If the goals we set for ourselves directly translate into the success we experience, is it better to plan realistically or really dream big?
Explorer and adventurer Mike Horn believes in the latter mindset, especially when it comes to the turnout for the United States team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani on Thursday to discuss the differences in German and American perspectives with regard to setting goals for the tournament, and how that could relate to why the United States is no longer in the running.
“Anybody that comes with a German background comes from one of the best footballing nations in the world,” said Horn. “It’s very professional. ... Each player or each member of the management team has a specific role to play, and they leave no stone unturned. The Germans did it perfectly and they performed perfectly. The Americans, on the other side, they had to stay where other people stayed, but they outperformed more than what everybody expected from them and I think that is quite important. If you can play with complete freedom like the Americans played, then you can enhance your performance.”
Despite their success, Horn believes they did not advance further simply because they didn’t set their goals high enough.
“If you look at Germany, their dream isn’t just to go to the finals -- their dream is to bring the World Cup home,” he said. “Argentina said in the press yesterday that their dream was to reach the finals, and if that’s where your dream stops, that’s where it stops. I seriously think they [the Americans] didn’t dream big enough. They outperformed themselves. The more they performed, the more support they got… And to be able to have more U.S. supporters carrying these players helps them perform as well because you’re playing for a nation. ... That’s when we can psychologically outperform ourselves.”
To hear more of Horn's thoughts about Team USA and the World Cup, watch the full HuffPost Live clip in the video above.