But you move forward, teeth clenched, one step at a time. You keep persisting and your instincts take over.

The knees are shot, elbows grazed, but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has finally appeared.

Just like you knew it would!

Are you a soccer player?

Were you put on earth to be a star and grace the biggest stadiums in the world?

P-L-E-A-S-E!

Don’t shame your guardian angels that watch over you and protect you. Don’t shame the genetic cutlery that’s been placed on your table.

Soccer is not a selfish act or a bid to inflate your ego. Soccer is a gift that unifies the world.

Don’t deny us your contribution.

Show me what you’ve got!

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

Does it matter?

For those that haven’t played poker, you can win with any hand and also lose with any hand. It’s totally up to you how you play the hand you’ve been dealt.

Soccer is full of players that have been dealt poor hands but through hard work and dedication have graced some of the biggest stadiums in the world.

Soccer is also full of losers who drew terrific hands but never capitalised on their good fortune or genes.

In soccer you will never be dealt a hand that cannot be turned into a winning one. Unlike poker, soccer success is predictable.

If you put in the time, effort and commit to training, you will be equipped to turn your hand into a winning hand.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

So what’s the point?

For all those youngsters out there, for all those parents contemplating kids soccer, START! JOIN UP! ENROL! Whatever tickles your fancy.

Start before you’re ready.

Don’t wait for the perfect time. Don’t wait until you’ve thought it through. Don’t wait until the stars have aligned with your horoscope or any other form of mambo jumbo.

Stop thinking, tossing and turning and dive into the world game with both feet. I can still hear you,

“I’m getting ready to start!” Ready? No need to get ready, wack on the boots.

“I’m waiting to get fit!” I’m also waiting for Santa Claus. Fitness comes from playing, not waiting.

“I’m starting in 2 months!” This sounds like a serious case of Soccrastination.

The longer you wait. The longer you plan. The longer you soccrastinate, the more time you have to talk yourself out of it.

The status quo loves it when you hesitate, when you wait for the right time. When is the right time anyway?

Like I’ve mentioned above, just start. When you start, the Soccer Gods will smile upon you. Great things will happen when you start. You open yourself to a world of opportunity, friends, health and that elusive manager holding a million dollar contract.

The enemy here is not Soccer. It’s not difficult to play the game. The enemy is soccrastination.

When you finally think you’re ready, trust me, it’s too late, the moment has passed. If you need a reminder, here it is, tick, tick, tick! The Wonder years are just that, years.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

Kids that participate in Soccer can be split into two groups. If you were to draw an imaginary line, on the left hand side you would have the kids with determination, the spark and the twinkle in their eyes. On the right, the kids that look sad, lost and wander around kicking loose pebbles off the pitch.

When a player looks determined, you can’t help think to yourself, this kids got a chance, he’s going to make it. With determination and a little hunger anything is possible.

What about the players that hide at the back of the lines? You know the ones, shoulders drooped, low self-esteem and waving the white flag.

What do you see in their eyes?

I’m pretty sure it’s not determination or the eye of the tiger.

Could it be fear?

If you have fear in your eyes, the chances of you learning decrease significantly. All your energy is wasted on being scared. Also the chances of you signing a professional contract diminish and training alone will not help you.

Remember this at all times, nobody can guarantee you a professional soccer career. Searching for those guarantees or those miracle boots will only lead to tears.

Have a go at this next time. If you’re going to search for anything, search for the determination, the fire in the belly that lies dormant in us all.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

First and foremost, Happy Easter to everyone, hope you’re having a great day. For those that don’t believe in Christ or aren’t religious, hope you’re having a great day as well.

A few minutes ago I read about a man who lived a long time ago. His name was Jesus Christ and is the central figure of Christianity. No I’m not a religious nut, far from it. But have you ever wondered, questioned or even doubted?

Do you really believe?

Without preaching, a quick synopsis or an executive summary if you like.

Jesus walked the earth and offered various lessons and teachings. Jesus, slowly but surely, gained a following, a group of people who believed and worshiped him.

Betrayal- Like anyone that creates waves or upsets the Status Quo, he is betrayed. The temple guards arrest Jesus.

Jesus is stripped, flogged, mocked and crowned with thorns. He is crucified between two thieves and his cross states that he is being executed for aspiring to be the King of Jews. (smile) Long story short, he utters a loud cry and dies.

What is Impossible?

The dictionary offers many definitions for the word impossible. Not possible, unable to be, exist or happen. Unable to be done, performed. Unsuitable or extremely difficult.

The Resurrection- The Gospels state that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday and gave birth to the tradition we call Easter.

Do you believe?

Is this possible?

For many, a vast majority of the population believe. If not in Jesus, in their own God, spirit, statue, Buddha it doesn’t really matter.

But lets talk about Impossible.

I believe in the impossible.

I think you can have, do, or be anything you can imagine.

I love to think big, dream of the fairy tale and to live happily ever after.

I also love to read about people who set “impossible” goals and then achieved them.

Although not Soccer related, Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France a record breaking 7 times from 1999-2005. On October 2, 1996, at the age of 25, Armstrong was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. Reports clearly stated that Lance was coughing up blood during his first visit to the hospital. The doctors and specialists gave him little hope or chance. Impossible? What is Impossible? Did Lance Armstrong defy Impossible when he rode in the Tour De France last year and finished second after retiring?

What about Roger Bannister who broke the 4 minute mile with a time of 3min 59.4 seconds? No one can run a 4-minute mile, impossible!

What is impossible?

What about my favorite, Greece winning the European Cup in 2004 and beating the host nation twice. The bookies had Greece at 500-1 and didn’t even classify the bet. The bet was placed as “others” and included other small countries that had no chance of winning the cup.

What is Impossible?

What about NASA and space travel? What about the pioneers that conquered Mt Everest? What about the geeks that connected the world with Google?

What is Impossible?

What we have, instead, are mindsets, or mental blocks. Conditioning that limits us and even scares us. I feel, no fuck it, I know that most of us don’t think big, don’t dream and have succumb to the impossible. What is impossible anyway?

S-t-r-e-t-c-h your mind and believe. Our mental blocks are what stop us from achieving and maybe one day playing for the club of our choice.

With all of this in mind, what do you want to accomplish from Soccer?

What’s your impossible dream?

What would you want, if you knew you could not fail?

Remember this next time you embark on immortality, Impossible is just a word.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”