第2023ted演講稿十一篇2023ted演講稿十一篇

2023ted演講稿篇1trysomethingnewfor30days小計劃幫你實現(xiàn)大目標

afewyearsago,ifeltlikeiwasstuckinarut,soidecidedtofollowinthefootstepsofthegreatamericanphilosopher,morganspurlock,andtrysomethingnewfor30days.theideaisactuallyprettysimple.thinkaboutsomethingyou’vealwayswantedtoaddtoyourlifeandtryitforthene_t30days.itturnsout,30daysisjustabouttherightamountoftimetoaddanewhabitorsubtractahabit—likewatchingthenews—fromyourlife.

幾年前，我感覺對老一套感到枯燥乏味，所以我決定追隨偉大的美國哲學家摩根·斯普爾洛克的腳步，嘗試做新事情30天。這個想法的確是非常簡單?？紤]下，你常想在你生命中做的一些事情接下來30天嘗試做這些。這就是，30天剛好是這么一段合適的時間去養(yǎng)成一個新的習慣或者改掉一個習慣——例如看新聞——在你生活中。

there’safewthingsilearnedwhiledoingthese30-daychallenges.thefirstwas,insteadofthemonthsflyingby,forgotten,thetimewasmuchmorememorable.thiswaspartofachallengeididtotakeapictureeverydayforamonth.andiremembere_actlywhereiwasandwhatiwasdoingthatday.ialsonoticedthatasistartedtodomoreandharder30-daychallenges,myself-confidencegrew.iwentfromdesk-dwellingcomputernerdtothekindofguywhobikestowork—forfun.evenlastyear,iendeduphikingupmt.kilimanjaro,thehighestmountaininafrica.iwouldneverhavebeenthatadventurousbeforeistartedmy30-daychallenges.

當我在30天做這些挑戰(zhàn)性事情時，我學到以下一些事。第一件事是，取代了飛逝而過易被遺忘的歲月的是這段時間非常的更加令人難忘。挑戰(zhàn)的一部分是要一個月內(nèi)每天我要去拍攝一張照片。我清楚地記得那一天我所處的位置我都在干什么。我也注意到隨著我開始做更多的，更難的30天里具有挑戰(zhàn)性的事時，我自信心也增強了。我從一個臺式計算機宅男極客變成了一個愛騎自行車去工作的人——為了玩樂。甚至去年，我完成了在非洲最高山峰乞力馬扎羅山的遠足。在我開始這30天做挑戰(zhàn)性的事之前我從來沒有這樣熱愛冒險過。

ialsofiguredoutthatifyoureallywantsomethingbadlyenough,youcandoanythingfor30days.haveyoueverwantedtowriteanoveleverynovember,tensofthousandsofpeopletrytowritetheirown50,000wordnovelfromscratchin30days.itturnsout,allyouhavetodoiswrite1,667wordsadayforamonth.soidid.bytheway,thesecretisnottogotosleepuntilyou’vewrittenyourwordsfortheday.youmightbesleep-deprived,butyou’llfinishyournovel.nowismybookthene_tgreatamericannovelno.iwroteitinamonth.it’sawful.butfortherestofmylife,ifimeetjohnhodgmanatatedparty,idon’thavetosay,“i’macomputerscientist.”no,no,ifiwanttoicansay,“i’manovelist.”

我也認識到如果你真想一些槽糕透頂?shù)氖拢憧梢栽?0天里做這些事。你曾想寫小說嗎每年11月，數(shù)以萬計的人們在30天里，從零起點嘗試寫他們自己的5萬字小說。這結果就是，你所要去做的事就是每天寫1667個字要寫一個月。所以我做到了。順便說一下，秘密在于除非在一天里你已經(jīng)寫完了1667個字，要不你就甭想睡覺。你可能被剝奪睡眠，但你將會完成你的小說。那么我寫的書會是下一部偉大的美國小說嗎不是的。我在一個月內(nèi)寫完它。它看上去太可怕了。但在我的余生，如果我在一個ted聚會上遇見約翰·霍奇曼，我不必開口說，“我是一個電腦科學家?！辈?，不會的，如果我愿意我可以說，“我是一個小說家?！?/p>

