TED Talks-Arianna Huffington-How to succeed? Get more sleep

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Transcript:



My big ideais a very, very small ideathat can unlockbillions of big ideasthat are at the moment dormant inside us.And my little idea that will do thatis sleep.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

This is a room of type-A women.This is a roomof sleep-deprived women.And I learned the hard way,the value of sleep.Two-and-a-half years ago,I fainted from exhaustion.I hit my head on my desk. I broke my cheekbone,I got five stitches on my right eye.And I began the journeyof 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 youthat the way to a more productive,more inspired, more joyful lifeis getting enough sleep.

(Applause)

And we women are going to lead the wayin this new revolution, this new feminist issue.We are literally going to sleep our way to the top, literally.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

Because unfortunatelyfor men,sleep deprivation has become a virility symbol.I was recently having dinner with a guywho bragged that he had only gottenfour 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 deprivationone-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 inand do a few conference calls and meet you at eight."And they think that meansthat they are so incredibly busy and productive,but the truth is they're not,because we, at the moment,have had brilliant leadersin 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 leadershipis being able to see the icebergbefore it hits the Titanic.And we've had far too many icebergshitting our Titanics.

In fact, I have a feelingthat if Lehman Brotherswas Lehman Brothers and Sisters,they might still be around.(Applause)While all the brothers were busyjust being hyper-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 sleepand have been able to seethe big picture.

So as we are facingall the multiple crisesin 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 livesand be the best for our own careersis also what is best for the world.So I urge youto shut your eyesand discover the great ideasthat lie inside us,to shut your engines and discover the power of sleep.

Thank you.

(Applause)