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Ted Tuesday: Elizabeth Gilbert on Genius
February 10th, 2009Where did January go? Last time I checked it I still had a few days left, lol, next thing I know it’s the second week of February! I’ve just come back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was a truly remarkable experience to be able to see some of the brightest people get together and exchange ideas.
I’m finally back in Toronto and really diving head-first into my writing. I was inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED Talk on Genius and the anguish that is normally associated with the creative process. Gilbert’s last work, “Eat, Pray, Love” was an international best-seller and she is now struggling with her next novel, wondering how she can top her last success and fearing that her biggest accomplishment might now be behind her. Her fear around creativity definitely resonates with me, as I muck through my own writing processes.
Why You Should Watch :
Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a pre-midlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of – running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.
She’s a longtime magazine writer – covering music and politics for Spin and GQ – as well as a novelist and short-story writer. Her books include the story collection Pilgrims, the novel Stern Men (about lobster fishermen in Maine) and a biography of the woodsman Eustace Conway, called The Last American Man. Her work has been the basis for one movie so far (Coyote Ugly, based on her own memoir, in this magazine article, of working at the famously raunchy bar), and now it looks as if Eat, Pray, Love is on the same track, with the part of Gilbert reportedly to be played by Julia Roberts. Not bad for a year off.
Posted in My Writing, TED | 2 Comments »
Ted Tuesdays: Dan Gilbert on the Secret of Happiness
January 8th, 2009
[Update: I am aware it is not Tuesday, but my technological prowess apparently does not extend to understanding the magical intricacies of wordpress' auto-post functionality. Forgive my transgression, at least it's still a day of the week that starts with T!]
Will all this heavy talk here these past few days, I decided to focus on something that we are all chasing: happiness! Our culture has been built around companies offering products and services that can somehow deliver this magical concept. Whether it’s a new kitchen or a new body we are constantly on the hunt for that “thing” that is going to make us happy. Dan Gilbert shares some surprising insights about the nature of happiness, and how achieving it is much easier than you think!
Why you should watch:
Dan Gilbert believes that, in our ardent, lifelong pursuit of happiness, most of us have the wrong map. In the same way that optical illusions fool our eyes — and fool everyone’s eyes in the same way — Gilbert argues that our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy. And these quirks in our cognition make humans very poor predictors of our own bliss.
The premise of his current research — that our assumptions about what will make us happy are often wrong — is supported with clinical research drawn from psychology and neuroscience. But his delivery is what sets him apart. His engaging — and often hilarious — style pokes fun at typical human behavior and invokes pop-culture references everyone can relate to. This winning style translates also to Gilbert’s writing, which is lucid, approachable and laugh-out-loud funny. The immensely readable Stumbling on Happiness, published in 2006, became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages.
In fact, the title of his book could be drawn from his own life. At 19, he was a high school dropout with dreams of writing science fiction. When a creative writing class at his community college was full, he enrolled in the only available course: psychology. He found his passion there, earned a doctorate in social psychology in 1985 at Princeton, and has since won a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Phi Beta Kappa teaching prize for his work at Harvard. He has written essays and articles for The New York Times, Time and even Starbucks, while continuing his research into happiness at his Hedonic Psychology Laboratory.
Favorite Parts:
- I love the surprising truth about the happiness level reported by recent lottery winners and recent paraplegics.
- I laughed out loud at the Monet: happiness synthesis experiment. So funny how we rationalize our choices and the amnesiac control groups just blew my mind!
My Take:
I love this talk. I have always believed that happiness is just a state of mind and that you are completely in control of whether you feel that way or not. It takes me back to my philosophy courses in university where we talked about the illusion of time and how the only thing you can be sure of is the present. So choose to be happy!
What do you think?
Did you like this post? Check out the others in my weekly series.
Posted in TED, Tech & New Media | No Comments »
Ted Tuesdays - Tony Robbins on Why We Do What We Do
December 16th, 2008I’ve always been a firm believer that we can motivate ourselves to accomplish just about anything. However, it can be SO frustrating (not to mention confusing, depressing and sad) when everything we do seems to sabotage our happiness, like talking ourselves out of successes or bypassing opportunities. I’ve wondered about that voice, that sneaky and sly commentary which convinces us to back away from the edge of the unknown and to stick with the safe and familiar.
This week, Tony Robbins encourages people to really question the reasons behind their actions, especially those that are preventing them from achieving their full potential.
Why You Should Watch:
Tony Robbins might have one of the world’s most famous smiles; his beaming confidence has helped sell his best-selling line of self-help books, and fill even his 10,000-seat seminars. What’s less known about the iconic motivational speaker is the range and stature of his personal clients. From CEOs to heads of state to Olympic athletes, a wide swath of high-performing professionals (who are already plenty motivated, thank you very much) look to him for help reaching their full potential.
Robbins’ expertise in leadership psychology is what brought him to TED, where his spontaneous on-stage interaction with Al Gore created an unforgettable TED moment. It also perfectly demonstrated Robbins’ direct — even confrontational — approach, which calls on his listeners to look within themselves, and find the inner blocks that prevent them from finding fulfillment and success. Some of his techniques — firewalking, for example — are magnets for criticism, but his underlying message is unassailable: We all have the ability to make a positive impact on the world, and it’s up to us, as individuals, to overcome our fears and foibles to reach that potential.
Robbins has won many accolades for his work — including his memorable performance in the Jack Black comedy Shallow Hal. (It was a small but vital role.) His Anthony Robbins Foundation works with the homeless, elderly and inner-city youth, and feeds more than 2 million people annually through its International Basket Brigade.
My Favorite Part
I love when he high-fives Al Gore!! Amazing.
My Take:
My biggest take away from this talk is that sometimes there usually an explanation embedded in the madness of our actions. Despite seemingly inexplicable behaviour, there are real reasons and (buried) issues that need to be dealt with; These types of things don’t just manifest without a purpose.
I really liked the part where he talks about examining the ideal that you had envisioned about your life/spouse/career and to assess how realistic it was. If it’s not attainable then you’ll probably always be unhappy, because that need is not being met.
I think all too often we carry around expectations that we have been raised to believe without question, or maybe we’ve seen it in movies and TV shows and we get disappointed when life doesn’t measure up. Examining those fundemental belief systems can be a great way to take stock of your life goals so far. There is so much untapped potential in everyone, imagine what you could accomplish if absolutely nothing held you back!
Posted in Blog, My Writing, TED, Tech & New Media | 1 Comment »
Ted Tuesday - J.J. Abrams and the Mystery Box
November 25th, 2008It’s time for another TED Tuesday! I’m so glad everyone is enjoying them, the feedback I have gotten from people has been great, and I have gotten a lot out of the conversations so far! This week, I’ve chosen one of my favorite heroes, TV genius J.J. Abrams.
J.J. is the brains behind two awesome shows: Alias and Lost. I just fell in love (read: became addicted) with the unique way he weaves a story. Feeding you enough information so that you’re hooked, but never enough that you’re satisfied. Truth be told, it’s a love hate relationship, I have. Especially with LOST - that hatch was driving me crazy!
He is a member of an elite breed of writers that can keep you on the edge of your pants and completely in the dark for an entire season. You just never know what he’s going to do. And everything is so intricate, that you know you have to pay close attention to every scene because every little bit matters in the end. I love his reveals, the way he shows you the clues that have been hidden in plain sight all of this time.
In this talk, he talks about his love for mysteries and the magical gift his grandfather gave him that has inspired him ever since.
Why You Should Watch
As the Emmy-winning creator of the smart, addictive TV dramas Lost, Alias and Felicity, J.J. Abrams’ name looms large on the small screen. As the writer/director behind the blockbuster explode-a-thon Mission: Impossible III, the upcoming Cloverfield and the next Star Trek movie, these days Abrams also rules the big screen — bringing his eye for telling detail and emotional connection to larger-than-life stories.
Abrams’ enthusiasm — for the construction of Kleenex boxes, for the quiet moments between shark attacks in Jaws, for today’s filmmaking technologies, and above all for the potent mystery of an unopened package — is incredibly infectious.
My Favorite Part
I love the part where he talks about how technology has helped us bypass the traditional systems that would have normally prevented us from making movies, and now anyone can do it.
“The creation of stuff is democritized… Go make your movie. There’s nothing stopping you from going out there and getting the technology. You can lease, rent, buy stuff off the shelf just as good as the stuff that’s used by the [pros].”
I love that, there will always be challenges, but no more limits to what your creativity can do.
My Take
I love the mystery box, it’s how I feel when I open a new document to write a story. The anticipation is also mixed with a sense of knowing that no matter what I write, it will never be as good as the potential of what I could write, of everything that page can be. Humans are obsessed with possibilities, with the potential turns our lives can take, and I think the mystery box captures that feeling perfectly.
Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing.
Are there areas in your lives where you feel the same type of potential? When anything and everything is possible? I love those moments because they open your eyes to things we otherwise would dismiss.
Some Extras:
This LOST video made me laugh because it goes through seasons 1-3 and highlights every time a character says “what?” They say it a lot, I probably say it twice as much each time I watch an episode. If you haven’t seen it, give it a chance. Try watching the first season and then stop. I dare you.
Oh and if there are any Alias fans out there, I wanted to post an awesome clip from Robot Chicken called “Whalias” but thanks to copyright laws, I can’t find it anywhere. Thanks antiquated legal system.
Posted in Blog, TED | No Comments »
TED Tuesday : Aubrey De Grey on how we can live to be 1000
November 18th, 2008I find it so fascinating that despite all the advances science has made in learning about our minds and bodies, there are still vast amounts of information that remains unknown. Things that seemed impossible to our ancestors like flying through the sky or curing (now) common diseases are normal for us. I can only imagine what seemingly out of this world things will be commonplace to future generations. I think you’ll enjoy this talk by renown age scientist Aubrey De Grey, who hypothesizes that within the next thirty years, gene therapies will be introduced that will allow us to halt the aging process and life long and extended lives, spanning hundreds of years.
Why You Should Watch:
Cambridge researcher Aubrey de Grey argues that aging is merely a disease — and a curable one at that. Humans age in seven basic ways, he says, all of which can be averted. He provocatively proposes that the first human beings who will live to 1,000 years old.
My Favorite Part:
I just love his sense of humor during this whole talk. He’s got a long pony tail and large bushy beard and he looks a bit more mad than scientist, but you just know after listening to him speak for a few minutes that he would be one of most interesting people to talk to.
My Take
I find myself having mixed reactions to this talk. I mean it’s pretty exciting to think about living for 200 years or more, but what if we achieve immortality, which is something he also hypothesizes. That opens up a whole realm of philosophical, theological and moral questions. The points below are pure speculation on my part, and are just some of the ideas that were bouncing around in my mind during this presentation.
Isn’t death natural? - Someone pointed out to me that it’s a little bizarre to pursue this line of research since everything in nature dies. What are some of the implications of circumventing a natural cycle like this?
Can we handle it? - There are already too many people on the planet, what will living forever mean people who want to have children? What will it mean for sustainable business and the resources of our planet? Population control will have to be seriously considered.
What about the afterlife? Now I’m not a religious person by nature, by I know many of my friends are, and they believe that what happens after you die is just a natural progression of human development. So, hypothetically speaking, what if there WAS something really great after death and now we’d never know?
Who will get access to this treatment? At the onset I can guarantee you it will probably be rich people, and I wonder how the world will react if they know there is a treatment available to the elite?
Will we want to live so long? You think working until 65 is a long time, can you imagine your career spanning hundreds of years? And what about opportunity within organizations? 250 years old and still a junior manager? Sucky for you!
What do you think? Where do you stand on the immortality continuum?
Posted in Blog, TED | 7 Comments »
