Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

As England football fans went to bed last night, many, including the players and management (hopefully), will have been reflecting on what might have been.

Another 4 years of builld-up to the 2010 World Cup, promises of success, and fanatical support, came to nothing on a field in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Crushing disappointment, coupled with the knowledge that even if England had scraped a win, Argentina await in the next round, enveloped all those with more than a passing interest in the game.

The good news is that it was only a game of football. Nobody got hurt and we all live to fight another day. I have sympathy for those that paid large sums of money to see a team underperform on the world stage but as with all things, there really are no guarantees. You pay your money and you take your chance, as the saying goes.

Speaking of sayings, one of my favourites, and one extremely annoying to the few burdened people that I play golf with, is 'Coulda, woulda, shoulda'. I could have played a better shot. I would have made the green. I should have used a more appropriate club. They come thick and fast after every dud shot. Never after a great one! As a relatively new player, I still hit my fair share of bad shots, but my mind set has changed. I realise I can only affect the the shot I am playing right now. Not the ones I've already played. They are history and I have to learn from what I did wrong. Not the ones I'm going to play. Other than having the correct kit such as waterproofs if it rains (it is truly miserable playing golf whilst soaked to the skin) and some fluids or a snack, there's not much you can you do.

No, it's just that one shot. Right here, right now....

As I view the position of the ball, the distance ahead and take into account wind strength and direction, it is this shot and this shot only that I am able to influence. My club selection done, I approach the ball and, stopping short, I take a couple of practice swings. I then address the ball, assuming my stance, softening my knees, moving my weight onto the balls of my feet whilst keeping my heels grounded. Club head square to the ball, breathing regular, I start my backswing, keeping my head still and looking at the ball and only the ball. I bring the club head through the ball at an even tempo, still continuing to look only at the ball. Only as I complete the follow through with the club do I move my eyes away from where the ball once stood....

Great shot or terrible, that shot is now consigned to history and the next one demands my undivided attention. There's nothing that a 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' will do to help.

And so it is in life and business. We can say 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' all day long about everything and everyone. But it won't matter. Excuses and recriminations won't help you. Learn from the past, be better prepared for the future, but give your here and now the courtesy of your complete attention.

Today can close the door on the failures of yesterday and open the doors that lead to the success of tomorrow. Today wants all of you to itself, and rightly so. Get out there, make the most of it. Not everything will go to plan, but hey, that really is life!

Thanks for stopping by.

PS - If you find your plans consistently come to nothing, maybe take a look at your plans. Go through them with a friend to get a different perspective. It's a good thing to have a plan but give yourself a fighting chance to start with :)

Winning Takes More Than Merely Turning Up

So an interesting few days have passed. On Friday I watched with increasing gloom the England Vs Algeria football match. As is always the case when England play (football, rugby, cricket etc.), whether justified or not, there is always an enormous expectation of victory. In fact a rout would be preferable!

It's indicative of the England performance, or lack thereof, that my 2 young sons, whom for both this is the first World Cup that's been of interest, first complained of it being boring and then took themselves off to bed before the match limped to a close.

So what went wrong? Did the England players turn up to the World Cup Finals expecting to walk through their group opposition? Where was the hunger, the determination to succeed? Have they forgotten that it's an honour to represent ones country? It certainly looked to be the case.

We could be forgiven for thinking that they turned up for the game expecting to casually thrash Algeria. No effort, physical or mental, just turn up, win and go home. Put like that it sounds pretty stupid doesn't it?

This happens a lot in business. We have a great idea or product. Or we're naturally talented and our skills are in demand for a while. We're surprised when an orderly queue for our product or services doesn't form.

It takes concerted effort to not only achieve initial success but to stay successful. Look at Coca Cola. It's been the number one soft drink for how many years? And yet it advertises all year round to ensure it stays in our minds and more importantly our wallets. I still love the Christmas ads. What can I say?

Very little in life it seems, unless you're incredibly lucky, is a 'gimme'. We have to work not only hard but smart too. Consistently. Back to the sprint vs marathon analogy.

Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees and that's where it can help to have an objective pair of eyes take a look.

I'm always happy to help. Thanks for stopping by.

Not Life or Death. It's More Important than that....!

Whilst watching the BBC football pundits review a World Cup match last night I was struck by the intensity of the debate and it reminded me of the famous Bill Shankly quote:

"Football is not just a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that."

And there was me thinking it's only football....!

Fortunately, very few of us have lives depending on our daily business decisions but wouldn't it be great to be as passionate as the pundits? There's a school of thought that says that to be truly passionate about our business endeavours, our business goals must be in line with not only our personal aims and ambitions but also our core values.

Are we in a position to have a business life that maps on to our personal goals? And our values? Do we know what our goals and values are?

When these things are out of kilter it helps to explain some of the ups and downs and time spent in the doldrums which affect us so often. The bursts of unsustained enthusiasm, the easy distraction from our paths. All could be explained by the lack of cohesion between goals and values.

More than a little food for thought. I could go on about coaching stuff at this point, but I won't. I'm going to think on it a while. Why not do the same?