The Pyramid Of Success

1-Industriousness

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

Industriousness means hard work, energy and productiveness. A person who has this skill, is willing to do her/his best to get things done by applying different ways and never get down to work.  We all should apply this, or at least try because this is one of the fundamental ways to succeed in life. Working hard, working smart putting focus on accomplishments will lead you to a good path, that in the future will appear through success and good outcomes. 

START today, and your life will change, it will change for good!

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 means having an energetic and good attitude. Enthusiasm is also one of the most important key to succeed, you can do anything you want if you have enthusiasm. Be positive, have a good attitude even in tough moments in your life, because even though life is hard our enthusiasm should never change.

You can apply this by having a good spirit every single day, doing things wholeheartedly and putting love and joy on what you do. 

3- Friendship

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

Friendship is a relationship of affection between people. The general traits of a friendship include similar interests, mutual affect and attach to each other; friendship is the most valuable gift life can give you, and we all have to know how to appreciate that gift. 
Respect and loyalty are very important in a friendship, without respect how are you going to feel comfortable?the most common  answer is bad, because without respect love is lost; if there is not loyalty, how are you going to trust that person? Loyalty is the key in life and it always has to be showed in a friendship. 
Friendship means believing in someone else and supporting them in the happy and sad moments of their life, it is not something you learn at school, it is something you learned through your journey in life. 

4- Loyalty 

"To yourself and to all those depending upon you. Keep your self- respect" 

Loyalty is being faithful and staying true to someone. For example if you have friends, be loyal and show them that you can be by their side even in the hardest times. Being loyal is not about saying that you are a good friend, it is showing with actions that you really are a good friend. 

Loyalty is also standing up for something you believe in without wavering. This pyramid of success gives us these wonderful keys to apply them in our daily life. 

Always be loyal, and apply this at school, at home and everywhere you go; remember that loyalty means having your back in good and bad moments, be selective when it comes to find this on your friends, because nowadays people do not know the true meaning of loyalty. 

Keep in mind that loyalty build relationships that last forever!

5- Cooperation
"With all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interest in finding the best way, not in having your own way"

Cooperation means, working together for a same purpose and this can apply it every time and everywhere you go. Cooperation is one of the best key for success, sometimes two brains work better than one, and it is always a great option working with a group and get the work done.  Without cooperation life will be more tough than the way it is now because we would not be able to share and have different new ideas, and that would lead us to fail.

You can apply this important important moral principle in your life by working with a group at school or perhaps at work, you also can apply it at home for example if you are doing your chores, you can give one chore for each member of your family, that way everyone would have something to do, you all will be working for a same purpose. We all do better when we work together.

6- Ambition (For noble goals).

Ambition means having or showing a strong desire to achieve a goal or something we really want to have. In order to accomplish a goal, you should have determination and also work very hard to accomplish it, it might be difficult but if you are an ambitious person, you can be sure you will achieve your goal and everything you desire. 

Being ambitious when it comes to achieve a goal, it is an important  key that will lead you to succeed because a goal is something that make us improve not only as a worker but also as a human. Sometimes we have difficulties in our road but if you really desire something you will get it done, you just need to be ambitious and remember your reasons why you started, those thought will motivate you in your road. 

Ambitious goals are always going to be better than simple goals, dream big and reach a trans-formative change in your life always keep in mind that SMART goals will helps us reach gradual improvement in our life. 

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

Self- control should be essential in our life. Self- control means having control in your particular emotions as well as the expression of them in your behavior. Sometimes people overreact in many situations, and that affects us in our life, we should control our behavior and know how to act even in the most difficult moments. Self- control is a key that will lead us to a good path in life, because if you know how to control yourself, including your emotions, there is going to be more probability that you will fit in everywhere you go, on the contrary if you have a bad attitude and you do not know how to control yourself, people will not like you because you do not have something that is called "SELF- CONTROL".
Choose to do the right even when you feel like doing wrong, that is one of the best key in life and that way you will able to do everything because you know how to control yourself, and you have the ability to differ between what it is wrong and right. Before you do something, take a few minutes to think about what could happen because of your actions or words.

