The Thought for the Day – Lionel Messi
We’ve been spectacular from day one and we deserved this – Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is a professional soccer player. He is generally regarded as one of the very best in the world and currently plays for the Argentinian national team.
Today’s Thought came after Argentina beat the United States 4-0 – which is a pretty big blowout in soccer – Tuesday in the semifinals of the Copa America soccer tournament. With the win Argentina – possessors of a long and proud soccer history – advance to the championship game of the tournament against either Colombia or Chile.
We’ve never seen the point to false modesty. The only people this does any good are those who have nothing to be modest about. If you’re good at something, it’s OK to say so. You don’t want to be a braggart or become obnoxious about it, of course, but it is possible to show humility while acknowledging your attainments.
We’ve been spectacular from day one…
Messi was doing that here. It would have been folly for him to suggest it was mere luck that had had gotten them this far or that the Argentinian national team really wasn’t very good. Because Argentina has been spectacular in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 10-1 in pool play and 8-1 in their two knockout stage games and Messi’s comment comes from the confidence borne of skill, diligence and teamwork.
we deserved this…
You put in enough work at something you have a knack for you will generally meet with success. When you do, there is no reason to hide behind your accomplishment. It’s OK acknowledge you did well. False modesty doesn’t do anyone any good.
The Thought for the Day – Deng Ming Dao
This is the moment of embarking. All auspicious signs are in place. – Deng Ming Dao, 365 Tao
Today’s Thought has resonated with us at various times over the years. Oftentimes this is when we’ve made a momentous decision or set out on a long-awaited path. These are significant times in our lives, waypoints that mark the life we’ve chosen to lead, lines of demarcation that separate what we did yesterday from what we will do tomorrow, from what we are from what we will be.
It is not, however, reserved exclusively for moments of great import. Simply waking up and going through our morning routine can be a moment of embarking, too. We can either make our time today serve us, or we can spend the day marking time, serving another day of our sentence on this planet.
The choice is ours, but it’s not always easy. We must have a plan for our lives, a plan that goes beyond merely getting by, a plan that not only takes into account getting the most out of today, but also provides guidance for some time down the road.
Every moment is positive at the moment of embarking. Our enthusiasm and our energy are boundless, the day in, day out labors attendant with our great enterprise are a problem for another day. For this moment, at least, everything we want is there for the taking.
And it is, too; most people have some zero clue what can be accomplished in this life. And making a plan for success isn’t particularly difficult because it’s easy to say this is what I am today and this is what I’m going to be tomorrow.
But accomplishment takes courage. Human nature ensures that we find it difficult to break away from the lives everyone else is living; it takes courage to break the mold. We must have a plan for our lives and we must have the patience to pursue our dreams with diligence and courage. Every day must be a moment of embarking.
The Thought for the Day – Evan Thomas/Dwight Eisenhower
Eisenhower would from time to time pretend to know less than he did, leaving the illusion that he was distracted and ill-informed about matters that deeply engaged him. – Evan Thomas, Ike’s Bluff
Ike’s Bluff is about how President Dwight D Eisenhower dealt with the Soviet Union when it became clear they, too, possessed nuclear weapons. The bluff referred to in the title was Eisenhower giving the impression he would use nuclear weapons at need and in much the same manner he would use a conventional weapon when he really was loathe to do that. For their part, the Soviets worked hard to give the impression were a legitimate world power when History shows us their country at the time was a complete mess, poor and unorganized and hardly half the threat they seemed to be.
We forget the exact context today’s Thought comes from, but Ike was receiving some briefing or another and he chose not let on exactly what he knew while others blathered away on the matter.
An excellent tactic.
It is said, truthfully, that knowledge is power. It is not always necessary, however, to let everyone know everything that you know. This is particularly good advice for a leader. A leader needs all possible information to make a decision, but a leader letting on what he knows to others might influence the information he receives.
Also, telling everything you know also levels the playing field and you may well find yourself ceding an advantage you previously enjoyed.
Eisenhower would from time to time pretend to know less than he did…
Eisenhower spent a lifetime leading others and utilized this tactic from time to time and it is a lesson any aspiring leader would do well to emulate. Knowledge you reserve for yourself can be a very useful and sometimes powerful tool.