Lasso Life Lesson #2: Be A Goldfish
In the second episode of season 1 of the Apple TV show, Ted Lasso, one of the soccer players, Sam, makes a mistake and one of his teammates, Jamie, makes fun of him. You can tell Sam is beating himself up about it.
Ted Lasso calls Sam over and asks him, “Do you know what the happiest animal on Earth is?”
Sam is clearly perplexed and Ted responds, “A goldfish is the happiest animal on Earth because they have a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”
Check out the one-minute clip here.
So, what does that really mean? First, according to my research, goldfish have a longer memory than 10 seconds, but that’s not what really matters. The main point is to stop obsessing about our mistakes. We need to learn from our mistakes instead of lingering over them.
I do a lot of in-person and virtual training and workshops on various wellness topics. Recently, I was leading a virtual training session and technology was not my friend that day. I became distracted by the tech issues, and I did not deliver my best work. I was so disappointed in myself because it was a test run for potential future work. In my mind, I dwelled on that mishap for days until I was reminded about being a goldfish when the reference came up again in the final episode of Ted Lasso. I needed to accept my mistake, find the lesson in it, and move on. Quit ruminating and rebound.
When you find yourself in the tailspin of ruminating over your mistakes, try these five steps to rebound:
1. Own your mistakes – We all make mistakes. Sometimes we want to run and hide or even blame others for our mistakes. Before you learn anything, you must acknowledge you made a mistake. Admitting your mistake shows integrity which builds trust with others, and it relieves you of the burden of carrying it around.
2. Analyze your mistake –Ask yourself what you were trying to do, what went wrong, and why. Understanding how it happened will help you make different choices in the future, so similar mistakes don’t happen again.
3. Ask for help – If you are having a hard time determining what happened on your own ask for help from your colleagues, your boss, your family, or your friends.
4. Identify the lesson(s) – Identifying the knowledge, skills, or tools required to avoid repeating your mistake is the key to improvement. Seeing the gaps in your knowledge or process will show you where to apply your energy.
5. Apply the lesson – The first four steps are meaningless if you don’t apply the lesson. Sometimes applying the lesson can be complex. Break it down into smaller chunks. This will help you have success faster and it won’t feel as overwhelming. The more specific and measurable your action items are the better.
Before you begin these steps, it might be helpful to move your body. This can often help you clear your mind so you can process these steps. This week’s stretch video will help you do that. Click here to stretch your mind, body, and breath.
Inquiry Question: What is a recent mistake you made that you are still ruminating about? How can you apply these five steps to stop ruminating and start rebounding?