A mentor is someone who shares wisdom and knowledge with a less experienced colleague—a trusted advisor and guide. In his book A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, co-authored with Don Yaeger, Coach John Wooden reflected: "While I made a living as a coach, I lived my life to be a mentor—and to be mentored!—constantly.
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“Everything in the world has been passed down. Each piece of knowledge is something that has been shared by someone else. If you understand it like me, mentorship becomes your true legacy. It is the greatest legacy you can give to others. This is why you rise every day—to teach and to be taught.”
Coach Wooden often credited his father, Joshua, with profound influence, alongside his father's 'two sets of threes and sevens.' Key wisdom included:
• Never try to be better than someone else. But always learn from others. Never stop trying to be the best you can be. One is in your control, the other is not.
• You will never know anything that you haven't learned from someone else.
• The more we care about the things we can't control, the less we will do with the things we can control.
Mother Teresa and Abraham Lincoln were historical mentors Coach admired deeply. He described their impact: Related: The most powerful tool we have is influence; Here's how to use it
“Both lived their lives completely devoted to others.
“Lincoln served as president during our country's most difficult time. He never lost his ordinary man approach. At the end of the terrible war between the States, he was criticized by the Secretary of State, who told him: 'You are supposed to destroy your enemies, not make friends.' His response, of course, was, 'Am I not destroying an enemy if I make a friend of him?' Lincoln was my favorite American.
“Mother Teresa said, 'A life not lived for others is no life.' And if anyone really lived their life for others, it was Mother Teresa. I would say she is the person I have the most respect and admiration for in my life.”
Coach also drew invaluable guidance from his high school coaches, Earl Warriner and Glenn Curtis, and his college coach, Piggy Lambert. He often spoke of the profound impact his wife of 53 years, Nellie, had on his life.
Coach Wooden's example reminds us that we all have daily opportunities to positively influence others. As he liked to say, you can't have a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
Related: 20 Ways to Do Your Best and Succeed
