30/07/2014

Good Morning.

Today is the anniversary of that famous day in 1966 when England both hosted and won the final of the FIFA World Cup. 93,000 spectators crowded into Wembley Stadium to watch the thrilling match, supplemented by 400 million on TV. Sadly, an even bigger audience watched England crash out of the World Cup again last month.

Perhaps it’s not all bad. We can take pride in the fact that we invented the rules of the beautiful game in the first place. And even without bringing home the cup, football still creates pleasure and jobs, attracts around a million tourists each year , and contributes over £1 billion in taxes to our economy.

Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, is one of many people who believe that setbacks are actually essential to success. “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. I’ve failed my way to success” he said.

As someone who makes mistakes and lets myself down pretty much every day, this is a huge encouragement. Winning may be exciting and exhilarating, but the real learning seems to come from my mistakes. And the secret is how to capitalize skillfully on the experience. For example, there’s a world of difference between guilt or beating myself up, which encourages self-preoccupation and despondency, and finding some quiet space for constructive regret and positive resolutions.

There isn’t a single person – or football manager – on the planet who doesn’t make mistakes. As Albert Einstein said, ‘try not to be a person of success, but a person of value.’ Let’s pray that each of us can learn something positive from a mistake or defeat that we experience today.