After losing out to New Zealand in a dramatic World Cup Semi- final in Auckland, AB de Villiers cut a dejected figure at the post match press conference.

De Villiers said he had never felt so low.

I have absolutely no idea what to do from here on in; I don’t even know when we’ll be going home. It’s going to take some time. As a captain I’ll be there for the guys as much as I can, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Well, that is the nature of sport.

Someday someone will just have your number – things go wrong.

One’s best made plans – one’s strategies and tactics get derailed.

No matter how hard you prepare, and how hard you try, the ball can bounce wrong.

It’s this dramatic nature of sport that makes us love the game so much.

Sport speeds it all up. The successes are instant, the failures dramatic .

It’s transparent for all to see .

It consumes our emotions, and sometimes it does make grown men cry when the powers that be

 make poor calls .

But, for AB deVilliers, it’s important to remember that while some might say it’s just a game, others will say it’s more than a game .

Sometimes it’s then wise to look back at history for a lesson in leadership – and what it is really about .

Hundreds of years back, one of Francois Drake’s crew members returned to England after circum-navigating the world, only to be chirped:

You have nothing after so much time and effort

The sailor replied:

No, I’ve not made much, I’ve been cold, I’ve been hungry, shipwrecked, desperately frightened, but I have been with the greatest captain who ever sailed the seas ‘

AB de Villiers you have delivered a master class in batting in Australasia.

But, most of all you are a class act.

And you have made South Africa proud by playing the game right !

And leading right!

Entertaining, Educating and Enhancing a nation.

#PROTEAFIRE.

We live in the most technologically advanced society that mankind has ever known, yet we remain mostly unaware of the powerful universal laws of life and health that govern our daily lives.

Recent trends show more and more South Africans becoming near experts at self – medicating. And in business, the big money is certainly moving fast into the rapidly growing pharmaceutical game.

But are we doing it right?

It’s wise to ask oneself the question: What fuel am I really putting into my tank? We’re all selective and kind to our motor cars. We opt for 95 octane, never 93 octane fuel. And we always select a ‘can of the best!’

But, are we kind to ourselves when it comes to ‘filling up’ our own mind/body tanks? Here I’m referring to the three ‘fuels’ which govern our daily lives and our health, namely physical, chemical and emotional fuels? Of course, there’s plenty of advice out there from everywhere, but it’s often just a human trap –  in that it’s mostly commercially generated, and it may not be in your best interest. Beware!

It’s always best to keep in mind one of the most important universal laws of life and health :

The Law of Life Balance .

Too much or too little of anything – for too long – will create a state of imbalance

Imbalance is what creates illness (a state of dis/ease).Balance is what creates wellness (a state of ease).It’s a choice. And this is where we often get it wrong . And then we run to our doctors and the pharmaceutical counter to seek symptomatic relief. And this is where the universal message often goes unheard –

it’s better ‘to seek life balance’, than having ‘ to attempt to restore life balance though medication’

In the physical realm, it’s a fairly easy job to seek life balance. That’s because the body has clear ways of telling us when we get it wrong – too little or too much sleep. Or too little or too much exercise .Or too little or too much heat/cold. We just seem to know when we have over done, or under done it!

It’s the same in the chemical realm, which is predominantly about what we take in through our mouths. Eat wrong and the body will send out a clear message – like indigestion , bloating , diarrhea , constipation ,obesity , vomiting and best of all ‘the famous hangover’ .Our bodies scream out to us ‘to restore life balance’ , when we eat or drink wrong !

But, the real  life challenge lies in the third realm of health, namely the emotional realm. Here it’s definitely not so clear cut . Seldom do we take heed of any bodily message sent out to tell us that we have created an’ emotional imbalance’. We get it unwittingly and humanly wrong, and it’s right here in the emotional realm, that many of the serious life threatening dis/eases originate .

Sadly most of us have little or no clue how negative emotions can wreak havoc with health and happiness. In fact they can destroy and destruct lives.

It’s therefore wise to pay close attention to the ’emotional fuel’, which one is putting into one’s tank.

Fill up your tank – your game plan – with powerful positive emotions, the ones responsible for creating wellness. Positive emotions such as unconditional love, gratitude, acceptance, forgiveness, joy and happiness. These are the greatest healers on this planet.

If,on the other hand you allow your game plan to cram up with the negative emotions, you will soon be in trouble? Negative emotions such as criticism, resentment, guilt, hate, futility and fear – are the ones that if held long term, will turn toxic in the human body. At first you may notice some niggling symptom, but all too often these signals go unnoticed, and eventually the symptom becomes a loud clanging bell – often a life threatening one .The emotional  fuel you have ‘ selected ‘ has turned toxic! Emotional imbalance can destruct and destroy you, often terminating life itself. Change your ‘emotional fuel ‘immediately.

This is how it works in life and health. And this is how to avoid the ever growing pharmaceutical queues. Fill up daily with the right stuff – the right fuel – in the physical, chemical ,and most importantly emotional realms of life and health!

As they say: No health, No wealth!

* Rob Opie is a Strategic Brand Consultant, key note speaker, author and game changer to organizations and individuals. He runs a Strategic Brand Consultancy called The Game Plan – which helps and enables individuals and teams to reach the next level. Please visit www.thegameplan.co.za He’s also the founder of a global online Cancer Resource Centre at www.cancerchampions.co

Trevor Fisher Jr romped to his maiden tour title at the Africa Open this weekend. He shot an astonishing final two rounds of eight under 63, and nine under 64 over a costal links type course that has high risk and reward. He commented that it’s a tough game, where it’s often best to have a ‘keep smelling the roses’ approach – a game where the fine line between the smooth and the rough is exemplified. Just ask SA Open and Jozi Open winner, Andy Sullivan, who missed the cut on the tough East London lay out, after carding a 77 on Friday.

Fisher felt like he was a man on fire, after hearing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m on fire ‘, playing in the courtesy car , on the way to the course on Sunday. For him it was just one of those days, or should we rather say two of those days, when everything just goes ‘figuratively’ right, shooting a remarkable 17 under over the weekend. Fisher commented that his approach to the game has changed after so many years at the tour schools: ‘It’s not the end of the world to me if I win or lose. I will still wake up with a smile on my face. Well, that smile just got a lot bigger, having won the Investec Cup Race, and now bagged the African Open .It makes all the difference, as it enables one to pick and choose where one plays on the European tour. It brings on freedom for any golfer

Fisher’s chance connection with Springsteen, reminds me of the words Jos Vanstipout spoke to Retief Goosen on the eve of his first US OPEN victory.

‘The Black Mamba will strike. Nobody knows who Retief Goosen is. It will be a sneak attack. Nobody will see it coming.’

Faith, Confidence and Belief are the real game changers in any golfer’s bag – they are the extra clubs. And add one called freedom. Fisher has now joined the likes of Retief Goosen, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen who have all won The Africa Open. Hopefully it’s an omen, he commented. Let’s hope so too, for this very popular man from Modderfontein. He certainly has the right mindset and the right long iron game to go all the way when the going gets tough – and especially when the fine lines close in.

Sport has a wonderful way of teaching us about life.

Rob Opie is a brand consultant, key note speaker, author and game changer to individuals and organizations. For more insight and inspiration derived from the great champions of business, sport and life – please visit Rob’s site at http://www.thegameplan.co.za/