Role Models on Presidents Day

Presidents Day, honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, reminds us to look to strong role models for inspiration. Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakoka, memorializes Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. These men reflect goals to strive for - courage, freedom, compassion and conservation, among others.

But you don't have to look only to U.S. Presidents for motivation and guidance. In the past here on our blog, we've focused on many role models, both for ourselves and for our children. They can stir us to greater efforts and success in our family, community and work lives.

When Randy Pausch learned that he had terminal cancer, he gave and then wrote The Last Lecture as a guide for living rather than dying. He stressed the importance of living each day fully, striving to achieve dreams and expressing gratitude for those gifts that you have. He encouraged his students, children and readers to stretch and take creative risks as they reached for goals.

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres and singer Susan Boyle have pursued careers about as different as they can be. Yet they are both role models of courage for women who have a dream and work hard to accomplish their goals. The mother of a toddler, Dara believed she wasn't too old to compete in the Olympics in her 40's and defied the odds by winning 3 more medals in Beijing. Susan was 48 and unknown when she competed on Britain's Got Talent, stunning the audience with her powerful voice. A short eight months later she had the world's best selling album of the year, with 9 million copies purchased. As our blog post indicates, both women successfully created their personal best through dedication and drive.

A teacher at heart, John Wooden was a life coach incarnate, not just a basketball coach. The Pyramid of Success he created for the men's UCLA basketball team works just as well for women balancing family and work life. His home grown aphorisms - Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do; 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 - can motivate you to work toward your personal best in any area of your life.

Elizabeth Edwards was a source of inspiration for many, fighting to maintain her dignity as she battled breast cancer and sought to protect her children. In an interview shortly before her death, she said that she wanted to be remembered as someone who stood in the storm and, when the wind didn't blow her way, adjusted her sails. You can read more about how Elizabeth Edwards took charge of defining her life by reading our blog post after her death.

Syndicated columnist Amy Dickinson, known as "Ask Amy," writes about the value of using other women as her role models and support in her book, The Mighty Queens of Freeville. For more insight about how we can empower ourselves and prevail through tough times by learning from our women friends and family, read how Amy answered our questions during her Virtual Book Tour on our blog.

Just a few of other role models we've blogged about are those women who return to the workforce and those who use their personal strengths as a means of centering themselves.

If you are looking for some more positive role models for success, look over other past blogs and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter, Stepping Stones. When you do, you'll receive our free ebook, Courage and Lessons Learned: Reaching for Your Goals. You'll find inspiration there to make this the best time of life.

And please visit our blog again on Wednesday, February 23 when we welcome Pamela Madsen for a Virtual Book Tour. She'll be discussing her new book, SHAMELESS: How I Ditched The Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure and Somehow Got Home in Time to Cook Dinner.

Wooden, Wimbledon, and World Cup

Wondering what these three W's - Wooden, Wimbledon, World Cup Soccer - have in common? All three of them can serve as impressive role models for success, especially this week.

John Wooden was known for his inspiration and motivation on and off the basketball court. His style was gracious, even as he focused on creating Competitive Greatness in his players and in the rest of us, through his Pyramid of Success. Some of his favorite sayings come to mind this week, reviewing two sporting events that represent more than just games.

It was a grueling Wimbledon first round match that lasted over 11 hours, spread over three days. The match finally ended at the 980th point, after John Isner hit a winning shot in game 183, beating Nicholas Mahut in the third set, 70 games to 68.

Records were broken all over the place - so, even if we never strive to play at Wimbledon,what lessons can we learn from this match? What can it teach our kids about good behavior, determination and never giving up?

Each young man was gracious - in victory and in defeat. They each reflected one of John Wooden's aphorisms, "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

Each player resolved to give his all, putting himself on the line, as well as the tennis ball. Perhaps they were recalling Coach Wooden's wisdom, "The man who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success." Mahut reflected after his loss, "I just want them to remember that we were just two big fighters and one of them just won." Isner said in an interview just after his record-breaking win, "I told myself to just go for it. I didn't want to lose that point playing the wrong way. If I go for my shot and miss, that's fine."

