8 Ted Talks for Millennials
So, you love TED talks too. Well, welcome. We must be kindred spirits. Finding a good TED talk can be overwhelming…not because they’re aren’t enough great ones..but because there are sooo many to choose from. Amen?
Over the years I’ve kept track of my favorites and ones that I hope to return to again and again. And below I’ve shared a selection of 8 of my very favorites.
Also, don’t look at this list and feel like you need to watch them all at once. Here’s what I would suggest. Save the link to this post and watch 1 a day. I’ve found that watching one a day is a perfect way to learn something new each day, feel inspired, and yet not feel overwhelmed with information. Enjoy!
1. Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life?
This talk was fascinating as it describes the longest study on happiness. For decades, researchers followed Harvard men from their days at Harvard and through the rest of their lives. Some of the key takeaways included: good relationships keep us happier and healthier, social connections are really good for us and loneliness kills, and it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.
Those men that were the most satisfied with their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80. Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies, they protect our brains.
2. Arianna Huffington: How to Succeed? Get more sleep
If you haven’t read Arianna’s books Thrive and The Sleep Revolution then this video is a great introduction to her and her ideas. As a woman with a lot of demands on her time and life, she now makes sleep one of the highest priorities in her life because of a shocking experience in his life.
She also has a great sense of humor and a lovely accent which makes her talk that much more enjoyable.
3. Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, Failure and the Drive to Keep Creating
Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the most well-spoken storytellers in our world today. She’s incredibly articulate and intelligent but also has the gift of making her audience feel known and heard. I love her ideas on creativity and the art of writing.
While she’s most famous for writing the book, Eat Pray Love she also has a book called Big Magic which I believe is her best work yet.
4. Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius
Well, I just couldn’t choose which Elizabeth Gilbert talk to share so I went with both. As an aside, if she wasn’t a writer I think she would have a great career as an audiobook voice over.
5. Angela Duckworth: Grit: The Power of Passion & Perseverance
This past year, Angela Duckworth and her work with Grit have been all over the internet. I haven’t had a chance to read her book yet so I decided to get a taste by checking out her Ted talk and let me say I was not disappointed.
Here were a few of my big takeaways about grit:
Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals
Grit is having stamina
Grit is sticking with your future day in and day out not just for the day or week but for years
Grit is not related to talent
6. Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
Like Grit, this is another book that I had heard a lot about but had not yet read. I’d heard so many good things about Amy and I figured that watching her talk would be a good indicator of whether or not I would want to read her book.
I loved the talk and some of my favorite ideas were:
Our non verbals govern how others think and feel about us and…
Our non verbals govern how we think and feel about ourselves
Don’t fake it till you make it, fake it until you become it
Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes
7. Andy Puddicombe: All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes
Before I discovered this talk I was not familiar with Andy. However, once I saw the title I knew I needed to watch it. While mindfulness is starting to gain traction in the western world it’s still something that most people don’t do well or probably even think about.
Here are a few takeaways:
We are so distracted that we are no longer present in the world in which we live
Meditation is about familiarizing ourselves with the present moment
We are looking for a balance of focused relaxation
8. Susan Cain: The power of Introverts
As an introvert myself, I sobbed my way through Susan’s book, Quiet. Before you dismiss this one because you’re an extrovert…first, answer this question. Do you know any introverts? If the answer is yes, I would beg you to watch this. If you have a spouse or children who are introverts then watch the video at least once and then head over to amazon to buy her book.
In a society where extroversion is highly regarded, introverts are often left feeling out of place, or worse, forced to conform. I love Susan’s perspective that both introverts and extroverts are equally important. However, unless we cultivate and nurture the skills and strengths of our introverts, we will be doing a great disservice to our families, communities, and world.
What did you think? Did you have a favorite? What was your biggest takeaway? What are your most watched Ted talks?
Do you have a favorite TED talk that wasn’t on my list? Head on over to Instagram @BetsyRamserJaime and let me know! I love getting recommendations.
