Why I love TED ….. and you should to.
Do you know TED? TED is great looking. TED is friendly and inviting. TED is easy to use and hang out with. TED has so much to teach, if you’re willing to learn. All you have to do is spend 5-20 minutes with TED and it could change your life forever. TED has “great ideas worth spreading”.
Technology. Entertainment. Design. TED!
Founded in 1984, TED is an annual conference that began in 1990. It is now held annually in Vancouver, BC. At it, speakers from around the world are given anywhere up to twenty minutes to talk about their knowledge, passion and ingenuity. While a ticket to the event and its offshoot, TedX, is highly coveted and expensive (over $5000!!!!), the talks are posted nearly daily on their website.
Speakers include those from academia, the business world, health care, sports, personal development, social activism and even a couple of American Presidents! For instance Al Gore, Bill and Malinda Gates, Jamie Oliver, Steve Jobs, Jane Goodall, Bono, Larry Page, Richard Dawkins, and Tony Robins have all presented at Ted.
For me, TED is an incredible escape I take each day to learn something I often knew nothing about before. Some have no practical application other than their entertainment value. Sometimes it is cool to learn about the Giant Squid of the deep or how we might have our education system backwards
On the other hand, some talks might change your life. Some talks are so inspirational, uplifting, practical, or informative that they might change how you think, behave or work. Some could change the course of your life.
For me, it was the words of Steve Jobs from his Valedictorian speech a Stanford;
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
It was the ammunition I needed to bring down my index finger to the mouse to confirm a ticket that would take me on a three month, 5000 kilometer adventure through South America from Cartagena, Colombia, to Santiago, Chile. It was a trip that forever changed who I am and what I believe. It was a trip that changed my life and some part of following that path I owe to the inspiration I drew from those words.
Like I said, some of these talks are incredibly practical and something I use everyday of my life. What I think is by far the best and most important talk, is Amy Cuddy’s talk on Body Language. For anyone looking to empower themselves on a stressful day, for a job interview or a difficult social situation, it is a must watch. I think the topic of body language is so important that it will be the focus of my upcoming series of articles on the effect of body language and posture on your health and wellness.
How can it be so important and powerful you ask? Well first, it might be the difference between you getting your dream job on your next job interview or not. Don’t take my word for it, watch!!!!
So the next time you have a few minutes to kill enrich yourself, head on over to Ted.com and find the inspiration to reach your higher potential. Trust me, you will not regret this and hey, it might just change your life.
Dr. Alex
