The Football World Cup is over. For those of you on the other side of the Atlantic, the Soccer World Cup is over. There, who said that you can’t keep everyone happy?
Although I am not very passionate about this particular sport on a clubs level, I have been a regular viewer of both the European, as well as the World cup on TV. But of course, because these only take place every four years, the teams usually change significantly from one tournament to the next. This means that despite being a regular viewer, I do not know which are the best national teams at any given time. And so, my understanding for this tournament, based on the varying opinions of the (non?) experts that surround me, is that France stunned the world by what was regarded at the beginning of the tournament, an unlikely victory.
I also understand that many people were hoping that what has been dubbed “the golden generation of Argentina” would finally rise to the occasion and fulfill its potential. Alas, this didn’t come to pass. And not only that, but it is also unlikely that these players will ever get another try. Argentina, after all, was the team with the highest average age of the tournament, meaning that in four years most of this generation’s players will have, in all likelihood, their shoes hanged.
Argentina legend Maradona’s reaction to his country’s elimination was particularly sentimental. So much so that FIFA asked the TV crews to refrain from turning the cameras on him again when he is attending a World Cup match – I do not think there has ever been a precedent to that! That being said, I sympathize with him. Given his, as well as Argentina star-players’ ages, it will probably be quite some time before this country gets another good shot at the world title in football.
Thankfully however, this does not hold true for most of us. No matter how infuriating life can be at times, we do get second chances. And third, and even fourth ones. Chasing a prospective client, devoting energy, resources and -most of all- time, only to see them work with a competitor, can be heartbreaking. Working hard for months on end on a project, only to find a small mistake just before delivering, that ruins all previous work due to knock-on effects, can be poignant. But no matter how bleak things look at that particular moment, no one is preventing you from trying to address things as best you can. Even if one business partner has rejected you, the world goes on. There will be another World Cup. Even if you failed in your current goal, you still have other, upcoming milestones to achieve. Devoting your energy to new goals is much more valuable than dwindling on the past.