Success Building Blocks: Initiative

John Wooden was arguably the best coach in the history of college basketball. He developed the Pyramid of Success, a wonderful tool to succeed BIGG in any endeavor you choose.

So far, we’ve looked at the five blocks that form the foundation of the Pyramid – from left to right – Industriousness, Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation, and Enthusiasm. Then, we moved to the second row and have looked at the two outer blocks – Self-control on the far left, Intentness on the far right, and then Alertness, which sits next to Self-control.

Now we’ll wrap up the second row of the Pyramid by looking at the middle-right block, sitting above Loyalty and Cooperation.

Initiative

Initiative starts with a deep-down yearning to master your craft. It requires you to think for yourself because you’re the only person who knows the desires of your heart. You have to exhibit courage, in the face of comments and criticism, and keep going.

You also have to develop the ability to make decisions. That’s not always easy. Make a choice and stick with it, until new evidence proves you need to shift your strategy. As evidence mounts, move quickly to pursue your new course.

The prior building blocks have all prepared you for this one. Now it’s time to make a decision and begin to act … to move toward the BIGG success of which you dream!

Explore all of the success building blocks

Industriousness
Enthusiasm
Friendship
Cooperation
Loyalty
Self-control
Intentness
Alertness
Initiative
Condition
Team Spirit
Skill
Poise
Confidence
Competitive Greatness