A big (spoiler-free) lesson from Ted Lasso

If you’re one of the many newbies receiving my weekly insights for the first time today, WELCOME! It’s so great to have you here.

If you’re not one of the newbies, thank you for hanging around and reading each week.

I know I wasn’t the only one who cried buckets while watching the last episode of Ted Lasso last week (on Apple TV+ if you haven’t seen it yet – and yes, it absolutely IS worth subscribing to watch it).

I have adored every single thing about this show since I watched the first episode almost three years ago.

It’s not sharing spoilers when I say that all the characters evolved during the show, with none of them ending up as they began.

There is a scene in the final episode where Roy Kent talks about wanting to change to be better, and how, despite trying really hard, he is still the “same f*&%ing idiot” he was before embarking on a year of trying to do things differently.

Coach Beard reminds him that change isn’t about perfection, because “perfection sucks” and “perfection is boring” (with some very funny exceptions, which, for me to mention, would be spoilers…).

One of my favourite lines in the whole series comes from Higgins, when he says, “Human beings are never going to be perfect Roy. The best we can do is keep is keep asking for help and accepting it when you can. And if you keep on doing that you’ll always be moving towards better.”

My question to you is this:

Are you moving towards better or are you striving for perfection?

When we strive for perfection, we are setting ourselves up for a whole lot of disappointment and frustration. Perfectionists tend to believe it needs to be all or nothing, and life isn’t like that.

When we move towards better, we are growing.

When we move towards better, we ask for help, we seek feedback, we trust ourselves more.  

Where are you now and where do you want to be?