What Ted Lasso Can Teach Athletes About Having a Short Memory

Sometimes the best advice is also the simplest.

In Ted Lasso, Ted tells one of his players to be a goldfish.

Why?

Because, according to Ted, a goldfish has a really short memory.

It’s funny. It’s memorable. And for athletes, it’s actually pretty good advice.

Mistakes are going to happen. You’re going to miss shots, strike out, double-fault, turn the ball over, run a bad race or make a decision you wish you could have back.

The problem usually isn’t the mistake itself.

The problem is when that mistake is still affecting you two plays, two points or two innings later.

That’s where having a short memory can help.

Having a Short Memory Doesn't Mean Ignoring Mistakes

There’s an important distinction here.

Being a goldfish doesn’t mean pretending the mistake never happened.

If there’s something you can learn from it, learn from it.

Maybe your timing was off. Maybe you rushed. Maybe your focus drifted. Maybe there’s a technical adjustment you need to make later with your coach.

That information can be useful.

What usually isn’t useful is replaying the mistake over and over in your head while you’re still trying to compete.

There’s a difference between learning from a mistake and living in a mistake.

Once you’ve taken whatever useful information you can from it, the question becomes:

What do I need to do now?

Learn From It — Then Bury It or Flush It

One of the simple tools we talk about with athletes at Mental Performance Mentors is Bury It/Flush It.

The idea is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

Something goes wrong. You acknowledge it. You take whatever useful lesson you can from it.

Then you get rid of the rest.

Maybe you picture yourself burying the mistake and leaving it behind.

Or maybe you flush it—like sending it down the toilet and moving on.

I’ve even known baseball teams that took the idea literally and kept a miniature toilet in the dugout. If a player made an error, struck out or had something else go wrong, he could come back to the dugout and “flush” it.

It’s obviously a little funny.

But that’s also part of why something like that can work. It creates a clear signal:

That happened. I learned what I could from it. Now it’s over.

The goal isn’t to erase the mistake from your memory. It’s to stop carrying it into the next opportunity.

Don't Let One Mistake Become Three

Mistakes tend to get bigger when we keep them alive.

Maybe you make one bad play, and now you’re thinking about it during the next one.

Then your focus slips.

Your body language changes.

Your self-talk turns negative.

And suddenly the first mistake—which was already over—is helping create another one.

That’s where a second MPM tool can help.

We talk a lot about BFS: Body language, Focus and Self-talk.

After you’ve buried or flushed the mistake, take a quick look at your BFS:

• Body language: Maybe your shoulders are still slumped from the last at-bat or your head is down after the turnover. Are you still physically carrying the mistake?
• Focus: Are you still replaying what just happened, or are your eyes and attention where they need to be now?
• Self-talk: Are you stuck on “I can’t believe I did that” or “Here we go again”? Or are your words helping you move forward?

BFS can be a pretty good test of whether you’ve actually let the mistake go.

You might tell yourself you’ve moved on.

Your body language, focus and self-talk may tell you otherwise.

Get Back to What's Next

Once you notice that you’re still carrying the mistake, bring yourself back to the present.

Stand tall.

Get your eyes where they need to be.

Use a simple cue that directs your attention toward what’s next.

That might be:

• Next pitch
• Next point
• Next play
• This possession
• Run this mile

It doesn’t need to be anything complicated.

In fact, simpler is usually better.

The mistake already happened once.

You don’t need to let it keep happening in your head.

You’re not trying to erase the mistake. You’re making sure it doesn’t get to keep playing.

Learn what you can from it.

Bury it. Flush it.

Check your BFS.

Get back to what’s next.

Or, as Ted Lasso might put it:

Be a goldfish.

Watch this week's Movie Mindset Monday:

Want to Help Your Athlete Get Better at Moving On After Mistakes?

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