5 Ted Talks to Think, Feel, and Perform Better

Reading Time: 3 Minutes

Watching Time: ~60 minutes

TedTalk #1: The Power of Being a Beginner

The benefits of fostering beginner's mind

Many of us typically disengage or even double down on our beliefs when we encounter opinions at odds with our own. Our biases tell us we have all the answers but, according to psychology grad Cecilia Guan, this mentality only stifles the marketplace of ideas. Combining Zen Buddhist practices with psychological concepts, Guan suggests fostering our "beginner's mind"—a way of engaging with the world without preconceptions—to seek mutual understanding in a polarized world.

https://www.ted.com/talks/cecilia_guan_the_benefits_of_fostering_beginner_s_mind

This powerful TedTalk helps us foster a more balanced approach to the world we live in. Though it emphasizes bias and managing our automatic thinking patterns, the practice of applying a beginner's mind can be transformational in the way you approach yourself and your performance.

As a bonus, having a beginner's mind can facilitate self-regulated learning - one of the core skills of elite performance.

TedTalk #2: Develop Your Range

In fact, David Epstein's book Range was the genesis of this edition of the newsletter, and my general goal of pushing myself outside of just peak performance work and into the world of peak performance, potential, business, and psychology - the core of the things I'm most interested in.

Why specializing early doesn't always mean career success

A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally.

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_why_specializing_early_doesn_t_always_mean_career_success

In this TedTalk, Epstein talks about the benefit of expanding your scope and seeing the world from a bird's eye view.

Tedtalk #3: How Do You Evaluate Risk?

All performances are odds-based events. The way we think about odds, as a result, has a big impact on the way that we approach (or avoid) a performance, and what we think we need to do to be successful.

Why do people fear the wrong things?

A new drug reduces the risk of heart attacks by 40%. Shark attacks are up by a factor of two. Drinking a liter of soda per day doubles your chance of developing cancer. These are all examples of a common way risk is presented in news articles, and can often be misleading. So how can we better evaluate risk? Gerd Gigerenzer explores the difference between relative and absolute risk. [Directed by Visorama, narrated by Addison Anderson].

https://www.ted.com/talks/gerd_gigerenzer_why_do_people_fear_the_wrong_things

In this talk, psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, a specialist in understanding risks, takes us into the world of how to better think about the odds we face.

TedTalk #4: Build Your Self-Awareness

Author of the fantastic book on self-awareness, Insight, Dr. Tasha Eurich takes us into the dimensions of self-awareness and how we can build them up.

Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix

We'd all like to believe we're self-aware, but in reality, the facts point to a more sobering truth. Organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich has spent the last 4 years researching what it truly means to be self-aware, and in the process, has made a surprising discovery about human perception. In this illuminating talk, Eurich dissects common misbeliefs about introspective thinking and provides a simple way we can get to know ourselves just a little bit better.

https://www.ted.com/talks/tasha_eurich_increase_your_self_awareness_with_one_simple_fix

This TedTalk fosters our awareness of our self-awareness, or lack thereof, and simple ways we can improve our self-awareness as a starting point to self-actualization.

TedTalk #5: A biochemist and monk walk into a bar...

In this TedTalk, biochemist turned monk Mattheu Ricard uncovers how things like kindness and self-compassion make our lives better.

The habits of happiness

What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.

https://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_the_habits_of_happiness

With a focus on high-performance habits, this TedTalk will walk you through some simple things you can do each day to elevate your