(laughter)

(笑聲)

sohere’sonelastthingi’dliketomention.ilearnedthatwhenimadesmall,sustainablechanges,thingsicouldkeepdoing,theyweremorelikelytostick.there’snothingwrongwithbig,crazychallenges.infact,they’reatonoffun.butthey’relesslikelytostick.whenigaveupsugarfor30days,day31lookedlikethis.

我這兒想提的最后一件事。當我做些小的、持續(xù)性的變化，我可以不斷嘗試做的事時，我學到我可以把它們更容易地堅持做下來。這和又大又瘋狂的具有挑戰(zhàn)性的事情無關。事實上，它們的樂趣無窮。但是，它們就不太可能堅持做下來。當我在30天里拒絕吃糖果，31天后看上去就像這樣。

(laughter)

(笑聲)

sohere’smyquestiontoyou:whatareyouwaitingforiguaranteeyouthene_t30daysaregoingtopasswhetheryoulikeitornot,sowhynotthinkaboutsomethingyouhavealwayswantedtotryandgiveitashotforthene_t30days.

所以我給大家提的問題是：大家還在等什么呀我保準大家在未來的30天定會經(jīng)歷你喜歡或者不喜歡的事，那么為什么不考慮一些你常想做的嘗試并在未來30天里試試給自己一個機會。

thanks.

謝謝。

(applause)

(掌聲)

2023ted演講稿篇2擁抱他人，擁抱自己

embracingotherness.whenifirstheardthistheme,ithought,well,embracingothernessisembracingmyself.andthejourneytothatplaceofunderstandingandacceptancehasbeenaninterestingoneforme,anditsgivenmeaninsightintothewholenotionofself,whichithinkisworthsharingwithyoutoday.

擁抱他類。當我第一次聽說這個主題時，我心想，擁抱他類不就是擁抱自己嗎。我個人懂得理解和接受他類的經(jīng)歷很有趣，讓我對于“自己”這個詞也有了新的認識，我想今天在這里和你們分享下我的心得體會。

weeachhaveaself,butidontthinkthatwerebornwithone.youknowhownewbornbabiesbelievetheyrepartofeverything;theyrenotseparatewellthatfundamentalsenseofonenessislostonusveryquickly.itslikethatinitialstageisover--oneness:infancy,unformed,primitive.itsnolongervalidorreal.whatisrealisseparateness,andatsomepointinearlybabyhood,theideaofselfstartstoform.ourlittleportionofonenessisgivenaname,istoldallkindsofthingsaboutitself,andthesedetails,opinionsandideasbecomefacts,whichgotowardsbuildingourselves,ouridentity.andthatselfbecomesthevehiclefornavigatingoursocialworld.buttheselfisaprojectionbasedonotherpeoplesprojections.isitwhowereallyareorwhowereallywanttobe,orshouldbe

我們每個人都有個自我，但并不是生來就如此的。你知道新生的寶寶們覺得他們是任何東西的一部分，而不是分裂的個體。這種本源上的“天人合一”感在我們出生后很快就不見了，就好像我們?nèi)松牡谝粋€篇章--和諧統(tǒng)一：嬰兒，未成形，原始--結束了。它們似幻似影，而現(xiàn)實的世界是孤獨彼此分離的。而在孩童期的某段時間，我們開始形成自我這個觀點。宇宙中的小小個體有了自己的名字，有了自己的過去等等各種信息。這些關于自己的細節(jié)，看法和觀點慢慢變成事實，成為我們身份的一部分。而那個自我，也變成我們?nèi)松飞锨靶械膶Ш絻x。然后，這個所謂的自我，是他人自我的映射，還是我們真實的自己呢我們究竟想成為什么樣，應該成為什么樣的呢

