Express Yourself

We are to the first "E" in BELIEVE.  Express yourself like Roy.

Let me back up.

Maybe not EXACTLY like Roy.  As you can see in the previous clips I have shown, Roy often expresses himself with grunts...groans...growls...and his favorite word which begins with the letter F.

During season one and part of season two of "Ted Lasso", we see Roy grow from a foul-mouthed, hardcore soccer player to a foul-mouthed, hardcore coach.  He begins to see the importance of the team when he is hurt.  He begins to see the importance of the team when he feels that all he knows; being a soccer player is being stripped away.  Seeing the positivity in the team and in Ted causes Roy to begin to see himself as more than a soccer player.  He begins to see himself as a role model....as someone that people will talk about who made a difference in their lives.  He lets people know he is there for them and believes in them by learning that it is okay to express your feelings...even the mushy ones.  

Perhaps the hardest lesson he learns is that you bring more players to the field with honey rather than vinegar.  He realized expressing your concerns in a calm manner to the people who can help you makes all the difference.  Complaining in the locker room to your teammates about running one more lap or having a 6 a.m. practice didn't do any good.  Picking apart a player's play and not addressing them in person, did not solve a problem or improve play.   Asking why they were doing those things...there was then an understanding between players and coaches.  That is a hard thing about being on a team.  You may not always agree, but being on the team means you do things for the team...sometimes even if you don't want to.  It is what makes a team great.  In short...being such a grouchy, negative person did him no favors.  It caused people to turn away from him and lose respect for him.

I know we all have bad days.  I know we all (me included) are asked to do things we don't agree with.  Things that may seem like busy work (Can we say another review with the Migrant program after we had it last year!  YUCK!  Why do we have to fill all the stuff out AGAIN?)...but there is a reason and a purpose behind it all.  I can complain all I want...but I still have to do it.  If all I do is express my negativity on the task, will I do it to the best of my ability?  Will I help my team?  Our kids?  Our school?  No.  Do what you got to do and do it because it is for the good of the team.  

Express yourself.  Express positivity.  Express your concerns to the right people.  Express joy.  Express love.

I shared Jon Gordon's Positivity Pledge for Teachers last week.  Listen to his short clip.  I believe in you.  I believe you can make a difference.