How to unlock billions of big ideas

Today, let’s learn from the fun and inspirational speech by Arianna Huffington,who is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post,a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of thirteen books.

She is the co-host of “Left, Right & Center,” a political roundtable radio program.

The speaker says ”I'm here to tell you that the way to a more productive,more inspired, more joyful life”

Please watch her speech first. It’s nice and short.  ↓
http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep.html　(4min.)

●co-founder=共同創立者

●editor-in-chief=編集長

●nationally syndicated=全国（全州）に配給されている

Q1: How can we unlock billions of big ideas, according to the speaker?

A)      Get more drinks

B)      Get more work

C)      Get more sleep

D)      Get more consultants

Q2: What is the essence of leadership, according to the speaker?

A)      Being able to see the big picture

B)      Being able to get more money

C)      High IQ

D)      Being able to keep the secrets

Answers: At the end of this email

【4分スピーチ　トランスクリプト　全文】

My big idea is a very, very small idea that can unlock billions of big ideas that are at the moment dormant inside us.

And my little idea that will do that is sleep.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

This is a room of type-A women.

This is a room of sleep-deprived women.

And I learned the hard way, the value of sleep.

Two and half years ago, I fainted from exhaustion.

I hit my head on my desk, I broke my cheek bone, I got five stitches on my right eye.

And I began the journey of rediscovering the value of sleep.

And in the course of that, I studied, I met with medical doctors,

scientists, and I'm here to tell you that the way to a more productive,more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep.

(Applause)

And we women are going to lead the way in this new revolution, this new feminist issue.

We are literally going to sleep our way to the top, literally.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

Because unfortunately, for men sleep deprivation has become a virility symbol.

I was recently having dinner with a guy who bragged that he had only gotten four hours sleep the night before.

And I felt like saying to him -- but I didn't say it -- I felt like saying,

"You know what? If you had gotten five, this dinner would have been a lot more interesting."

(Laughter)

There is now a kind of sleep deprivation one-upmanship.

Especially here in Washington, if you try to make a breakfast date,and you say, "How about eight o'clock?" they're likely to tell you,"Eight o'clock is too late for me, but that's okay,I can get a game of tennis in and do a few conference calls and meet you at eight."

And they think that means that they are so incredibly busy and productive,but the truth is they're not, because we at the moment, have had brilliant leaders in business, in finance, in politics, making terrible decisions.

So a high I.Q. does not mean that you're a good leader,because the essence of leadership is being able to see the iceberg before it hits the Titanic.

 And we've had far too many icebergs hitting our Titanics.

In fact, I have a feeling that if Lehman Brothers was Lehman Brothers and Sisters,they might still be around. (Applause) While all the brothers were busy just being hper-connected 24/7,maybe a sister would have noticed the iceberg,because she would have woken up from a seven and a half- or eight-hour sleep
and have been able to see the big picture.

So as we are facing all the multiple crises in our world at the moment,what is good for us on a personal level, what's going to bring more joy,gratitude, effectiveness in our lives and be the best for our own careers, is also what is best for the world.

So I urge you to shut your eyes and discover the great ideas that lie inside us, to shut your engines and discover the power of sleep.

Thank you.

●dormant 休止状態の

●type-A　よく遊び、よく働き、競争的でエネルギッシュなタイプの人間。血液型とは関係ない。

●sleep deprived= 睡眠不足の

●virility symbol=男らしさのシンボル

●one-upmanship=〈話〉一歩先んじること、一枚上手に出る術

Answers: Q1=C, Q2=A

【コメント】

このスピーチは最近Twitterをチェックしていたとき、「このスピーチはすごくおもしろいよ」という趣旨の英文でのコメントとリンク先があったのがきっかけで見つけました。

彼女のリーマンブラザーズ＆シスターズのジョークはおもしろかったですねー。
彼女も実はモーレツなビジネスウーマン（全州に配給されている新聞の編集長＆共同創立者）で、過労で気絶して、机で頭を打ち、頬骨を折り、右目のところを５針縫ったとあります。

この悲惨な実体験から睡眠の大切さを学び、このスピーチが生まれたわけですね。
日本の職場状況を考えると、彼女の言っている”Get more sleep”なんてそんなの無理だよ、と夢物語みたいに聞こえるかもしれません。

しかし日本の「過労死」というのが異常な社会現象としてKAROSHI(death from overwork)と世界にも定着しつつあることを考えると私たちはもっと睡眠をとることで、心身のバランスを取ったほうがいいと考えるのは私だけではないような気がします。

そうすることで、日本に創造的なアイデアがたくさん生まれ、innovationが促進され、幸福指数も上がり、悪名高い日本の自殺率が激減するとしたら。。すごいことですよね。

What do you think?  Hope you will be able to get more sleep. ：）