Wooden's Wisdom | Leadership Resource Center

Issue 628 - The Difference Between An Opinion And A Fact (Jia Jiang and John Wooden)


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 12	Issue 628
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN OPINION AND A FACT (JIA JIANG AND JOHN WOODEN) John Wooden Video Clip (1 min. 03 sec.): Coach Wooden describes the process he used to determine the value of using the backboard when shooting from certain areas of the court. When communicating, Coach Wooden was always clear on making a distinction between opinion and fact. When asked for advice, Coach would politely refuse and say: "I won't give you advice, but I would be happy to give you, my opinion." When speaking or writing, Coach frequently used the phrase: "In my opinion" before stating his ideas. In his must-read book, "Rejection Proof," ( https://www.rejectiontherapy.com/100-days-of-rejection-therapy ), Jia Jung makes the point that: "Rejection is an opinion." He put it this way: "Rejection is less like "the truth" and more like an opinion. People process your request, then give you their opinions. That opinion could be based on their mood, their needs and circumstances at that moment, or their knowledge, experience, education, culture, and upbringing over a lifetime. Throughout history, many great ideas that ultimately propelled humanity forward were initially met with rejection by society at large. They include the movements led by Socrates, Galileo, Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. People’s opinions change over time, across regions, and are heavily influenced by social, political, and environmental factors. If people’s opinions can change so drastically based on so many different factors, why should I take a rejection personally?" Whether you are talking or listening, it is valuable to distinguish between opinion and fact. Napoleon Hill suggested when someone presents you with their opinion as fact, simply ask: "How do you know that?" Steve Maraboli had great advice for all of us: "If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas." Do you let the opinion of others bother you? Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 628. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 628. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE Too Big A Price They say my boy is bad,' she said to me, A tired old woman, thin and very frail. 'They caught him robbing railroad cars, an' he Must spend from five to seven years in jail. His Pa an' I had hoped so much for him. He was so pretty as a little boy- ' Her eyes with tears grew very wet an' dim- 'Now nothing that we've got can give us joy!' 'What is it that you own?' I questioned then. 'The house we live in,' slowly she replied, 'Two other houses worked an' slaved for, when The boy was but a youngster at my side, Some bonds we took the time he went to war; I've spent my strength against the want of age We've always had some end to struggle for. Now shame an' ruin smear the final page. 'His Pa has been a steady-goin' man, Worked day an' night an' overtime as well; He's lived an' dreamed an' sweated to his plan To own the house an' profit should we sell; He never drank nor played much cards at night, He's been a worker since our wedding day, He's lived his life to what he knows is right, An' why should son of his now go astray? 'I've rubbed my years away on scrubbing boards, Washed floors for women that owned less than we, An' while they played the ladies an' the lords, We smiled an' dreamed of happiness to be.' 'And all this time where was the boy?' said I. 'Out somewhere playin'!'- Like a rifle shot The thought went home- 'My God!' she gave a cry, 'We paid too big a price for what we got.' Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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