I am addicted to Apple TV’s show Ted Lasso. It’s about an American football coach, who moves to England to manage an Elite soccer team. Ted Lasso has no experience in soccer whatsoever. You don’t need to love sports to love this show. It’s funny, inspiring and entertaining. Most of all, every episode is a master class on leadership.
This article is inspired by what Ted Lasso said to his Elite soccer team (2 min) after losing a decisive match.
Let’s be sad now. Let’s be sad together. And then let’s be a gosh-darn goldfish.
Ted Lasso
According to Ted, a goldfish only has a 10 second memory span. He is telling his team to be a goldfish, so that they don’t keep beating themselves up for the loss. This is an important lesson for us all. Many of us over-achievers are too hard on ourselves, including dwelling on the mistakes of the past. Remember, if we are not making mistakes, we are probably not stretching ourselves enough.
Learn from Ted Lasso to build your self-confidence. In the moment of any set-back,
- Take a moment to be sad and reflect on it
- But then be a goldfish and move on.
Kids do this well. I think it was innate in all of us at one point to live in the moment and then move on. Kids are able to walk, bike, skate, summersault, because they don’t label their initial attempts as “failures.” They also don’t let any failed attempts mean anything about them. They are singularly focused on achieving their goal to walk, bike, etc…
Somewhere along the way, we grew up and started caring how others perceive us. We learned the bad habit of making things mean more than they should. We need to listen to the lesson from Ted Lasso and also learn from kids.
Like anything, this takes practice. We need to unlearn our bad habits of dwelling on the past and also surround ourselves with supportive people who can help us move forward. Only then, can we have the confidence to fail 1000 times and still take on the world.
p.s.: Goldfish actually doesn’t have 10 second memories. I think only Dory the goldfish in the movie “Finding Nemo” has this talent, as a birth defect. Regardless, “Be a goldfish” is more of metaphor. Perhaps what’s more factual is “Be Dory, the goldfish.” 🙂
Your comments: What are some ways you have learned to not dwell on your mistake and keep moving forward with self confidence? I look forward to your comments
Your comments: Do you have an inner voice that tells you that you are not enough? Do you where it comes from and how to ignore it? I look forward to hearing from you.
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I am always in your corner.
Lei
Best wishes to your endeavors. I am always in your corner.
Lei
Great article.