I spent much of my youth on the soccer field, first as a defender and then as a midfielder. While I learned many lessons during the first twenty-five years, I can say that one of the most valuable lessons I took home with me came from an English coach who taught a summer camp sponsored by Umbro. He yelled, demonstrated and shouted over and over again about the importance of playing to open space.
Young children learning to play soccer tend to swarm around the ball, like bees in summer. The players crowd around one another and subsequently miss the opportunities to spread the game out, to pass the ball and to build successively toward the opponent’s goal. It’s cute, but inefficient.
A good coach will carefully and progressively encourage his or her players to a larger vision, one that encompasses the entirety of the playing field at all times. The first injunction I recall is to keep my head up, to scan the field and to resist the temptation to stare at the ball. It’s amazing what opens up when you really understand this direction! You see around you, you gain perspective where others remain bound by the myopic viewpoint and you become an agent of surprise rather than its unwitting victim.
The best players, you will know note, rarely, if ever look at the ball. They develop a sense for its whereabouts which is largely dependent upon their deliberately maintained awareness of the big picture. When you watch the big picture you have the opportunity to see that the events of the future cast the shadows on the present. They are much more likely to be in the “right place at the right time,” not so much by serendipity, but by design. They always seem to appear magically in open space that no one else had recognized or they become playmakers by sending the ball into open space within reach of a teammate who is in position to outmaneuver his opponent.
The same is true in the living of life. Whether or not you see yourself as a “big picture” thinker, everyone can benefit from a spoonful of big picture every now and again. Perspective management is fundamental to success in any field and without it, those involved can quickly and easily lose the way.
How do you “keep your head up” in the world you center? Are there resources you draw on, such as people, periodicals, prayer or pace changes, to broaden your perspective? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Keeping your head up allows you to develop an uncommon vision. This vision makes “playing to open space” possible. The bulk of opportunity lies dormant in open space. To fail on this principle is to limit your success in life!
Gregory Hake 
Oh gosh does this mean I have to move to Utah like my husband wants to do? 🙂 It’s the most ridiculus idea ever!
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I have friends from Utah. Must be a great place judging by them!
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I keep my head up knowing that there are people that depend on me and that reminds me to take the high road which, to me relates to having a big pic view. I’ve enjoyed reading the other comments about this as well.
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That’s the spirit!
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What a great subject. In each moment there is something new trying to manifest. Its not something isolated but a continuation, a progression of creativity.
It seems to me that most of the endeavors of humankind is to find safety or feel safe at least but we have translated that as keeping things predictable and repetitious. That brings stagnation and all that comes with it. Being safe would be allowing the progression of creativity and being a part of it, and all that comes with it!
I enjoyed this post. Your analogy seems effective for young people and a business application. Thanks.
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As Mike Rowe of the popular tv program “Dirty Jobs” said (I paraphrase): “If we put safety first, we’ll never get anything done!”
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You write so beautifully!
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That’s a huge compliment and a testament to the power of the better schools in the American public school system. Thank you.
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Just reading this opened the vista in my mind so that I can see my way out of the cluster. Can’t wait to see how it works in the rest of my field as I move through the day. Awesome!
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There are always those people who find success where others can’t, and I bet that this principle played a large role in their success. And there are also so many people that get trapped in the day to day. Get up. Get dressed. Go to work. Come home. Cook dinner. Go to bed. Repeat ad infinitum. There are so many variations possible in life, and it’s sad to see that most people miss most of their opportunities for change. Whether the change is to do something different one morning before work, do your job a little more efficiently, or risk everything to try to make your dreams reality, you won’t do it if you are living your life as a drone. If you aren’t looking, you’ll never see your big chance. You gave great advice today. Learn to play to the open spaces, but first, look up!
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Good point Colin!
You just can’t stop believing that there are open spaces out there, even if you can’t see them from where you are!
Love the post Gregg!!
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Especially then!
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I agree!
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Agreed! It’s so easy to get bogged down in the little stuff (and don’t they say it’s all small stuff?) and forget the big things that make life happen. Drone is a good word for the people who continually put one foot in front of the other and never look up.
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Hey Gregg,
One of the things I do daily to continue growing is read daily, just 30 minutes or so, but something everyday that causes me to think outside the box – this has helped tremendously in keeping my eye on the bigger picture.
The other thing I’ve found helpful is to surround myself with people who encourage making “a growth choice”. A friend once told me that “you are a product of the company with which you keep” – a ha – so hang with people that are growing and have big dreams, not those that are complaining and apathetic.
There are many others but these two are fundamental for me.
Great post – got me thinking about looking to the “open space”.
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