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.

Things go wrong. It's how you react that counts....

For those of following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, you may be in the same position as me. Which is disappointed. After lots of build up the first match took place and it didn't turn out as expected. In my case it was England Vs USA, a game that England were expected to win. The final result was 1-1. There were two big cases of things going wrong in that game and reaction to them will be key.

The first point is the result itself. For England to progress to the knock-out stages it's likely that they now must achieve a victory in Friday's game Vs Algeria. With that requirement comes added pressure for all involved.

The second point is that the England goalkeeper, Rob Green, made a howler of a mistake that could haunt him forever if he allows it to. A mundane shot requiring the sort of save he would normally make with his eyes close ended up in the net after he failed to simply get his hands behind the ball. An error a schoolboy would be disapppointed with. To make matters worse, his error was watching by millions of people across the globe.

I hope that Rob Green gets the support of his team mates and family at this difficult time but the fact is, none of us can change what has gone before. We can learn from it, react to it, try to ensure that the negatives don't repeat and that the positives very much do.

What is done is done. We are where we are. How we choose to go forward is what counts.

Once again, it's how we execute which is so vitally important. Review yesterday, plan for tomorrow, make it happen today.

Here we go.....

So after a build up that seemed to go on forever, the 2010 football World Cup is now underway. South Africa got things underway amid much excitement and managed a draw against Mexico.

Tonight sees England Vs USA in Rustenburg. Four years of build up and expectation comes to a head now. The strategy and tactics are set. The squad is prepared and the fans are at fever pitch. As of tonight it's all about execution on the biggest stage for football and the highlight of many players' careers.

That's what it boils down to isn't it? The talking is done (unless you're a football pundit. I'm watching the match on ITV1 HD. Great picture and coverage). The training is over. The players have 90 minutes to make or break their World Cup campaign. Several sets of 90 minutes to win or go home in shame.

England expects.

We'll save the business chatter and analogies for another day.

For now, Come On England!