Long enough to be serious and short enough to hold people’s attention, ted talks are renowned for their inspirational influences.
You’ve probably seen or heard about the most popular ted talks such as Cameron Russel’s: Looks aren’t everything, believe me I’m a model or Dan Pink’s: The puzzle of motivation.
But with over 100,000 videos it can be hard to decide which ones to watch.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most inspirational ted talks that you should listen to.
“Work is going to fill a huge part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks.
“What you see impacts how you feel and the way you feel can literally change what you see”
Issac Lidsky explains how reality isn’t something you perceive; it’s something you create in your mind.
He challenges us to let go of excuses, expectations and reservations, and accept the accountability of being the originators of our own reality.
“Growing up we tend to challenge each other, we gotta be the toughest, the bravest men that we can be… Are you brave enough to be vulnerable? Confident enough to listen to the women in your life?”
Justin Baldoni wants to start a discussion with all men about ‘masculinity’ – to figure out ways to be not just good men but good people.
“What if instead of spending our lives doing doing doing, performing, performing, performing we spend more time exploring?”
Eduardo Briceno reveals an easy way to think about getting better at the things you do by sharing some useful practices so you can continue learning and feel like you’re moving forward.
“You need to seem powerful in your own eyes and those of others as when other people see me as powerful, they grant me a wider range.”
Adam Galinsky, social psychologist, delivers guidance on how to assert yourself, negotiate tricky social situations and expand your personal power.
“If you’re the type of person who likes to have control over every aspect of your life, boy do we have a product for you!”
Simon Sinek uses examples from Apple, Martin Luther King and the Wright brothers to simply ask ‘Why?’
“Start asking people what problems they’re inspired to solve and what talents they want to bring to work… When you invite people to be more, they can amaze us with how much more they can be.”
So what can we do about robots taking our jobs and what can we do about it?
David Lee, innovation expert, explains how we should start designing jobs that unlock our hidden talents and passions, to keep us relevant in the age of robotics.
“We have a choice, we can take the easier road or we can take the more difficult path of transformation, transcendence, compassion and love but also accountability and justice.”
Jacqueline Novogratz, draws upon human stories to carry moments of inspiration to explain how to start living a life of purpose.
“Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it. Do it enough until you actually become it and internalize.”
Amy Cuddy, social psychologist, argues that “power posing”, even when we don’t feel assertive, can boost feelings of confidence and might have an impact on our chances for success.
“Humans are very good at considering what might go wrong if we try something new… What we don’t consider is the atrocious cost of the status quo – not changing anything.”
Tim Ferriss encourages us to write down our fears in detail, in an easy but powerful exercise he calls “fear-setting”.
