Arsenal Football Club were the Champions of the Premier league in English soccer in 2004. This year they have not done as well and are only in third place.
The manager of Arsenal is Arsene Wenger. He is the French magician who brought Arsenal to the top of English football.He has found out the hard way how quick people are to write you off even if you recently achieved a huge success. He commented
"People are always quick to put you in your coffin."
Arsene admits that Arsenal have little chance of retaining their title as Champions but they are still third in the league and as such will be able to take part in the European Champion's league next year.
Arsenal have also just reached the quarterfinals of the first great soccer competition in the world -the FA Cup. They are in form at the moment.
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal football club have not given up. They know that they have not reached the pinnacle of English football but there are several other smaller mountains they are still busy climbing. They are not yet ready to climb into their coffins.
Too many people, at the first sign of criticism or the first hint of failure, meekly get into their own coffin and die before their time. This can happen at any age.
The great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas told people not to die meekly but to "rage, rage against the dying of the light!"
Quite a few people retire from life when they retire from their job. They potter about and waste their valuable time because they accept the verdict of society that the elderly have little left to offer the community.
Retirement is a chance to try learning some new skills; a chance to grow in character and knowledge. Let's not give up the ghost too soon! Let's not get into the coffin before our time.
Soccer managers live on the edge of life. They are always on the knife edge of success or failure. They are sacked when their teams fail to perform.
I enjoy listening to them especially after their teams have lost! Their comments usually have a motivational tip or two in them.
Jose Mourinho won the European soccer champions league with Porto in 2004 and then moved to Chelsea in West London where his team won game after game
Recently he has had two poor results and already is being asked if the honeymoon with Chelsea is over. He looked glum after two unaccustomed losses but denied that he was worried. He has retained his confidence and motivation.
"Our mood has changed but not our confidence or motivation. When you lose you don't smile so much but the confidence is still there".
He was asked about the Carling Cup final (one of the two main knockout competitions in England) and pointed out that his team had reached the final by a harder road than their rivals in the final - Liverpool. However, he said: "When you arrive in the final you have to forget how you got there and concentrate on the final." Jose knows how to focus on what is important.
A reporter asked him how long it would be before his injured Dutch star Arjun Robbin could play again. Jose replied in typical fashion.
"I want to be fair with you. I have no idea and to be fair I don't want to have. I'm just interested in the players I have and the doubtful ones that might come and give you a hand. Robbin is not in either of these groups and I just prefer to forget!"
Jose knows how to concentrate on what he can do and not on what he can't! He doesn't want to waste time on sentimental talk about how Arjun is doing!
He claims to have a relaxed attitude to the nemesis of soccer coaches - the threat of the sack: "My life is easy. When I am not happy with my club - Goodbye! When my club is not happy with me - Goodbye"
Jose's confidence is astonishing. In fact he does not need to worry about the sack. A hundred clubs would ask him to be their coach if he was sacked. However I think he could still say 'Goodbye' without hesitation even if this was not the case. He is a man of decision and not one to wait around for things to happen. He is the type to make things happen his way or he'll head for the highway.
Alex Ferguson at Manchester United is another great soccer manager who never gives up. This season he is trying to catch up with Chelsea. He looks for any signs of hope: "Chelsea are not playing as well as they were four or five weeks ago. They don't have the form to fall back on." United are ready to pounce if Chelsea slip up. Sir Alex is a ferocious competitor.
All three of these managers are great leaders and motivators. They maintain their confidence and motivation and put a brave face on things when games go wrong. They never give up and they are decisive proud men who know their value.
They teach us not to get into the coffin before our time; to climb smaller mountains if we fail to climb the tallest;to focus on what we can do something about; to concentrate on what we have available and not on what we haven't; to move on if we are not happy; to compete ferociously even when we are behind - we can never know when our competitor might slip up!
Resource box
John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.
The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now!" The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com
You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine so long as you do not alter it and keep the resource box as it is.
Riverside Chicago charter limousine .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareYour ability to deal constructively and effectively with mistakes and... Read More
So you've bought into the idea that you need to... Read More
I was hired to do some training for a sales... Read More
(1) Climb up from under the limitations of circum?stances and... Read More
I am constantly approached by people when I am speaking... Read More
Success, in the dictionary, is defined as, "The achievement of... Read More
If you could choose a cartoon character from your childhood... Read More
Have you ever felt as if you are beating your... Read More
A Lifelong Learning Plan is a conscious, continuous engagement in... Read More
The Law of Experience"Success comes from good judgement; good judgement... Read More
It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More
Can anyone become a successful businessperson? I am asked this... Read More
Do you feel you lead a healthy and happy life?... Read More
Money will buy me a house, but not a home,... Read More
(excerpted from the Day That Turns Your Life Around)After having... Read More
Effective listening is almost certainly the most important communication skill,... Read More
We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More
On a raw, cold day in the European Alps, Lance... Read More
"If you can tell the world who you are and... Read More
"Don't get caught up in the how of things. If... Read More
Identity theft!We've all seen them. The commercials use the voices... Read More
Fourteen thousand civilised people died when the tsunami hit Andaman... Read More
Just how powerful is the Subconscious Mind and how can... Read More
There are so many internet marketing schemes out there so... Read More
Don't talk to me about how to succeed! I've read... Read More
Lincoln Stretch rentals Lake Villa ..Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded... Read More
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our... Read More
The start of a new year is a good time... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
Creating a goal tracking chart is as simple as drawing... Read More
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to... Read More
Ray Winstone, the London East End barrow boy, who became... Read More
Hello everybody and a good day (or night !) to... Read More
How many people do you hear complaining about their job,... Read More
Absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind... Read More
You have probably heard the term "IQ" many times, and... Read More
Signs of DiscontentYou don't need a degree in psychology to... Read More
Hey,Josh here from Investor Wealth Academy sitting 29 stories above... Read More
There is no substitute for direct personal application. Information or... Read More
Anytime you are making ground and moving toward success, there... Read More
I am going to tell you something you already know... Read More
Back from my amazing summer excursion, a month long drive... Read More
My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually... Read More
Commit yourself to spending time only with people who are... Read More
Are you successful? What does that word mean to you?... Read More
Have you ever met people who exude charm and charisma?... Read More
"The mind grows by what it feeds on." J.... Read More
Do you remember when you were a child and no... Read More
Along with time and money, energy is one of your... Read More
It was one of the worst periods of time in... Read More
Success |