5 TED Talks That Changed My Life

My favorite "ideas worth sharing"

Photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash

What do you do when you feel stuck in a rut? When you need some motivation, inspiration, or clarity? 

Among other things, I watch (or re-watch) a TED talk.

In case you haven’t heard of it before, TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) talks are influential videos with billions of views in which expert speakers share their wisdom on a variety of topics such as science, business, creativity, education, and many more. 

For me, watching a TED talk is like taking a shot of much-needed inspiration when I forget why I do the things I do, when I’m too hard on myself, or when I’m simply looking for new unique insights about a specific topic.

Today I want to share the top 5 TED talks that truly changed my life. Some of these talks were recommended to me, while others I found serendipitously right when I needed them the most.

I hope you enjoy them just as much as I did. Feel free to re-watch them whenever you feel lost and need that extra oomph in your motivation. 

1. The power of vulnerability - Brené Brown

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston and the author of several best-selling books. She is an expert in human connection, her research focusing on how we empathize, belong, and love. 

"The power of vulnerability" is a funny, personal, and insightful talk, essential for anyone who wants to build more authentic relationships and live a more fulfilling life. What gets in the way of that is our tendency to protect ourselves from pain and discomfort by hiding those parts of us that we might not feel secure about or proud of (aka invulnerability and shame).

Brene Brown offers a new perspective: if we want to live wholeheartedly, we need to embrace vulnerability, instead of running away from it. A must-watch for anybody!

2. The power of believing that you can improve - Carol Dweck

Growing up I was always praised for how smart I was. For quite some time, that worked well for me. It felt empowering and it was helping me be successful. Until I started experiencing challenges, difficulties, and some pretty spectacular failures, which was very hard to understand. I thought I was smart, what happened? Due to the fixed mindset that I grew up with, learning to deal with failures didn’t come easy for me. I would take failures very personally, so to avoid that I’d make choices that minimize the chances of failure.