Coach John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” This is just one pearl of wisdom from the winningest coach in basketball history. In this episode of By Your Life, we talk about the value of wisdom and wisdom in what you value.

Mass Readings Audio
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_07_26.mp3

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 26, 2020

Welcome to the one hundred and twenty-second episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

What Do You Want?

In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A). Our first reading was taken from the First Book of Kings and is as inspirational as it is challenging. It is inspirational because when God said [to Solomon]: Whatever you ask I shall give you. (1 Kings 3:5), Solomon, a young man overwhelmed by the responsibility that had been placed on him as King David’s heir, responded: Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish between good and evil. (1 Kings 3:9) He did not ask for a long life for himself, nor for riches, nor for the life of his enemies, but he asked for discernment to know what is right. (1 Kings 3:11) This reading is challenging because it causes us to ponder how we would respond if God offered to give us whatever we asked.

If you ask me, Solomon already demonstrated wisdom by his response. It was something he must have learned from his father, that is, placing value on knowing and doing what is right ahead of riches, health, or power. And God blessed him with a wise and discerning heart (1 Kings 3:12) In addition, God gave him what did not ask for: such riches and glory that among kings there has been no one like him. (1 Kings 3:12) And if he walked in God’s ways, keeping God’s statutes and commandments, God promised to give him a long life too. (1 Kings 3:14)

Wisdom Passed Down from Our Fathers

The story of King Solomon reminds me of another leader who was a man whose life was shaped by seven principles handed down to him by his father. He was successful in all the ways the world defines success, yet he was a man with a heart for something much greater than that: Coach John Wooden.

A coaching legend, John Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams won 10 national championships in 12 years and will hold a place in the re­cord books for years to come. Some believe his records are “un­breakable.” He certainly experienced success.

But if you knew him, you likely never heard him talk about winning. He had his own definition of success. He said, “I didn’t like success to be based on material possessions. I didn’t like success to be based on position, power, or prestige.” Instead, Coach Wooden said, “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satis­faction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”

What is most impressive about this icon in the sports world is the impact he had and will continue to have on those who knew him, the “youngsters” he coached, as well as those who have only read about him. This is because of who he was, and who he was, was someone who rightly ordered the things in this life.

Pearls of Wisdom

If you visit his website, www.coachjohnwooden.com, you’ll find his “Pyramid of Success” and what he defined as the fifteen qualities of a successful leader. The wisdom Coach Wooden shares from his near-century of life experi­ences is priceless. I’d like to focus on just three foundational blocks of his pyramid – enthusiasm, industriousness, and loyalty.

“Enthusiasm” is carefully placed as a cornerstone of his pyra­mid. You’ve got to love what you do. If your heart isn’t in it, it is not possible for you to achieve greatness. Unfortunately, too often as I’ve experienced with my executive coaching clients, a lack of passion or enthusiasm for their life’s work is the root cause of many other problems in their personal and professional lives. As Coach Wooden said, “If your heart is not in your work, you cannot prepare and perform at your highest level.”

Enthusiasm is also contagious. As a leader, your enthusiasm (or lack of it) comes across in everything you say and do. It is impos­sible to fake it. And why would you want to? For whose benefit would you be “achieving greatness” if you totally lack passion for the purpose?

If you find yourself feeling like “I have to go to work today” more often than “I get to go to work today,” then perhaps you should consider a change. Without enthusiasm, success will forever elude you.

The second cornerstone of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is “industriousness.” There isn’t a person you can name who has achieved personal success or competitive greatness who hasn’t worked hard to get there. Success and hard work go hand in hand. He said, “Nothing will work unless you do.”

But, industriousness involves much more than simply working. It means giving your best in everything you do. Minimalism, or doing just enough to get by, is the enemy of industriousness. Coach Wooden would say, “You can work without being industrious, but you cannot be industrious with­out work.”

It is no wonder why these two qualities are the foun­dational cornerstones of the pyramid. They go hand in hand. Enthusiasm is the fuel for industriousness.

In the center of the foundation of the pyramid is “loyalty.” It was placed there because of its power. Leadership requires loyalty to those you lead – your team, your department, your company, or your organi­zation. Loyalty to others is not possible without loyalty to yourself and those things you hold in the highest esteem – your values, your systems, or your standards.

People naturally want to work for a leader who is loyal to them. They will gravitate to those who know who they are and consistently demonstrate respect, fairness, and consideration for the team. For your per­sonal and professional success, Coach Wooden said, “First, do not betray yourself. Second, do not betray those you lead. This is loyalty.”

Coach Wooden practiced his principles and it led to unmatched success both on and off the court. His commonsense lessons can be applied in most any area of our lives. You don’t have to coach a team or lead an organization to experience the success that results from knowing you made the effort to become your best self. Coach Wooden’s effort resulted in being the first man enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player (1960) and as a coach (1973).

God’s Hall of Fame

But John Wooden didn’t seek out worldly honors. He was a man who had his priorities in the right order as is evidenced by a poem he wrote titled “God’s Hall of Fame.”

Your name may not appear down here, in this world’s hall of fame.
In fact you may be so unknown, that no one knows your name!

The Oscars here may pass you by and neon lights of blue,
But if you love and serve the Lord, then I have news for you.

This hall of fame is only good as long as time shall be,
But keep in mind, God’s Hall of fame is for eternity!

To have your name inscribed up there Is greater yet by far,
Than all the Halls of Fame down here and every man-made star.

This crowd on earth may soon forget the heroes of the past,
They cheer like mad until you fall, and that’s how long you last.

But God, He never does forget, and in His Hall of Fame,
By just believing in his Son, inscribed you’ll find your name.

I tell you, friend, I wouldn’t trade my name however small,
That written there beyond the stars in that celestial hall,

For any famous name on earth or glory that they share;
I’d rather be unknown here and have my name up there.

Which brings me to this week’s Gospel where Jesus continues to speak to the people in parables. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Mt 13:44), and “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Mt 13:45-46)

More Valuable than What We Value

Like our first reading, the Gospel is both inspirational and challenging. Inspirational because the kingdom of heaven is wonderful beyond our wildest dreams and challenging because it means detaching from those things we value and spend our lives pursuing on earth—possessions, power, fame. If he were preaching Coach Wooden might say, “The kingdom of heaven is like the winningest basketball coach of all time who traded all the fame and glory on earth for his name to be written beyond the stars in God’s celestial hall.”

I know that I have to keep working on putting things in the right order. I know that I am invested in things that in the scheme of eternity have no value. But, I’m working on it. If you could use a little reordering of priorities, join me this week in praying as Solomon did:

Lord, you have shown great kindness to me. You have blessed me in so many ways I cannot count them. Help me to walk before you with fidelity, justice, and an upright heart. Give me a listening heart, that I may be loving to others and a discerning mind, that I may always choose what is right. Help me to detach from things of this world so that all my trust is in you.  

May God be pleased by your request and bless you abundantly and so you may glorify the Lord by your life.

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