6 TED Talks That’ll Spark Something

I’ve always liked that saying: “success is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration” (cheers, Thomas Edison). And he should know—apparently, he tried 10,000 different permutations before landing on the one that lit up the world. But while sheer graft can certainly move mountains a bucket of dirt at a time, remembering why we do what we do is what keeps us getting out of bed in the morning and putting in the time. 

So, without further ado, here’s my personal Top 6 Ted Talks for inspiring me to keep going, work smarter and keep my eyes on the prize. Enjoy!

1. Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator 

Haven’t we all left an important task until the last minute? Work assignments hastily finished just moments before the big presentation, the irresistible lure of the Instagram feed in the mid-afternoon slump. Tax return is due, it’s an excellent time to clean out my wardrobe! 

‘Inside the mind of a master procrastinator’ takes us on a hilarious tour through the mind of Tim Urban, one of the world’s best procrastinators, and reminds us that it’s normal in a world of distractions to struggle when it comes to the grind. We may all be harbouring an instant gratification monkey – in my case, more of a gorilla – but the fun takes a sober turn when we realise that if we aren’t careful, we may let the opportunity to chase our dreams fall by the wayside. Inspiring, powerful and very funny, this Ted Talk reminds us that it’s natural and normal to avoid some of our responsibilities and succumb to the allure of instant gratification, but we can’t afford to let procrastination rule our lives. 

So let’s get right on that shall we? I’ll be over here, colour co-ordinating my new task planner entirely in pastels…

2. How Great Leaders Inspire Action

What do Martin Luther King, The Wright Brothers and Apple computers all have in common? They all set out to challenge the status quo, and were successful not because they had access to resources that others didn’t, but because they inspired those around them to share in their vision. I might just save this one to a bookmark and make it required watching whenever I’m stumped on the best way to proceed with a new idea, business or project, because it’s just that powerful. This Ted Talk by Simon Sinek clearly illustrates what makes global leaders in their field stand head and shoulders above the competition, and the amazing thing is this is simple advice that you can roll out right now to revolutionise the way you do business and connect with friends, coworkers and clients. It all starts with understanding why what we do is important to us, and finding a connecting line between us and other people who feel the same way. If we can do that, Simon argues, we will always have a loyal team of people around us ready to support us, champion us and who want to bring our dreams to life because they share a part of that same dream.

3. Do Schools Kill Creativity

Here’s a mind-blowing thought for you. Children starting school now will be retiring from their careers in 60 years time. Now think about how much the world has changed since you finished school – hell, how about in the last 6 months – and ask yourself this; How can we possibly prepare today’s children for tomorrow’s careers when we don’t even have the first idea what they will look like? Well, says Sir Ken Robinson, we need to start by revitalising creative thinking in education and embrace a more holistic approach to learning. And for all of us who left school behind a long time ago, allowing our inner child the space to get creative can be just the thing we need to start thinking outside of the box
This humorous Ted Talk by Sir Ken Robinson demonstrates that children are often innately bold enough to take chances, make mistakes and get it wrong, and it is precisely through this mindset of accepting the possibility of getting it wrong that we can ever do anything novel or original. By the time those children reach adulthood, they have been taught that mistakes are to be avoided, and sent into a workplace that – in general – actively stigmatises mistake making and attempts to homogenise employees to fit a model worker image. But creativity, Ken insists, comes from developing our own unique worldview constructed and inspired by everything we love, find interesting or compelling, so instead of forcing our young people – or ourselves – into being what we think they should be, we need to allow them the space to grow into the person they truly are.

4. What Makes a Good Life? Lessons From The Longest Study on Happiness

‘If you were going to invest now in your future best self, where would you put your time and your energy?’ Robert Waldinger opens his Ted Talk on happiness with this profound question. It reminds me of a meme I’m rather fond of. 

It’s easy for us to look back and say we wish we had done things differently 5, 10 or even 20 years ago, but it’s all too common to find that people still aren’t doing whatever this thing is that they claim should have gotten done decades ago. If it was worth doing then, why isn’t it worth doing now? What is worth doing? Should we invest in our education, our careers, our relationships, the stock market, should we have children, should we not have children?… Robert attempts to frame hard data from the longest study in human history -75 years and still going – covering the lives of a group of men and their families to understand what really makes a life well lived. Time honoured wisdom served up with the benefit of empirical clarity. A must see.

5. My Stroke of Insight 

Renowned neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor takes us on an awe-inspiring recollection of the massive brain hemorrhage that nearly killed her and in the process took away many of her basic motor functions. A true scientist, she records and relays to us the effects of losing the left hemisphere of her brain, and how different her perception of reality became when the right hemisphere took over running the show. 

Hilarious, insightful and incredible in equal measure, this Ted Talk shows us what’s going on inside our grey matter, why it affects how we perceive the world and what happens when that link is unexpectedly altered. More than that, it’s an emotional and powerful insight into how our relationship with the universe changes significantly when we tune out our sense of individuality and tune into the energy that exists within us and connects us to all living things.

6. Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Angela Duckworth has had several impressive career changes. At 27 she ditched the high-pressure lifestyle of management consulting for the (arguably) even higher pressure role of 7th grade maths teacher. What she learned in this role inspired her to study psychology and begin her new career, examining the psychological processes that predict how young people respond to challenges. 

What’s most interesting to me in this Ted Talk, is how passion and talent fit into the picture. White we tend to imagine that passion and talent are both innate and the primary drivers for success, Angela argues that there is another predictor of success that just might trump everything else.

And that’s a wrap! Hope you found something inspiring or thought-provoking in those TED talks. If you’re feeling fired up but not quite sure where to start with the next steps, one of our training Courses might be just the thing.