Everything I need to know in life I learned from Soccer

Anticipating others' moves.

Playing defense requires you to anticipate the moves of the offensive player so you can effectively stop him.   And you can’t play the ball---you’ll be tricked.  Every time.  Nor can you follow the player’s feet.  You have to watch the player’s hips.  Being aware of the other offensive players helps, but the goal is to defend the forward away from the goal towards the sidelines.  It’s being aware of their body language and anticipating their moves.  This is what helped me be a better driver.  You need to anticipate other drivers, especially when merging onto the Kennedy Expressway.  Are they accelerating, is there another car in front of them, does it seem like they might want to pass or switch lanes to get around, are they trying to exit the highway?  Then once you become familiar with the traffic patterns, you can anticipate the most frequented exits and moves other drivers will make.

Creating space.

This is important during the game to allow movement of the ball.  You can’t be standing still during the game.  Nor next to your teammate.  You have to get open—get square so they can pass the ball to you.  You have to know your strengths and weaknesses as well as those of your teammates so that you can play synergistically.  And ultimately, by creating space and passing, the balance of the power in the game changes.  I find this to be true in life with any kind of relationship.  You have to create space around yourself, to know yourself, to be able to handle yourself and, in turn, give space to those people so they can know themselves.  But at the same time, you move together be open with the goal of working synergistically.  There is no movement without space.  When someone is in your space, it stops your own personal movement and the movement of the team. 

Dirty Dancing.

Remember the scene in Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze is teaching Jennifer Gray how to dance?  He corrects her, maintain your space.  "Look spaghetti arms.  This is my dance space.  This is your dance space.  I don't go into yours.  You don't go into mine.  You gotta hold the frame."  Creating space and maintaining it is important in this game and dance of life.  It’s counter-intuitive—you think you want somebody in your life, that you have to go to them.  Don’t get me wrong; there are times you will have to go to that person, but there needs to be a balance.  The ebb and flow of life.  And by creating space, you are allowing things to enter your life.  Whether it’s getting rid of the clutter and maintaining a simpler and structured living environment, or eliminating draining relationships—a negative friend or a man who doesn’t want what you want.  How can you possibly grow, develop new interests, or meet new people if there isn’t any space for it?