I can tell you which team will win the World Cup -- and it’s not going to be the best team. Whether it’s the Super Bowl, the World Series, the World Cup or any other big game, the best team never wins. The team that plays the best always wins.
This is why you shouldn’t gamble on sports. You cannot predict with any accuracy which team or athlete will step up for the big game. Who is going to bend and who’s going to break under pressure? Who’s going to tire late in the game and who’s going to get stronger?
Exhibit A: Costa Rica upset Italy 1-0 in World Cup action. They were the 28th ranked team and not expected to win a match in their grouping.
Exhibit B: The United States upset Ghana to make a statement that they would be a force to be reckoned with this year.
Related: 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From the World Cup
As an entrepreneur, this should excite you, especially if you’re a newcomer or underdog in your industry or market.
Looking at the first 12 games of the World Cup, there were five come-from-behind wins and two major upsets. As a sports fan, I tend to favor high scoring games such as basketball, but the entrepreneur in me loves soccer. Why? Because there are an awful lot of soccer matches that end with a 1-0 score.
How does that relate to you? It only takes one to get the victory -- whether it’s one big sale, client, new account or investor. Just one can be a massive game changer for you and your business.
Globalization of the sport is thought to have narrowed the gap between the haves and have not’s in the sport. Sound a bit like how the Internet has helped level the playing field for underdogs in business?
Related: 6 Ways to Be a Top Performer, According to the Navy's Top SEAL
I share this with you because you may not be the best, biggest, fastest, strongest or the most talented person in your industry, but understand one thing: The past isn’t the present. There is potential inside you that you have yet to tap into. You can perform better than you ever have before and you can do it starting today.
Don’t bend, don’t break. Instead, strengthen your resolve. Put in more energy, effort and motivation, and you’ll get better results. Rise to the occasion and compete better than anyone in your industry today because you never know when that “one” is going to happen.
Upsets in sports show us that you don’t have to be the best to win -- you just have to perform the best. You may not have the best credentials, but you can compete with the best. This is how underdogs such as Costa Rica and the U.S. have won on the field and how you can win in the sport of business.
Remember, it just takes one!