By Tunde Ajibade
If you are remotely as lazy as this writer then you certainly have been berated in the past for being a little too lighthearted. While I do appreciate occasional awakening, I am not of the opinion that your concentration has to be at the peak always to achieve the best results. I do feel we all, at times, take life too seriously and that doesn’t necessarily come with any perks.
Let’s look at the goalkeeper in a football game. When his team is defending the goalkeeper is expected to be at alert. He positioning and movement should ensure that he isn’t easily caught out. He must be able to anticipate crosses into his territory, long range shots, snapshots, through balls, and anything else that can pose danger. That, to me, is his moment of maximum concentration. When his team is on the attack, however, the goalkeeper can afford to take a foot of the pedal. He doesn’t need to follow every touch made far up the field even though he wouldn’t completely take his mind off the game. Even Nigeria’s most consistent footballer in the last decade still finds time to ‘rest’ during games and even in the busiest of games when Lionel Messi puts him under siege and Di Maria subjects him to a barrage of attacks, he still makes room for a harmless joke and a pleasant smile.
The level of concentration required for every task depends on the individual involved and more importantly, the nature of the task. A PHCN official can crack jokes all day long but once he’s about to climb that ladder all jokes are suspended. On the other hand, a bank teller requires a high level of concentration for almost the entire working day but can take short breaks in between. The key is to carefully study your job or task and identify the moments that require all your full attention and those when you can pause and heave a sigh. Some tasks require bursts of brilliance while some require sustained concentration.
Jose Mourinho knew his input wasn’t needed again when he headed to the dressing room few minutes before the end of Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. The hard work had been done before and during the earlier stages of that encounter and while his role allowed him to retire early, his players couldn’t do same. They had to play till the referee blew the final whistle. Same goal but different roles.
So when you see that man sitting and gisting while sharpening his axe, do not take that to mean his tree will be the last to fall.
Tunde Ajibade is a seasoned IT professional whose love for the computer is second only to his love for the round leather game. He repeatedly attempts to make more sense out of an ordinary game of football by picking life lessons from football events and stories.