5 TED Talks to inspire your career

Hit your panic buttons. We’re more than half way through the year, and chances are you’re probably no closer to meeting those career goals you nutted out at the start of 2014.

That manuscript is nowhere near finished, you didn’t apply for that awesome job you stumbled upon, and you still haven’t plucked up the courage to talk to your boss about that long overdue pay rise.

Sound about right?

Do not fear – you’re not alone.

The mid-year slump’s got most of us feeling a little short on inspiration, creativity and innovation.

So to help kick you back into high gear, we’ve rounded up five talks from arguably the most inspiring, creative and innovative source out there – TED.

1. For the creatives  – Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius

A must watch for any creative mind. International bestselling author, Elizabeth Gilbert, gives a candid and insightful talk about success, the writing process and how to tap into your creative potential.

 

2. For the leaders  – Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation

Career Analyst, Dan Pink, talks about the mismatch between what science and business know about human motivation. It’s an entertaining and illuminating talk that will have you thinking twice about what really motivates your employees.

 

3. For the twentysomethings – Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20

If you’re autopiloting your way through your 20s with a dead-end job and plan to ‘think about your career later’, prepare for a rude awakening.

Clinical psychologist, Meg Jay, gives a bold and provocative talk about why your 20s are anything but a throwaway decade.

 

4. For the pessimists– Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

Positive psychologist, Shawn Achor, upends the deeply engrained notion that if you’re successful then you’ll be happy.

In this hilarious and fast-paced talk, Achor touches on fake graphs and unicorns, to prove that happiness leads to success, not the other way round.

 

5. For the excusers– Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career

This TED Talk is for anyone who has ever dreamt big, only to follow it up with a  ‘but’. Professor of Economics, Larry Smith, gives a blunt and unabashed look at the ridiculous excuses we make for ourselves when we fail to do what we love.