I am not a confessed football fanatic, though have been treated to some of the best and spectacular soccer action in the past week. This is not to say I am going to delve into the emotions, the disappointments and the controversies so far seen.

My focus and parallel, would however be drawn from an embarrassingly wild shot by a dependable striker whose team was 2 goals down and the significance of a wild, embarrassing and frustrating shot. For, while staring defeat in the face in the crucial tie with under 5 minutes of playtime before the final whistle, this skilled striker received a well calculated pass from across the left flank, dribbled past the only defender between him and the goal keeper, changed direction, while shifting his weight in time to allow for a superb left footer, only to lose balance hitting the round thing so embarrassingly wild and off the target. It was clearly a frustrating moment for the striker, the team and the nation!

And this got my imagination in a spin. By all accounts, the team’s performance was good (atleast by my standards) except that they didn’t seem to hit the target every time it mattered, putting- or is it pushing -the round thing between the set of poles. Would it have made a whole difference if say this lovely and exciting game (others don’t think so) was designed to entertain without necessarily pegging the determination of a win on the ability to hit this round piece of leather past the set of post manned by a goalkeeper. I can feel your heart grumbles, “c’mon Benna, what do you mean, that won’t make sense of the game at all”. But, look here folks, that kind of arrangement would ensure skilled display of football without the embarrassment of missed targets, wild shots and the frustrations from the inability to score. Mafans are you there? This would be football bliss warranting no suicidal sacrifice in Kibera thousands of miles across the oceans from some loss at Emirates.

This is exactly how the blissful 95% of the populace live without goal posts to remind them of missed targets, and wrong executions.
I mean which is your “game”? Is it netball? Or are you in rugby? Where are the goal posts? That we need to dribble and skillfully displace the goalkeepers if necessary and put the ball behind the net is actually the name of the game. And that, folks, goes for your personal life goals too! 100% of the time, the decisions we make, the choices we take, the sacrifices we make, the relationships we seek and the skills we sharpen and nourish will in all likelihood shape and be shaped by our goals, our values, our dreams. A significant percentage have played the blissful and missed the greater purpose for which God created them, “enjoying” life without any defined goals to ever remind them of missed targets and the accompanying pain, frustration and embarrassments that come with missed targets.

Do you have defined goals for family: what qualities and values in a spouse (only if still single), what career goals, what about your place in God’s plans, and how is your relationship with this God? How about your financial goals? Do the financial goals deserve the sacrifices they demand of you? What timeline.

I can almost guarantee you that no significant progress and achievement happen without vision and sacrifice. While the alternative is mediocrity obviously, this does not mean any promise that you won’t have opponents in the field and the goalkeeper to stop your shots!

Bernard Were is an Associate Financial Advisor at Waumini Investments. You can read his blog here and follow him on Twitter