Australians welcome news of Pope Leo XIV
"He will be warmly welcomed by the Church in Latin America, as Pope Francis was, by the Church in the United States from where he comes, from the English-speaking world as a native English speaker, and from the whole Church as a man of God steeped in the rich spirituality of his Augustinian Religious Order."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Adrian Barich: impostors, incompetence, the ‘Peter principle' and why you're not fooling your coworkers
I've never forgotten when a bloke said to me, 'How good is Perth? We could take over this town'. He had just moved to WA from Sydney and after being here for about five minutes, had summed up the laid-back attitude of many of us in the west. He was saying that given a chance to play golf or surf or head down south — most West Aussies would do that, in preference to working 'too' hard. I've always remembered how in a scene — I think it was from either Happy Days or maybe the TV spin-off Laverne & Shirley — where a couple of cooks (husband and wife) were offered the chance to work overtime, and they answered by grabbing baseball bats, as if to say, 'fat chance pal'. At the time I never understood why they acted that way. But after moving to Perth in the 1980s to rejoin my family, it all made sense. I think that what the New South Welshman was referring to — that sometimes the extra money/kudos/experience/prestige just isn't worth it, especially when you live in God's country and almost every day there's a blue sky just waiting to be enjoyed. That was also reiterated to me by a Melbournian recently, who lamented that while we in the west basically always have blue skies, in Victoria an overcast greyness often rules. It's no wonder plenty of people in WA feel like they're bluffing their way through the workday. It's easy to feel like a fraud. And in too many workplaces, it's just as easy to be one. We've all heard the saying 'fake it till you make it' (probably more times than we've heard 'you're on mute' in a Zoom meeting). But let's be honest, faking it isn't making it: it's just acting. In professional sport, you can't fake it. If you drop the ball (literally or figuratively), you get found out instantly. You can't explain away a missed goal with a LinkedIn post about your 'strategic vision'. But in the workplace? Mediocrity can sometimes get a pay rise. There even seems to be a strange pact in some offices: don't expose my incompetence and I won't expose yours. It's all nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, like a skit in Monty Python, which might seem like a bit of fun until somehow Beau gets promoted, despite not being able to open a PDF without calling IT. Apparently, it's called the Peter Principle, which comes from economist Laurence J. Peter: 'In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.' I don't think I'm sufficiently equipped to fully explain this, but we know what he means, in our heart of hearts. Then there is 'impostor syndrome' (which isn't what you think it is). That's all about self-doubt and constantly wondering if you are good enough. If you're not familiar, please google it: you might be surprised to read it's about good people who, for some reason, are unsure of themselves. But then there's the flip side we don't talk about much: the actual impostors. If you want to avoid that tag, here are some tips. Don't be sneaky. Don't promise to 'circle back' or 'leverage synergies' when you actually have no clue what the project is really about. You might fool us all for a while, but the smart people will work it out. They know. They see who's real and who's just jumping on the back of other people's efforts. As Abraham Lincoln purportedly once said: 'You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.' And as French writer Francois de La Rochefoucauld put it (probably after getting towelled up in a meeting): 'We are more often deceived by pride than by cunning.' (If you're like me, that will take a bit of digesting but once you get there, it's a spot-on analysis). And as old mate Abe also apparently said: 'Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.' Again, hard to comprehend at first blush but worth delving into the true meaning. So, if you're the quiet achiever who's not sure you belong, don't stress: you're probably doing better than you think. Don't regret having a good heart. Good things have a way of coming back and multiplying. Be a believer in providence. Keep showing up, do your bit, and don't worry if you're not telling enough people about how well you're going.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Please don't 'circle back' or 'leverage synergies'
