There are very few rugby supporters or connoisseurs who saw it coming. Even the most ardent Springbok supporters wouldn’t have expected such as emphatic victory. England were the outright favourites and expected to demolish South Africa in the World Cup Final – but the opposite happened.
The Springboks were inspired, not by someone else but rather by their own purpose. Combining purpose and technique is unbeatable in any area of life, particularly money.
On arrival back in South Africa on Tuesday this week, the coach and captain were asked how it happened.
After losing the first game of the tournament, the coach explained that the team had ‘felt the pressure’ and succumbed. After the game they sat down and had a very open and honest discussion with each other. How was the pressure felt, what caused it and why?
It wasn’t long before they realised that there was a much bigger purpose for them. Their pressure was nothing compared to many others. They were the privileged few and almost had no right to consider playing rugby as ‘pressure’. It led them to realise they had a big role to play – a bigger purpose. “We needed to provide hope for the population” he said.
Coach Erasmus explained that just as important was the fact that they had trained hard, had a good game plan and backed their skills. The combination of purpose and technique was unbeatable. Purpose on its own, or technique on its own is never enough.
The same is true for most things in life, especially money. Successful people have good technique but always know why. They are ‘driven’ by a bigger purpose. Money on its own is inert – it’s the meaning we attribute to money that makes all the difference. And with that meaning, making money becomes easier. Without meaning or purpose, it’s easy to become distracted by small issues and then make mistakes.An asset accumulator or business-builder doesn’t get distracted by prices falling. They know they have a mission to accomplish and they stick to it under pressure. On a recent trip to Israel, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Israel explained that when something didn’t work out as planned, it wasn’t ‘failure’ - just one way that didn’t work.
The purpose of money is personal. It’s nothing to do with others. It could be like Bill Gates who he is trying to solve massive problems of humanity; for someone else, it’s to be a provider of opportunities. There will usually be more than one purpose – adventure, creativity, or contributing to others are some. Money for some is a scoreboard – an indication that they have been the best they could be.
Sometimes, good technique and the right belief system can deliver outcomes but it’s usually not enough. Winning the Money Game is much easier if there’s a purpose that is personal. As Jon Mitchell assistant coach of England, when talking about the Springboks said, “When it becomes personal, they physically go to another level and become unstoppable.”
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