TED Talks

Powerful. “Forge meaning, build identity”   How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are.

“The extraordinary and eloquent Andrew Solomon closes TED2014 with a talk that brought the theater to its feet.”

 

Probably one of my favorite all time Ted Talks. Frank Warren:  Hilarious & Heartbreaking Secrets

“Sometimes when we think we are keeping a secret, that secret is actually keeping us.”

 

Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts 

Cain argues that we design our schools, workplaces, and religious institutions for extroverts, and that this bias creates a waste of talent, energy, and happiness. In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, But, in this passionate talk by Susan Cain, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated.

 

Esther Perel: The Secret to Desire in a Lon-Term Relationship

So how do you sustain desire? With wit and eloquence, Perel lets us in on the mystery of erotic intelligence.

 

8 Different Talks on Everything You Thought You Knew… Was Wrong

 

Ric Elias: 2 Things I learned while my plane crashed

I collect bad wines  “if the wine is ready and the person is there, I’m opening it”.

 He no longer wants to postpone anything and this urgency has changed his life.

 

Julia Sweeney: Letting go of God

Julia is not only ‘right on’, but laugh out loud hilarious. Letting Go of God, is about the “quest for something I could really believe in” — which turns out to be no God at all.”

 

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

Brené Brown: Listening to shame

“shame needs three things to grow: secrecy, silence, judgement” ~Brene Brown

 

Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions

“Read Sam Harris and wake up” ~Richard Dawkins

 

Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong

Kathryn Schulz: Don’t regret regret

“Regret doesn’t remind us that we did badly. It reminds us that we know we can do better.” ~Kathryn Schulz

 

Rory Sutherland: Perspective is everything

“The circumstances of our lives actually matter less to our happiness than the sense of control we feel over our lives.” ~Rory Sutherland

 

Stacey Kramer: The best gift I ever survived

“The next time you’re faced with something that’s unexpected, unwanted and uncertain, consider that it just may be a gift.” ~Stacey Kramer

 

Richard Dawkins on militant atheism

“An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor or Baal or the golden calf. We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.” ~Richard Dawkins

 

Nick Hanauer, a top 1%er and entrepreneur whose sobering look at the economy

“Nick Hanauer, self described “super-rich” entrepreneur, gave a fantastic TED Talk about how the middle class—not the super-rich—are the real job creators. But TED, which has released over 100 different political videos in the past, thought this one was too partisan and refused to release it. We normally love TED, and were surprised they didn’t think this talk was TEDworthy.

Under pressure from the internets, TED finally relented and released the video. Watch it and decide for yourself if it’s really all that controversial to say that the “super-rich are not job creators.”

 

David R. Dow: Lessons from death row inmates

“People might disagree about whether [a murderer] should have been executed. But I think everybody would agree that the best possible version … would be a story where no murder ever occurs.”  ~David R. Dow

 

Less stuff, more happiness: Graham Hill

“Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life.”