5 TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Think
It’s no secret TED is a place where ideas blossom and motivation swells. And sometimes, it’s hard to think of new ways to grow your business or get motivated to accomplish your goals. Luckily, the good people at TED have endless resources to inspire you to work harder and smarter. Below are five TED Talks that will broaden your mind and give you a deeper understanding of your everyday profession.
When you need motivation…
How does one study motivation? Career analyst Dan Pink dives deep into the puzzle of motivation, and explains how traditional rewards aren’t always as effective as we think. Through his enlightening stories, Pink muses on how there may be a way forward. This TED Talk has over 6 million views on YouTube and has been viewed over 19 million times on the TED Talks website. Along with being Al Gore’s speechwriter, Pink wrote a fascinating book called Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
When you’re striving for success…
We all aim to be successful, that much is a given, but few people are. Richard St. John explains how success is a continuous journey and failure only comes to those who don’t try. Richard St. John is a marketer and success analyst who uses his own experiences to shed light on our culture’s warped version of “success”. After many years of extensive research and over 500 interviews later, St. John shares his insights on how to be and stay successful – all under four minutes!
When you fail…
In an empowering talk, Eddie Obeng explains how the world is changing quicker than most people realize and cranking out creativity is becoming more of a challenge. Obeng highlights three important changes we should understand for better productivity, and enlightens us on the “smart failure.” With new technologies in our ever-changing work environment, companies are struggling to keep up with the times. In this new and changing world of sales, it’s almost impossible to avoid failing. Eddie Obeng shares his thoughts on failing with intelligence, learning from past mistakes, and understanding our current reality.
When you’re stressing out…
As salespeople, we’ve all been victims of stress. Stress has our hearts pounding and our palms sweating. In her talk, Kelly McGonigal dives into how stress has been made into a public health enemy, when in fact, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Instead of seeing it as a block in our productivity, Kelly McGonigal calls for us to put a positive spin on stress and reach out to others to help with stress. Use stress to fuel you and energize you to be up to the challenge. Learn more about making stress your friend by reading her book, The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It.
When you need the extra push…
Angela Lee Duckworth broke the norm by quitting her high-paying job in consulting to take a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. During her teaching career, she realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. When she made the career switch over to psychology, she discovered that the students who were more successful have what she calls “grit.” Through a psychological and motivational approach, students were able to reach their highest potential. Despite good looks, health, or IQ, the people – children and adults alike – who showed the highest levels of success, were the people who persevered and pushed themselves to reach their goals. You can even learn how “gritty” you are by taking this quiz.
Do you have a favorite TED Talk that gets your blood pumping and the ideas sparking in your mind? We’d love to hear them! Reach out to us in the comments.