sothiswholeinteractionwithselfandidentitywasaverydifficultoneformegrowingup.theselfthatiattemptedtotakeoutintotheworldwasrejectedoverandoveragain.andmypanicatnothavingaselfthatfit,andtheconfusionthatcamefrommyselfbeingrejected,createdan_iety,shameandhopelessness,whichkindofdefinedmeforalongtime.butinretrospect,thedestructionofmyselfwassorepetitivethatistartedtoseeapattern.theselfchanged,gotaffected,broken,destroyed,butanotheronewouldevolve--sometimesstronger,sometimeshateful,sometimesnotwantingtobethereatall.theselfwasnotconstant.andhowmanytimeswouldmyselfhavetodiebeforeirealizedthatitwasneveraliveinthefirstplace

這個和自我打交道，尋找自己身份的過程在我的成長記憶中一點都不容易。我想成為的那些“自我”不斷被否定再否定，而我害怕自己無法融入周遭的環(huán)境，因被否定而引起的困惑讓我變得更加憂慮，感到羞恥和無望，在很長一段時間就是我存在狀態(tài)。然而回頭看，對自我的解構是那么頻繁，以至于我發(fā)現(xiàn)了這樣一種規(guī)律。自我是變化的，受他人影響，分裂或被打敗，而另一個自我會產(chǎn)生，這個自我可能更堅強，可能更可憎，有時你也不想變成那樣。所謂自我不是固定不變的。而我需要經(jīng)歷多少次自我的破碎重生才會明白其實自我從來沒有存在過

igrewuponthecoastofenglandinthe70s.mydadiswhitefromcornwall,andmymomisblackfromzimbabwe.eventheideaofusasafamilywaschallengingtomostpeople.butnaturehaditswickedway,andbrownbabieswereborn.butfromabouttheageoffive,iwasawarethatididntfit.iwastheblackatheistkidintheall-whitecatholicschoolrunbynuns.iwasananomaly,andmyselfwasrootingaroundfordefinitionandtryingtoplugin.becausetheselflikestofit,toseeitselfreplicated,tobelong.thatconfirmsitse_istenceanditsimportance.anditisimportant.ithasane_tremelyimportantfunction.withoutit,weliterallycantinterfacewithothers.wecanthatchplansandclimbthatstairwayofpopularity,ofsuccess.butmyskincolorwasntright.myhairwasntright.myhistorywasntright.myselfbecamedefinedbyotherness,whichmeantthat,inthatsocialworld,ididntreallye_ist.andiwasotherbeforebeinganythingelse--evenbeforebeingagirl.iwasanoticeablenobody.

我在70年代英格蘭海邊長大，我的父親是康沃爾的白人，母親是津巴布韋的黑人。而想象我和父母是一家人對于其他人來說總是不太自然。自然有它自己的魔術，棕色皮膚的寶寶誕生了。但從我五歲開始，我就有種感覺我不是這個群體的。我是一個全白人天主教會學校里面黑皮膚無神論小孩。我與他人是不同的，而那個熱衷于歸屬的自我卻到處尋找方式尋找歸屬感。這種認同感讓自我感受到存在感和重要性，因此十分重要。這點是如此重要，如果沒有自我，我們根本無法與他人溝通。沒有它，我們無所適從，無法獲取成功或變得受人歡迎。但我的膚色不對，我的頭發(fā)不對，我的過去不對，我的一切都是另類定義的，在這個社會里，我其實并不真實存在。我首先是個異類，其次才是個女孩。我是可見卻毫無意義的人。

anotherworldwasopeninguparoundthistime:performanceanddancing.thatnaggingdreadofself-hooddidnte_istwheniwasdancing.idliterallylosemyself.andiwasareallygooddancer.iwouldputallmyemotionale_pressionintomydancing.icouldbeinthemovementinawaythatiwasntabletobeinmyreallife,inmyself.