9- Initiative 

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

Initiative is the ability to start making something independently, creating new things and taking always the first step to start. Sometimes you have to be the first one to take the risk to start something new in your life, however most people is afraid of taking the first steps because they do not have the courage enough to try at least. 

In life there is many obstacles but we cannot be waiting for others to take the first step, if you have the opportunity to change something or to start something different in your life, just do it and stop waiting for others that might be scared of being the first one to do something unusual. We all are afraid of failure, but remember that fear do not lead us to something good, on the contrary fear must not be the reason not to try something because failure is only a temporary change in which we get learning experiences. 

Be initiative in life, and you can be completely sure that life will always give good things that will make grow the courage you have for trying something new in your life. 

10- Intentness

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

Intentness means determination and persistence, when it comes to goals we all need to be smart and persistent because in order to achieve a goal you should work hard with enthusiasm and also perseverance. Most of people give up because things are hard or because there's obstacles on their journey but they just need to remember that the bigger your goals are, the more you have to work hard to meet them. You may have setback on the road, but patience and perseverance will help you to keep going because no one can accomplish a goal overnight, we all have to go through a process do not be afraid of failure and if for any reason you fail, do not give up, do not quit. Failures are just learning experiences that will help you to grow as a person. Be steadfastly focused on your goals, at the end of the day hard work pays off.

11- Sincerity (keeps friends)

Sincerity is the virtue of one who communicates and acts in accordance of their feelings and thoughts. This does not mean that you can say everything you think but to mean what you think and feel. Sometimes people can say something to you, but they do not really think and feel what they say, they only say that because they want to present to be your friend or a nice person. I think that we all should be honest when it comes to our feelings and thoughts, it is always better to be honest than a liar, because speaking with honesty, acting with sincerity and thinking with integrity will always lead you to succeed in life. Those are the most important values in life, it does not matter how hard is to say the truth it is always going to be better than a lie. In a relationship or friends trust and honest must exist, because we all should be treat like the way you would like to be treat, remember to be honest all the time, that way will grow as a better person.

12- Adaptability (to any situation)

Adaptability is being able to adjust to any situation at any time given.If you are in a difficult situation at school or at any place, and you do not what to do, you have to adjust to that situation and do something in order to solve it. We never know when a hard situation will arise in life, but we just need to be always prepared for it. Sometimes there's people that do not know how to face and act in a situation because they are never prepared or ready for that. For example if you have a presentation, and a member of you group does not want to come or for any situation is not able to present, you have to be adaptable and play by ear (improvise) to solve the problem, maybe you have to look for other alternatives for your presentation and that way get a good grade for your presentation. In any case or situation in life we have to know how to improvise, and not get in shocked. 

13- Condition 

"Mental- moral, physical. Rest, diet, exercise must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated" 

Condition must be part of our life, but this also includes moral and mental condition. Most of people when they hear "Condition" they think about exercise and diet and they are correct but the word "Condition" also includes mental and moral condition, those are also really important because in order to consider a person healthy we should know about their behavior and also their proper regular exercise regimen. For example if an athletic works hard in practice but his/her behavior are not consider proper, that athletic is not prepared enough to be called healthy. We all need to care about our health and that includes mental- moral and physical condition, because they are really important and sometimes people forget about them or only care about their physical condition, we should change the way to see things and put priorities first in our life. 

14- Skill 

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

Skill is the ability to master something or to do something really well. In order to master our skills we need to learn from others and also put practice as a priority in our life. Many people think that practice is not important but they are totally wrong because practice and repetition are the mother of the skill. 

We all need to practice to be better, Albert Einstein said "Once you stop learning, you start dying" and if we analyze this quote we can learn a lot from it. Learning is always going to be something fundamental for our life, and we should never stop learning. For example if you are very smart but some friends want to teach you something and maybe you do not want because you think you are smart enough, that is when humility is needed, because we all need to learn from others, maybe we can learn new methods and strategies that will make us master our skills. 

