Why Messi Shoots First

You guys may or may not know this already, but I absolutely LOVE soccer.

I’ve played since forever and now at age 31 I still get out there as often as I can… which means about once a week these days.

Also, I cannot tell you how excited I am for the World Cup to come to the U.S.
(Yes, I entered to win a trip to a game at Home Depot… don’t judge 😂)

⚡️ F5 Fast Files - Short Summary

📣 Our hearts and prayers go out to F5 brother Dave and his family. His son (11) had a stroke and underwent surgery this week.

We’re with you brother, praying for Charlie’s recovery 🙏

⚽ The Most Intense Moment in Sports

The 2022 World Cup Final? Unreal.

Massive momentum swings. Late goals. Absolute chaos.

And then… Penalty Kicks.

If you’ve never experienced it, here’s how it works:

If it’s still tied?

One shot each… until someone misses.

It’s simple.
It’s terrifying.
It’s beautiful.

⚡ Pressure Changes Everything

The pressure builds with every shot.

Miss early?
You’ve still got time.

Miss late?
Game over… And everyone knows whose fault it was.

When I was a kid playing tournament soccer, we had a strategy:

👉 Put your best shooters last (4th and 5th)

Why?

Because those were the highest pressure moments.

That’s when you want your best guy.

Makes sense, right?

🤔 Then Why Did Messi Go First?

In the biggest game of the decade…

Messi and Mbappé both shot first.

Not last.

The best players from either team shot first. Why?

🧠 Hard First… or Nah?

There’s a lot of advice out there right now that says:

And honestly?

That’s good advice.

Especially if you’re a procrastinator. (not me writing this at 10pm on Tuesday night 🫣)

Sometimes you just need to get the hard thing off your chest so it doesn’t hang over your entire day.

But maybe… just maybe…

That’s not always the right play.

🔥 Start With a Win

Sometimes what you need most isn’t relief…

It’s momentum.

A sure thing.

A guaranteed win.

Something you cannot miss.

Instead of biting off the hardest thing first, take the approach of stacking small wins.

Like 4-star admiral William H. McRaven said in his best selling book and viral commencement speech:

“Make your bed. That one task accomplished will give you a small sense of pride and lead you to complete another task, and another, and another…”

This strategy is all about using momentum, so no resting on your laurels as soon as you’ve made the bed. Instead, use it to get going and carry you through harder stuff too.

🎉 It Depends, Ha!

So when the pressure is on, what’s the play?

Is it:
👉 Do the hardest thing first?
or
👉 Stack easy wins?

So often us guys want the right answer to be “work harder”.

It’s a simple answer that works often, plus feels like we’re taking responsibility as we were taught. When we try that approach we’re able to tell our friends about how “tired” we are, earning another sympathetic pat on the head.

Get honest with yourself. When you’re stressed out, spread thin, or under a lot of pressure what is your most likely reaction?

Based on your answer, which strategy is more likely to help your team win?

You might need to suck it up and get that thing done.

Then again, maybe you should start by caching in a cool kick from the spot like Messi.

Always cheering for you!

Justin

F5 Brotherhood

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