這時候，另一個世界向我敞開了大門：舞蹈表演。那種關于自我的嘮叨恐懼在舞蹈時消失了，我放開四肢，也成為了一位不錯的舞者。我將所有的情緒都融入到舞蹈的動作中去，我可以在舞蹈中與自己相溶，盡管在現(xiàn)實生活中卻無法做到。

andat16,istumbledacrossanotheropportunity,andiearnedmyfirstactingroleinafilm.icanhardlyfindthewordstodescribethepeaceifeltwheniwasacting.mydysfunctionalselfcouldactuallyplugintoanotherself,notmyown,anditfeltsogood.itwasthefirsttimethatie_istedinsideafully-functioningself--onethaticontrolled,thatisteered,thatigavelifeto.buttheshootingdaywouldend,andidreturntomygnarly,awkwardself.

16歲的時候，我遇到了另一個機會，第一部參演的電影。我無法用語言來表達在演戲的時候我所感受到的平和，我無處著落的自我可以與那個角色融為一體，而不是我自己。那感覺真棒。這是第一次我感覺到我擁有一個自我，我可以駕馭，令其富有盛名的自我。然而當拍攝結束，我又會回到自己粗糙不明，笨拙的自我。

by19,iwasafully-fledgedmovieactor,butstillsearchingfordefinition.iappliedtoreadanthropologyatuniversity.dr.phyllisleegavememyinterview,andsheaskedme,howwouldyoudefineracewell,ithoughtihadtheanswertothatone,andisaid,skincolor.sobiology,geneticsshesaid.because,thandie,thatsnotaccurate.becausetheresactuallymoregeneticdifferencebetweenablackkenyanandablackugandanthanthereisbetweenablackkenyanand,say,awhitenorwegian.becauseweallstemfromafrica.soinafrica,theresbeenmoretimetocreategeneticdiversity.inotherwords,racehasnobasisinbiologicalorscientificfact.ontheonehand,result.rightontheotherhand,mydefinitionofselfjustlostahugechunkofitscredibility.butwhatwascredible,whatisbiologicalandscientificfact,isthatweallstemfromafrica--infact,fromawomancalledmitochondrialevewholived160,000yearsago.andraceisanillegitimateconceptwhichourselveshavecreatedbasedonfearandignorance.

19歲的時候，我已經(jīng)是富有經(jīng)驗的專業(yè)電影演員，而我還是在尋找自我的定義。我申請了大學的人類學專業(yè)。phyllislee博士面試了我，她問我：“你怎么定義種族”我覺得我很了解這個話題，我說：“膚色?！薄澳敲瓷锷蟻碚f呢，例如遺傳基因”她說，“thandie膚色并不全面，其實一個肯尼亞黑人和烏干達黑人之間基因差異比一個肯尼亞黑人和挪威白人之間差異要更多。因為我們都是從非洲來的，所以在非洲，基因變異演化的時間是最久的。”換句話說，種族在生物學或任何科學上都沒有事實根據(jù)。另一方面，我對于自我的定義瞬時失去了一大片基礎。但那就是生物學事實，我們都是非洲后裔，一位在1600__年前的偉大女性mitochondrialeve的后人。而種族這個無效的概念是我們基于恐懼和無知自己捏造出來的。

strangely,theserevelationsdidntcuremylowself-esteem,thatfeelingofotherness.mydesiretodisappearwasstillverypowerful.ihadadegreefromcambridge;ihadathrivingcareer,butmyselfwasacarcrash,andiwoundupwithbulimiaandonatherapistscouch.andofcourseidid.istillbelievedmyselfwasalliwas.istillvaluedself-worthaboveallotherworth,andwhatwastheretosuggestotherwisewevecreatedentirevaluesystemsandaphysicalrealitytosupporttheworthofself.lookattheindustryforself-imageandthejobsitcreates,therevenueitturnsover.wedberightinassumingthattheselfisanactuallivingthing.butitsnot.itsaprojectionwhichourcleverbrainscreateinordertocheatourselvesfromtherealityofdeath.

