Coaching is a Calling

Did you see Ted Lasso this past week? Last Friday, the episode took us into the mind of a team captain who had lost his ability to motivate because he had forgotten how fun playing soccer can be. We also saw a retired player attempt to redefine himself in a way that does not suit his personal identity. In both cases, these two individuals realized that an immovable object CANNOT overcome an unstoppable force.

What happens to them, you ask? Well, I guess you’ll have to watch.

This post is not about these two characters, however. It is about the coach. Coach Lasso is a Creator, or a person who can take the struggles of one and help them to visualize where he or she wants to be. If you take a look at my wrist, you’ll see a clear wristband that I have been wearing since May. The wristband now has the acronym A-I-R written on it. This stands for

A – Paying attention to what my vision is; staying cued onto the endgame.

I – Making intentional steps towards this vision with every decision; if the choice doesn’t move me in the right direction, I need to choose something else without compromise.

R – Being content and confident in the results I achieve along the path towards this vision. It’s not about getting there today, but about getting there…at all.

Ted displays a usage of this acronym with supreme mastery in last week’s episode. I encourage you to watch it and see for yourself. In the coming week, how can you be a Creator in your classroom to those who are struggling with a problem? Can you turn them around to focus instead on what they want to accomplish, versus fixating on the problem? Do YOU need a coach? Come talk to me – I hope to offer that reflective process to you when you need it.