There’s a scene in an episode during the second season of Ted Lasso where Roy is talking to Isaac about the problems Isaac has been having on the pitch since becoming the team captain. He’s taken him to a park at night where a group of young men and women are playing soccer and tells him to play with them, saying:
I brought you here to remind you that football is a fucking game that you used to play as a fucking kid because it was fun. Even when you were getting your fucking legs broken or your fucking feelings hurt. So fuck your feelings, fuck your overthinking, fuck all that bullshit. Go back out there and have some fucking fun.
Roy Kent
Issac has a lot of fun playing that night and he brings that joy of the game back with him to the team, back to being a great player and leader.
I was thinking about this on Friday as I was preparing to play golf for the first time this year. Golf can be a very frustrating sport, but it’s a game, something I needed to remember. With each shot, I tried to remember Roy’s words and made sure that I smiled every time I teed off. Did I do better? Maybe a bit. Did I enjoy it more than usual? Yes, absolutely.
There are lots of things in life like that. We start doing something because it’s fun, but then we forget that and it becomes work, all work, no play.
Remember to enjoy yourself. Remember to “go back out there and have some fucking fun.”
Featured image courtesy of USAG-Humphreys under a CC-BY license
