Conexion July 2017

LIDERAZGO Y EMPRENDIMIENTO
leadership and entrepreneurship
Life Lessons from
John Wooden
One of the most revered coaches
in the history of sports is John
Wooden, nicknamed “The Wizard of
Westwood,” who won 10 NCAA national
championships in his 12-year career
as head coach at the University of
California Los Angeles.
Wooden, who passed away in June
2010, left behind a legacy as one of the
most successful basketball coaches in
the history of the sport, but he also left
behind a blueprint on how to become
the best and most successful person
one can be.
Today, athletes, business leaders,
employees and countless others follow
these life lessons from Coach Wooden
in their own lives. Below are five quotes
from this great basketball icon that
ring as true in today’s world as they did
when he first spoke them.
“Perform at your best when your best is
required. Your best is required each day.”
As one of the top blocks on Coach
Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success,”
competitive greatness does not mean
beating everyone else, but doing your
absolute best every day. No matter how
small the job, excellence is earned by
doing the most thorough work each
day, every day. The best work is done by
those who practice their skills, release
excuses and do important things, even
when the odds seem daunting.
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little
things make big things happen.”
Even the most menial tasks at a job
serve a purpose, and those little things
add up to create big results. Nothing
a person does should be considered
boring or insignificant. Strategic
planning and execution of major
projects also includes the little details
that can make or break a triumph.
Leaders can learn to appreciate their
employees from the ground up by
keeping this quote from Wooden in
mind. The man who cleans the offices
at night is as big a part of a company’s
success as the top salesperson.
“You can’t let praise or criticism get to
you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in
either one.”
People inevitably try to downplay
someone else’s success or belittle
another person. Friends, families,
competitors and enemies are
all guilty of this at one point or
another. Wooden’s advice is to stop
focusing on criticisms and focus on
helpful critique. If a complaint is valid,
that complaint can become a learning
opportunity and a chance to improve.
On the flip side, chasing flattery can
be almost as debilitating as giving
into criticism. Many people become
dependent on praise, chasing the ego
rub instead of true greatness.
“Don’t let making a living deprive you
of making a life.”
Too many people trade daily enjoyment
for achievement, but the key to true
success is having both. Also called
“work/life balance,” most people
find happiness when they achieve
something important and enjoy other
aspects of life. Working is a way to earn
a wage, but successful people also find
delight while accomplishing goals and
victories through their job.
“If I am through learning, I am through.”
In life, education is never finished.
Most successful business owners,
entrepreneurs, teachers or employees
are constantly on the search for
knowledge and ways to improve.
Life always offers up opportunities to
learn something new, whether it’s a
new skill set, another language, a new
hobby or a new perspective on life.
Not expanding a base of knowledge
or experience leads to stagnation
and boredom. Continuous learning
is powerful, so take life’s lessons from
Coach Wooden to begin building your
legacy.
Source: Movin’ On Up newsletter, a
publication of Express Services, Inc
Profile: Cynthia M. Portalatin
Cynthia M. Portalatín has
been writing since her maternal
grandmother gifted her with her first
diary at the age of seven. Penning
poems, cartoons and short stories
in her teens, her love of recording
experiences led her to obtain
Bachelor of Arts degrees in print
journalism and Spanish.
“Bloom Forever – A Poetry
Journal” (2013, Amani Publishing
– published as Cynthia Lamb) is her
debut book of poetry. It features 115
poems written between the ages
of 17 to 45. Her short story “When
Love Hurts” is included in “Truth
Awaits You on the Other Side: An
Anthology about the Consequences of Sin.” (2014, Global Multi Media
Enterprises – published as Cynthia Portalatín). She has also contributed
poems to books by author Tremayne Moore and is co-writer and associate
producer of the web series “Tallahassee Legal,” created and directed by
Summer Hill Seven. In earlier years, she wrote briefly for the Capitol News
Bureau at the Advocate Daily Newspaper, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and
later joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a 20-year career in public
relations and outreach where she received numerous state and national
awards.
Cynthia enjoys writing poetry, copyediting, photography, traveling, and
creating art. An active member of the Tallahassee Authors Network and Big
Bend Poets, she resides with her daughter and
Jack Russel-Beagle mix in Tallahassee, Florida.
Future books will be published under her newly
chosen author name Cynthia Rose.
Facebook: Cynthia Rose (Portalatin)
Instagram: @lapoetachina
Twitter: @lapoetachina
Blog: ojoscafeclaro.webs.com
Email: creativewords4light@gmail.com
Books available on Amazon.com
Olas de Amor
By Cynthia M. Portalatín aka CynthiaRose
I miss my love like I once missed mi
playa, mis caracoles.
But the tears are no longer those of
a child. They are now the ache of a
woman’s heart.
I miss my love, like I missed playing
in the arena, quemandome con el
sol.
The gentle rocking of the waves at
night is no longer what my body
needs to sleep.
Now, it is the waves felt in my love’s
arms that I miss. Mis olas de amor.
The anger I felt toward the palm
trees of the north, which so
betrayed those of my beloved isla
is translated, transformed from one
love to another, more human to the
touch.
And the sight of happy lovers
together deepens the wound I
carry by choice. Because I cannot
let go of this ache.
I cannot abandon the pain.
It will keep the memory of my love
alive, until I once more can relive
my dream.
Or until las olas cubran mi alma.
10 | www.conexionflorida.com