Pete Carroll’s ‘Win Forever’ Philosophy is the Key to Maximizing Potential
Pete Carroll is among the greatest football coaches of all-time. He is one of three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college football national championship. I’ve always admired his exuberant passion to compete that appears so natural. While watching Carroll as he coaches games the first thing I always notice is how his energy stands out with what I can only describe as an uncanny sparkle from his face.
It’s rare to see and say such things about a football coach. However, I only say it because it’s true. That is why when I discovered that Carroll wrote a book describing his life philosophy it didn’t take me more than a second to hit buy on Amazon. Moreover, both his book and his life philosophy have the same compelling name: Win Forever.
Carroll’s philosophy is that the only way to “win forever” is to always compete. The reality is that the act of winning only last for a few fleeting moments. When you look back at a winning moment, what you really remember is the act of competing. As Carroll states:
Years ago I was asked, ‘Pete, which is better: winning or competing?’ My response was instantaneous: ‘Competing… because it lasts longer’.
So, even though he titles his philosophy as “Win Forever “, what he is really saying is “Always Compete” with the purpose to win. What’s more, Carroll’s philosophy breaks down exactly how to do this in 10 words.
Do things better than they have ever been done before.
Maximize Your Potential by Having a Philosophy and Vision for Your Life
This idea of having a philosophy and vision for your life is something Pete Carroll learned from the great John Wooden. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you know I’m a huge fan of John Wooden’s life and coaching philosophies. In addition, Carroll shares that the other big influences on him developing his philosophy were Abraham Maslow, who is widely known for his hierarchy of needs theory, and Tim Gallwey, who is widely known for his Inner Game books.
What these three influencers have in common is that each had average careers until they developed their life philosophies. Carrol’s “eureka” moment of this fact came while reading one of John Wooden’s books describing his Pyramid of Success. It took Wooden nearly 16 years to develop his philosophy. Carrol also notes that Wooden didn’t win his first national championship at UCLA until he could explain his philosophy clearly to his team. The culmination of this insight is Carrol’s Win Forever philosophy.
This is my biggest takeaway from Pete Carrol in general, and his Win Forever book in particular. Breakthrough success in life requires that you develop a philosophy and vision for the work you do. In addition, it must be so clear to you that you can explain it to others in 25 words or less.
Unquestionably, Win Forever is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in years. But that is not why I recommend you read this book. I recommend you read this book so you can visualize yourself in Carroll’s shoes going from a run of the mill coach, who was average at best, to one of the all-time greats by committing to a philosophy and vision. If you want to maximize your potential in life, this is the way.