In the afterglow of the Rugby World Cup final and watching our boys take it out, I have a real appreciation of what the failure in 2007 World Cup did for that group of players and management who were involved. Failure is a chance to begin again more intelligently and this is what the All Blacks did - they took the lessons learnt from 2007 and the years before, stuck to their game plan and persevered towards an end goal. As the final whistle blew and Richie held the Webb Ellis Cup high after 24 long years, I along with many others felt a huge sense of relief but also an enormous sense of pride that the team had achieved such a tremendous feat. I felt the win so much sweeter because of all the obstacles and years it took to get to that one victorious moment.

The same goes for us in life and work. We all have goals and aspirations both in our work and personal lives and no one can ever say that the road to achieving these is 100% smooth. There are always bumps whether large or small along the way that either divert us or stop us in our tracks. But it is how we deal with these setbacks that will stand us in good stead for the future and as Thomas Edison surmised “every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward “. It is important to remember that it is almost impossible to achieve something extraordinary without experiencing some kind of setback or defeat.

When we are knocked off course we have to stay focused, “keep our eyes on the prize” whether it is as small as a sale made, a placement successfully completed, to buying a house or becoming an All Black! Knowing the easy road does not necessarily lead to a successful outcome and when you’ve fought hard, overcome obstacles and persevered the sweeter the success will taste. Finally because rugby is at the forefront of our minds at the moment in the words of Wayne Smith – All Black assistant coach “ prepare for everything, stay focused, persevere and victory can be yours”.

 Image: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net