Yes
The very first time I heard Ted say “barbecue sauce,” I knew exactly what he was doing: centering himself, getting into that place of flow, that place in which he knew just what to do and just what the outcome would be.
I woke up, this first morning of 2025, with the same kind of calm and assurance. I’d remembered, at last, that our lives are made up of what we choose to focus on, what we choose to believe, and what we choose to do, therefore. Ted was telling the truth when he said Nate didn’t hurt him ~ because Ted chose to feel empathy for Nate without taking on his pain. So this year I will choose “Yes.” I will choose the positive, the forward-looking, the believing. I decided, sometime before I was even fully awake, that I would find the “yes” in every situation and focus my energy on that this year.
Like Ted, I am by nature a believer. I believe in light and love; I believe that what you put out into the universe comes back to you, multiplied; I believe that people are innately good and naturally care for one another; and I believe that compassion and intelligence go hand in hand.
Also like Ted, I’m a helper. I’m not a coach, but I was once a writing teacher, and I am a writer still. I’ve said here before that if I were still teaching, I’d be teaching Ted Lasso. And that’s true. It’s also probably why I wanted to write the puzzle books in the first place, because what I miss about teaching is the give and take, the enthusiasm and energy, and the delight in someone’s eyes when the penny drops, when they “get it” ~ like the eruption in the pub when Ted wins the dart game ~ only quieter.
I’ve heard it said that our Lift It Like Lasso puzzle books have gotten more and more challenging, the questions requiring a deeper, more layered knowledge of Ted Lasso than that of the casual viewer. And that’s probably also true ~ you can take the teacher out of the classroom . . . but she’ll still be on the lookout for those with an open and inquisitive nature who share in her delight when that penny drops and they feel that light go on behind their eyes.
That’s one of the bonuses you get from playing the puzzles in our Lift It Like Lasso series of books. Pennies dropping and lights going on all _over_ the place. You can find the series on Amazon, and, if you’re on the fence, maybe the helper in you will like knowing this: there are a few more hours left of our promotion that will give you the added bonus of helping to donate money to the stellar work being done for people by Steps of Faith Foundation—$1 per book purchased until midnight. If you’re a Ted and you want to help, check the details here: https://belief3ninesfine.com/lift-it-like-lasso-still-time-to-make-santas-nice-list/
And I hope some of you join me in choosing to find the “yes” that you can work with this year. I think that may be the way we can all win.
Barbecue sauce.