The "4 C's" to Creating a Masterpiece Day

“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”

                                                                               - John Wooden, coaching legend

Legendary basketball coach, John Wooden is famously quoted for saying – “Make each day your masterpiece.” 

Coach Wooden retired in 1975 as the winning-est coach in college basketball history, leading his UCLA Bruins clubs to an unprecedented ten NCAA college basketball national championships. 

Although his official title was “coach”, Wooden referred to himself as a “teacher”, not only of basketball, but of life. 

The incredible result of his coaching/teaching philosophy is not only seen in his win/loss record or his number of championships, but more importantly in the lives of those who played for him who regularly site him as being the most influential figure in their lives, leading them to experience success and happiness long after their basketball careers ended.

According to Coach Wooden’s grandson-in-law, Craig Impelman,

“To Coach, making each day your masterpiece means focusing on what you are doing right now to the best of your ability. It is about recognizing that nothing can be done about what happened yesterday, and that you can only affect what will happen tomorrow by what you do today.”

In leadership circles, we often talk about creating powerful visions for our lives and organizations and the importance of allowing that vision to guide us not only towards our success, but importantly, through our challenges.  However, a life well-lived is not an event nor a stroke of luck.  Rather, it is something that is worked on consistently, or as the famous philosopher Anonymous is quoted as saying.

“Success is not something that happens in a day.  It is something we practice daily.”

In following this philosophy of success, we realize that masterpiece days, lead to masterpiece weeks, which lead to masterpiece months, which unfold into masterpiece years which inevitably create masterpiece lives.

With this being said, I want to offer four keys, or “4 C’s”, that I believe, when focused on daily, can lead us creating masterpiece days and inevitably, masterpiece lives. 

1) Connect – Take time each day to connect. This first means taking time to connect with ourselves.  Allow your mind to get quiet and connect to the that “still, small voice” within. 

Rather than starting each day by immediately going into our phones to digest the latest news, celebrity happenings or email messages, allow yourself to get still.  This can be done through meditation, going on a quiet walk, or just being quiet as you sip your morning coffee. 

This stillness not only allows us to get in touch with ourselves, but importantly opens up the portal to connect with something larger than ourselves like our Higher Power, nature or a cause true to our hearts.  Here is where the answer to all of life’s challenges are stored. 

In coming from this place, we then make ourselves most available to connect with our loved ones and the people with which we lead, collaborate or share with at our places of employment or the organizations we lead.

2) Create – We are creative beings. Think of the times you have felt most alive in your life.  It is most likely when you were in the midst of creation in either work or play. 

Each day offers us the opportunity to create something new in our lives.  This could be a project at work, movement in our bodies, expansion in relationship or a solution to a challenge or problem.  Take ownership of the incredible being you are.  When you do this, things will begin to magically unfold and resources we didn’t even know existed reveal themselves to us. 

The next time you are faced with a challenge, what if rather than considering yourself a “problem solver”, you embraced your role as a “solution creator”?  Just feel the power of that shift inside of you.  It is from here we can enjoy the experience of being a “creator” of our lives versus a “victim” of our circumstances.

3) Contribute – I believe deep inside of us is an inherent desire to use the talents and gifts that were bestowed upon us to contribute to the world by serving others.

This may be a bit Utopian, but I also believe that is everyone was fully self-expressed in sharing their own unique gifts in the world, many, if not all of the world’s problems would no longer exist.  If everyone was feeling completely self-expressed in sharing their gifts, we would want nothing more than for others to do the same.  

Ironically, this all starts with us being compassionate, taking good care of and serving ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually - first.  We cannot give what we do not have.  If we run ourselves down and deplete our energy sources, it is like trying to run an automobile without fuel or more importantly, clean and efficient oil to lubricate the engine. 

As one of my teachers once said to me, “We must take care of ourselves, so we can help to take care of others.  From the starting place of quality self-care, we can have a greater sense of compassion for those in need and can then contribute our service with full hearts and full supply of passion and energy.

4) Contemplate – At the end of each day, take time to reflect on the day just passed.  Ask yourself the following questions.  What worked? What didn’t work? What changes can I make to improve? What am I grateful for? How can you take my learnings into the next day to improve, expand and thrive?

This week, I challenge all of us to lean into the “4 C’s” to open up our minds and our hearts and take action to create our most amazing days possible.  Get clear about what “masterpiece” in these four areas means for you and then take action.  Who knows, you might reflect one day and say..........................

“Wow, my life is a masterpiece!”

Chris Natzke

Black Belt Leadership Speaking & Coaching