One of the greatest joys of my life was the opportunity to coach flag football for both of my sons’ teams as they were growing up. It was an absolute joy to get to know the young men on my teams and to see them develop confidence along the way. In fairness, most of our teams were not completely stacked with talent, but we tended to believe in one another and had success because of it. My coaching philosophy was (and still is) to carry belief in every aspect of what we were doing. So it is no surprise that I absolutely love the Apple series, Ted Lasso, and his character. No spoilers, but one of the biggest images to come out of Ted Lasso for me is a sign that says Believe, and most recently a post it added to this sign that says “and win” (and more to follow).

Isn’t it interesting that we as a society put winning above all else in many ways. Yet, we don’t define what it means. Is it by score? Is it by getting that big promotion? Or, is it just by gaining self-confidence and being able to believe in oneself and those around you? For me, I would like to think that it is the latter.

An example of this was one of the players that I coached. He was certainly not the most athletic young man on the team. As a result, he truly lacked confidence in his ability. One thing my coaches taught me growing up was that you don’t always have to be the most athletic.  You just need to have a love for what you are doing and allow that love to fuel what you do.  And, you just need to want the ball when the game is on the line.  Simply put, you need to Believe!  I will admit my approach was a little more calculated with him, but it worked.  I emphasized the need for him to just go for it and trust himself and he would win. And, throughout the season he got better. So much so that when the championship was on the line, I put him in a key position to stop the other team from scoring. I am sure that my decision would have been questioned by many if he would have failed, but the good news is for him and I guess for myself is that he shined! He made a play that was amazing. But, what was more amazing was the smile on his face as he looked toward me afterward. I have received many thank you cards since, but his still rings in my mind. It simply said thank you coach for believing in me. His Dad approached me later and also thanked me for giving his son confidence not only in football, but in himself. 

I consider the opportunity I was given in coaching one of the greatest blessings of my life.  Not one I deserved, but one I was truly given.  I will admit that the teams I coached didn’t “win” everything by the conventional sense in score, but my hope to this day is that they all gained an appreciation and love for each other and for themselves.

In our everyday lives, I hope that we can see what others may be missing and instill confidence in those around us that may be struggling with it. I hope that we can make them believe and ultimately “win”. Not in the traditional sense, but in all that truly count.