Our Top 5 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Live Your Best Life
TED talks the talk, now you walk the walk.
So, it’s March 2020 – yes, I’m just as confused as you are.
Looks like we’ve made it through the silly season and scraped our pennies together just enough to survive January (shout out to Mum for topping up the piggy bank). Now, we’re actually ready to face reality and dive into the new year’s goals. It only took a two-month delay, but better late than never, right?
For a hot second, let’s rewind to late 2019, where we had set ourselves the same seemingly unobtainable resolutions of years past that we were sure we were going to finally accomplish. You know the ones I’m talking about – saving money, exercising to get in shape and dieting to lose weight. Sound familiar?
So, although it’s late, if you’re like me, the 2020 resolutions are only starting now. Let’s just say January and February were practice runs. I’ve learnt so far that rather than focusing on high expectations and setting too grandiose of goals, start on the little things and focus on living our best lives.
To me, this means being more courageous, embracing uncertainty, raising my own bars, gaining confidence, practicing self-love and being fully present. I’m starting by being 1% better every day. After a year, that means I’ll be 37 times better. How’s that for some compound math?! (Okay, it’s actually 37.7834x to be more accurate. I just wanted it to look cooler, ya feel?).
It’s now time for me to introduce you to an acquaintance – TED. He talks a lot, but I’ve discovered he’s worth listening to. I’ve done the groundwork and present to you my top five TED Talks to get those resolutions flowing.
1. The Power Of Vulnerability | Brené Brown
Brené Brown says that “vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity.” But why does being vulnerable feel so damn scary?! Brené wants to encourage us to use this emotion as a positive stepping stone towards a better life. With her storytelling and humour, she helps us to look at ourselves and our flaws in a different light. Life is not so perfect sometimes and once we learn that we are enough it will encourage us to be who we are!
2. Why We Do What We Do | Tony Robbins
Robbins introduced the idea that all humans have six basic universal needs that make us tick and drives all human behaviour. While we all have the same six needs, we each value and prioritise these needs in different ways. He teaches us that being aware of these six needs: certainty, significance, variety, love/connection, growth and contribution while making a conscious effort to keep them in check is the key to happiness and fulfilment.
3. What Makes A Good Life? | Robert Waldinger
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? In this talk, Robert Waldinger shares data on true happiness and satisfaction suggesting that “good relationships keep us happier and healthier”. We learn that social connections are good for us and that it’s not the quantity but the quality of our close relationships that matters. He also teaches us that good relationships don’t just protect our bodies they protect our brains.
4. Your Elusive Creative Genius? | Elizabeth Gilbert
You may recognise Elizabeth Gilbert’s name from her hugely popular memoir Eat, Pray, Love. Since publishing the book, she has gone on to focus her career on the study of creativity, and the notion that people have internalised and accepted collectively that creativity and suffering are linked. The idea behind this talk is that we are all capable of our own type of genius and how we should relate to it in a way that will not make us lose our minds but in fact might actually keep us sane.
5. Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are | Amy Cuddy
We all know how important body language can be; it’s the unspoken element of communication we use to reveal our true thoughts and feelings. But, did you know your own body language can also impact the way you feel about yourself? Amy Cuddy suggests that the way we hold our bodies can have an impact on our minds and that we are actually able to trick our brains into feeling more confident just based on the way we stand. In this talk, she helps us to practice the idea of “power posing” and believes it can actually change our body chemistry.
