Lessons from football: What 鈥楾ed Lasso鈥 has taught me
Print Edition
This fortnight there鈥檚 been a series of heartbreaks, from a brutal coal mine attack in Pakistan to ongoing tensions in Gaza. Ten countries and territories experienced severe flooding over 12 days, while the death toll from a tropical storm that slammed into the Philippines rose to 90.
In Brazil, a journalist was assassinated; in Australia, a man was charged with murdering his partner; and in Mexico, a 15-year-old boy was shot dead. Biodiversity continues to decline, with species populations down more than 70 percent, while a reported 35.3 million refugees worldwide have fled their homes due to conflict and human rights violations. Need I go on?
What makes these events sadder is that they are nothing new. The world is often a difficult and painful place to be. But pain doesn鈥檛 need to make the news to matter. Every day we come close to suffering or in close contact to someone who is. Often that suffering happens in silence because we live in a culture where struggle equals failure and happy social media posts reign supreme. Too many of us pretend to be OK when we鈥檙e not. The fact is that little about life is easy, and for that reason I鈥檝e never had much time or patience for positive thinking.
鈥淚t could be worse.鈥 鈥淟ive, laugh, love.鈥 鈥淢iracles happen every day.鈥
My eyes roll. We鈥檝e all fallen victim to these drab expressions. A no doubt well-meaning man once told me: 鈥淪mile, it might never happen.鈥 My nana had just died. That鈥檚 the problem. When we spew this stuff, we often don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e spewing it on. Even worse is to hear sunshine mentality from those we love who cannot sit under our clouds. In discomfort, they distance themselves with pretty words that have no place in the moment.
Or do they?
I recently took sick leave, and to lift my spirits, a friend suggested I swap my love of gritty TV for something light. 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥 was their suggestion. The award-winning series follows an American football coach hired to manage an English soccer team without any experience of the game. With his infectious energy, Ted wins over players and learns valuable lessons abut himself, life and friendship.
鈥淭ed Lasso鈥 is not my type of television. But the program received widespread critical acclaim for its balance of humour and emotional depth, so I gave it a go. Several episodes in, and I鈥檓 hooked. What about 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥 can turn a skeptic soft?
On first watch, Ted鈥檚 optimism seems naive and simplistic. But as the show progresses, it becomes clear his positivity isn鈥檛 half-assed. There鈥檚 something disarmingly genuine about this coach. Case in point, when a player misses a goal and feels the weight of his team, Ted tells him: 鈥淵ou know what the happiest animal in the world is? It鈥檚 a goldfish. You know why? It鈥檚 got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.鈥
In another episode, Ted tells his disheartened players: 鈥淚 promise you, there is something worse out there than being sad, and that鈥檚 being alone and sad. Ain鈥檛 nobody in this room alone.鈥
And when reflecting on the fouls life throws at us, Ted said: 鈥淚 think those things come into our lives to help us get from one place to a better one.鈥
Ted鈥檚 positivity is actionable. It鈥檚 purposeful. It鈥檚 personal. His brand isn鈥檛 about making people feel good; it鈥檚 about empowering them. His words are more than empty platitudes; they are tools for growth. When Ted tells someone to 鈥渂e a goldfish,鈥 he isn鈥檛 dismissing their disappointment. He鈥檚 offering them a way through it. When he reminds his team they鈥檙e not alone, he鈥檚 building a sense of community.
In one scene, Ted quotes Walt Whitman, who said: 鈥淏e curious, not judgemental.鈥 And I guess that鈥檚 what 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥 taught me. I鈥檓 curious how things would be different if we all adopted his philosophy. Could empathy become our first response to challenges? Might setbacks be opportunities?
Maybe we鈥檇 find strength in vulnerability and wisdom in simplicity.
I鈥檓 convinced everyone needs a Ted Lasso. I鈥檒l be yours if you鈥檒l be mine.
Yes, we鈥檙e talking about a TV show, but the way Ted approaches life isn鈥檛 just about optimism. It鈥檚 about staying open to what others feel 鈥 even when we don鈥檛 understand. In our divided reality, curiosity could be life鈥檚 game changer. And with Ted鈥檚 playbook, we might just win.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
