8 Life Hack TED Talks for Meaningful Living

My goal for 2019 is to have a better understanding of myself. When you are your own best friend, life gets easier trust me. You know what you want, you have a better grip of your values, and you know how to avoid things that are not meant to be in your life: like procrastination, low self-esteem, self-doubts, and toxic people.

TED (technology, entertainment, and design) Talks are a great source of inspiration and enlightenment. It encourages you not only to work on yourselves. The talks also explore interesting topics like minimalism, mental health, physical beauty, meditation, bikes, sexuality, and many others. I have provided you a list of TED Talks that moved me. These will help you manage yourself and your surroundings better. I have also included notes and questions that you can take away from the talk so that the ideas stick with you.

A little courage and guidance from successful life hackers may be all you need for a significant shift in your life.

When you feel stuck in the pursuit of your dreams
"The Power of Believing You Can Improve" by Carol Dweck

Carol Dweck discusses the "Power of Yet". She tackles the importance of delaying gratification. Do you catch yourself saying "I can't do it." or "I can't do it... yet.". If things aren't working out for you right now, remember that great things take, cliche as this sounds, a lot of time, patience and, drive.



Notes and Questions:
The difference between the growth mindset and the fixed mindset.
Are you always seeking constant validation?
What it means to be more process-oriented instead of focusing on results
What happens to your brain when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.

When you feel like your abilities are not enough
“The Skill of Self-confidence by Dr. Ivan Joseph

Soccer Coach and Athletic Director Dr. Ivan Joseph reveals the number 1 skill he is looking for when recruiting for athletes: Self-Confidence. He believes that having the "Can Do" attitude will not only drive you to success in athletics but also in life. In this talk, Self-Confidence considered as a "skill". Find out why.

Notes and Questions:
The importance of repetition and persistence.
How to handle rejection.
What is your self-affirmation?
What is the difference between ego and self-confidence?
Build up other people's confidence by catching and praising them while they're good.
Confidence is also built through positive self-perception.

When you feel like Procrastinating
“How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over” by Mel Robbins

Mel Robbins is the author of the book The 5 Second Rule. She says that if an idea comes into mind, you must act upon it within 5 seconds because if you put it off, it leads to procrastination or worse, you will never be able to do it at all. She is a life coach that helps people get what they want.

Notes and Questions:
Getting what you want is SIMPLE. But not easy.
Do the science of drafting.
Why the word "Fine" is dangerous.
How not to use the snooze button.
Why motivation is a myth.
Why our feelings are standing in the way

When you are stressed
“How to Make Stress Your Friend” by Kelly McGonigal

Health psychologist and lecturer Kelly McGonigal sheds light to the common episode that we all go through, stress. In this video, she will show you a different way to look at stress and how looking at it positively can help your heart.



Notes and Questions:
How you think about stress matters.
Stress helps your body rise to the challenge.
Does stress really make you social?
How is a stress hormone enhanced?
How is resilience related to stress?

When you are discouraged to try something new
Smash Fear, Learn Anything by Tim Ferriss

In this TED Talk, Tim Ferriss, a podcaster, author, and entrepreneur encourages everybody to deconstruct things and navigate themselves out of fear so they can achieve the things they want in life. It's amazing how he is able to learn things that interest him so quickly. He reveals tips in this video.

Notes and Questions:
Learning from scratch should excite you.
Effectiveness versus Efficiency
When to lead and when to follow.
What is Tim's perception of fear?
Be a beginner.
"What's the worst that could happen?"
When life throws you lemons
The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong by Amy Morin

Amy Morin has been through a fair amount of struggles before she became a best-selling author and psychotherapist. And that is putting it lightly. She went through painful experiences that pushed her mental and emotional limits. In this discussion, she tells us what it takes for us to be mentally tough when times are rough.

Notes and Questions:
The comparison is a trap.
Three kinds of destructive and unhealthy beliefs.
There are things that make us lose our power that we are not aware of.
Success is not a cosmic reward.
The long-term benefit of dropping bad mental habits.
Beat one bad habit at a time.
What is one simple bad mental habit that you are willing to give up?

When you think exercise is just all about getting fit
“The Brain-changing Benefits of Exercise” by Wendy Suzuki

Exercise is by default, correlated to diet and fitness to achieve a healthier body. But what we oftentimes don't know are the benefits that cardio does to our brains as well. Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a Neuroscientist whose research is mostly devoted to brain plasticity. In this video, she explains the effects of aerobic exercise to one's learning capacity, memory, moods, and overall cognitive abilities of the human brain.

Notes and Questions:
Exercise can do transformative things to your brain.
Is the effect in the brain immediately after you sweat out?
Can exercise really change your brain's anatomy?
Neuroscience findings of long-term exercise.
The brain is like a muscle. The more you workout, the stronger your brain gets too.
How many times a week do you need to exercise to get all the brain benefits?

When you want to embrace who you are
“The Art of Being Yourself” by Caroline McHugh

Caroline McHugh is an advocate for authenticity and originality. She helps people have the courage to love and be themselves and not in a narcissistic way. In this TED Talk video, she challenges us to be true to ourselves and to learn how to embrace our own uniqueness. There are three things that are highlighted in this talk: What everybody thinks of you, what you want everybody to think of you, what you think of yourself.

Watch Caroline's breakdown of what it takes to live as yourself.

Notes and Questions:
What do you see in a "True Mirror"?
The thing that people have in common is that they don't have anything in common.
Life expectancy versus What you expect in life versus What life expects from you.
What is an "interiority" complex?
Are you being led by other people's opinion?
6. We all live with an ego but the challenge is how to tame it.

These TED Talks have inspired many, including myself. I hope it inspired you too.