Here’s a random trivia question for you. What was the first Western film to be shown on North Korean television? Something fairly dull and worthy perhaps? And possibly not too controversial. Maybe one of the classics from Hollywood’s golden age? Or, what about something that portrays Western society in an unflattering or dystopian way? There’s certainly quite a choice in that particular genre. A Clockwork Orange perhaps? Or The Matrix?
As it happens, any such guesses would be well wide of the mark. Rather surprisingly, on Boxing Day in 2010, North Koreans were treated to a viewing of none other than Bend It Like Beckham. In case you’re wondering, I accidentally discovered this fact while reading somewhere that a sequel could be on the cards. Nevertheless, Bend It Like Beckham is what they got. I’m not sure what picture your typical North Korean has of British life as a result of watching the film, and to be honest, it’s rather difficult to find out.
Talking of Mr Beckham, now that he has hung up his boots, are there tribes of equally deft free-kick takers scattered throughout the football leagues of the world who have taken his place at the top table of dead-ball strikers? Well, not really. Why is that? Well, it’s because getting that good takes a lot of time and energy. Some players might practice free kicks for an hour or two, but then they’ll go and do something else. Beckham would simply keep going, hour after hour, day after day.
And, of course, this same principle applies to many other things in life, including business and property. However, as luck would have it, one doesn’t need to become the world’s best to be successful at either. In fact, you only need to be slightly better than the people you compete against.
Let’s take an example. Imagine that you’re looking for a property development project; a commercial building to convert into flats or a piece of land to build on. You’re all over the online property portals and estate agent websites like a rash, plus you’ve registered with every commercial agent within an hour’s drive of where you live. You’ve even been to see the larger agents on your patch to introduce yourself. You’ve also got a business card and a website, and your branded hi-vis jacket and hard hat are permanent fixtures in the boot of your car. In short, you feel you’re in prime position to acquire a deal. Yet, decent deals don’t fall into your lap for some reason. The phone just isn’t ringing. So, what exactly are you doing wrong?
