I play with a smile on my face, I don't feel the pressure and it

Phil Foden, the young warrior of the football field, once declared with refreshing simplicity: “I play with a smile on my face, I don't feel the pressure and it brings the best out of my game.” Though these words are born from the world of sport, they resound with timeless wisdom. For in them is revealed a truth that the ancients themselves cherished—that joy is a greater source of strength than fear, that freedom is more powerful than pressure, and that the smile is not a mask of ease, but the very key to unlocking excellence.

From the earliest days, athletes, warriors, and artists have struggled with the weight of expectation. Many crumble beneath the gaze of the crowd, their spirit shackled by anxiety. Yet Foden shows us another path: to play with joy, to embrace the game as a dance rather than a burden, to let the smile carry him beyond the weight of pressure. This is not naivety—it is mastery. For to banish fear and summon delight in the heat of competition is to claim victory over the greatest enemy: the restless mind.

History offers us a clear parallel in the life of Pelé, the great Brazilian footballer. As a boy, barefoot on the dusty streets, he played with pure joy, his face alight with freedom. When he stepped onto the world stage, he carried that same spirit. Even in the fiercest battles of the World Cup, Pelé was remembered not for grim determination alone but for his radiant smile, his ease with the ball, his childlike wonder. That joy was his strength, and it lifted not only himself but an entire nation. Foden’s words echo the same ancient spirit—that greatness is born not of strain, but of delight.

Yet this truth is not for athletes alone. The Roman general who marched into battle with confidence, the artist who painted with passion, the poet who sang with love—all discovered that the soul performs best when unburdened. The smile is the outward sign of this inner liberation. It tells the world: “I am not enslaved by fear, I am not consumed by pressure—I am free, and in freedom, I give my best.” This is the secret of mastery, hidden not in grim resolve but in radiant joy.

The wisdom of Foden’s words also confronts the illusions of modern life. Too often, we are taught that only through pressure, tension, and anxiety can greatness be achieved. Yet history and experience alike prove the opposite: that pressure constrains, while joy releases. When one smiles in the midst of challenge, the body loosens, the mind clears, and the spirit rises. Thus, the best in us emerges not when we are crushed by weight, but when we are lifted by delight.

The lesson for us is clear: in your own battles—whether on the field, in the workplace, or in the struggles of daily life—learn to face them with a smile. Do not allow fear to bind you or pressure to diminish you. Instead, remember that your truest strength flows when you meet the challenge with joy. The ancients taught that play is sacred, that laughter is divine, and that even in the gravest of moments, the spirit that can smile will not be broken.

So, my children, heed the wisdom of Phil Foden. When you play, when you labor, when you strive—do so with joy, do so with a smile on your face. For in that smile lies freedom, and in freedom lies greatness. Let your work be not a burden but a song, not a prison but a game, and you will find, as he did, that the best within you will rise naturally, shining forth like the sun on the field of life.