Don't Die With The Music In You

How Wayne Bennett nudges people towards their potential

Author

Cody Royle
November 11, 2024

For nearly 40 years, everything Wayne Bennett has touched turns to gold.

He’s led four different teams to the NRL Grand Final, winning seven premierships, as well as five State of Origin series.

In his autobiography, Bennett outlines how he’s managed to inspire so many teams to new levels of success.

Central to Bennett’s philosophy is an innate ability to recognize the individual worth of the players who play for him. In turning self-doubt into self-belief, he manages to extract extra effort out of them.

The title of his book — Don’t Die With The Music In You — is inspired by this quote:

“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Bennett’s approach has psychological underpinnings, capitalizing on self-determination, and locus of control to guide energy towards positive behaviours within the game. Namely: the effort areas that are crucial in rugby league.

But it also aligns with our deep human desire to be our true selves, and strive towards fulfilling our dreams before its too late.

In her book, Top Five Regrets of the Dying, former palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware outlines the themes she picked up by interviewing her patients in their final days:

  1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself

  2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard

  3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings

  4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

  5. I wish that I had let myself be happy

The number one regret was dying with the music still in you.

❝

The great athletes in the world don’t compete against the opposition; they compete against themselves. You’re the opposition. You’re the one stopping you from being good. You’re the one living a double standard. You’re the one not always doing your best.

Wayne Bennett in ‘Dawn of the Dolphins’

Wayne Bennett is a true craftsperson; a 74-year-old coach that is still connecting and inspiring young men to pursue their potential.

He implores his players to stop getting ready to live, and live in the moment. Bring what you’ve got, right now, and live with no regrets.

That is true wisdom.

The Man In The Mirror

Here’s a bonus segment: Wayne Bennett also authored a book called The Man In The Mirror, which is a great prompt for coaches to make sure we turn the mirror on ourselves.

I see a lot of coaches with music left in them.

I see a lot of coaches stopping themselves from being good.

I see a lot of coaches who are up on stage singing cover songs, when they should be singing originals.

There’s no way every coach in every major sport believes in exactly the same tactics. Everyone is playing the same way because coaches are full of fear. It’s a fear of how you might be judged if you choose to sing your own song and it fails on the biggest stage.

But if you can’t bring yourself to let the music out, how are your players going to learn how to sing?