7:1 How to become world champion

This is not a post about football - or at least not only. A few days ago, Germany became football world champions - with a hard-fought 1:0 victory over Argentina. More spectacular was the 7:1 win over Brazil shortly before that. The goals, the misplaced passes and the fouls are spectacular - although I could do without the latter. Less spectacular is the build-up work.

Many German and foreign commentators at this World Cup have mentioned that the German Football Association has been doing intensive development work and promoting children and young people for years. The basis must be right so that there is a good top team at the top. And that Jogi Löw has built up this team step by step. Training camp after training camp. Game by game. Practice after practice. In the end, it paid off.

I kept thinking about a quote after the German team's victory:

The Most people overestimatewhat them in one Year do can andunderestimatewhat them in 7 years do can. - Bodo Schäfer

This quote has stayed with me for years. I am a woman who can see potential. And like all visionaries, I see the goal clearly in front of my eyes - the distance to it is not just as clear. I tend to rush off and then be disappointed when things don't develop as (quickly) as I expect. In recent years, I have learnt to keep the goal in mind - but to appreciate the small steps.

I learnt this from a coach who once told me that he had been swept miles away from the beach by several high waves and - when he saw how far out he was - his arms and legs cramped in shock and he could only move his hands. He used them to move centimetre by centimetre back towards the beach. He deliberately didn't keep looking at the distant target, but focussed on what he could do now. Just like Sir Edward Hillary, the first European climber of Mount Everest - quoted in "Coaching - refreshingly simple" p. 57.

We had very basic equipment and very primitive climbing techniques. The only thing we were really good at was cutting one step after another in the snow and ice. In all modesty, I can say that we were very good at that. World champion were simply always cutting the next small step that allowed us to take the next small step towards our goal. - Sir Edmond Hillary

Sometimes other people envy me for having written and published so many books. Or for the fact that I own a boat. They may forget that 10,000 or more steps were and are necessary to reach the goal: Word by word, line by line, correction by correction, graphic by graphic, books are created. And centimetre by centimetre, rust scrape by rust scrape, the ship becomes habitable.

Have big goals: Yes. Absolutely. Start small. Absolutely. And then go step by step, despite all the obstacles and setbacks... until you have reached your goal. It doesn't necessarily have to be world champion...

A nice video perfectly expresses the idea that you can start small and then go further.