How do you achieve success? What does the pathway to success look like?
Pele, considered by many to be one of the worlds greatest ever football players, gave us his answer to those questions... He said,
““Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
He gave five things that were key to success:
Typically when we read things, we are thinking about whether we agree or disagree. But often the best way to read something is with a question, what does this mean?
What does Pele mean? I would love to interview him and ask him... but sadly for me, I am unlikely to get that opportunity. However, I know some stuff concerning each of his points, in order to give an interpretation that might help footballers or athletes achieve their elite. Or anybody for that matter, as these things apply to all types of success.
Studying & Learning
When I was younger I could get by quite well on what I knew or could already do. It always seemed to be enough. So, I didn’t stretch myself as much as I should or could have, because I had enough. On the football pitch I was usually the fastest on the field. My passing was decent, I read the game well. I was playing in one of the best local and school teams. It all seemed enough. But, I was never reaching my potential, or striving to be better, I wasn’t even aware that I had higher levels I could reach. This scenario plays out for thousands of young people all over the world.
One of the best ways to change this experience is to intentionally engage in the process of studying and learning. Studying and learning come in different forms; reading, observing, analysing, talking, listening, following, teaching, debating etc. All this can be achieved through different approaches; books, blogs, posts, articles, audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube videos, interviews, feedback, seminars, conferences, live chats, role-models, mentors, watching others, being open and honest, courses, being teachable/coachable and much more. The reason why this is all so important; as we increase our knowledge and opportunities to self-reflect, we can heighten our self-awareness and “self-awareness is the gateway to success”.
Hard Work
Being hard working is a mindset developed from certain attitudes. However, you have to be sensible when it comes to this. Let me share an example of working hard in a way that is not smart. I watched a young academy player recently in training. In one of the drills their technique was ineffective. It meant they spent more time running then everyone else as the other players took advantage. This young player worked harder using the same ineffective technique every time, each time the drill was run. The young player was left naturally working harder then the other players. It was admirable in a way. But, even though the young player worked harder then everyone else, they achieved less results and were left deflated. Remarkably this young player never quit. However, the young player was working hard on the wrong technique. Imagine how much more success the player could have had, if they put as much effort into the right technique. On the other hand, the other players were left less exhausted and high in confidence, they walked away understanding more and more what to work hard on. As you combine the hard work mindset with working hard on the right things then you begin to accelerate your journey on the pathway to success.
Perseverance
This is the ability to persist in doing something despite difficulty or the delay in achieving success. The key to this is drive. Knowing what is absolutely most important to you. What you value more then anything and what your ultimate vision of success looks like. It’s about living life being completely true to all of it. All too often we are living in conflict with our values and our vision because we haven’t done the work to understand ourselves, to know what really matters most to us. Or as a friend of mine would say “to know our true north”. This can sound a little ‘airy fairy’. But it really isn’t. It’s actually just great common sense and logic.
Sacrifice
In all the conversations I have had with individuals who can truly say they’ve reached their elite, one key thing comes out; in the early stages of their sports careers, they made huge sacrifices, but, they didn’t see them as sacrifices. They just saw them as ‘what had to be done to achieve what they wanted more then anything else’. You see, sacrifice is about perception. If you see the value of one thing as higher than the other, then there’s no competition. Nothing to give up. Instead you are gaining something every time.
Love Learning & Doing
All too often players, athletes and coaches fall out of love with their sport. There’s thousands of reasons why this might happen. Consistently I hear former sport professionals talk about needing to take a break from the game. Why does this happen? Because they have stopped focussing on what is most important to them and started focussing on other things. As soon as they take some time out, when they switch off, they are able to reconnect to what’s most important to them. You will hear how the sport professionals that do this, talk fondly about the time they spent with their family etc. Some return to the game fresh and with a greater hunger or drive than before. They have reconnected with their ‘love of the game’ they say.
But we don’t need to take long breaks away to keep the love. We simply need to; focus on what’s most important, keep learning, intentionally switch off and practice self-care. It’s when we neglect these things that the love starts to fade.
Time To Reflect
Are you intentionally working on each aspect of Peles formula to success? If not, which ones do you need to address? As you reflect on questions like these you can increase your self-awareness which can open new windows of opportunity, growth and high-performance. What will be your next change which will inspire you to fight for YOUR cause?
I help athletes, footballers and coaches inspire high-performance and accelerate progress towards achieving their elite.
#footballer #athlete #coaches #sports #football #pele #success #hardwork #perseverance #mindset #LoveYourGame #learning