Refusing to give in to exhaustion - both physical and mental - both Isner and Mahut continued to serve aces, even into the fifth set, with a record 215 between the two of them. They each rose to the challenge and, in the process, set an example of determination for us all, reflecting Wooden's advice: "Make the effort. Do your best. The score cannot make you a loser when you do that; it cannot make you a winner if you do less."

The USA Soccer team's second round win at the World Cup was a reason for cheering around America. When Landon Donovan scored an extra-time goal - in the 91st minute of play - Team USA advanced to the round of 16.

What lessons can the 3 million-plus kids who play soccer in the U.S. take from this World Cup win? Again, let's turn to John Wooden for direction.

Hard work is an integral part of any success, be it in sports or in life. As Coach was fond of saying, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" and "Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details." Their years of training allowed the U.S. soccer team to take advantage of the opportunity to score, after over 90 minutes of strenuous play, when the Algerian goalie blocked the ball but let it roll free.

That play, as well as others during the game, highlighted the teamwork required to bring about the win. Working together over months and years created the energy Donovan and the rest of the team needed to score, providing the counterbalance to Wooden's caveat, "Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting."

So, even if you and your kids are not world-class tennis, soccer or basketball players, you can improve your game - and your lives - by using these 3 W's as role models. Play on!

John Wooden and the Perfect Baseball Game

John Wooden was so well known for his leadership role as a basketball coach and player that not everyone knew he had also lettered in varsity baseball his freshman year in college. He later coached baseball and his love of the game continued throughout his life.

With his keen sense of moral principles, Coach Wooden would have been proud of the behavior recently exhibited by the Detroit Tiger's pitcher Armando Galarraga and the umpire, Jim Joyce, who prevented Galarraga from being credited with a perfect game. When umpire Joyce incorrectly called the runner to first base "safe," Galarraga accepted the call stoically, although if correctly called an "out," it would have earned him a rare perfect game in the record books.

When Joyce realized his mistake, he took responsibility for it and immediately went to apologize to Galarraga, who accepted his apology with dignity and grace. The following day, both men treated each other with respect and reflected the high ideals of good sportsmanship.

Columnist Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal about lessons for our children that were abundant in the interchange between Galarraga and Joyce - "that a victim of injustice can react with compassion, and a person who makes a mistake can admit and declare it."

It may not have been an official perfect game, but these two men were the perfect role models for our children about what sports figures can teach our children - and us - about civility, honesty and good behavior.

For stories about other role models for you and your kids, join our free newsletter email list and receive a complimentary copy of Courage and Lessons Learned: Reaching for Your Goals. You'll learn about strategies to guide you as you continue you important, and often difficult, job of raising children today.

John Wooden as Role Model

Having celebrated and thought about the family men in my life yesterday, I remembered that our Los Angeles icon John Wooden had once been described as a "walking Father's Day card."

His philosophy of life - as well as his entire persona - exemplified everything we could wish for as a role model for our children. We were fortunate to be able see him here, on occasion, during the years of his retirement from basketball. He was an accessible fixture in our community - breakfasting at a local diner, speaking to the staff for his birthday lunches at our community hospital, signing books full of his wisdom at UCLA. My older son attended the Wooden basketball camp as a teenager, learning fundamentals, teamwork and good sportsmanship as well as soaking up the home-grown aphorisms that Coach was eager to share.

Looking back over his sayings, it's clear that they don't relate only to competitive athletes but rather to all of us who strive for a life of value and meaning. Always the teacher, here are some of Wooden's motivational thoughts through the years:

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.

Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.

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

Can these sound bites form a solid foundation for some of the lessons you want to impart to your own children? This week we'll look at how John Wooden and other sports figures can serve as role models and set the tone for your own parenting.

And if you'd like to read about some other contemporary figures who can be role models for you and your family, join our free newsletter email list and receive a complimentary copy of Courage and Lessons Learned: Reaching for Your Goals.