奇怪的是，這個發(fā)現(xiàn)并沒有治好我的自卑，那種被排擠的感覺。我還是那么強烈地想要離開消失。我從劍橋拿到了學位，我有份充滿發(fā)展的工作，然而我的自我還是一團糟，我得了催吐病不得不接受治療師的幫助。我還是相信自我是我的全部。我還是堅信“自我”的價值甚過一切。而且我們身處的世界就是如此，我們的整個價值系統(tǒng)和現(xiàn)實環(huán)境都是在服務“自我”的價值?？纯床煌袠I(yè)里面對于自我的塑造，看看它們創(chuàng)造的那些工作，產(chǎn)出的那些利潤。我們甚至必須相信自我是真實存在的。但它們不是，自我不過是我們聰明的腦袋假想出來騙自己不去思考死亡這個話題的幌子。

butthereissomethingthatcangivetheselfultimateandinfiniteconnection--andthatthingisoneness,ouressence.theselfsstruggleforauthenticityanddefinitionwillneverendunlessitsconnectedtoitscreator--toyouandtome.andthatcanhappenwithawareness--awarenessoftherealityofonenessandtheprojectionofself-hood.forastart,wecanthinkaboutallthetimeswhenwedoloseourselves.ithappenswhenidance,whenimacting.imearthedinmyessence,andmyselfissuspended.inthosemoments,imconnectedtoeverything--theground,theair,thesounds,theenergyfromtheaudience.allmysensesarealertandaliveinmuchthesamewayasaninfantmightfeel--thatfeelingofoneness.

但其實我們的終極自我其實是我們的本源，合一。掙扎自我是否真實，究竟是什么永遠沒有終結，除非它和賦予它意義的創(chuàng)造者合一，就是你和我。而這點當我們意識到現(xiàn)實是你中有我，我中有你，和諧統(tǒng)一，而自我是種假象時就會體會到了。我們可以想想，什么時候我們是身心統(tǒng)一的，例如說我跳舞，表演的時候，我和我的本源連結，而我的自我被拋在一邊。那時，我和身邊的一切--空氣，大地，聲音，觀眾的反饋都連結在一起。我的知覺是敏銳和鮮活的，就像初生的嬰兒那樣，合一。

andwhenimactingarole,iinhabitanotherself,andigiveitlifeforawhile,becausewhentheselfissuspendedsoisdivisivenessandjudgment.andiveplayedeverythingfromavengefulghostinthetimeofslaverytosecretaryofstatein__.andnomatterhowothertheseselvesmightbe,theyreallrelatedinme.andihonestlybelievethekeytomysuccessasanactorandmyprogressasapersonhasbeentheverylackofselfthatusedtomakemefeelsoan_iousandinsecure.ialwayswonderedwhyicouldfeelotherspainsodeeply,whyicouldrecognizethesomebodyinthenobody.itsbecauseididnthaveaselftogetintheway.ithoughtilackedsubstance,andthefactthaticouldfeelothersmeantthatihadnothingofmyselftofeel.thethingthatwasasourceofshamewasactuallyasourceofenlightenment.

當我在演戲的時候，我讓另一個自我住在我體內(nèi)，我代表它行動。當我的自我被拋開，緊隨的分歧和主觀判斷也消失了。我曾經(jīng)扮演過奴隸時代的復仇鬼魂，也扮演過__年的國務卿。不管他們這些自我是怎樣的，他們都在那時與我相連。而我也深信作為演員，我的成功，或是作為個體，我的成長都是源于我缺乏“自我”，那種缺乏曾經(jīng)讓我非常憂慮和不安。我總是不明白為什么我會那么深地感受到他人的痛苦，為什么我可以從不知名的人身上看出他人的印痕。是因為我沒有所謂的自我來左右我感受的信息吧。我以為我缺少些什么，我以為我對他人的理解是因為我缺乏自我。那個曾經(jīng)是我深感羞恥的東西其實是種啟示。

andwhenirealizedandreallyunderstoodthatmyselfisaprojectionandthatithasafunction,afunnythinghappened.istoppedgivingitsomuchauthority.igiveititsdue.itakeittotherapy.ivebecomeveryfamiliarwithitsdysfunctionalbehavior.butimnotashamedofmyself.infact,irespectmyselfanditsfunction.andovertimeandwithpractice,ivetriedtolivemoreandmorefrommyessence.andifyoucandothat,incrediblethingshappen.

