TED Started out in 1984, and since then has grown to a network of 1400 talks which are freely available to all. The talks cover a broad range of subjects, from Technology, Science, and Psychology.
The videos compiled here will inspire you and give you a different outlook. Like any good speech, they will stay with you long after you hear them.
Without further ado, here they are for your viewing pleasure:
1. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
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Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.
“How is it that some companies, like Apple, year after year, always seem to lead innovation? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement? Why is it that the Wright Brothers were the ones that discovered controlled, powered man flight when others were more qualified and better funded?”
FURTHER READING: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
2. Ric Elias – 3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed
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Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. What went through his mind as the doomed plane went down? At TED, he tells his story publicly for the first time.
“…as we clear the George Washington Bridge, which was by not a lot — I thought about, wow, I really feel one real regret. I’ve lived a good life. In my own humanity and mistakes….I decided to eliminate negative energy from my life. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better.
3. Jill Bolte Taylor – Stroke of Insight
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Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions — motion, speech, self-awareness — shut down one by one. An astonishing story.
“…on the morning of December 10 1996 I woke up to discover that I had a brain disorder of my own. A blood vessel exploded in the left half of my brain. And in the course of four hours I watched my brain completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information…And at first I was shocked to find myself inside of a silent mind. But then I was immediately captivated by the magnificence of energy around me. And because I could no longer identify the boundaries of my body, I felt enormous and expansive. I felt at one with all the energy that was, and it was beautiful there”
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4. Niel Pasricha – The 3 A’s of Awesome
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Neil Pasricha’s blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life’s simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk, he reveals the 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that’s truly awesome.
Neil Pasricha uses the power of blogging to spread a little optimism each day about the awesome things that make life worth living.
FURTHER READING: The Book Of Awesome
BONUS VIDEO: Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech – 2005
Featured on TED.com, but not an actual TED Talk, this speech by Steve Jobs is one that every aspiring entrepreneur must listen to.
At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself.
“Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life”
FURTHER READING: Steve Jobs
