full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Heather Lanier: "Good" and "bad" are incomplete stories we tell ourselves

Unscramble the Blue Letters

I first heard this story 20 years ago, and I have since applied it 100 times. Didn't get the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. Got the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. To me, the story is not about looking on the bright side or waiting to see how things turn out. It's about how eaegr we can be to label a soutiiatn, to put concrete around it by judging it. But rtileay is much more fuild, and good and bad are often icoetmpnle stories that we tell ourselves. The parable has been my warning that by gripping tightly to the story of good or bad, I close down my atbiliy to truly see a situation. I learn more when I proceed and loosen my grip and peeocrd openly with curiosity and wonder.

Open Cloze

I first heard this story 20 years ago, and I have since applied it 100 times. Didn't get the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. Got the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. To me, the story is not about looking on the bright side or waiting to see how things turn out. It's about how _____ we can be to label a _________, to put concrete around it by judging it. But _______ is much more _____, and good and bad are often __________ stories that we tell ourselves. The parable has been my warning that by gripping tightly to the story of good or bad, I close down my _______ to truly see a situation. I learn more when I proceed and loosen my grip and _______ openly with curiosity and wonder.

Solution

  1. fluid
  2. incomplete
  3. proceed
  4. reality
  5. eager
  6. situation
  7. ability

Original Text

I first heard this story 20 years ago, and I have since applied it 100 times. Didn't get the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. Got the job I wanted: good or bad, hard to say. To me, the story is not about looking on the bright side or waiting to see how things turn out. It's about how eager we can be to label a situation, to put concrete around it by judging it. But reality is much more fluid, and good and bad are often incomplete stories that we tell ourselves. The parable has been my warning that by gripping tightly to the story of good or bad, I close down my ability to truly see a situation. I learn more when I proceed and loosen my grip and proceed openly with curiosity and wonder.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
life good 3
ipad app 3
onyx eyes 2
developmental delays 2
situation looked 2

Important Words

  1. ability
  2. applied
  3. bad
  4. bright
  5. close
  6. concrete
  7. curiosity
  8. eager
  9. fluid
  10. good
  11. grip
  12. gripping
  13. hard
  14. heard
  15. incomplete
  16. job
  17. judging
  18. label
  19. learn
  20. loosen
  21. openly
  22. parable
  23. proceed
  24. put
  25. reality
  26. side
  27. situation
  28. stories
  29. story
  30. tightly
  31. times
  32. turn
  33. waiting
  34. warning
  35. years