5 TEDx talks that will make you more self-resilient

TED talks are the ideal source in terms of extra food for thought, insights, and motivation. 

With so many new talks going into the pipeline every day, which ones are worth your time and effort?

To save you countless hours of surfing around, I’ve compiled my five favorite TED talks on the subject for you! 

TED Talk #1: How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over (Mel Robbins)

This talk is the precursor to Mel Robbins’ best-selling book The 5 Second Rule. 

In it, she essentially talks about how procrastination or feeding into our most basic and laziest impulses is never going to get us where we want to go in life. And how giving into them is a great way to screw ourselves over. 

Ha! I love Mel Robbins — she’s one of my favorites actually. Her delivery was — and remains — a model for me in terms of being a great speaker. You’ll enjoy this one.

TED Talk #2: Girl Up (Courtney Ferrell)

So bold and passionate and real, Courtney Ferrell brings a member of the audience up onto stage to make sure there’s no doubt as to who she’s speaking to. 

Courtney delivers so much important advice to younger (and older) women. 

This one had me laughing, crying, and wanting to hug them both at the end (speaker and listener). 

That’s all I’ll give away. I loved it so much, I sent it off to a whole bunch of folks (and yes, I even got on my feet and clapped, even though I was alone in my office ...). Check it out!!!

TED Talk #3: My Stroke of Insight (Jill Bolte Taylor)

There are so many reasons to love this talk. 

Other than Jill being my namesake, she tells the story of how she bore witness to her own stroke, while it was actually happening, in a way that ran shivers up my spine. 

Now, I’m a crier, so I was sure to do some of that here as well. Even if you’re not, her talk will have you thinking more deeply about synchronicity, our own real power, and the hard stuff we mostly avoid… in the best, most profound, and most evocative ways. 

Do not miss this one.

TED Talk #4: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator (Tim Urban)

I just love Tim Urban. He’s so funny and real and his delivery is so spot on. 

He has a blog I follow called “Wait But Why?” that’s equally funny. 

To be resilient, you have to be able to laugh at yourself. 

Also: you never know if what you’re experiencing might ultimately serve you or be happening on your behalf. 

If you need a good laugh (and who doesn’t?) or to see your own foibles in the most human of ways, this talk is for you.

TED Talk #5: I got 99 problems and palsy is just one (Maysoon Zayid)

I watched this talk probably 30 times. This was the ONE that made me a TED groupie for life.

The bravery, the courage, the rawness, the humor, the badass that is Maysoon Zayid.

She sits on the stage and shakes and shimmies and pokes fun at herself in a way that has us all want to be like her. LOVE!

Bonus: my own TEDx Talk! 

If you haven’t watched it yet… here’s the story of how I was stuck in a situation going nowhere fast — and how I developed my letting-go process so I could move on, and move up. Watched by millions around the globe! 

What’s your favorite? 

Can you tell me in the comment: what’s your favorite TED talk, and why?