Playing to Win
Originally published on Rabbi Smason’s beehiiv on July 22, 2026.
The recently concluded World Cup generated interest around the world. Among the stories that caught my attention was a surprising statistic. Professional soccer players convert about 90% of their penalty kicks. But researchers noticed something intriguing.
When a player takes a penalty kick that will immediately win the match if he scores, his success rate remains remarkably high. But when the identical kick must be made simply to keep his team from losing, the success rate drops dramatically.
Let’s consider that for a moment.
The goal is the same size. The ball is in the same place. Even the goalkeeper is the same. Why should identical shots produce such different results?
✨3 Ideas
- **The soul moves toward purpose **
Athletes often perform at their best when they’re focused on achieving success rather than avoiding failure. People often do their best when purpose becomes their primary motivation. We may not even work harder, but we work wiser.
Purpose widens our vision. We begin to see what could go right — and what good we might accomplish — instead of becoming preoccupied with what might go wrong.
The soul longs to build, to contribute, to love, and to grow. It is drawn toward what is good and meaningful, calling us to become more than we are today.
- Fear narrows our vision
A parent motivated primarily by fear asks, “How do I avoid making mistakes?” A parent motivated by purpose asks, “How do I help my child become the person he or she was created to be?”
Fear narrows our vision. We become preoccupied with avoiding what might go wrong. We settle for safety when purpose calls us to something greater.
The soul never stops calling us toward growth. But fear can become so loud that we begin listening to it instead.
- Choose purpose over fear
We regularly make decisions about our relationships, our work, and our spiritual lives. In each case, perhaps the better question is not, “What is the safest choice?” but “What is the most beneficial one?”
Purpose gives us the courage to move forward. Rather than asking, “How do I avoid failure?” we begin asking, “What good can I accomplish?”
When purpose becomes the compass of our lives, we also undergo a spiritual transformation — becoming more loving, more courageous, and more fully ourselves.
📜2 Quotes
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might …” — _Ecclesiastes 9:10 _
“God didn’t put me here to have fun. God put me here to make a difference.” — Jay Paul “J” Robinson, Hall of Fame wrestling coach
❓1 Question
Where in your life are you playing not to lose, instead of playing to win?
The difference between the two penalty kicks wasn’t the distance to the goal or the skill of the player. It was the player’s focus. One athlete was focused on winning. The other was focused on trying not to lose.
Life presents us every day with similar moments. We can approach our decisions merely hoping to avoid mistakes, disappointment, or failure. Or we can answer the soul’s call to build, to contribute, to love, and to grow.
We don’t always control the outcome. But when we choose purpose over fear, we’re no longer simply trying not to lose.** We’re playing to win**.
Until next time, Wishing you a week of purpose, courage and joy,
Rabbi Ze’ev Smason
P.S. What goal are you currently pursuing that excites you? Please share with me — I’d love to hear about it.
P.P.S. If this week’s reflection resonated with you, my new book, Spiritual Sparks: A Reader, continues that journey with sixteen essays exploring purpose, relationships, gratitude, and our inner life. I hope you’ll take a look: Amazon