In this brief motivational address delivered to a team of about 80 people staying in a hotel in Qatar during the World Cup, the speaker frames the day’s “moment of yes” around the question: are you a problem lover or a problem solver? He explains the unique logistical constraints they face—tight internal red tape, external FIFA regulations, and a secure lockdown that limits access to everyday supplies like Home Depot or Walmart. The team has built makeshift lounges and living‑room‑style spaces within the hotel, but even simple tasks (e.g., hanging hooks) require engineering requests, highlighting the scarcity of resources. The speaker contrasts two mindsets: the “problem lover,” who complains and dwells on difficulty, and the “problem solver,” who adopts a “yes, and” attitude, seeking solutions and encouraging others to do the same. He notes the contagious energy of each mindset, urging the group to choose the problem‑solver approach both in the hotel environment and on the field, reinforcing a culture of resilience and continuous problem‑solving. The talk ends with a call to keep figuring things out and to have an awesome day.
Chapters
Good morning, everyone. Here is your moment of yes for Wednesday, November 16th. I think so. Wednesday, November 16th, here in Qatar. Your moment of yes for today is: Are you a problem lover or a problem solver? Right. Kind of some of the similar letters there. Maybe dropping the S. Are you a problem lover or problem solver? That comes from. Sort of being here, sort of where you're in Qatar and sort of kind of once you're here, the red tape, not only red tape internally in Qatar to, to kind of do things, but also add on top of that the World Cup and FIFA. And we're in a, we're in a, you know, a pretty secure lockdown here in the hotel. So there's not a Home Depot down the street that you can just run and get stuff. There's not a Walmart where you can run and get stuff. So you, you're really sort of limited to, um, to problem solving as far as resources and things like that. And within our hotel, we are, you know, we've, we've created all of these spaces within the hotel for the team, including, you know, a player lounge, a team lounge that is huge and meant to look like a living room and, and have all these elements. And so we're trying to create these nice homey elements, you know, for a group of, you know, 80 people. And it's just not as easy as, oh hey, we need some, some hanging hooks that are adhesive, let's just run down to the store. You know, you need to call the engineer and put in a request. And so it's, it's crazy. So I thought I was gonna be up for, you know, 2 or 3 hours last night in the middle of the night, you know, hanging hooks in the, the team room, but those weren't working. And so— What's the solution? We have to figure out a new solution. And really, so many people are doing so many different things. It's obviously, it's during those moments when, and I feel it, when it's just like, oh, you know, when you are under that pressure, right? Do you kind of fold into being a problem lover? Like, I'm just gonna complain about how difficult it is and how this won't work out. I do that plenty. Or do you shift into that yes, I am mindset, which is how can I be a problem solver? All right, let's figure it out. Let's find a way. Let's find a way. Let's find— keep kicking the can, keep kicking the can, and we're just going to figure something out, right? I've noticed that there's a real sort of contagious energy around that, around both of them. The problem lover loves to kind of bring everyone, suck everyone in with them. The problem solver, the more they're trying to solve problems, the more other people start to be like, yeah, well, we could do this, so we can do this. It's all that yes, and. So today's moment of yes is just kind of based on that's what— that's kind of the mood around here, which is You know, trying to stay in that mindset of being a problem solver instead of a problem lover. Because ultimately, you know, that is part of the culture we're wanting to, you know, just, just have on the field as well. That mentality of, hey, there's a lot of stuff that's outside of our control. Let's just keep figuring it out, figuring it out, and figuring it out. All right, guys, that's your moment of yes for today. Have an awesome day, everybody. Bye.