當我真的理解我的自我不過是種映射，是種工具，一件奇怪的事情發(fā)生了。我不再讓它過多控制我的生活。我學習管理它，像把它帶去看醫(yī)生一樣，我很熟悉那些因自我而失調(diào)的舉動。我不因自我而羞恥，事實上，我很尊敬我的自我和它的功能。而隨著時間過去，我的技術也更加熟練，我可以更多的和我的本源共存。如果你愿意嘗試，不可以思議的事情也會發(fā)生在你身上。

iwasincongoinfebruary,dancingandcelebratingwithwomenwhovesurvivedthedestructionoftheirselvesinliterallyunthinkableways--destroyedbecauseotherbrutalized,psychopathicselvesalloverthatbeautifullandarefuelingourselvesaddictiontoipods,pads,andbling,whichfurtherdisconnectourselvesfromeverfeelingtheirpain,theirsuffering,theirdeath.because,hey,ifwerealllivinginourselvesandmistakingitforlife,thenweredevaluinganddesensitizinglife.andinthatdisconnectedstate,yeah,wecanbuildfactoryfarmswithnowindows,destroymarinelifeanduserapeasaweaponofwar.soheresanotetoself:thecrackshavestartedtoshowinourconstructedworld,andoceanswillcontinuetosurgethroughthecracks,andoilandblood,riversofit.

今年二月，我在剛果和一群女性一起跳舞和慶祝，她們都是經(jīng)歷過各種無法想象事情“自我”遍體鱗傷的人們，那些備受摧殘，心理變態(tài)的自我充斥在這片美麗的土地，而我們?nèi)园V迷地追逐著ipod，pad等各種閃亮的東西，將我們與他們的痛苦，死亡隔得更遠。如果我們各自生活在自我中，并無以為這就是生活，那么我們是在貶低和遠離生命的意義。在這種脫節(jié)的狀態(tài)中，我們是可以建設沒有窗戶的工廠，破壞海洋生態(tài)，將__作為戰(zhàn)爭的工具。為我們的自我做個解釋：這是看似完善的世界里的裂痕，海洋，河流，石油和鮮血正不斷地從縫中涌出。

crucially,wehaventbeenfiguringouthowtoliveinonenesswiththeearthandeveryotherlivingthing.wevejustbeeninsanelytryingtofigureouthowtolivewitheachother--billionsofeachother.onlywerenotlivingwitheachother;ourcrazyselvesarelivingwitheachotherandperpetuatinganepidemicofdisconnection.

關鍵的是，我們還沒有明白如何和自然以及其他所有生物和諧地共處。我們只是瘋狂地想和其他人溝通，幾十億其他人。只有當我們不在和世界合一的時候，我們瘋狂的自我卻互相憐惜，并永遠繼續(xù)這場相互隔絕的疫癥。

letslivewitheachotherandtakeitabreathatatime.ifwecangetunderthatheavyself,lightatorchofawareness,andfindouressence,ourconnectiontotheinfiniteandeveryotherlivingthing.weknewitfromthedaywewereborn.letsnotbefreakedoutbyourbountifulnothingness.itsmorearealitythantheonesourselveshavecreated.imaginewhatkindofe_istencewecanhaveifwehonorinevitabledeathofself,appreciatetheprivilegeoflifeandmarvelatwhatcomesne_t.simpleawarenessiswhereitbegins.

