TED is an incredible source of inspiration. Some of the videos are more powerful than many self-help books. Here we share the top five TED talks on resilience. We have curated this from hundreds of different videos on this topic. However, this is not a comprehensive list. Therefore, please use the comment box to suggest any other videos you would like to see on this list.
Top five TED talks on personal resilience
Please note that we have not used criteria such as the number of views or likes to create the list. This list of TED talks on resilience reflects the editor’s preferences for the videos and not an indicator of any ranking.
1. The three secrets of resilient people by Lucy Hone
We all have had our share of hardships and breaking points in life. For instance, loss of a loved one, divorce, miscarriage, major break-up, etc. Personal resilience is about bouncing back after such major tragedies and getting back with your life. Lucy Hone shares her life’s biggest tragedy where she survived a major heart-wrenching accident. She shares her experience fighting with post-trauma and survivor’s guilt.
Firstly, resilient people are mentally ‘aware’ that bad things happen. This awareness that anything ‘can’ go wrong will make you at least in part, a little bit prepared for things that come your way. Contrast that with someone who is overly optimistic about life. Tragedies can derail the whole perspective and mental balance of such people.
Secondly, she shared that resilience was all about selective attention. Just consider the case of our sensory perception like sight and hearing. Every single day, we are bombarded with information. Most of that is useless. Our brains do a remarkable job of filtering all the noise. However, on the other hand, once the information has reached our brain, once it is perceived, it becomes very difficult to filter out. Her advice to be aware of the situation, however reacting to things that are under your control while not pay attention to those things that are out of your control. She also recommended the method found through a research study. One can list down 3 good things that had happened to you on a day. This increases your overall attitude towards life and helps you cope well.
Thirdly, she shares a simple tool to appraise the situation. When you are overwhelmed with any negative thoughts, just ask yourself “whatever you are doing, is it helping you or harming you?” This simple test can help you classify activities and thoughts that are destructive and those that are not. It is no use getting into self-destructive grief. There are active choices to be made every day. These choices can help you overcome situations. Over time, it will help you become more resilient.
2. What Trauma Taught Me About Resilience by Charles Hunt
In this incredible TED talk, Charles Hunt shares his life experiences. All the traumatic instances of a childhood shaped him into his present form. The stories are definitely going to make you question your reference for hardships in life. When we see what others have gone through, our own pain may seem trivial.
He attributes his resilience to having a stay strong attitude. He says he still stands there in front of the people regardless of his hardships. Also, he highlights the point that resilience can be learned. Resilience is the ability to adapt to the changes and adjust yourself to the changing circumstances.
It need not be innate. It is a similar concept to leadership. Although, many people still (wrongly) believe that leadership is a trait. He went on to work in different roles, and finally settling down as founder of personal development and coaching firm.
3. Resilience: The Art of Failing Forward by Sasha Shillcutt
Sasha shares her secret to success: Resilience. According to her resilience is about ‘failing forward.’ She breaks the paradigm of seeking perfection in things. It is rather counterproductive. She suggests that we should not seek perfection but embrace failures as part of the journey forward. Here are some key pointers from her TED talk:
* Embrace failure as a learning and growth opportunity
* Talk to others and share your situation
* Avoid being a perfectionist
* Don’t get trapped into a state of shame
4. Cultivating resilience by Greg Eells
Greg takes us on a journey to discover how to cultivate resilience in life. In his TED talk on resilience, he shares simple ways to become stronger.
S – Social Connections. We are all connected to each other and these connections keep us from intense negative emotions and thoughts. One of the best ways to stay connected is to do something for others.
S – Surround yourself with role models of resilience
A – Attitude. The key to change almost everything in life. A resilient attitude comes from taking things positively. Things are transient and we should not get carried away by things that are momentary.
S – Spirituality. One of the ways of keeping yourself strong could be spirituality.
V – Values. They help you take a decision being cognizant of the situation and what is right or wrong.
E – Emotions. People let go of their anxiety and negative emotions. It helps them get through. Something that Greg calls ‘creative hopelessness.’
S – Silliness. A way of laughing at your situations and yourself. We came from the elements and we shall get back to them some day.
5. Innovation and Resilience by Jeff Moore
Jeff Moore shares his perspective on Resilience in this TED talk. He takes us through an anecdote from his life. He connects the examples from innovative startups. Some of the catchiest ideas are those that help solve some of the biggest challenges. Drawing an analogy, he proposes that we should think about our lives in a similar manner. If we start thinking of the problems in our lives, we can start solving them one by one. All we need is an innovative approach towards them and treat them as an entrepreneur treats a real-life problem.
Further, he emphasizes the fact that we need to take more control of our lives. There are a lot of things that we can indeed fix. He ends his video by sharing three points that can help us become more resilient:
* We should honor our lives; this is key to start becoming resilient.
* Define a mission statement for ourselves, just like the startups.
* Finally, we should also remember to be blissful. We should be grateful for every positive thing we have.