Five TED Talks: Motivation To Inspire
Many people seek intrinsic (internally motivated) and extrinsic (externally motivated) motivation in their lives. However, many obstacles can hinder this motivation and your ability to use it to complete goals. Hearing real stories and accounts from others who have achieved it can be beneficial if you're struggling to find motivation.
Discovering what motivates you and cultivating motivation may allow you to feel more confident in going after your goals and making a change. One way to get inspired is by listening to or watching TED Talks, speeches, and demonstrations led by experts in various fields with first-hand motivation experience.
Five motivating Ted Talks: Motivation, happiness, and other topics
If you enjoy watching TED talks to learn more about popular topics like motivation, you might enjoy the following five inspiring TED talks.
Why we do what we do: Tony Robbins
Why We Do What We Do is one of the most viewed TED Talks, with over 29 million views. This video can provide inspiration and persuasion to help viewers consider what motivates them. Tony discusses six human needs, including:
- Certainty
- Significance
- Variety
- Love and connection
- Growth
- Contribution
In his TED Talk, he explains how understanding and caring for your most basic needs can free up space to work on personal growth. In addition, you can remember these needs when interacting with others to consider how they might feel in a given situation.
The puzzle of motivation: Dan Pink
Dan Pink's talk at TEDGlobal in 2009 quickly went viral at the time it came out. Dan talks about how scientists discovered motivation and personal stories of those who have managed to succeed despite challenges. He talks about how traditional rewards for motivation might not be as motivating as people expect, especially in creative pursuits. To Dan, motivation is based on autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Dan Pink also uses research to back up his claims. In his Ted Talk, he discusses how financial incentives often motivate businesses and individuals. However, research shows that incentive-based rewards may block creativity, which can be a detriment to business. He believes intrinsic motivators may increase workplace employee motivation more than financial awards.
The happy secret to better work: Shawn Achor
Shawn Achor's speech discusses how being happy can inspire success and productivity. He approaches the idea of working to be happy as a backward ideal and seeks to explain why happiness should come first and work should come second. This speech, written by psychologist and positive psychology pioneer Shawn Achor, interweaves humor and science to inform and educate on what makes humans move forward.
At 10:03 in the video, Shawn states, "By raising positivity in the present, your brain experiences a happiness advantage and performs significantly better than when you are negative, neutral, or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise, and every single business outcome improves."
If you want to increase motivation at work or meet a career goal, you might succeed better when you're happy and caring for your mental health. Although happiness is a temporary emotion, there are many ways to increase moments of joy in your day and meet goals that make you feel you are successful.
A simple way to break a bad habit: Judson Brewer, MD
Damaging habits can cause a lapse in motivation. Judson Brewer discusses this phenomenon in his TED Talk about how to work through these habits and compulsive behaviors to find true motivation. One method Brewer discusses is mindfulness. He explains how an inciting event can cause emotional responses that prompt habits to form to cope with emotional pain. He suggests taking a moment for mindfulness when this process occurs to halt it in action.
Studies may back up Brewer's claims, showcasing how mindfulness has the power to change emotional responses in the body, including stress, depression, and anxiety. If you are unmotivated to change a harmful behavior, Judson's speech may offer guidance and tips for trying mindfulness.
Every kid needs a champion: Rita Pierson
If you work in education, Rita Pierson's TED Talk may help you find the motivation to continue supporting students and teaching. Rita explains, "Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."
Rita explains that many educators forget why they are participating in their careers, and returning to that connection can increase motivation to make a difference. For many, educating youth is a life goal, as bringing positive ideas and support to children may strengthen future adult generations. Children taught connection and empathy may also be empowered to see themselves in a new light.
Many children struggle to succeed because they think they're "bad kids." They might experience behavioral concerns, mental illness, a difficult family life, or another challenge that makes adults not take them seriously. If they're often labeled "the problem child" or sent from adult to adult without resolution for their problems, they might start to assume that they are unredeemable.
Rita talks about how giving children connection and seeing them as they are can allow them to feel understood. When a child is told by their mentors that they are not a "lost cause" and that adults refuse to give up on them, they may be less likely to give up on themselves. Studies show that a child's environment has a significant impact on their behavior. When a child's environment is positive, supportive, and safe, their behavior may mimic that.
TED community, TED speakers, and TED fellows
Brilliant speakers of the TED community give motivational talks and inspire viewers all over the globe. Further, Technology Entertainment Design (TED) brings together a new group of TED fellows in the conference community yearly.
TED speakers and the English language
Anyone brilliant from different fields can be a speaker. The curatorial team selects the TED speaker based on the relevance of the ideas and innovations. Although speaking in English is encouraged, it is not compulsory during the talk. The TED community has many volunteer translators who can provide subtitles to reach the global audience.
TED fellows program
The TED Fellows program provides support to propel the transformational ideas of individuals from multiple fields and make a positive impact worldwide.
TED Blog
If you want to read the latest news about TED Talks and conferences, the TED Blog writes about the actions or events in the TED community.
Counseling options
There are many areas of life motivation can be used. If you're struggling to find motivation in your career, with your family, or throughout your education, consider watching a TED Talk to learn about current and past research into motivation and potentially inspire yourself to make a change. If you are looking for other online resources, you can also try online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp.
Online therapy can be a convenient way to receive therapeutic guidance on topics like motivation, stress, career challenges, and parenting. Therapists working online can practice many of the same therapeutic modalities as in-person providers, allowing you to receive quality care from home or any location with an internet connection. In addition, online therapy is more cost-effective than most face-to-face sessions.
