Todd Duncan 2011 blog that reached me

Friday, August 20, 2010

Make Each Day Your Masterpiece

You are in the process of creating a masterpiece. Every day there is an opportunity to improve. The most successful people change their lives because they can see the opportunity to change something today. You are an agent of change, and your life and your business are both your responsibility and your opportunity.

As I looked at the autographed basketball in my office and the Pyramid of Success John Wooden gave me, I was reminded that he constantly instructed his players to make each day their masterpiece:

When I was teaching basketball, I urged my players to try their hardest to improve on that very day, to make that practice a masterpiece. Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can’t do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece . . . This rule is even more important in life than in basketball. You have to apply yourself every day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little bit better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you be able to approach being the best you can be – John Wooden


Masterpieces are created when you make good decisions and then commit to managing those decisions. Both require you to master the art of self-leadership and embrace the importance of self-discipline. How would the person you see yourself becoming in the future be acting today, in the present? I love this question. I ask it of myself often. It brings immediate perspective to each aspect of life. You will never change your life or your business if you don’t manage yourself every day. As Wooden has his pyramid, one of the most famous pyramids is that of Maslow -


You will never move from the base of Maslow’s pyramid to become a fully engaged human being without self-leadership. We will explore this over the next several days.