Inspirational TED Talks for a mid-year boost: Part 3 of 3

If you’re lucky enough to still have a job despite COVID-19, be careful that you don’t end up burning out from stress.

Too much screen time, too many video calls and too few boundaries make working from home hard for all of us. Podcast host and writer Morra Aarons-Mele shares honest advice on what you can learn from the introverts in your life about protecting your energy and your limits.

The key is to be honest about what you’re feeling, even when you might not want to share.

"You can't just flip a switch when you step into the office and turn your emotions off," says author and illustrator Liz Fosslien. “Feeling feelings is part of being human.” She shares why selective vulnerability is the key to bringing your authentic self to work.

It’s also important to be in a workplace that supports you.

What can companies do to support grieving employees? Sharing his own story of unimaginable heartbreak, Tilak Mandadi offers three ways organisations can cultivate a culture of workplace empathy, creating an environment that encourages community, productivity and joy. 

But if you can’t find happiness where you are, maybe it’s time to try a different role.

Got an idea to make your workplace better? Labor organizer and TED Fellow Jess Kutch can show you how to put it into action. In this quick talk, she explains how "productive conflict" (when people organise to challenge and change their work lives for the better) can be beneficial for employees and employers alike.

Indeed, many people are keen to make big changes across different areas of their lives.

Chance plays a far bigger role in life than we're willing to admit, says psychologist Barry Schwartz. Of course, working hard and following the rules can get you far -- but the rest could boil down to simple good fortune. Schwartz examines the overlooked link between luck, merit and success, offering an intriguing solution to equalize opportunity.

But before you go rushing ahead to the future, take a moment to reflect on the past.

For centuries, the Irish funeral wake has served as a time for people to grieve a life lost and celebrate a life lived, together. In this profound and lyrical talk, poet Kevin Toolis laments the fear and denial of death that characterizes increasingly individualistic societies. He reasons that living life fully means embracing our shared mortality and offers simple ways to reconnect with your community, the people you love and even yourself.

Most importantly, remember to live for today because that’s all we really have.

Neuroscientist Beau Lotto conducted an ambitious study with Cirque du Soleil on the emotion of awe and its psychological and behavioral benefits. In this talk and live performance, he shares some of their findings and stands back as Cirque du Soleil dancers create their own awe-inducing spectacle.

(I’ll be moving this newsletter over to my blog at www.eugeneyiga.com. No need to do anything different on your side!)