15- Team Spirit 

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

Team spirit is having enthusiasm for working with a group. When the members of a group are motivated and willing to sacrifice their personal interests, that means that group will obtain the glory because the group is giving all they got in order to get the work done.

Sometimes is hard to find enthusiasm and commitment in the members of a team, but you can encourage them to do their best. You should always be positive because if you're not how are you going to help your team?, do not ask for things that you do not do. 

Team spirit also means thinking of others, not only about yourself, and also not only being willing but eager to sacrifice if necessary for the team. Remember that team spirit is a great quality that will help you to succeed in life. Getting along with different people and having the motivation to work together will also help you to open your horizons and learn from different people, as well as accepting opinions, ideas and diversity.

16- Honesty (in thought and action)

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

Honesty is the quality of being sincere and speaking truthfully. This manner is really important that we all have to develop because honesty always lead you to trust and when people trust in you, you will feel really great because you have won their trust.

A person who is morally upright is honest and does what he/she knows is right, most of people think that being honest never works because they want to get things overnight, but remember that is better to get things by yourself working hard and not doing things that are not right and won't lead you succeed in life.

For example as adolescents we face many temptations at school or maybe around friends but keep in mind that every decision you make will have a consequence, it might be not shown right now in your life, but in the future you will have to face it and fix what you did wrong before. Think before to make a decision and think twice before to act.

17- Resourcefulness (proper judgement)

"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, that is where resourcefulness resides; and go for it" (Jennifer Witterick) 

Resourcefulness is the ability to find clever ways to solve a problem or difficult situations. 

In life we all always have a dream or goal that we've always desired to accomplish and what we all need is to find different ways to make that dream or goal happen. Finding new strategies and ways can help us to grow as a person, and with resourcefulness we can take the first step to achieve what we want. Resourcefulness is digging deep inside yourself to find ways that will help you to get that goal you've wanted, it is also about making opportunities fit your needs. This block of the pyramid will lead you to be a successful person because it helps you to take first steps in your life, even in hard times. 

For example if you want to be a doctor or a singer, you should try to find ways to make that happen and make that dream come true, even if people is telling you not to do it, you should do it because it is what you want, and do not just let it go because a resourceful person always makes a difference and that person might be you.

18- Poise

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

Many people think that poise is similar to self-control but in this block of the pyramid we see another definition of this word. John Wooden had his own definition and said that poise means "Just being yourself" because when you maintain your poise, you're being yourself therefore you're not acting and you're not trying to be someone you're not. 

I think we all should take Wooden's definition for this word and apply it in real life. 

For example as teenagers we let many people influence us but we all have to maintain our poise and do not let no one influence in our life. Poise also means holding fast to our principles and acting in accordance with them regardless how good or bad a situation may be. 

19- Confidence

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

Confidence is a feeling of trust in one's abilities and skills. Self- confidence is an important quality everyone must have. This quality will lead you to success in life because it is really important to have confidence in yourself, you can't expected others to have confidence in you, if you don't have confidence in yourself. Do not be ashamed of yourself, you have to be confident in yourself all the time because it will lead to great things in life. For example if you want to do something but you are afraid of failure, remember that fear will never lead to good things, because the best way to gain self- confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.

20- Reliability 

Reliability is the quality of being trustworthy and it is also an important manner. When we are reliable others can depend on us, and they have learned to count on our trustworthiness. For example one day you forgot your homework at home, and you talk to your teacher and explain everything that happened, as your teacher already know what kind of student you are, he/she is going to trust in you because people surround you, know how you are and they can count on your consistency. Do not forget that reliability earns the respect of those around you, that is one of the reasons we all should apply this manner of the pyramid.

