I realized yesterday that it’s been a month since I’ve posted on my blog, and I wondered on that for a bit. Folks have advised me to blog on a regular schedule – say, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. But I find that approach doesn’t work for me, because I choose to blog about what I really care about – including events or ideas that inspire me, aggravate me, royally piss me off , or move me to tears. I find I can’t schedule that.
But there is one new thing I’ve decided to commit to scheduling for myself each week, because doing so reminds me of how wonderfully amazing this life on earth truly is. I’m committing to watching at least one TED.com video a week, and many more if I can.
If you don’t know about it, TED.com is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become broader, with two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer — TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.
For me, watching these events and talks energizes me like nothing else, because TED helps me remember — and directly experience — the brilliance, courage and creativity that exists in our world ( fraught as it is with imperfection, pain and challenge). The TED speakers and contributors are all – to a one – utterly passionate about their work, fantastically gifted in what they do and how they communicate and present their ideas, and entertaining in a way that is riveting and uplifting.
What I’ve learned is that, when I take time each week to disengage from my intense personal focus on my own world, work and community, and look out into and touch a larger global community that is committed to “making our future” rather than simply “seeing our future,” I’m reminded again of what’s truly important to me.
So if fabulous, expansive and beautiful ideas enliven you, I encourage you to check out TED.com, and the recent independent TEDx event held in Kansas City. In particular, I loved Dr. Brene Brown’s talk on “vulnerability” – funny, touching, and informative – reminding us that when we “numb” our negative fears and emotions, we can’t help but numb all of our emotions – including love, compassion, and joy, and that being afraid of being vulnerable means being afraid to live.
Check out Brene’s talk out here, and see the whole TEDx Kansas City event here.
I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts – which of these talks stimulated you the most? What inspires you at the highest level, in life and work? And are you committed to experiencing and touching on a regular basis new people and new ideas that truly uplift and “uplife” you.
Life is so good – we need to find our own ways to remember that, each day and week.
I just came across TED.com after a random search this morning on Malcolm Gladwell. I loved his spaghetti sauce discussion and was just about to check out more of TED.com and then saw your reference on FB. I think it is meant to be that I check this out – thanks. I have been present for some awesome keynotes and it seems awesome to me that this is something that can be accessed on a regular basis, as needed!
Thanks for your note, Anne! Love how synchronicity works like that – in this case, it’s surely a sign that TED will inspire you too! Happy Friday.