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10 Ted Talks to Inspire and Motivate You
Following a quite tumultuous week in the country (I never thought I’d witness England exit Europe twice in a week) I have put together 10 of my favourite TED talks that I find motivational and inspiring. So wherever you are right now, on the train, on the way to work or sat in a coffee shop waiting for a meeting, sit back plug your earphones in, and enjoy… Each one is no longer than 20 minutes.
- Steven Johnson: “Where do good ideas come from”?
How is Darwin, the first coffee shop and GPS connected? Steven Johnson explores where innovation stems from? Is it a light bulb moment or a bundle of ideas cobbled together over time?
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- Dan Pink: “Motivation in the workplace”
Autonomy/Mastery/Purpose V Carrot and the stick.
How do you solve the candle problem? Is it better to motivate with the carrot or the stick? Dan pinks looks at different intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, rewards and how business leaders need to look for a new approach.
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- Simon Sinek: “How great leaders inspire action”
Why/How/What – The Golden circle. What is our purpose? Why do we get out of bed in the morning? Simon Sinek explores how inspirational leaders from Martin Luther to the Apple Company to The Wright brothers have inspired those around them and how your belief in something is fundamental in being able to convey that belief in others…
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”
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- Dan Gilbert: “The surprising science of happiness”
Pre frontal lobe, opposable thumbs and language. Dan Gilbert explores the science of happiness. Who’s happier after a year: A lottery winner or a paraplegic? And why is Harry S Langerman still happy? You might find the results surprising.
Through various scientific studies Dan Gilbert reveals some interesting results on how, as a species, we define happiness and how we create our own happiness.
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- Guy winch: “How to practice emotional first aid”.
Why do we value the body more than the mind? From a young age we are taught to care for our physical health more than our emotional health. Guy Winch states that we should care as much about our physical health as much as our emotional health “emotional hygiene” and how we must fight against feelings of failure that prevent us from trying again…
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- Sam Berns: “My philosophy for a happy life”
We all have our different obstacles in life and all differ in how we cope with them. The late Sam Berns delivers a very moving talk on how he lived his life so his illness did not define who he was as a person. He shares his philosophy on life and why it made it a happy life for him and those around him.
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- Gen Kelsang Nygema: “Happiness is all in your mind”
Obvious maybe, but consider the 3 questions posed by Buddhist Nun Gen Kelsang Nygema, as you finish off your Caramel Latte. Are you having a good day? Why? And tomorrow, would you rather have a good day or a bad day?
Gen Kelsang Nygema explains how our true happiness is within ourselves and to find true happiness we have to stop attributing our own happiness to others…. Own it.
Finished off with a nice bit of meditation.
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- Malcom Gladwell: “Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce”
From Diet Pepsi to pickles to Cambell Soup Company, Malcom Gladwell tells the story of how Howard Maskowitz a market researcher and psychophysicist, garnered public opinion to underline the importance of choice in the market place. “In embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find true happiness”. Also, have you ever wondered why you prefer extra chunky pasta sauce?
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- Andrew Stanton: “The clues to a great story”
The writer of all 3 Toy Story movies, Finding Nemo and others gives some story telling ideas and why we love stories, how we connect through them and what makes a great story. As Andrew Stanton states “Capture a truth from your experience”
Caution…. One swear word about a goat and a disgruntled man called McGregor.
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- Kevin Allocca: “Why videos go viral”
So why do videos go viral? Apparently according to Kevin Allocca they all have something in common. If you have never seen Rebecca Blacks “Friday” video be prepared.
So Allocca figured out it’s all down to these 3 principles: Tastemakers/Participation and unexpectedness. Allocca suggests that the audience is defining popularity. So what are you waiting for? Get filming and uploading…. Looks like Andy Warhol was right.
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Hope you enjoyed some, if not all the videos, and they were able to inform and gave you a chuckle or a pause for thought as you navigate your way through a busy day. Please do leave a comment and let me know which ones you liked. And don’t forget to share this article.
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