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Things I Highlighted is a bulleted list of particular sentences in a book that stuck out to me. These cannot be viewed as general summaries of books, but rather parts of books that struck me in a way that demanded more of my attention. Typically I share one thing I highlighted from each chapter, so they will appear in the same order they appear in the book. This version of Things I Highlighted will cover Wooden, a book about the lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court from John Wooden.

Part I: Families, Values, Virtues

• So often we fail to acknowledge what we have because we're so concerned about what we want. We fail to give real thanks for the many blessings for which we did nothing: our life itself, the flowers, the trees, our family and friends. This moment. All of our blessings we take for granted so much of the time.

• A wise person once observed, " How much more pleasant this world would be if we magnified our blessings the way we magnify our disappointments." And, of course, with that we must also pray for guidance. One of my players at UCLA once told me he was embarrassed to have anyone know that he prayed. There's no shame in praying for guidance. It's a sign of strength.

Part II: Success, Achievement, Competition

• I told my players many times, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." If you prepare properly, you may be outscored but you will never lose. I wanted our players to believe that to their very souls because I know it is the truth. You always win when you make the full effort to do the best of which you're capable.

• I also know that only one person on earth knows if you made your best effort: not your coach, not your employer, not your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, brother or sister. The only person who knows is you. You can fool everyone else.

Part III: Coaching, Teaching, Leading

• I felt even then that the more important question was, "Did I try to do all I could?" rather than "Did I win?" If the answer to the first question was, yes, then the answer to the second questions was also, yes, regardless of the score.

• There is nothing to be ashamed of when you prepared to the best of your ability. But you have ample cause to be dejected when you know you didn't prepare properly when you had the ability to do so.

Part IV: Putting It All Together: My Pyramid of Success

• I had players at UCLA who were great shooters. Unfortunately they couldn't get off any shots so they didn't help us. I had players who could get off plenty of shots but couldn't shoot a lick. You need both; the ability to do it quickly and properly. Skill means being able to execute all of your job, not just part of it.

• It's true whether you're an athlete or an attorney, a surgeon or a sales rep, or anything else. You'd better be able to execute properly and quickly. That's skill. As much as I value experience, and I value it greatly, I'd rather have a lot of skill and little experience than a lot of experience and a little skill.