There's Just Something About Him...

Have you ever met a person and almost instantly sensed that he or she meant trouble? Maybe you even mentioned this "gut-feeling" to someone else, even though you weren't capable of explaining it or giving any rational reasons for it. You just knew that there was something wrong with him...

I've recently started reading Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, a book that claims to explore a new science - namely how we interact with each other as human beings. IMHO, it's a pretty fascinating subject and I assume that this will not be my last post inspired by the pages of this book.

Staying Skinny By Sitting?

Journalist love to use intriguing titles in order to get their readers' interest up and entice them into actually reading the article. Well, I'm one of those readers and their "trick" usually works on me. So naturally I couldn't resist when I recently saw this title:

To Stay Thin, Eat Like the Cultural Elite

Not that I have weight problems, but it sounded like an interesting suggestion. So I decided to read on.

Links of the Week IX

A bit later than usual, but it's still Sunday! So here they are:

A turtle relationship breaks apart and an English teacher tells it like it is...

German:
Eine Schildkrötenbeziehung bricht auseinander... nach über 100 Jahren!

English:
An English teacher has the courage to speak the truth (trust me, the full 12 minutes are worth it!)

It's All Up To You...Well, Almost

If you're like me, you will agree that sometimes it can feel really good to be able to say: "Well, I guess I'm just not talented at that. That's why I'm not good at it and there's nothing I can do about it."
That way you are relieved of any pressure to perform in a certain area and can move on with your life, concentrating on those things that come easy to you, i.e. the ones you're talented at. Have you ever thought that way? I know I have...

In his book The Genius In All Of Us, David Shenk explains why we like this thought process so much:

"A belief in inborn gifts and limits is much gentler on the psyche. The reason you aren't a great opera singer is because you can't be one. That's simply the way you were wired. Thinking of talent as innate makes our world more manageable, more comfortable. It relieves a person of the burden of expectation." (p. 99)

Links of the Week VIII

Today's links are a wild mix, so I'm not even going to try to find a common theme.

Here they are:

How To Become Great (Part II)

For those of you who are seriously interested in becoming great at something, I've decided to post the 5 things you should keep in mind on your quest to greatness (according to David Shenk in his book The Genius in All of Us):

1. Practice changes your body. Researchers have recorded a constellation of physical changes (occurring in direct response to practice) in the muscles, nerves, hearts, lungs and brains of those showing profound increases in skill level in any domain.

How To Become Great

Jerry Rice is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game of football, some even claim he was the greatest of all time (also referred to as the G.O.A.T). He holds a number of NFL records, including most career receptions, most career yards, and most career touchdowns, that will probably stand for a very long time. (And if you don't have a clue about American football, let me assure you that these are pretty impressive records).

In his book The Genius in All of Us, David Shenk includes a chapter entitled The End of 'Giftedness' (and the True Source of Talent) in which he gives the reader some tips on how to become great. Using the story of the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as an example, he convincingly shows that becoming very good at something doesn't have anything to do with the genes you inherited.

Links of the Week VII

A week that I spent (for the most part) in the physical state we call "being sick", is over and there was only one intriguing storyline that I came across.

So here you have it: First in German, then in English - the solution to the ketchup problem: