We, humans, are complicated creatures. At times, some of us make exemplary achievements and at the same time, some engulf themselves in every negative thought one can think of, in turn, ruining not only their lives but also the lives of those near them. It’s been like this since maybe forever but humans also possess the power and willingness to induce change only when brought to the right path through the right guidance.
Mere words can enliven a spark of confidence in any of us but the selection of a befitting outlet toward that confidence matters the most here. What could be the easiest pathway to self-awareness and confidence? What if you’re told it’s watching a TED talk? Well, don’t laugh it aside. TED talks have been organized for the very same reason – to help individuals perceive the side of their lives they were either afraid to view or solely unaware of.
You will find an extensive list of talks on confidence directly on the TED website. If you’re willing to view these stories not as a psychological challenge but as a relatable experience then take time out of your busy schedule and watch away. While you’re at it, ensure your YouTube video does not start buffering every now and then, by checking out some high-speed internet plans as offered by AT&T Internet. Once you’ve got the internet plan sorted, without further ado, here are some inspirational TED talks that do a lot more than merely raising your spirits.
1. The Skill of self-confidence
Dr. Ivan Joseph, Athletic Director at Ryerson University, took to the stage and addressed a very important issue many of us fail to pay heed to. The world we’re living in has begun to prefer those with extraordinary skills and renders the ones who don’t fit into that criterion unimportant. Being fixated on owning a skillset is essential to excel in life but many miss out on one crucial attribute, self-confidence.
Confidence isn’t something inborn, Dr. Joseph enforces. Instead, that too is a skill that only takes its true form when refined with time and effort. Confidence takes form when you believe you can achieve the greatest of things in life even if you keep falling.
You could have the tedious life of an office worker or be a passionate soccer player, one thing which remains constant every time is your ability to believe in yourself. Nobody will believe in you if you don’t. No matter what your goal is, keep on trying until you finally begin to feel good about yourself. Eventually, self-confidence is how you interpret it to be.
2. How to stop screwing yourself over
Having the willingness to break out of a bad habit can make any individual comfortable. The bad habit could be having pointless midnight snacks or not brushing your teeth daily. Overeating at odd hours might make your life ridden with gastrointestinal issues and not brushing teeth would result in teeth decay at some point.
The smallest of the bad habits can have great yet irreversible consequences. That’s why change is deemed so uncomfortable. Bad habits are easy to opt for but doing something to change them feels highly uncomfortable.
That’s the entire focus of Mel Robbins’s TED talk. She forces upon the fact that if you never feel like changing something or starting something new, you will never want to in the future. So why not just choose to do it now? While the talk directly doesn’t target lack of self-confidence as an issue but continuing to indulge in bad habits and constant procrastination does affect a person’s self-esteem.
3. Your body language may shape who you are
Body language is fascinating. The way you compose your shoulders, fold your arms and make hand gestures while speaking, each movement you make is constantly being noticed and judged. The human conscience is meant to judge how confident or socially shy an individual is by observing their body language. Just as Ludwig Wittgenstein said – “The human body is the best picture of the human soul”, is exactly what social psychologist Amy Cuddy revolves her TED talk around.
One main point in her talk is concerning ‘power posing’. While some deny or are skeptical about the credibility of power posing, Amy Cuddy thinks otherwise. Her findings illustrate that she was able to overcome her lack of confidence using this approach. If you’ve always had severe anxiety before an interview, Amy encourages you to make high power poses to give yourself a boost in confidence.
After all, pretending to be confident takes time, patience, and dedication. Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to match your personality, keep on faking it until you become the confident person you have always looked up to become.
How to speak so that people want to listen
How often have you felt that when you speak, no one wants to listen? You might have made several speculations inside your mind. Maybe I’m boring. Maybe I don’t have anything interesting to share. Maybe this, maybe that. But how many times did you stop making assumptions and started to intricately analyze why it happens with you? Well, Julian Treasure has an entirely different viewpoint on why people don’t want to listen to specific people.
He calls his list the 7 deadly sins of speaking which comprises– gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, excuses, lies, and dogmatism. An individual who hosts any of the following qualities is an unhappy person, lacking in confidence and engulfed in revolting self-esteem values.
Elaborating on each sin is exhausting itself and Julian does it immaculately. He emphasizes being straightforward with your words, being true to what you say, and ultimately, setting the right pitch and prosody to add appeal to your voice tone. You can get a quick view of his TED talk on YouTube.
Conclusion
Being vulnerable at times is okay. Having negative thoughts doesn’t make you mentally weak. Feeling skeptical before making the slightest of decisions doesn’t make you uncompetitive. These are common traits that even psychologists and life coaches feel but these small feelings become an issue when you let them consume your life.
No one is born confident or perfect. It’s YOUR responsibility to analyze your pitfalls and gradually work on improving them. The aforementioned TED talks will give you the boost you need but eventually, your decisions are your responsibility, and only the attitude you choose to opt for can make a positive or negative difference.
