March Madness Icon Sister Jean Shares Her Wisdom at Age 103 in 'Exciting and Emotional' New Memoir

Sister Jean

At 103, beloved nun Sister Jean is ready to share her secrets to enjoying a purposeful life.

The NCAA legend, who became an internet sensation back in 2018 during the NCAA March Madness tournament, has a new memoir, Wake Up with Purpose!: What I've Learned in my first Hundred Years, debuting Feb. 28, PEOPLE can exclusively share.

"The title of the book is Wake Up with Purpose and that's what I do every morning," Sister Jean tells PEOPLE. "Even though I'm 103 right now, I'm enjoying life."

For Sister Jean, waking up with purpose means "that I actually have a purpose in everything I do every day," which she credits to her relationship with God.

"The first prayer I say in the morning is, 'thank God for getting me to this day and let me do everything for your honor and glory.' So that to me is the big purpose and if I can direct myself to God through the course of the day then I'm very happy about it," she says.

RELATED: Sister Jean's Pregame Prayer Inspires Loyola Chicago's Historic Upset Win Over Top-Seeded Illinois

Courtesy of Harper Select, imprint of HarperCollins Focus

Sister Jean's viral March Madness moment in 2018, when the Ramblers unexpectedly reached the Final Four after upsetting several teams, cemented her as an icon in the sports world. She has served as the Ramblers chaplain since 1994, and joined the staff at Loyola-Chicago three years prior.

Sister Jean had waited 33 years to see her team win a game in the NCAA Tournament before the upset. Players have even thought of her as another coach, as she often gives tips on how to deal with the other team. "She knows her stuff. She's on it," senior guard Donte Ingram told the Chicago Tribune in 2018.

Some of her players have described Sister Jean's impact on the team as "magical," but she doesn't want to take the credit for their performances on the court. "I always say, 'Oh no, no, no, I'm not magic,' the team is out there doing work," she tells PEOPLE. "They're the ones who win, they're the ones who lose, and I don't like to say lose at all, but that happens to us."

RELATED: 103-Year-Old Sister Jean, Loyola Basketball Superfan, Throws Out First Pitch for Chicago Cubs

Most importantly, Sister Jean says her role is to be there for the players in any capacity. "These young men know that they can come talk to me anytime they are free or want to," she says.

Sister Jean sends the players thorough emails after each game she attends, with her notes and some words of encouragement for the next match. "The whole letter will be generic, but the bottom of the letter will be a little like P.S. note saying, 'This is what you could do. This is what you did so well. This is what made us win the game' or whatever. So I send that email to them and let them think about it."

Writing her memoir was "both exciting and emotional" for Sister Jean. With the help of Seth Davis, she was able to transfer the "magic" of Sister Jean to paper. "It's emotional for me," she tells PEOPLE. "Everything I do with the young men is sincere. I believe it's sincere on their part and sincere on my part."

Tom Pennington/Getty Images Sister Jean

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At 103, Sister Jean says her best secret to a long and full life is simple: "I sleep well and hopefully I pray well."

Wake Up with Purpose!: What I've Learned in my first Hundred Years will be available on Feb. 28, just ahead of March Madness. Sister Jean plans to celebrate the release at 2023's tournament. "Oh yes, we'll go to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn for the team playoffs at the conference."