His attitude taught me to define failure as not trying something I want to do instead of not achieving the right outcome.” His question, “What did you guys fail at this week?” was a push to stretch. It was an attempt to normalize failure, to make it part of a casual dinner conversation. Because when you seek out situations where you might fail,

In his research, Hansen also explored the distinction between purpose and passion.5 Purpose is defined as the sense that you are contributing to others, that your work has broader meaning. Passion is the feeling of excitement or enthusiasm you have about your work. Hansen was curious which would have the greater effect on job performance. He

“Just as an athlete practices his or her moves to commit them to muscle memory, the point here is to make voicing our values the default position,”

What’s a hidden accomplishment that is worth surfacing and celebrating? (Making it a full week without any 1s.)

What made the training so effective? “One element of such training, the gradual and graduated practice of the dangerous tasks likely to be encountered, seems to be especially valuable,” Rachman said.

accomplished together? One couple we know kept an anniversary journal for the first decade of their marriage. Every year they would record the things they accomplished: Redecorating the back bedroom, hosting extended family for Thanksgiving dinner, and so on. They’d also record the trips they took, and the friends they saw most frequently, and,

When people assess an experience, they tend to forget or ignore its length—a phenomenon called “duration neglect.” Instead, they seem to rate the experience based on two key moments: (1) the best or worst moment, known as the “peak”; and (2) the ending. Psychologists call it the “peak-end rule.”

The Merit Badges are presented to the Scout at a “Court of Honor,” where the Scouts are recognized in front of their peers. That’s a peak. Similarly, karate students who earn belts—from the novice’s white belt to the expert’s black belt—often receive them at public award ceremonies.

The tension is unbearable now. This is what Kamal Kar calls the “ignition moment.” The truth is inescapable: They have been eating each other’s shit. For years.