In 1934 John Wooden was teaching high school English in South Bend, Indiana. That year he wrote his definition of success: “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.” In a 2001 TED talk he said: “my opponents will tell you — you never heard me mention winning.”
At UCLA, the first practice of each season began with a lesson on how to put on socks and shoes. Wooden explained that wrinkles in the socks could cause blisters, and that blisters could lead to losing.
His UCLA teams won 10 national championships.