Sprint! (Sometimes)
Become Possessed: Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. One of the greatest athletes of all time. His feet are more dexterous than most people’s hands. He’s an absolute wizard on the grass. A little speed demon with exceptional ball control and elite goal scoring ability. He’s got 46 career trophies and is the most decorated player in the history of professional football. Recently he led Argentina to a World Cup victory. He’s an absolute beast. Your traditional number 10.
No one argues that Messi is really really really good at football or soccer, or whatever you call it — but there’s a lot of debate about whether or not the effort is there (kinda like LeBron lol). People think that Cristiano or others work much harder. But critics aside, I think Messi’s supposed weakness is actually one of his biggest strengths.
He does something that I think we could all do more:
Relax.
Slow down.
Conserve your energy.
And then sprint!
Messi seems lazy. Like he doesn’t care.
To the naked eye, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
He seems to walk around the field.
He seems to not care.
He seems like he’d rather be picking his nose or popping dandelions in the corner.
Probably true sometimes.
But I think theres more to it.
I think he’s conserving his energy for critical moments. For moments that matter.
He slowly, tactically mopes around the field, but when the ball comes to him… lightning in a bottle. Magic!
It’s not laziness.
It’s efficiency.
Walking all game lets him play full time.
Something most of us can’t fathom.
Staying in the game. Never coming out. Delivering in the big moments. Relaxing when it’s time to relax. Turning it off. Turning it on.
There are times in life where we should be sprinting. There are times in life where we should be walking.
We are seemingly perpetually in a state of one or the other.
Balance is important.
You can’t sprint forever.
Nor should you walk forever.
There are times when you have a big test, or a big game, or something that requires extra effort.
Extra studying.
Harder training.
But you shouldn’t—nor can you—stay there.
You’ll run out of gas.
On the flip side, if you walk forever, you’re not gonna get what you want out of life.
You gotta be able to turn it on too. You gotta be able to switch the flip. Or flip the switch. Whatever, you get it.
Life requires both modes.
Sometimes we need to have our foot on the gas. Sometimes we need to be warming up the tires to prepare for the roadtrip.
It’s up to you to determine what season of life you’re in, and to execute.
Thanks for reading, and as always, godspeed.
—Dante
Things That Have Possessed Me This Week:
Book: Project Hail Mary
Money Advice: Saving is a form of self respect.
Training Modality: Stair stepper + weighted vest