knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because

Do you ever wonder, "How would it feel to do something special for (name a person) who can't or won't do anything in return?" We've all experienced what it feels like to help someone who needed it, haven't we? It feels great. When I say someone who needed it, it's easy to picture victims of tragedies, accidents or those who are ill.

But the truth is... We all have needs. Little ones and big ones. Every day. If we only give of ourselves, whether it be time, money or good feelings and a smile ONLY when those we are giving to are dying, mourning or destitute, then a couple dynamics start and/or continue. One is that the world you live in, your community and your immediate environment becomes or stays one of individuals who are only looking out for themselves. A perfect example is what happens with most teenagers who are now spreading their wings and getting new privileges never before enjoyed. Feelings of "I don't have to..." and "You can't make me..." are devastating to every facet of society, including the person carrying these beliefs.

Being only or primarily "self-centered" is what makes people take things that aren't theirs. It causes hazing over or "forgetting" the truth even though there are certain bad consequences to others. This sick mentality of hiding the truth to escape a potential punishment is facilitated in our homes, our schools and in our jobs. When honesty is only offered up when it won't hurt, then there is no learning, no growing and we ALL get hurt by it. I'm convinced that honesty and compassion may be the most important virtues that a person could possess.

The knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because t

Every day. If we only give of ourselves, whether it be time, money or good feelings and a smile ONLY when those we are giving to are dying, mourning or destitute, then a couple dynamics start and/or continue. One is that the world you live in, your community and your immediate environment becomes or stays one of individuals who are only looking out for themselves. A perfect example is what happens with most teenagers who are now spreading their wings and getting new privileges never before enjoyed. Feelings of "I don't have to..." and "You can't make me..." are devastating to every facet of society, including the person carrying these beliefs.

Being only or primarily "self-centered" is what makes people take things that aren't theirs. It causes hazing over or "forgetting" the truth even though there are certain bad consequences to others. This sick mentality of hiding the truth to escape a potential punishment is facilitated in our homes, our schools and in our jobs. When honesty is only offered up when it won't hurt, then there is no learning, no growing and we ALL get hurt by it. I'm convinced that honesty and compassion may be the most important virtues that a person could possess.

The knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because

most teenagers who are now spreading their wings and getting new privileges never before enjoyed. Feelings of "I don't have to..." and "You can't make me..." are devastating to every facet of society, including the person carrying these beliefs.

Being only or primarily "self-centered" is what makes people take things that aren't theirs. It causes hazing over or "forgetting" the truth even though there are certain bad consequences to others. This sick mentality of hiding the truth to escape a potential punishment is facilitated in our homes, our schools and in our jobs. When honesty is only offered up when it won't hurt, then there is no learning, no growing and we ALL get hurt by it. I'm convinced that honesty and compassion may be the most important virtues that a person could possess.

The knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because

ere are certain bad consequences to others. This sick mentality of hiding the truth to escape a potential punishment is facilitated in our homes, our schools and in our jobs. When honesty is only offered up when it won't hurt, then there is no learning, no growing and we ALL get hurt by it. I'm convinced that honesty and compassion may be the most important virtues that a person could possess.

The knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because

knowledge that, "We got away with that one!" doesn't help - it hurts. It teaches us to look for short-cuts to the reward by cheating. It prevents us from doing something nice for someone else "just because." It makes us believe that "winning" and "getting mine" are the only things that count.

Legendary coach John Wooden's philosophy is that doing our best is the most important thing. And because that was the goal, not winning, his UCLA basketball teams won 10 National Championships in 12 years. What's this got to do with "All you need is love?"

- Love is doing what's best for all.

- Love is believing that you get more by giving more, not hoarding what little you've got.

- Love is knowing that you've got incredible talents (you do!) and using them for a larger good.

- Love is seeing the good in others and helping it shine.

- Love is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

- Love is continuing to learn and compassionately helping others to learn, too.

Here's the challenge... Keep it in mind always. Every time we:

- Cheat and try to find justification

- Lie to protect ourselves or others

- Yell insults to others in the name of "just being honest"

- Ignore someone who needs assistance

...every time we do these things, we teach ourselves to do it again. We teach those around us to do them. And we become something we despise in others. It's awfully hard to have high self-esteem and feel worthy of success then, isn't it? It's not hard to wonder why most people don't achieve more in life, huh? We don't think we're worth it. Not after all we've done "to" others instead of "for" others.

We've all got it in us. I've seen it. You've seen it. But we only occasionally show brief glimmers of it. Show more today. Do your best. Help someone before they ask. Tell the truth. Teach what you know. Earn your rewards and you'll get more than you think. Just give it a try.

Don't worry about what reactions you do or don't get from