Your Recovery Rate Is What Matters The Most!
“When life pushes you down, make sure you land on your back. This is because if you can look up, you can get up” - Les Brown
The Goalkeeper was adjudged the hero of the match. As the referee blew his whistle, the players & bench rushed onto the pitch & lifted him high. I was happy for him; he made great saves throughout the game.
However, his team trailed by 3 goals by the half-time. The goals were flukes, mistakes made by team members. A Defender was fouled by an Attacker from the opposing team, but instead of continuing to play, he just rolled on the floor in a pretend injury, thinking that the game would be stopped for a free kick in his favour. Unfortunately, the Referee thought otherwise and allowed the game to continue & it was a goal against his team.
The 2nd was a Keeper error; he had run out of the Box to clear a ball but had a misstep. By the time he recovered, it was goal #2. If you are a football lover, you may remember the 2014 misstep that cost Liverpool the EPL trophy in the match with Chelsea when Captain Steven Gerard lost the Ball to Demba Ba. The 3rd goal came as a result of a slow response by the team. While they argued about nothing, the opposing team did a run around them and scored. Everyone gave up hope for the team.
I do not know what happened in the dressing room, but the 2nd half of the play was very different from the 1st. They were business-like in their approach; if someone fell, he stood up fast, and if the ball went out of play they ran after it & restarted play. If someone was dribbled, he ran after the ball like his life depended on it; if they tripped, they’d just stagger but continue to play. The match ended in their favour.
While people ran amok with joy, I sat transfixed & thought about the game. The secret to their success is that the team recovered fast from their mistakes unlike what happened in the 1st half. I imagined that the message in the dressing room at half time was 'recover quickly'. The coach must have told them that mistakes are normal, but no matter what happens they must recover fast & continue to do their best on the field of play, following the agreed plans until there is a change in tactics.
Football, like life, is a game determined more by reaction. You have no control over the talent of your opponents. Some things are set such as the weather, light, condition of the pitch, etc, which are equalizing factors that may favor just anyone & not just the talented. But there is one thing every player does realize: the tactics employed by your opponents is a reaction (mirroring to counter) your talents and what they know about you! Are you known to fall at the slight challenge, expect hard tackles, are you best on a one-to-one encounter? When you have the ball, 3 players will be on you. Do you thrive on long balls? Short balls in the form of Tiki-taka may become your opponent’s response.
Every day we face challenges that could rob us of happiness and could dent our pursuit of success. But we can overcome any such if we pay attention & learn lessons of quick recovery from sports.
Even the most successful of men face trouble & sometimes fail. Take up any biography & you'll see! There is no man I have read of who did not fail or face adversity that could have shorted his walk to success. But one thing you will see also is that these men did not stay down for long. They recovered quickly & were on their journey again.
You may seek a great family relationship with your spouse. What do you do when you quarrel with that one? Do you become bitter for a long time or quickly resolve the issues & get on with your goal of a happy family?
A colleague recently failed a promotion exam and became all sore. It is a painful experience, when I was a boy, I failed exams for 5 years on a stretch & couldn’t get into the university on time & so I know that excruciating pain. But if you think a little about it, his chances of passing the next time rest entirely on how fast he recovers & gets back to doing his best at work and preparing for the next promotion exercise. Otherwise, he may turn out to be the pathetic case of someone who wrote exams & didn't pass for 10 years! (Although indeed other factors may be at play here).
Being able to recover is the only way to excel in all aspects of our life. Lost some business deal? Don’t stay down. Are you disappointed by a friend or family member? Have a bout of ill health? Acted in ways contrary to one's principle in life? Never give up and don’t make the situation into a quicksand. Recover quickly and get on with your game!
Mistakes can set us back, so we should avoid them but if we do fail as we all do, please let us stand up fast and keep running to victory in our life’s endeavors. That is the message of the scriptures when it says: For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again'. It also says ‘If the anger of a ruler should flare up against you, do not leave your place, for calmness allays great sins.’
Your ability to recover, paired with the rate, and the speed at which you stand up after failing, may become the most important tool you have to become successful & not necessarily the mistakes you have made. Where are you now? Still down or up and running?
*Prov. 24:14, Eccl. 10:4
However, his team trailed by 3 goals by the half-time. The goals were flukes, mistakes made by team members. A Defender was fouled by an Attacker from the opposing team, but instead of continuing to play, he just rolled on the floor in a pretend injury, thinking that the game would be stopped for a free kick in his favour. Unfortunately, the Referee thought otherwise and allowed the game to continue & it was a goal against his team.
