Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” he said in a TED Talk in 2015. Strong, long-term relationships with spouses, family and friends built on deep trust — not achievement, not fortune or fame — were what predicted well-being. Waldinger had worried that his big reveal was so intuitive that he would be laughed off the stage; instead, the talk is one of TED’s most watched to date, with more than 40 million
NSW Literary Awards shortlists
They've announced the shortlists for this year's NSW Literary Awards, "the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia" -- unfortunately not in one single, simple, convenient list; ridiculously, you have to click on each category to see the finalists.
The winners will be announced 19 May.
Bill Belichick: The Four Words Every Coach (And Dean) Needs To Say More Than Anyone Else On Their Team
Wall Street Journal Essay, How to Win Six Super Bowls? Don’t Relax After the First One. (Adapted From Bill Belichick, The Art of Winning: Lessons From My Life in Football (2015)):
Sustained success, writes former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, requires sticking with what you’ve practiced and being ready to admit your own mistakes. ...
For the last half-century, I have been a football coach, and I have never stopped learning about the game and competition. I have learned about what makes human beings excel and want to excel. I have led men through months of mental and physical preparation, then into months of the most intense athletic competition in the history of the world.
As I began to succeed as a coach, first with the New York Giants and then the New England Patriots, I started to establish in my mind a series of principles, rules of thumb, habits and philosophies that I understood to be fundamental to our teams’ successes. Somewhere, someone came up with the phrase “the Patriot Way,” I assume after our first two Super Bowl wins. I think they made some money off it. Good for them. Here’s something you should know: The Patriot Way does not exist. When we won, I kept what worked. When we lost, I threw out what hadn’t. ...
Another thing we need to do consistently is take responsibility for mistakes. ... There is a four-word phrase that has been in heavy usage in any high-functioning team I’ve been around. It should be a part of your lexicon too. Four words that are essential to a healthy operation that is all about sustained success: “I messed that up” (though I must confess that my usual locker-room version uses a much more vivid verb).
It’s especially important for people to hear it from their boss. As head coach, it stands to reason that I should say it the most, and loudest. I have the most responsibility and should be the most accountable. My mistakes affect the most people.
But everyone else has important responsibilities too. “I messed that up” can become a normal part of our daily conversations, and we can be better for it. It’s about honesty and accountability, yes, but it also sets a standard that mistakes get ventilated instead of hidden.
Simply saying that you blew it doesn’t erase the mistake, but it gives other people trust. After all, who is likely the person who first realizes that you made a mistake? You know it happened, and you probably know why. And once you start, others will follow.
