How do you start your mornings?
Are you a tea or coffee person? Do you enjoy oatmeal with slightly sour berries or having crispy bacon for your breakfast? Do you wake up early or lie in bed hugging your fluffy pillows till the afternoon? I usually start my morning routine with TED Talks, listening to influential speakers and reinforcing my belief that ideas are worth spreading.
It’s been more than 3 years since I’ve watched my very first TED Talks video, and I still feel connected to brilliant people all over the world whenever I watch one of their videos. Listening to them speak has helped me feel their fails and successes, and share their emotions, joy, and tears. Whenever I feel down or need an extra scoop of motivation, I always re-watch or listen to my favorite podcasts and videos. With this post, I simply want to introduce some inspirational people and let you see life from their points of view. Here you’ll find my favorite 8 videos. Why 8? Because it’s definitely not 10, neither it is 5. And you will remember this number everytime you start your morning with TED Talks.
1.I’ve always found myself struggling to understand British humor. But Sir Ken Robinson is an exception. Creativity expert – this is what people call him. Believe me or not, this will be the least wasted 19 minutes of your life:
2.After watching this video and discovering the magic power of the SuperWoman pose, I truly believe in the importance of the self-confidence and its positive correlation to personal success. Many months later I was taking a course at Tartu University and my very young, flourishing female lecturer said that whenever she needs to believe in her strengths she takes a deep breath and stands in the power pose. I think I was one of the few students who understood what she meant:
3.To all my feminist friends, I dedicate these beautiful and amazing words:
“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you will threaten the man.’ Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support. But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors — not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. A feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.”
4.I was once told by a very friendly and cheerful person that I’m dull. Since then every time I wanted to sit alone or lock myself in the imaginary world full of unicorns and cute puppies I would think to myself, “is this what you really want?” And yes, it was. I’m an introvert and I love it. I enjoy activities such as sitting in my room and reading and going alone for long evening walks. It’s not weird, we exist and we have the power:
5. Even though I totally hate the word – millennium, I assure that Robert Waldinger is worth to listen. I appreciate and I’m astonished by the idea behind this very long and very unpredictable study. 75 years, 724 people, several generations and the answer to the most important question in your mind:
“There isn’t time, so brief is life, for bickering, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving, and but an instant, so to speak, for that.”
The good life is built with good relationships.
6.I discovered Dan Ariely from the Decision Making and Choice Behaviour course. From the very beginning, all of the complicated terms, explanations behind cognitive and neural control, and psychological processes were difficult to digest. With the help of this brilliant and funny person, I enjoyed every single word written in the otherwise alien language. Before watching the video, ask yourself how “Predictably Irrational” are you?
8. SIMPLY HILARIOUS
The one and only Charlie Todd
9. The last but not the least, enjoy my discovery – “You Found Me.”
I hope you found your TED talk with my little help.
And yes, I skipped 7 because I hate 7s.
Be weird, be yourself.