How many of us are guilty of falling down the TED talk rabbit hole in a quest of finding inspiration, purpose and motivation in our lives or even educating ourselves? I know I’m guilty of this.
Science has suggested that TED Talks are very effective in capturing its’ audience’s attention with its’ 18-minute length videos. As humans, we can only give our undivided attention to someone for about 10 to 18 minutes before we start feeling distracted and bored, no matter how interesting or serious the topic of discussion may be. With this tried and tested formula however, it’s no wonder TED Talks are so popular. Not only are they educational, impactful, motivational and inspiring, but they’re even addictive.
Here are five TED Talks you absolutely need to watch right now that would change your perspective on various aspects of life:
1. “Cultivating Unconditional Self-Worth” – Adia Gooden
Time: 15 minutes
Growing up as a person who strives for perfection, anything short of it would make one’s life feel like it’s become a failure. In this inspirational Ted Talk, licensed clinical psychologist Adia Gooden shares her personal experience struggling with perfectionism and the valuable lessons she has learned on how she liberated herself of her feelings of unworthiness and low self-esteem. To her, having an “unconditional self-worth is [believing in] the sense that you deserve to be alive, to be loved and cared for, to take up space”. Our self-esteem on the other hand, unlike our self-worth is “derived from our abilities, accomplishments, social positions and things we believe we can achieve”.
Learn how you can begin your own journey to unconditional self-worth and embrace yourself – flaws and all with this eye-opening talk.
2. “The Real Risk of Forgiveness – And Why It’s Worth It” – Sarah Montana
Time: 15 minutes
We often hear people telling us to just forgive and forget but no one tells us how we could go about doing that and most importantly, why it’s worth forgiving someone – even if that person was responsible for the murder of your beloved family. Sarah Montana bares all in this heartfelt and hilarious talk where she shares with us her painful journey in forgiving her family’s killer, who on December 19th 2008 shot both her mother and her brother, Jim in their family home, and her conscious decision in making peace with him and the immense grief and trauma he caused her.
“Forgiving is designed to set you free,” says Montana. Grief is an intricate process and no one grieves the loss of a loved one the same. This extremely powerful and moving talk offers a new way of understanding the long and painful process of grief, healing and forgiveness.
3. “Searching for Love to Escape Ourselves” – Hayley Quinn
Time: 14 minutes
Having a desire for love, attachment, intimacy, security and love are all natural goals for us to have but when we go on this quest for love as a form of escapism and as a way for us to feel less alone, we need to rethink why we are looking for love in another person when the answer is already within us. Hayley Quinn is the UK’s leading Dating Expert and in this talk, she shares her thoughts and experiences in looking for love as a way of finding happiness; coming out of it, realizing that sometimes you need to be alone to understand what your needs and wants are at their core, without relying on the love of another person to make us feel whole.
Romance movies have, in a way, warped our perception of love. We’re constantly being fed this idea that love is the answer to everything but not just any kind of love, it’s got to be romantic love. Tell me one movie you grew up watching with your mother that gave you the message that you needed to love yourself first before you found yourself a boyfriend. I can’t name a single one if I’m being honest.
This talk will change your outlook on love and dating, and the ways we can sometimes put too much focus on loving someone else and avoid putting in the actual work to find love, happiness and purpose within ourselves.
4. “Grief and Love in the Animal Kingdom” – Barbara J. King
Time: 14 minutes
Biological anthropologist Barbara J. King may not believe that cats understand what we’re saying to them but she does believe that animals experience the same range of emotions as us humans do, even complex emotions like grief and love. In this talk, she argues against scientists who do not recognize that animals experience grief. She tells the story of Tahlequah, a grieving orca who swam with the body of her dead calf for three weeks and the story of a grieving elephant, Maui who rocked in distress after the death of another elephant named Eleanor. She also shares the story of Harper and Cole, two ducks that were saved from a foie gras factory who found companionship with each other after being rescued and when Cole died, Harper had a hard time coping with the grief of losing his companion.
It will help you understand the reality of animals who feel love and grief for other animals whom they form close relationships with, and make us consider how we should be treating animals with more kindness.
5. “What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living” – Suleika Jaouad
Time: 17 minutes
“The hardest part of my cancer experience began once the cancer was gone,” says author Suleika Jaouad whose life changed at 22 when she was diagnosed with leukemia and told she had a 35% chance of surviving in the long-term. She spent three years in hospital and in that time, she ran a blog from her hospital bed which in turn became a New York Times column from which she gained a huge amount of comments, letters and emails written in response to her writing.
In a brutally honest and witty talk, she shares with us her struggles adjusting to everyday life after spending three years in hospital and her journey to discover how to start her life after her life was put on pause with her diagnosis three years before. She talks about how she embarked on a solo road trip across the United States and visited some of the people who wrote in to her to thank them and ask for their advice.
It begs us to question what it means to be alive and what it means to live a rich life “sick” or “well”.
If you’re feeling stuck, here’s hoping these suggested TED Talks will have a dent in your life and change the way you’re living and thinking right now.
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