their offer because he had given his word to the Bruins"


Well, coach Wooden was one of a kind.  He took no slack from even his star players! He coached a lot of greats through his career, and one thing I think they all would say, was not only was he a coach, but he was a mentor.  Both on and off the court the players respected him, what he thought, and what he did! 


Here are some really great John Wooden quotes, and let the man speak for himself! Here's what I want to take with me from his Basketball court, to my Army:


- A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. 

- Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

- Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

- Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

- Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

- If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.

- Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

- Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

- Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.


and finally


- You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.