I've never forgotten when a bloke said to me, 'How good is Perth? We could take over this town'. He had just moved to WA from Sydney and after being here for about five minutes, had summed up the laid-back attitude of many of us in the west. He was saying that given a chance to play golf or surf or head down south — most West Aussies would do that, in preference to working 'too' hard. I've always remembered how in a scene — I think it was from either Happy Days or maybe the TV spin-off Laverne & Shirley — where a couple of cooks (husband and wife) were offered the chance to work overtime, and they answered by grabbing baseball bats, as if to say, 'fat chance pal'. At the time I never understood why they acted that way. But after moving to Perth in the 1980s to rejoin my family, it all made sense. I think that what the New South Welshman was referring to — that sometimes the extra money/kudos/experience/prestige just isn't worth it, especially when you live in God's country and almost every day there's a blue sky just waiting to be enjoyed. That was also reiterated to me by a Melbournian recently, who lamented that while we in the west basically always have blue skies, in Victoria an overcast greyness often rules. It's no wonder plenty of people in WA feel like they're bluffing their way through the workday. It's easy to feel like a fraud. And in too many workplaces, it's just as easy to be one. We've all heard the saying 'fake it till you make it' (probably more times than we've heard 'you're on mute' in a Zoom meeting). But let's be honest, faking it isn't making it: it's just acting. In professional sport, you can't fake it. If you drop the ball (literally or figuratively), you get found out instantly. You can't explain away a missed goal with a LinkedIn post about your 'strategic vision'. But in the workplace? Mediocrity can sometimes get a pay rise. There even seems to be a strange pact in some offices: don't expose my incompetence and I won't expose yours. It's all nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, like a skit in Monty Python, which might seem like a bit of fun until somehow Beau gets promoted, despite not being able to open a PDF without calling IT. Apparently, it's called the Peter Principle, which comes from economist Laurence J. Peter: 'In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.' I don't think I'm sufficiently equipped to fully explain this, but we know what he means, in our heart of hearts. Then there is 'impostor syndrome' (which isn't what you think it is). That's all about self-doubt and constantly wondering if you are good enough. If you're not familiar, please google it: you might be surprised to read it's about good people who, for some reason, are unsure of themselves. But then there's the flip side we don't talk about much: the actual impostors. If you want to avoid that tag, here are some tips. Don't be sneaky. Don't promise to 'circle back' or 'leverage synergies' when you actually have no clue what the project is really about. You might fool us all for a while, but the smart people will work it out. They know. They see who's real and who's just jumping on the back of other people's efforts. As Abraham Lincoln purportedly once said: 'You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.' And as French writer Francois de La Rochefoucauld put it (probably after getting towelled up in a meeting): 'We are more often deceived by pride than by cunning.' (If you're like me, that will take a bit of digesting but once you get there, it's a spot-on analysis). And as old mate Abe also apparently said: 'Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.' Again, hard to comprehend at first blush but worth delving into the true meaning. So, if you're the quiet achiever who's not sure you belong, don't stress: you're probably doing better than you think. Don't regret having a good heart. Good things have a way of coming back and multiplying. Be a believer in providence. Keep showing up, do your bit, and don't worry if you're not telling enough people about how well you're going.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Baler Primary School hosts Language and Belonging Expo to support multilingual families
In a vibrant celebration of culture, connection and community, Baler Primary School recently opened its doors for a Language and Belonging Expo, welcoming families and local organisations to support students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). Responding to a rise in EAL/D student enrolments, the school launched the expo as a way to foster belonging and linguistic growth for children navigating the path toward fluency in Standard Australian English. For many, this journey runs alongside maintaining their home language and cultural identity, something the event sought to support. The school grounds were abuzz with activity on May 27, as local businesses and service providers set up interactive stalls, offering families information about childhood programs, parenting resources and extracurricular activities. Many families signed up for after-school and weekend programs to give their children real-world opportunities to practice speaking English in engaging, supportive environments. 'I had some lovely conversations with a few parents who were eager to talk about their cultural backgrounds and the languages their children speak at home,' Pilbara Community Legal Service team leader Victoria Malyk said. 'It was clear they take great pride in this, and those moments of connection were truly meaningful.'
