Amazing Comeback Stories from the Brink of Failure

In 1989, during a quarter-final match of the World Youth Championship held in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria scored four goals in twenty three minutes. This was a legendary feat considering the fact that they were up against a good Russian side and had been trailing the Russians 0-4 up till the last twenty three minutes of the match. Nigeria eventually won the match during a penalty shootout.

Brazil were the favourites to win gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics men's football. The team met Nigeria in one of the semi-final matches of the competition. Brazil had beaten Nigeria 1-0 in the group stage. For the greater part of the match, Brazil were leading. At a point, Brazil were three goals up against Nigeria’s one. But with 12 minutes left, Nigeria scored two goals to send the game into extra time. Nigeria won the match with a golden goal in extra time. In the final match of the competition, Nigeria again came from behind to beat their opponents, Argentina.

In 1999, during the European Champions League Final, Bayern Munich had led Manchester United by 1-0 into the stoppage time but two goals from Manchester United in the stoppage time gave victory to the Manchester club. It was a dramatic comeback.

During the 2005 Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool played in the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul AC Milan were three goals up by half-time, prompting some Reds fans to leave. But in six crazy second-half minutes, Liverpool equalised and went on to eventually win the match in a penalty shoot-out.

The opening game of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations saw Angola leading Mali 4-0 till the last four minutes of the game but somehow the Malian players conjured up 4 goals in 11 minutes to end the game in a draw.

What do these stories teach me? That I should never give up early and if I have to give up at all, I should ask myself these questions:

• Why am I quitting?
• Why did I start initially?
• Did I overwhelm myself too fast?
• Was my goal initially manageable?
• What about everything I sacrificed?
• Am I quitting because I keep failing?
• Would my life be better if I give up on this goal?
• What would I tell someone else if they were in my shoes?

Let me end this post with some quotations I stumbled across.

“No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.” 

― Pittacus Lore

“Do it again.

Play it again. Sing it again. Read it again. Write it again. Sketch it again. Rehearse it again. Run it again. Try it again.

Because again is practice, and practice is improvement, and improvement only leads to perfection.” 

― Richelle E. Goodrich

Do not worry. Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. (unknown)

Why David Beckham and Margaret Thatcher Went for Voice Coaching

David Beckham is said to be talking posher. He is opening his mouth more. He is sounding better and he is making a greater impression on people. How is this so? He has apparently done some voice work so that he can sound better. Why would Beckham go through rigours in order to sound better? Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister was believed to have undergone voice coaching in order to sound better. Many celebrities are also understood to have gone to great lengths to ensure that they speak better.

Why do people go to great lengths in order to make deep impressions on others through the way they speak? I believe it is because they understand that image plays a very important role in our relationship with people, so they are always looking for every opportunity to improve their image. They understand that no matter how well-dressed or popular one may be, if one mispronounces or misuses words, one’s appeal with others may be adversely affected.

My question to you is this? How well do you speak? Do you verbalise your words well? Do you speak clearly and coherently? Do you speak with poise and panache? If your answer is no, then you have to work on how you speak. Why? It appears people don’t judge us by what we say alone. How we say what we say also goes a long way in influencing how people receive what we say.

I think one simple way by which you can help yourself to speak well is to listen to people who speak well. It could be on the radio, t.v., in movies, etc. If you constantly listen to good speakers you may find yourself picking some things from them on the art of speaking. And when you learn anything new, endeavour to practice it until you master it.

 My parting question is this: if David Beckaham, Margaret Thatcher and many others thought it was important for them to learn to speak well, do you think it is important for you to speak well?

Richard Turere, the Thirteen Year-Old Boy Who Found a Way to Combat Lions

This is a story one should hear directly from the horse’s mouth. It will make you appreciate the story better. This is why I have uploaded the video here: 

Richard Turere is a 13-year old Kenyan whose family’s compound is behind the unfenced southern part of the Nairobi National Park. Richard is the one who tends his father’s herd of cattle. But for a long time, just like his neighbours’, his cows were at the mercy of marauding lions who migrate from the Nairobi National Park. After various unsuccessful attempts to curtail the invasion of these predators, Richard stumbled upon an ingenious idea, which so far, has proved successful in warding off wild animals.

He discovered that lions were afraid of coming near their cowshed if they thought someone was around. So he fitted a series of flashing LED bulbs onto poles around the livestock enclosure, facing outward. The lights were wired to a box with switches and to an old car battery powered by a solar panel. They were designed to flicker on and off intermittently. This would appear to the lions as if someone was moving around with a flashlight. Richard’s idea has been so successful that neighbours have been asking him to help install his invention on their farms. In fact, his idea is now being used all over Kenya to scare off predators.

Because of his invention, Richard, who wants to become an aircraft engineer and pilot, was able to realise his dream of flying in an airplane. He was flown to the United States to share his story at Ted Talks, an event where speakers address a wide range of topics often through storytelling. His invention has also earned him a scholarship to one of the best high schools in Kenya. Another idea Richard has is to invent his own electric fence, which he had already embarked upon but shelved because of an electric shock he experienced while trying out his idea.

Richard story teaches me the power of an idea. His story also teaches me that instead of complaining about an unpleasant situation, I should do something about it. This is one lesson people in my part of the world, including myself, need to learn. We should also stop being fatalistic.  Complaining about a situation does not change such a situation. And again, I have come to realise that most people who find solutions to problems eventually become wealthy because others are usually willing to pay for them for their ideas. Apart from becoming popular, such people become famous and enjoy a lot of goodwill. Parents, adults and teachers will learn from this story to not kill, discourage or frustrate children’s creativity.