People sometimes struggle with motivation due to mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. If you feel your mental health is holding you back from your potential, studies show that online therapy can significantly reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social anxiety disorder at a level congruent with the effectiveness of in-person therapy.
Takeaway
Frequently asked questions
Read more below for answers to questions commonly asked about this topic.
What TED Talks can motivate people at work?
When you’re needing some TED Talks motivation at work, you might want to try listening to these speeches:
- Deirdre O’Shea for TEDx at the University of Limerick on “Finding motivation, passion and energy in our work.”
- Dan Ariely for TEDx in Rio de la Plata on “What makes us feel good about our work?”
- Shawn Achor for TEDx in Bloomington on “The happy secret to work better.”
- TEDEd created a free lesson called “The surprising truth about what motivates us,” which can help people uncover what their motivates are and whether they’re misplaced.
- Tim Hartford for TEDGlobal in London on “How frustration can make us more creative.”
Suggested TED Talks: Motivation from Dan Pink
One takeaway from Dan Pink, a career analyst, on workplace motivation is that traditional rewards aren’t always effective motivators. Instead, trustworthy leadership, career advances, impact, and happiness are some of the greatest workplace motivators.
What are the best TED Talks for motivation, and who are some TED speakers?
The following are inspirational TED Talks that can help you discover your motivation:
- Dan Pink is a New York Times bestselling author who spoke for TEDGlobal on “The puzzle of motivation,” which discusses the most effective ways to inspire change.
- Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, has spent his career studying motivation. His TED Talk on languishing emphasizes how it harms productivity and motivation. His solution to languishing, he discusses, is finding “peak flow” from mastery, mindfulness, and mattery (knowing that what you’re doing matters to others). His inspirational talk for TED Monterey is called “How to stop languishing and start finding flow.”
- Dan Gilbert is a psychologist who studies happiness, which can be a powerful motivator. His TED Talk called, “The surprising science of happiness,” encourages us to find happiness even when things don’t work out the way we hoped they would.
What makes TED Talks effective?
The most inspiring TED Talks often effectively combine strategies to engage and motivate us.
The most inspiring talks from the TED community are often:
- They are short (under 18 minutes) and informative without containing unnecessary details
- They often revolve around an engaging story
- They feature props or other visual aids
- They are professionally filmed and edited
- The information is clear and easy to understand
- They feature new ideas that have the power to shift people’s perspective
- Presenters are encouraged to discuss their passion for the subject
- TED Talks often have an interactive component
How does a TED talk inspire you?
Motivational TED Talks, and other successful motivational talks, are often powerful because of their ability to:
- Spread new ideas and ways of thinking
- Provide a high-energy, exciting, creative environment
- Help others see opportunities and reduce the fear of failure
- Move people towards action
- Demonstrate a path to success
If you’re searching for some motivation, here are some famous inspirational talks that may leave you feeling energized, curious, and ready to take action.
What significant life lessons can we acquire from TED Talks?
There are many life lessons that can be gleaned from the thousands of motivational talks on TED.com. For example:
- Stress isn’t always a bad thing
- Self-love is a prerequisite to loving others
- Get out of your comfort zone to find your motivation
- Comparing yourself to others isn’t helping you
- Vulnerability is a strength
- Finding meaning can be more powerful than chasing happiness
- You can use cognitive restructuring to find positivity even when something goes wrong
- Don’t avoid your goals because you’re afraid of failure
- Embrace your failures and imperfections
- If you over-apologize, replace “sorry” with “thank you”
Can TED Talks change your life?
A TED Talk is a succinct video presentation that is 18 minutes or less. They are often powerful, persuasive, and inspiring. For some people, TED Talks may even be considered life-changing. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you may want to check out this list of the top 25 most popular TED Talks.
What are the benefits of watching TED Talks?
Like other inspiring talks, a TED Talk can:
- Be educational
- Provide advice for handling difficult situations
- Motivate people to make ambitious goals or take action
- Spark conversations
- Broaden perspectives
- Be relatable
- Build self-confidence
- Reduce fear avoidance
- Provide productive entertainment
- Boost creativity and curiosity
Unlike many lectures and symposiums, TED Talks are free of charge and easily available online. Most TED Talks include a video presentation, a transcript, and closed captioning (with over 100 languages), which can make them easy for a wide variety of audiences to enjoy.
How do TED Talks help students?
TED Talks can help students:
- Learn about successful presentation skills: Many teachers utilize TED Talks to help students analyze what presenters do well. Afterward, they may assign students to write and present their own TED Talks based on what they’ve learned.
- Stay motivated: Some teachers use TED Talks to grab their students' attention or provide context for a new topic.
- Learn things that aren’t often taught in school: TED Talks often feature discussions on mental health, communication skills, healthy relationships, boundaries, and goal-setting. They also feature speakers from diverse backgrounds and job titles that students may not have heard of before.
- Learn at home: TED Talks are available for free, meaning students can often watch TED Talks at home as part of their homework.
What is the TED blog, and does it include topics about the TED conference?
TED Blog is a collection of great-written content that inspires. It also contains news about TED Talks and TED conferences.
Do TED Talks have to be in English?
TED Talks are commonly in English, but translating talks into English is not a requirement. Some talks are delivered using a variety of languages. To inspire a global audience, volunteer TED translators provide subtitles.
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