Lessons from 2022 World Cup
One of the lessons from 2022 world cup is that the beginning does not define the end. In as much as the world cup was an adrenaline rush entertaining event, we can draw some lessons from this event that comes in even-numbered years. Probably these lessons from 2022 world cup might help us even out our life extremes. Let us dive into the lessons.
The Beginning does not define the end – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
One of the Lessons from 2022 World Cup is all about beginnings and endings. The lesson I am drawing is that your start does not necessarily define your finish. Am sure you have heard many humble beginning quotes. Quotes like:
“Small beginnings are the launching pad to great endings.” by Joyce Meyer. This sounds nice and motivating especially if it resonates with your situation. They are others from the school of thoughts that states ” How you begin is most likely how you will finish.” This is a bit different from the first one and again depending on the situation you are in you might resonate with it.
The Bible tells us that “And though you started with little, you will end with much.”
Job 8:7 NLT You Version
The emphasis of these quotes is focused on the beginning and how it impacts the end. Let us shoot straight to the beginning of this great tournament.
How it Started – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
Everything under the sun has a beginning and an ending. The world cup group opening matches were the beginning of this prestigious tournament. The matches were entertaining, at least those that I managed to watch, not that others were boring. Some teams won their opening matches while others lost and others drew. The opening match is a special moment where every team in the world cup or any other competitive tournament wants to make an entry statement. They would want to display their best and show the world that this is what they are made of. There were some notable wins in the 2022 World cup group opening matches; Spain thrashing Costa Rica by Seven goals to nil (7-0), England beating Iran by Six goals to two (6-2) or France overcoming Australia by four goals to one (4-1).
The Flip Slide of Winning – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
When you mention winning there has to be a loss. For every gain, there is a loss, for a moment think about your life and you will see that for every gain you have made, there has been a loss somewhere and the reverse is true. Back to the world cup and winning ways, and the fact that there is a loss in the opposite direction and one of the notable opening matches loss was Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia by two goals to one (1-2). Or should I call it one of the greatest wins? It depends on which side you are viewing from. A team that was ranked number 51 in the world beating a team that was ranked 3rd in the world, you be the judge whether it is a great win or a great loss.
The Two Sides of an Equation – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
For a mathematical equation to make sense, there have to be two sides and so are winning ways or success. This implies that success and failure are part of the same equation. Just to drive the point home, simply put, failure is part of success. Looking at Argentina vs Saudia Arabia match from the loss point of view: You can imagine the humiliation, not to mention that Argentina had world-class players in their squad including the world’s best player Lionel Messi. Fact: this was their first match to lose after scoring first since 1958.
From the winning point of view: A team that consists of players who play in the local leagues has beat Messi and Argentina ( a team full of world-class players). What a joy. If I was a Saudi Arabian I would have ordered Qatar to stop the world cup and let Saudi Arabia be declared the winner. That is the level of joy I can imagine.
Argentina vs Saudia Arabia matches happen in our daily lives. There are so many life situations that are like this. You might be going through a challenging situation and thinking you deserve better. Imagine in your loss there is a gain for someone else. In your struggles, there is someone else rejoicing. It might not sound encouraging but remember that failure and success and on the same WhatsApp group. A word of encouragement is that; it is through giving that we receive, just like Jesus suffered for the sake of victory. Something is always in the making. Let others have a moment to celebrate, it is still within your path of celebration.
The Tale of the Great Loss – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
As the world cup unfolded, there was history being created. One is the tale of the great loss of Argentina in the world cup. Just to give you a preview, Argentina was leading in the entire first half. They took the lead in the 10th minute after being awarded a penalty from a foul on Paredes. Lionel Messi converted the penalty and all was good. They continued to pursue more. Argentina made several attempts in the first half, some were ruled as offside. They had it in the first half.
The second half started off on shaky ground when Saudi Arabia equalized and minutes later they were leading. Argentina gave it their all in the match and the statistics didn’t lie. Argentina had great possession of the ball in the entire match with an average possession of 70% to 30%. They had the most shots on goal so was their level of accuracy but all this could not give them a win. When it is not your time to win, it is simply not your time, No matter the efforts you put in because your fate has already been determined. It was Saudi Arabia’s turn to win. If this story was to end here, then I would not have learned this lesson I am relaying among many other Lessons from 2022 World Cup.
The focus here is the Argentinian squad and how they started the world cup tournament. Depending on how you look at it, they would easily have given up on their ambition to become the world championship because of how they started. They would be demotivated enough to quit the competition. Imagine you are in a field that you are an expert in and at the beginning of a crucial presentation an armature outshines you and makes your credibility be questioned, would you be motivated enough to proceed with the presentation or would you quit? As you ponder on that while awaiting the VAR verdict, this was probably the situation the Argentine team was facing. They probably were asking questions like are we good enough? What went wrong and so on? Well, you know how the tournament ended and I believe that one of the factors that contributed to that end was a focus on the prize and not the shortcomings among other factors.
The Tale of the Great Win – Lessons from 2022 World Cup
Where there is a loss there is a win. This is the other side of the story. Saudi Arabia was trailing in the first half. It is important to note that Saudi Arabia could not manage a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes. They got their equalizer in the second half, just three minutes after the start of the second. Their winning goal came 5 minutes later. They only had two shots on goal and the two shots were goals. Talk about efficiency and effectiveness. How things can turn around. From a hopeless situation to a hopeful situation. They celebrated their goals like never before. Imagine their joy after beating Argentina, I don’t this the Rolls Royce were sufficient enough. Overcoming a tough challenge brings great joy – other Lessons from 2022 World Cup.
It was an achievement that they had not imagined. It was like slaying the giant. They went on to defend their lead till the last minute, blocking all attacks from Argentina. When you know what you have got in you, you will defend it at all costs – other Lessons from 2022 World Cup. You gain some level of strength and power when you overcome a situation. The tough situations in our lives are meant to build us and not destroy us. Having the belief that you can conquer it is part of conquering it. The Saudis were motivated like never before. They got the courage to face their giant and they overcame it. I can’t try to imagine how the Saudis felt after winning that match and how they are feeling now after Argentina won the world cup. It is important to celebrate your victories but not dwell on them but focus on what is ahead.
Lessons from 2022 World Cup
Let us focus a bit on some of these Lessons from 2022 World Cup; the Beginning does not determine the end. As mentioned earlier, there are teams that started off strong while others are considered to have started off weak like Argentina. The end result proved that the beginning does not necessarily determine the end. From their loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina won all their subsequent matches. They not only finished at the top of their group but also won the world cup despite losing to a “weaker team” in their first match. How you start doesn’t determine how you finish, focus on the journey ahead.
This is a great lesson for those who feel like they are left behind or feel like giving up because things do not seem like they are working in the beginning. Probably you are seeing others thriving while you are struggling. Maybe you feel like you deserve to be doing better because you have given it your all yet you are still struggling. Always remember that the beginnings do not determine the end. Keep on giving it your all, give it your best, and do all that is required of you and the results will come in the end. Argentina gave their best despite losing to Saudi Arabia. They still gave their best in the subsequent matches. Their eyes were fixed on the prize at the end and nothing was to deter them from achieving it. The combination of a focused mind a hard-working body and a prayerful heart will yield great results. The focus is what propels you despite adversities, the hard-working body is what drives you to the desired goal and the prayerful heart is what binds the two. The Bible tells us that Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23 NLT, You version
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