What can we learn from the 2010 Fifa world cup in Soccer from the Serbian and German teams?
Yesterday I was so upset watching the Serbian national soccer team play in South Africa at the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Since I have been a full time entrepreneur, finding lessens from experiences has been something of value for me. So what can we learn from the world cup and some of it’s teams?
Well lets start with Serbia, the country I was born in and where I use to play soccer for my village in Central Serbia. In the qualifications for the last world cup, Serbia won all the games and received only 1 goal. That was amazing. I think Serbia was ranked like #8 in the world before the world cup started. Then they arrived for the 2006 world cup in Germany and lost all of the games (every single one!). Out of 32 teams Serbia finished DEAD LAST!
The spoiled Serbian multi-millionaires from the rich and fancy European soccer clubs who are super stars on TV and have their own billion dollar brands and following walked out on the field worse then Opera Primadonna. There was one guy I think his name is Mihajlovic, who wouldn’t run after the ball unless it was thrown to him on a silver platter. If there ever was entitlement mentality, the Serbian national team had it! And they went “bankrupt”. Doesn’t that remind us of real life?
Fast forward 4 years. Again, Serbia won most of the games, finished #1 in it’s European group (ahead of World Champs France). Again the spoiled Serbs lost in the opening against Ghana. Here is another parallel to real life. In the interview after the match, they started blaming others like the referee for example or luck etc… IT WASN’T THEIR FAULT, they said after the match! Loser’s blame others, winners take responsibility! You can fail at the game and be a winner. It’s not failure if you take responsibility and learn from it, implement and improve. All winners in business where losers at a few trials (or even businesses), but learned from it and took responsibility and then and only then, became winners!
Now lets take a look at the German national soccer team. They don’t have as much talent like the Serbs have. But they go out there and even when they are loosing run like mad men after the ball even when the pass sucks, they run after it and often get it. They run not till the 90th minute, they run till after that! THE GERMANS NEVER EVER GIVE UP! And often they win. Yesterday they won by the largest margin then any team so far in the world cup! I remember Serbia leading against Spain 3:0 or something like that and stopped running and loosing the game! You have to focus and work hard ALL THE TIME! The Germans teach us that better then anyone!
And when the Germans loose a game, they get up and win the next one. When the Germans are down, and I have been watching Germany play for 30 years now, they have been down time and time again, but come back and win often, because they get up and get going!
So what is the lesson here? MENTAL MINDSET IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN TALENT! That is good news for those who think they are not skilled or talented enough as an entrepreneur. Most people who are talented never make money online, because they behave like the Serbian national team which doesn’t want to focus and work for it. You have to be like the Germans, focused and run after the ball and work at it all the time! Keep the eye on the prize and you will make it!
NOTE TO THE FUTURE SERBIAN COACH: Hire Tony Robbins (or another motivational expert) and send the Serbian players to a seminar to get their mindset re-programmed and maybe Serbia can finally be a world champ once for a change. Your team sucks because their mental mindset is messed up! Get someone to fix it, and make it a condition for playing for the Serbian team! And when you loose – STOP BLAMING OTHERS – IT’S YOUR FAULT! There is no shame in failing, there is only shame at not giving 100% before you fail and learning from it! Grow up and take some responsibility!
Please feel free to voice your opinion what you think. I don’t delete many comments, even negative ones. You can see a few comments that are negative and attack me and I haven’t deleted them, so feel free to post what you think about this subject. I would love to read it and learn from your comments. I don’t know everything nor do I claim to, I just try to learn as I go. In this case I was just so upset and felt compelled to write something about it. So please feel free to say what you think, FEEL FREE TO BE BLUNT AS A SERBIAN!
ADDENDUM:
My public apology to the Serbian Team and the Serbian Coach for pulling it together and beating Germany (with luck) in the second Game! Wow, it was amazing. Check out the celebrations in Belgrade and all over Serbia:
Sincerely,
Dan Stojadinovic
Coaching without Hype and BS
http://www.HypeFree.com
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Dan, I hate to break your bubble, but no one cares about soccer. If you want someone to read this post, you need to write about football or baseball or a sport American’s care about.
I think that is an excellent observation and life lesson that you shared here. It is easy to get discouraged and give up. Sometimes I just want to relax and enjoy life – this IS also important to do so you don’t burn out – AND it is important to get back in the driver’s seat, refocus and keep on going. Persistence and consistence is what separates the people who are successful from the people who are not.
Thanks Karin.
Answer to Peter:
1. If Amercans love to watch the most boring sports, such as golf (my god!), baseball (horror), and American football, that does not mean that the rest of the world has to have the same interests… Mind you, unless you live in New York, you probably don’t even know what the word “world” means…
2. Only in American football you can weigh 300 pounds, and still be considered an athlete… Terrible… Look in the mirror people… More than 60% of Americans are overweight… Maybe you really should take interest in sports, which require running during the entire game… In American football, the action lasts not more than 20 seconds, until the gorillas pile up. Then, it takes them 3 minutes to detangle, beofre the whole team in the field is replaced while changing from defense to offense… At that moment, the TV goes into another 5 minute commercial break… Travel a little bit before judging the rest of the world…
Dan,
your comments and observations are spot on. Sometimes we tend to have an entitlement attitude and always expect things to be easy or to always go our way and the fact o the matter, as you so eloquently pointed out, it doesn’t always work like that.
