Lessons From Ted Lasso & Walt Whitman

I am not a huge consumer of television, but I do have a few shows that I enjoy. One of my favorites is Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis.

For those who do not know about the show (if you don't know you are missing out), Ted Lasso is about a Division II football coach who gets hired to coach a UK Soccer team in the Premiership League. Even though he knows nothing about European Soccer a.k.a. football, he takes the job anyway and uses his perpetual optimism and belief in human connection, and dives into the new job.  

In one of the episodes of the first season, Lasso (Sudeikis's character) is in a pub playing darts, and at the end of the match, in typical Lasso fashion, he looks at his opponent and quotes Walt Whitman . . . "Be curious, not judgemental."

A deeply impactful quote and one that I think about often.

I know in my own life I have been guilty of making judgments and arriving at conclusions based on what I see initially. The stories I can create in my head are far from reality.

I have done this to myself, with other people and situations; both personally and professionally.

In many of those instances, I would have been better off embracing curiosity, asking questions, looking at things from a different perspective, and getting more insight to properly inform my opinion.

This would be far better than rushing to judgment only to find out I was wrong.

I typically do not adopt new words or themes for a new year, but after thinking about this quote, my word for last year was curiosity and it served me well and still does.

I want to continue to move to a place of being curious, rather than judgemental. 

I want to understand the why behind myself and others.

I want to be informed and rather than make judgments, I want to be curious and seek to understand.

I want to give the benefit of the doubt and like Lasso, believe in the beauty and power of human connection.

I hope you find the same for yourself and you will join me in exploring and being curious

On the journey with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.