It’s the 20th FIFAWorld Cup, a tournament for the men’s football world championship in Brazil with 32 participating teams.

The year is 2014.

Precisely on the 30th being Monday.

The time of play was 5 p.m.

It was Paul Pogba’s header and a Joseph Yobo’s own goal gave France victory over the Super Eagles late in the game.
And that aborted the Nigerian dream of reaching the quarter-finals

The Super Eagle’s 0 – 2 defeat to the French team had more far-reaching effect than meets the thinking of an average Joe.

To many it was the players—maybe the coach and his crew inclusive—that were defeated. And so should bear the blunt of the loss.
But come to think of it, the entire population of the country received the hit. Badly. I mean so badly.

Notwithstanding, I’ve something else very important I want to share with you in this write-up in relation to that match.

You see, like I have variously revealed in my blog, I am committed to personal development. And I take advantage of every opportunity to learn and to grow.

So as the match was being played, I scooped up some lessons I hope to apply to my life. And I said I would share them with you guys. Someone might just find them useful. Who knows!

Scene 1

Did you notice that the head coach of the Super Eagle, Stephen Keshi was always displaying contentment in his attitude over what his boys are playing?

Most coaches would get up from their seats to urge their team on when they are not playing to their satisfaction and they would show their displeasure over their play. Usually this would make the players wake up from their slumber.

But our boys were not getting such ‘push’ from the boss. So if they were making a mistake, the mistakes continue.Like we saw, the mistakes came in droves and in drones.

The Lesson

The personal development lesson here is that if you have no body in your life to get you onto the track when you’re going the wrong way, you are bound to go astray—maybe to a point of no return.

So ensure you have people you are accountable to in your life. Don’t over-grow correction and guidance.
And you don’t have to go too far to get them. It could be your wife or husband, pastor, bosom friend whom you’ve sincerely chosen to be accountable to.

The bottom line is get a rule over your head and your life. Submit to a mentor. Note: I will talk about mentorship in a future article.

Scene 2

Did you notice that the Eagles played just fine in the first half of the game? But couldn’t get a goal. They practically dominated the game. And I erroneously concluded that the match was going to be a walk-over.
I guess you still remember why the expected goal or goals never came?

The reason is basically because there was not much coordination among the Eagles’ striking force. Not necessarily because the French team had a formidable defense. Nope!

Each of our strikers who were supposed to give the goal was playing alone. The team work wasn’t there. The supposed partnership was not in place and the goal never came.

The Lesson

Don’t ever be a lone-ranger! Don’t try to run your life all be yourself. Remember, no man is an Island.
If you’re in business, for instance, don’t do your business all alone. You may plan alone. But you need people to execute your plans.

Sometimes the best route to take in starting a business is to partner with others. You may have the money to take off but may not have the requisite knowledge to operate successfully vice versa.

And in such situations you absolutely need to partner with others. All in all, I’m taking about the need for partnership. It makes your life easier; your progress rapid all other things being equal.

Scene 3

Did you notice the Eagles began to lose possession of the ball the moment Ogenyi Onazi got injured and was taken away?
He was the man posing a threat to the French guys in the mid field. So they could not penetrate the defense and then the goal post easily.

And the moment he was gone there was a loophole. The French guys exploited it. And they got the goal.
Onazi’s substitute, Ruben Gabriel was no suitable replacement. Keshi obviously had none.

The Lesson

The personal development lesson for us here is the fact that there may be times in your life when your major source may run dry or completely gone.

Thus, there’s always need for a Plan B or a backup system in place. In case of emergencies.

To start with, and without sounding negative or pessimistic, imagine losing your greatest support system. Like losing a sponsor. Or losing a business. An asset or a valuable property.

Picture what would happen. And take necessary steps in your head and in practice to handle the situation ever before it happens.
Never be too comfortable. And don’t you give room for complacency. The world is full of ups and downs.

[url]source: http://www.okaforchijioke.com/3-personal-development-lessons-from-the-super-eagles-loss-to-france/[/url]

Awesome...

Wonderful.