I will get ready, and then, perhaps, my time will come. – John Wooden

Some, perhaps a lot, of what happens in our lives is beyond our control. In all aspects, too, from day-in, day-out living to major goals we’ve set for ourselves. Success, or what we might perceive to be success, falls into this category.

Coach (I attended his basketball camp as a kid and grew up in Los Angeles, so I call him Coach) said today’s thought in the context of being a basketball player. Not every player can start. The coach decides who plays and when and, if you had modest talent like me, then your name wasn’t called all that often. All a player can do is become the best player he’s capable of. The rest is out of his hands.

I will get ready…

It’s the same for us in everyday life. We can’t do anything more than become our best, to prepare ourselves to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. It’s the way the world is built. A good example is my wife. We met at work, but we worked in a large hotel and our paths would not have crossed had someone not dropped a table on her leg. We met by pure luck.

…and then, perhaps, my time will come

If our time does come, good, seize the moment and make something good happen. If it doesn’t – or if it isn’t the moment we were looking for – that’s OK, too. Maybe our goals weren’t realistic or maybe it wasn’t meant to be. However, if we make our time serve us and put nature and circumstance to work for us, what is meant to happen in our lives will happen.

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Whatever you saw me do out there, good or bad, was the best I had. – Gordie Howe

For the uninitiated, Gordie Howe was a professional hockey player, most closely identified with the Detroit Red Wings. While the title of Greatest Hockey Player Ever is subjective, Howe would make an awful lot of short lists. By any standard, he was one of the very best.

This thought resonates on two levels. One, the best you have is all you can do. There’s nothing beyond your best. Two, your best does not always result in greatness. Sometimes your best is not enough. That’s OK, too. It’s the way the world is built.

… the best I had

Usually, however, your best does result in something good. It doesn’t really matter what we are doing, either. Just because you are not a famous athlete doesn’t mean there isn’t an endeavor that doesn’t deserve your very best. We all have talents. Some people build chairs, some play hockey, I write. What do you do?

We aren’t doing anybody – ourselves or our fellow humans – any good by loafing and not getting the most out of the talents we were issued. If you are doing your best at something you believe in you are enjoying one of life’s great prizes, the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.

The best we have. We should expect nothing more, but demand nothing less.

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All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life.
                                                                  – Deng Ming Dao, 365 Tao

From organized religions to other spiritual tracks to formal education, us humans have set up a variety of formal avenues to educate ourselves. All have value, though like other aspects of life, the dividends reaped usually depend on the effort expended.

But we cannot depend on these institutions completely. Any sacred text or school lecture can only teach us so much. It is only by going out and putting to the test what we’ve learned or, better yet, taking in something we have never experienced before

All teachings are mere references…

Experience will always be the best teacher. There is no substitute for putting what we’ve learned in a classroom or church to the test through the examination of everyday living. And everyday living can be a relentless instructor, too, issuing us lessons repeatedly until we learn them.

There is no profit, except perhaps the balm of having passed responsibility for your life off on someone else, to blindly following the precepts of a religion or spiritual discipline. If you stop learning after someone issues a degree, you will be missing out some of life’s greatest lessons. Similarly, someone who goes out and faces life without the structure that comes with organized thought and teaching, is missing an important cornerstone.

The most adroit amongst us utilize all avenues of learning. Only when we do that, when we are completely open to every lesson there is to learn, will we get the most out of our time on this planet.

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