Like many others, I have always been fascinated by the stars. It is a nightly ritual to gaze into the night sky when I lock up our home for the day. As a youngster I was raised in the country on a small ranch at the base of Mount Jumbo outside of Missoula Montana. It wasn\u2019t uncommon on a warm summer night to hike up the mountain and sleep under the stars. My initial tendency was to seek out the North Star which is located at the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. Since the bowl portion of the Little Dipper isn\u2019t always visible, I often needed to locate the Big Dipper first. The two stars that create the far edge of the Big Dipper are perfectly aligned with the North Star. As I would stare into the night sky, my mind often wondered in amazement at the realization that throughout history everyone who has ever lived has looked at the stars in some fashion, some out of amazement, and others for guidance.<\/p>\n
The North Star is classified as a lodestar. A lodestar is a star that can be used as a guide. For many seafaring sailors, the North Star was their loadstar. So it was for South African Americans during slavery. The North Star was a symbol of hope and freedom. For escaped slaves, the North Star was a guiding light that helped them navigate the many secret sites of the Underground Railroad that led to freedom.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n John Wooden\u2019s lodestar was his Pyramid of Success<\/em>. Each player received a copy of this during the basketball season. For many it was nothing more than a piece of paper, but for Wooden it was a guiding light. It was framed and hung on his office wall. It was to him a defining factor is his life. Though Wooden was very competitive and he loved to win, it is no coincidence that the top of the pyramid is Competitive Greatness. Nor is it coincidental that surrounding the top of the pyramid are four essential characteristics of success. The first characteristic is \u201cFight\u201d, being defined as a determined effort. Second, \u201cIntegrity\u201d, which is defined as purity of intention. Third, \u201cFaith\u201d, something done through prayer, and finally \u201cPatience\u201d, having a definition of \u201cgood things take time\u201d.<\/p>\n Many coaches focus on one aspect of the game for too long. Wooden\u2019s philosophy was different. If he didn\u2019t accomplish what was needed in one practice, he would come back to it at the next practice, moving forward as each thing was accomplished.[2]<\/a> His coaching theory was: \u201cexplanation, demonstration, imitation, correction, and then repetition, repetition, repetition.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n Coach Wooden would often tell his players that the team was like a machine. He would explain that each team had a starting lineup which was like the engine of the machine. He would go on to explain that some players were like the wheels on the machine and maybe those who didn\u2019t play as often were the nuts holding the wheels on the machine. Each part of the machine played a key role in order for the machine to function successfully. Though some parts could be harder to replace, each part played an essential role in assuring the proper function of the whole.[4]<\/a> Wooden was into details. \u201cLittle things add up, and they become big things. That\u2019s what I tried to teach each player in practice, \u201che said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to make a great improvement today. Maybe you\u2019ll make a little bit. But tomorrow it\u2019s a little bit more, and the next day a little more.\u201d[5]<\/a> \u00a0For Coach Wooden, practices were of key importance and the game was the \u201cfinal exam.\u201d Wooden didn\u2019t have a play book. He felt that a good coach only needed to make \u201cfour or five real decisions during a game.\u201d To him there were far more mistakes made by over coaching his players than under coaching them. Though basketball was a precise game, there was no need to over complicate it.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n We tend to over complicate things. Jesus had a way of cutting through the crap and getting to the heart of a matter. He wasn\u2019t one to over coach a situation; he kept it simple. When asked what the greatest commandment was by the Pharisees (those in bondage to the law), Jesus replied \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d He then lets the Pharisees know that these two laws were the lodestar for the rest of the commandments.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Jesus made it simple in a world that was complicated by the spiritual leaders of the day; \u201cLove God and Love People.\u201d Despite my leaning toward the academic and the philosophical side of things, I still need to be reminded that the \u201cKISS\u201d method is still the best; KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! It is hard to imagine what this world would look like if our lodestar was as simple and timeless as \u201cLoving God and Loving People.\u201d<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/theweeklychallenger.com\/the-north-star-a-symbol-of-inspiration-and-hope\/<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Seth Davis, Wooden: A Coach\u2019s Life<\/em> (New York: St. Martins Griffin, 2014), 176<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Seth Davis, Wooden: A Coach\u2019s Life<\/em>, 177<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Seth Davis, Wooden: A Coach\u2019s Life,<\/em> 175<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Seth Davis, Wooden: A Coach\u2019s Life<\/em>, 175<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Seth Davis, Wooden: A Coach\u2019s Life<\/em>, 177<\/p>\n