Lessons From The World Cup For Your Life

LESSONS FROM THE WORLD CUP FOR YOUR LIFE

I was actually inspired to write this post after listening to former England star, Gary Neville, who said that at competitions, people often forget why they started playing football which was to enjoy it. 

So what can we learn from the current World Cup in Doha and how does this relate to your life.

DON’T GIVE UP, CREATE YOUR OWN JOURNEY: Growing up in Nigeria, I loved football, but I was usually chosen to be on a side at the end. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying football, as upon getting home after school, I often played football with one of my neighbours, who incidentally was a girl who loved football too. As with life, when people say you’re not good enough at something you enjoy, find a way to enjoy it and grow from it. HINT: When I moved to England I was usually second/third pick. ☺️

ENJOY WHAT YOU DO: We often hear the mantra “athletes are lucky because they get paid for doing things they love” ⛹🏽However, after a while, something you love can become burdensome - think about this - how often do you see an athlete at a competitive match, smiling? As with life, make sure you try your best to enjoy what you do with your heart ❤️ if not, it will become a routinely stressful endeavour. 

NEVER FORGET WHY YOU STARTED:  As with life, never forget what motivated you in the first place to do what you do. If it has lost its appeal, then make plans to move on. Life is too short to pursue what you don’t enjoy. 👀

LIFE IS A JOURNEY: In football, the focus always seems to be to score a goal because that’s how you win, BUT sometimes the results could be a draw but the game could have been very enjoyable too. So, with life, don’t give up if you don’t reach your goal, enjoy the process too.

In summary, there are lots of lessons you can take from your favourite sports and hobby because they often relate to things you love and would love to pursue.

As a child, I loved playing football and trying to imitate my footballing heroes from Brazil but I guess I wasn’t as good as good as my schools mates.

A parting shot (excuse the pun) - When my son was much younger, I used to play football with him as if he was an adult and used all my dribbling tricks so much so that he told his friends I invented them … luckily they didn’t laugh at him because he grew to be much better than me, being the top scorer for his team in one season.

So, don’t hide your passion, share it and you never know who you might inspire apart from yourself. 🏆