I never really understood entirely why I follow Manchester United FC like a fanatic. The club website is always open in one of the tabs on my browser. I have set google news alerts that sends me abridged digests of news about Man Utd everyday. I currently own or have owned a plethora of their merchandise and in the last ten or so years, every other thing in my life has changed apart from this devotion to Man Utd. To cut it short, as a fan once put it, "Cut me and I'll bleed red". Which makes it surprising that I haven't written a single article on my blog about manchester united. I probably was trying to write stuff that would appeal to a wider range of readers. Well, I guess thats another thing I don't care anymore for. So, let me write about what i've learnt from manchester united and those not interested can maybe like just not read on. And any scouser can maybe instead watch some reruns of when liverpool won their last league title (did they have video back then though?).
Foremost, I've learnt that there is no better mantra for success than being yourself and being true to you character. Over the years, manchester united has earned as many fans as there have been man utd haters. I think that is the truest test of character. Any pure, honest entitiy will always have lovers and haters in equal measure. The impurities arise when one tries to please-all. You may succeed for a while but it is difficult to carry on, because the lack of integrity will always surface in times of strife and make you realise how hollow you are in truth. (Arsenal fans please note). At manchester united, many times you get the feeling that it is Manchester United vs Rest of the World. Some may look at it as a narcissistic state of existence, and those are the haters, while others feel that there is nothing more glorious and heroic than standing up to the world and saying, "Here I am, you can all try to beat me down, but I will keep coming back, and I will eventually prevail over all of you. Not by winning over your hearts, not by any other sly vendetta. I will do it by brute force and my will to survive against all odds and against all of you put together".
There can be no sentiment in the pursuit of a goal. Decades ago, Manchester United embarked on a quest to be the most successful club in England and then Europe. Along the way there have been many people who were instrumental in shaping the club and there were times when these people had to be let go. Simply because they were no longer going to be helpful in the club's quest for glory. It is truly a masterclass to watch when things like these happen. It is does with the least amount of emotion and almost always the person leaving is looking for any other way that he can contribute. This year's farewells to Neville and Scholes are the cases-in-point here. There is a lesson in managing human resources here. I have rarely seen such loyalty elsewhere.
Lastly, what many perceive as luck, is actually what winners call seizing the opportunity. Luck is never a factor in the long term as it evens out in the end. Manchester United are famous as well as infamous for snatching last-gasp victories, many-a-times through seemingly scratchy and lucky efforts. It is not significant that it manages to happen time and again, what is to be noted is that manchester united repeatedly put themselves in a position where a little bit of luck will turn things their way. They keep chipping away and never give up. A cliched but unpractised life lesson.
EndNote: I hope non-believers took the effort to read the above stuff. I do not intend this to be a eulogy to manchester united. My purpose is to point out that something as everyday as a favourite football club can be a source of inspiration and a pool of life lessons that may have been repeated often but rarely acknowledged and utilised. Look for such sources in your life, you will be surprised by how many there are.
Foremost, I've learnt that there is no better mantra for success than being yourself and being true to you character. Over the years, manchester united has earned as many fans as there have been man utd haters. I think that is the truest test of character. Any pure, honest entitiy will always have lovers and haters in equal measure. The impurities arise when one tries to please-all. You may succeed for a while but it is difficult to carry on, because the lack of integrity will always surface in times of strife and make you realise how hollow you are in truth. (Arsenal fans please note). At manchester united, many times you get the feeling that it is Manchester United vs Rest of the World. Some may look at it as a narcissistic state of existence, and those are the haters, while others feel that there is nothing more glorious and heroic than standing up to the world and saying, "Here I am, you can all try to beat me down, but I will keep coming back, and I will eventually prevail over all of you. Not by winning over your hearts, not by any other sly vendetta. I will do it by brute force and my will to survive against all odds and against all of you put together".
There can be no sentiment in the pursuit of a goal. Decades ago, Manchester United embarked on a quest to be the most successful club in England and then Europe. Along the way there have been many people who were instrumental in shaping the club and there were times when these people had to be let go. Simply because they were no longer going to be helpful in the club's quest for glory. It is truly a masterclass to watch when things like these happen. It is does with the least amount of emotion and almost always the person leaving is looking for any other way that he can contribute. This year's farewells to Neville and Scholes are the cases-in-point here. There is a lesson in managing human resources here. I have rarely seen such loyalty elsewhere.
Lastly, what many perceive as luck, is actually what winners call seizing the opportunity. Luck is never a factor in the long term as it evens out in the end. Manchester United are famous as well as infamous for snatching last-gasp victories, many-a-times through seemingly scratchy and lucky efforts. It is not significant that it manages to happen time and again, what is to be noted is that manchester united repeatedly put themselves in a position where a little bit of luck will turn things their way. They keep chipping away and never give up. A cliched but unpractised life lesson.
EndNote: I hope non-believers took the effort to read the above stuff. I do not intend this to be a eulogy to manchester united. My purpose is to point out that something as everyday as a favourite football club can be a source of inspiration and a pool of life lessons that may have been repeated often but rarely acknowledged and utilised. Look for such sources in your life, you will be surprised by how many there are.
3 comments:
nice thoughts buddy...especially the character part :)
Haha, yes yes! Do you Mr. Saurabh, remember the time when you blaasted my monitor trying to create a NFC manager or something! Team name, Bore Well Boys! 😄
Haha, yes yes! Do you Mr. Saurabh, remember the time when you blaasted my monitor trying to create a NFC manager or something! Team name, Bore Well Boys! 😄
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