For fans of Ted Lasso, the image of an Olympic athlete coaching a young team under a sign stating simply "Believe" is enough to make your heart swell two sizes.
Lasso, the underdog coach, took a dysfunctional British football (soccer) team and made them into not just better athletes and leaders, but better people. He showed us all the simple power of believing. Not just in ourselves, but in one another.
It is a beautiful thing to see the potential in others, to support one another in being better and to by doing so, be better versions of ourselves.
Ingrid Wilm is only 26-years-old, but she is an Olympian who has overcome adversity in her life to achieve her dream of competing at the level of the Olympics. She did this, despite a poor relationship with a coach along the way and more than one significant injury.
But while she was not at her best, instead of giving up, she found the inspiration to continue to improve by supporting her teammates. She spent time sharing her skills and experience with young swimmers who have dreams of their own, and by doing so, inspired them.
As we head into the holiday season, it is wonderful to think of all the things we could accomplish as a community if we were to look at how we can support one another. Even when some of us are down and out, or some of us are suffering.
It is easy to look at a lot of media and feel an increasing divisiveness. But perhaps the thing many people with different views banding together are finding is community through their beliefs. Maybe the answer is not to oppose everyone who does not necessarily share those same beliefs, but instead to engage positively with them.
"Be curious, not judgmental," Ted Lasso.
Instead of spending time and energy getting angry, perhaps we could take a page out of the Lasso playbook and look for ways to find common ground, share our skills and experience to help others, and by doing so, maybe help ourselves too.