Starting today, I am going to play all out and to the top of my game.
I never blame anyone else, but it’s also important to not get too relaxed or “lazy”.
It’s very important to take full ownership. Another thing you said that I think is worth repeating is that you have to keep running hard when you get ahead or when you get behind.
So many times giving up or quitting is so simple to do, but only champions keep playing until the whistle blows.
I played football in high school and college and now I have coached my sons soccer team for 5 years. I have also played indoor soccer at 40. Talk about doing some running.
Because soccer is such a running game it is so important for the players to be mentally and physically conditioned because there will be plenty of hustling n
I always tell my boys to play to win vs playing not to lose.
I love watching and playing soccer. Sorry to hear about your home team. Maybe they will snap out of it. On a different note “how ’bout them Celtics”. The Lakers still have a good chance to win it because the last 2 games will be played in LA. It’s now a battlemof wills and minds.
Coach Phil teaches his players to enter a zen state of mind. What Dabid Allen calls “mind like water”. In other words, don’t over react.
Stay calm and calculated and you can win this game!
Dan,
your comments and observations are spot on. Sometimes we tend to have an entitlement attitude and always expect things to be easy or to always go our way and the fact o the matter, as you so eloquently pointed out, it doesn’t always work like that.
Starting today, I am going to play all out and to the top of my game.
I never blame anyone else, but it’s also important to not get too relaxed or “lazy”.
It’s very important to take full ownership. Another thing you said that I think is worth repeating is that you have to keep running hard when you get ahead or when you get behind.
So many times giving up or quitting is so simple to do, but only champions keep playing until the whistle blows.
I played football in high school and college and now I have coached my sons soccer team for 5 years. I have also played indoor soccer at 40. Talk about doing some running.
Because soccer is such a running game it is so important for the players to be mentally and physically conditioned because there will be plenty of hustling n
I always tell my boys to play to win vs playing not to lose.
I love watching and playing soccer. Sorry to hear about your home team. Maybe they will snap out of it. On a different note “how ’bout them Celtics”. The Lakers still have a good chance to win it because the last 2 games will be played in LA. It’s now a battlemof wills and minds.
Coach Phil teaches his players to enter a zen state of mind. What Dabid Allen calls “mind like water”. In other words, don’t over react.
Stay calm and calculated and you can win this game!
Http://www.reitc.com
Thanks Greg for your comments! I was just fuming about Serbia, I do pray for a miracle and they beat Germany. Also I hope team USA does well again! The 1:1 opener was fanatic!
Think peter is just a soccer hater and likes to believe no one else likes it…deluded
Great article. Your observatins are excellent. I am not into sports but I was curious about what you had to say. I am very glad I read it because what you stated is 100% correct. Unfortunately, a lot of people are like your home team. I try not to be but I know I still have a way to go. I don’t blame others for my failures but I have to remember to keep running 100% of the time.
I am also very interested in hearing more about the motivational product. You are definitely a perfect example of how successful someone can become when they are dedicated and don’t lose their focus.
Thanks Dan.
Thanks Anita. I think I’m going to write more about current events and observations! I have to say after I finished writing this blog post, all the steam I had was gone.
You know what would be funny? If after writing this by some miracle Germany lost to Serbia in the next game. Then I would look like a fool, but I would be a happy fool!
Dan
Dear Dan,
We met briefly after a lecture. I had thanked you for giving the
lecture for free and you responded that is “what we do in Serbia,
we give back”. I must admit I was a little startled when you spoke
to me, I had expected just a “your welcome”.
After a recent loss of both my husband amd I more than ever
looking for life lessons in different things. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Susan. I”m sorry I don’t remember you, usually it takes me a few times of talking to someone to remember. I’m trying to be more aware when talking to others. When I started speaking. tons of people where upset at me and my bluntness, but have tried to learn to calm down and talk slower to people at seminars. It’s a slow learning progress for me.
Thanks for all the comments. I’m starting to discover that I like writing here on the blog and expressing opinions. It’s cool that anyone now can publish online.
I wish everyone great success in whatever endeavor they select. Just go for it and work hard and don’t give up!
Dan
Dan,
You couldn’t be more right. We should all take a lesson from both the Serbs (talent will only get you so far but desire will take you to the top) and from the Germans (never stop till the game is over because all results are subject to change).
Rex
I guess I look like an idiot after the Serbs beat Germany! But I’m happy!
My apology to the Serbian Coach and Team, I’m happy you turned things around. I would love to see that speech the coach gave before the game with Germany! Great job, lets not go back to low motivation like before!
Srbija do Tokija
))
Bravo braco Srbi dokazali smo kako se slavi, neka ceo svet vidi ko smo i sta smo!!
Pozdrav sa Kosova!
Kosovo is Serbia!
Pozdrav! Hvala ja sam bio ljut posle izguljenog meca sa Ganom ali sada sam ponovo OK! Bice pobede protiv Australije nadam se!