Is Ted Lasso Naive...or Onto Something?

I was listening to a podcast on my way to work this week featuring a conversation between thought leader Simon Sinek and Brendan Hunt, co-creator of Ted Lasso and the actor behind Coach Beard.

The two were talking about how the show delivers a message of togetherness, helpfulness, and optimism, a 180 from much of American television and reality TV.

Naturally, the conversation turned to the show's signature Believe sign. Brenden shared that the homemade sign was actually a simplified version of a larger idea: covering the locker room with those stereotypical corporate "keep at it" motivational signs. Instead, they decided to go with one crooked, homemade Believe sign hanging above the coach's office. And, without giving away any spoilers here, the team originally wanted absolutely no part of buying into it.

Until, eventually, one by one, they did.

Coach Lasso chose optimism.

Outside the scripted world of Ted Lasso, choosing optimism may feel a little harder.

As you read this, I'm sure you can think of a laundry list of reasons you might want to rip down that figurative Believe sign. And maybe, momentarily, ripping it down would feel pretty good.

But then what?

That brings me to one of my favorite quotes from the Dalai Lama:

“Choose to be optimistic. It feels better.”

Of course, "choose optimism" sounds wonderfully simple when it's printed beneath an inspirational photo. It's much harder when you're stuck in traffic, dealing with a difficult colleague, facing uncertainty, or navigating something painful.

But optimism doesn't require us to pretend those things aren't happening. Instead, it asks us to believe that, despite them, something better is still possible, and that we might have some role in creating it. It gives us back the control.

Not surprisingly, the Dalai Lama is onto something with the whole "it feels better" thing.

Not only can optimism feel better, but research suggests it may be good for us, too.

An article from Harvard Health Publishing highlighted a 2019 study involving more than 70,000 people. Researchers found that those with higher levels of optimism were more likely to live to age 85 or older than their less optimistic counterparts.

Perhaps even more encouraging, optimism isn't entirely something we're born with. The article notes that optimism is estimated to be about 25–30% heritable, meaning there is plenty of room for our experiences, behaviors, and choices to shape it over time.

Which brings me back to that homemade Believe sign.

Imagine Ted Lasso hanging it above the locker room and then spending every practice complaining about his players, expecting them to fail, and dwelling on everything going wrong. The sign would be meaningless.

The same is true in our classrooms, workplaces, and organizations. We can cover the walls with words like Believe. Dream. Grow. Innovate. But if the people leading those spaces don't behave as though growth is possible, those words are just another form of lame décor.

Ted didn't convince the team to believe because he hung up a sign. He convinced them because he behaved like someone who believed. He chose optimism and then practiced what he preached.

To be clear, Ted didn't ignore the losses, injuries, conflicts, or disappointments. Instead, he acknowledged the hard stuff but didn't allow it to dictate what he believed was possible next.

Eventually, other people started believing, too.

Sure, choosing optimism can make us feel better, but perhaps the best part is that our optimism can make the people around us feel better, too.

So, if you're starting a new school year, launching a new initiative, or beginning something in between, hang up your version of the Believe sign, put an inspirational quote on the wall, or write Choose Optimism on a Post-it and stick it to your computer.

But then comes the important part:

You have to live like you believe it.

And maybe, eventually, other people will believe it, too.

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Find one thing that brings you joy today.