The 2nd was a Keeper error; he had run out of the Box to clear a ball but had a misstep. By the time he recovered, it was goal #2. If you are a football lover, you may remember the 2014 misstep that cost Liverpool the EPL trophy in the match with Chelsea when Captain Steven Gerard lost the Ball to Demba Ba. The 3rd goal came as a result of a slow response by the team. While they argued about nothing, the opposing team did a run around them and scored. Everyone gave up hope for the team.
I do not know what happened in the dressing room, but the 2nd half of the play was very different from the 1st. They were business-like in their approach; if someone fell, he stood up fast, and if the ball went out of play they ran after it & restarted play. If someone was dribbled, he ran after the ball like his life depended on it; if they tripped, they’d just stagger but continue to play. The match ended in their favour.
While people ran amok with joy, I sat transfixed & thought about the game. The secret to their success is that the team recovered fast from their mistakes unlike what happened in the 1st half. I imagined that the message in the dressing room at half time was 'recover quickly'. The coach must have told them that mistakes are normal, but no matter what happens they must recover fast & continue to do their best on the field of play, following the agreed plans until there is a change in tactics.
Football, like life, is a game determined more by reaction. You have no control over the talent of your opponents. Some things are set such as the weather, light, condition of the pitch, etc, which are equalizing factors that may favor just anyone & not just the talented. But there is one thing every player does realize: the tactics employed by your opponents is a reaction (mirroring to counter) your talents and what they know about you! Are you known to fall at the slight challenge, expect hard tackles, are you best on a one-to-one encounter? When you have the ball, 3 players will be on you. Do you thrive on long balls? Short balls in the form of Tiki-taka may become your opponent’s response.
Every day we face challenges that could rob us of happiness and could dent our pursuit of success. But we can overcome any such if we pay attention & learn lessons of quick recovery from sports.
You may seek a great family relationship with your spouse. What do you do when you quarrel with that one? Do you become bitter for a long time or quickly resolve the issues & get on with your goal of a happy family?
A colleague recently failed a promotion exam and became all sore. It is a painful experience, when I was a boy, I failed exams for 5 years on a stretch & couldn’t get into the university on time & so I know that excruciating pain. But if you think a little about it, his chances of passing the next time rest entirely on how fast he recovers & gets back to doing his best at work and preparing for the next promotion exercise. Otherwise, he may turn out to be the pathetic case of someone who wrote exams & didn't pass for 10 years! (Although indeed other factors may be at play here).
Being able to recover is the only way to excel in all aspects of our life. Lost some business deal? Don’t stay down. Are you disappointed by a friend or family member? Have a bout of ill health? Acted in ways contrary to one's principle in life? Never give up and don’t make the situation into a quicksand. Recover quickly and get on with your game!
Mistakes can set us back, so we should avoid them but if we do fail as we all do, please let us stand up fast and keep running to victory in our life’s endeavors. That is the message of the scriptures when it says: For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again'. It also says ‘If the anger of a ruler should flare up against you, do not leave your place, for calmness allays great sins.’
Can you build your recovery speed to such an extent that you are unplayable in the game of life? Such that after ‘viewing your tape for hours’, nothing can be found against you to be used as a weak point to exploit?
Your ability to recover, paired with the rate, and the speed at which you stand up after failing, may become the most important tool you have to become successful & not necessarily the mistakes you have made. Where are you now? Still down or up and running?
*Prov. 24:14, Eccl. 10:4
Credits: Happy Players: https://thenounproject.com/photo/group-of-happy-soccer-players-celebrating-a-win-by-lifting-their-goalkeeper-49R66b/
Man: https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/overcoming-problems-in-4-simple-ways/
Holding Up: https://images.app.goo.gl/diFi6d92pizHDUb87
Very insightful and logically concluded. It left the readers thinking and visualising how ammendments can be made from past mistake and how fast recovery can be.
ReplyDeleteThank you Welli.
Lovely write-up. Like I say, show me someone who has never failed, and I will prove to you that he/she never attempted. Fall 5 times but make sure you rise 5 times. I have learnt another thing today. Don't just rise but make sure you rise fast. Thanks for the inspiration sir.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and inspiring read. I like the game analogy. Facing and winning over challenges is the goal; no matter the form the challenges take
ReplyDeleteJust what I needed
ReplyDeleteAn interesting article with very practical advice that finds applications in everyday living.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this inspiring writeup It is a great mindset! Learning from mistakes and moving forward quickly can lead to personal growth and success. Thanks so much as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it
ReplyDeleteThanks alot.
ReplyDeleteGetting up fast is the key