The $64 Million Dollar Question

A friend of mine put me in an awful quandary this weekend just gone. He asked me a question – the kind of question no man should be subjected to. It is Bon Jovi’s last concert ever….in New Jersey. It just so happens that on the same night, it is the last UFC ever also, the Brock Lesnar v Cain Velasquez rematch fight. Neither will happen ever again. No more Bon Jovi, no more UFC. There are millions of Bon Jovi fans out there, most of which deny or refuse to admit it. You know who you are. As one of the fast growing sports in the world, the UFC is becoming a hugely successful sport. They do not really combine however, I am possibly the only person on the planet to love both of them. They both start at the same time, and they are held in different continents. It wasn’t mentioned, but I suppose the UFC were banned from showing that last one on PPV also. Which do I decide?

I go for the UFC. I have seen plenty of both of them, but I have all the Bon Jovi CD’s just as I have most of the UFC fights on DVD also. The one difference is that you never know what is going to happen in a UFC fight. I know how a Bon Jovi concert is going to go and that is part of the reason why I enjoy them so much. There are other bands I enjoy, while the UFC would leave a fairly major gap for me. It is a tough call but I edge UFC in this instance.

Awful question, but it got me randomly thinking. I think one of the things I enjoy most about the UFC is the unpredictability of the outcome. It is far more unpredictable than Boxing for example. We have a running joke in our household as I describe every fight that is coming up as the best fight in years somehow ignoring the fact that I said it last month, or last week in some instances. I consider myself to be a half full kind of guy rather than half empty, but this is a different concept.

One of the things which I constantly search for in life is potential. In so many different aspects of everyday life, I am analysing things and trying to work out the potential of something. Potential is different to the half full principle – I am not hoping something may work out, I am weighing everything up and deciding whether something is worth pursuing and putting effort into to reach the end goal.

My approach to so many UFC events is excitement. I am excited for the unpredictability and the potential of some great fights – entertainment-wise and technically. The UFC ten days ago fulfilled all of that and more, and while my analysis of the fights was grossly incorrect, I was right in my feel that the potential of this event was huge.

Work and business is a prime example. I am always thinking of ways to develop myself. Ideas that may just work and require time and effort to develop. Some do, and some do not. I am fortunate enough to have a talented partner in crime who I can bounce ideas off and help me further understand the potential of an idea or thought. I can have all the thoughts in the world, but similar to betting, absorb different opinions and views, and then make the decisions. Potential is exciting. Just like a bet though, just because there is potential in something, it may not always be the right decision to go for it. I have millions of ideas coming into my head all the time, not all of them turn out to be worth pursuing or of any value, but I give them all consideration, analyse the potential and pursue or discard as appropriate.

Potential can manifest itself in many different ways. I saw potential in my cousin’s son being an Evertonian despite pretending to support Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo. One trip to Wembley and a Marouane Fellaini wig later, and he was converted to a blue. Perhaps that one is somewhat tenuous but I’m grabbing on to it.

Football and sport is one area which I keenly follow potential. I love nothing more than to follow young talented players and see their development. It is certainly an area which I plan to become more involved with in the future, as well as coaching. I have a good relationship with Ray Hall at the Everton Academy – I know just how proud he is when one of his Academy players makes the breakthrough to the first team. It must be a huge buzz to see a Wayne Rooney or Jack Rodwell come through the ranks and become a major star.

I guess a key element in all things potential is the ability to envision the future and forward think. Unquestionably there will always be factors along the way which can affect the development of some potential, but if harnessed in the right way and with a large spoonful of hard work, passion and dedication, that potential has every chance of succeeding. Some ideas are just not meant to happen, some players just do not get the lucky breaks they deserve, and some cousins may not have an Uncle Rob to take them to Everton games, but giving potential a shot can do no harm.

I have taken a couple of risks/chances in recent years by leaving excellent jobs. Following which, I have had a number of ideas and projects which I have worked on. I am not the only one. There seem to be a number of people I know who have done something similar and decided to take the plunge. It may seem ridiculous to some in this economy, but I think it is all about realising the potential of one’s ideas and abilities. Now, if you do not have the ideas and abilities, then you’re in a tricky situation. However, I genuinely believe that so many people I know have the potential to be successful and to make their own way through life. Inevitably there is a degree of risk in anything like this that the potential will not grow into existence, but one thing is for sure – it won’t if you leave it sat on the shelf.