21- Fight (determined effort)

Fight is a determined effort to do the very best we can do. We all make mistakes in life, and we can be sure that if we do our best and we use our determination, success is going to take care of itself. Sometimes the only thing we need is a good attitude and remove the negative thoughts from our mind, because a positive attitude is always going to lead us to good things for us. For example if you want to do tryouts for a sport but you are a negative person, you should change that and try to be a positive person; if you have faith everything will be possible, do your best and be sure that whatever you want to achieve will be possible.
In order to accomplish a goal, we must fight for it by using our determination as well as enthusiasm, remember that if you do your best you will be able to get anything that your heart desires.

22- Competitive Greatness

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

Competitive greatness is the ability to be at your best when your best is needed. We all should do our best in whatever aspect of life, but when our best is needed, that is the perfect moment when your best should be showed. Competitive greatness is not about winning or losing, but doing the best of ourselves, it is also having a real love for hard battles. That means not being scared of failure, and loving challenges in life. The tougher the battle, the better. When we have challenges in life, we should not be scared on the contrary we should be happy of knowing that challenge offers the opportunity to be at your best when your best is required. There is more enjoyment and pleasure in being involved in something difficult than there is involved in something that anybody else could do. 

Remember challenge is the best way to learn how to master something, and besides the enjoyment you feel is incomparable. 

23-Integrity (purity of intention)

Integrity is quality of being honest and have strong moral principles. A person of integrity knows what it's right and what it's wrong, and knows how to deal with difficult situations because integrity is the most important manner in his/her life. The heart of a person with integrity always wants to do what's right once he or she is sure what "right" is. 
Integrity is also purity of intention. It's keeping a clean conscience, and a pure heart. Sometimes is hard to apply this manner for many people, because we all can be sure that if we apply this manner good things will come to our life. There's nothing better that having a pure heart and conscience, that is why we must apply integrity.
For example if you are with your friends and they did something bad, but they asked you to lie for them, you should think things twice. If you are a person with integrity this would be easier for you, but if you perhaps have not developed this manner, this situation can be hard for you to handle. Remember that all your choices have consequences in life, and you can have bad or good consequences but all is depending on your standards and principles, do what is right and you will have good results in your life. 

24-Faith (through prayer)

Believe and achieve. Positive belief

Faith means believing in someone or something. 

25-Patience ( good things take time)

Patience is the capacity to accept and tolerate difficult situations as well as troubles.

Coach Wooden said "When we are patient, we'll have a greater appreciation of our success, this means that the appreciation of our success will be bigger if we are patient in life. Sometimes goals are hard to accomplish, that is why we have to remind ourselves that the bigger our goals are, the harder we have to work in order to achieve them.  There is no such thing as a free meal, because everything depends on us, and if you want to succeed in life, your priority must be hard work and patience, good things take time to achieve them and it is not easy but just remember that at the end of your journey your hard work will be worth it. 

Be patient, put effort on every single thing you do and do not forget to do your best, patience will always lead to succeed in your life. 

Final Reflection

The Pyramid of Success is a philosophy that produced extraordinary results. Coach John Wooden created this pyramid to show us behaviors and manners that will help us to succeed in life. Wooden spent 14 hours identifying 25 behaviors he believed were necessary to achieve his idea of success. The first block of the pyramid is Industriousness, this means hard work. If you really desire something in life, you must work hard to achieve, life is not easy and things cannot happen overnight, because any individual can achieve a goal without working extremely hard. The second block in this pyramid is Enthusiasm, this means having an energetic and good attitude everyday, this is one of the most important key in life. In order to be successful in life, we should always look at the bright side of the situations, even in the hardest moments; Enthusiasm gives power and energy to your heart that will lead to succeed in your life.Friendship is the third block for this pyramid, the two important qualities of friendship are respect and loyalty, we all deserve true friendships, that is why this block should be applied all the time, surrounding friends, teachers and family.  Loyalty is also included in this pyramid of success. Loyalty means being faithful and showing with actions that you are a true person. Ambition means having a big and strong desire to achieve a goal in life, we all should be ambitious when it comes to goals in life, because a goal is what makes us improve not only as a worker but also as a human. 

The last manner in this pyramid that I want to mention is Intentness, this means being hardworking, ambitious but also persistent.