讓我們共生共榮，并不要太過激進著急。試著放下沉重的自我，點亮知覺的火把，尋找我們的本源，我們與萬事萬物之間的聯(lián)系。我們初生時就懂得這個道理的。不要被我們內(nèi)心豐富的空白嚇到，這比我們虛構的自我要真實。想象如果你能接受自我并不存在，你想要如何生活，感恩生命的可貴和未來的驚奇。簡單的覺醒就是開始。

thankyouforlistening.

(applause)謝謝。

2023ted演講稿篇3wheniwassevenyearsoldandmysisterwasjustfiveyearsold,wewereplayingontopofabunkbed.iwastwoyearsolderthanmysisteratthetime--imean,imtwoyearsolderthanhernow--butatthetimeitmeantshehadtodoeverythingthatiwantedtodo,andiwantedtoplaywar.sowewereupontopofourbunkbeds.andononesideofthebunkbed,ihadputoutallofmyg.i.joesoldiersandweaponry.andontheothersidewereallmysistersmylittleponiesreadyforacavalrycharge.

therearedifferingaccountsofwhatactuallyhappenedthatafternoon,butsincemysisterisnotherewithustoday,letmetellyouthetruestory--(laughter)--whichismysistersalittlebitontheclumsyside.somehow,withoutanyhelporpushfromherolderbrotheratall,suddenlyamydisappearedoffofthetopofthebunkbedandlandedwiththiscrashonthefloor.nowinervouslypeeredoverthesideofthebedtoseewhathadbefallenmyfallensisterandsawthatshehadlandedpainfullyonherhandsandkneesonallfoursontheground.

iwasnervousbecausemyparentshadchargedmewithmakingsurethatmysisterandiplayedassafelyandasquietlyaspossible.andseeingashowihadaccidentallybrokenamysarmjustoneweekbefore...(laughter)...heroicallypushingheroutofthewayofanoncomingimaginarysniperbullet,(laughter)forwhichihaveyettobethanked,iwastryingashardasicould--shedidntevenseeitcoming--iwastryingashardasicouldtobeonmybestbehavior.

andisawmysistersface,thiswailofpainandsufferingandsurprisethreateningtoeruptfromhermouthandthreateningtowakemyparentsfromthelongwintersnapforwhichtheyhadsettled.soididtheonlythingmylittlefranticsevenyear-oldbraincouldthinktodotoavertthistragedy.andifyouhavechildren,youveseenthishundredsoftimesbefore.isaid,amy,amy,wait.dontcry.dontcry.didyouseehowyoulandednohumanlandsonallfourslikethat.amy,ithinkthismeansyoureaunicorn.

(laughter)

nowthatwascheating,becausetherewasnothingintheworldmysisterwouldwantmorethannottobeamythehurtfiveyear-oldlittlesister,butamythespecialunicorn.ofcourse,thiswasanoptionthatwasopentoherbrainatnopointinthepast.andyoucouldseehowmypoor,manipulatedsisterfacedconflict,asherlittlebrainattemptedtodevoteresourcestofeelingthepainandsufferingandsurpriseshejuste_perienced,orcontemplatinghernew-foundidentityasaunicorn.andthelatterwonout.insteadofcrying,insteadofceasingourplay,insteadofwakingmyparents,withallthenegativeconsequencesthatwouldhaveensuedforme,insteadasmilespreadacrossherfaceandshescrambledrightbackupontothebunkbedwithallthegraceofababyunicorn...(laughter)...withonebrokenleg.

whatwestumbledacrossatthistenderageofjustfiveandseven--wehadnoideaatthetime--wassomethingthatwasgoingbeatthevanguardofascientificrevolutionoccurringtwodecadeslaterinthewaythatwelookatthehumanbrain.whatwehadstumbledacrossissomethingcalledpositivepsychology,whichisthereasonthatimheretodayandthereasonthatiwakeupeverymorning.

whenifirststartedtalkingaboutthisresearchoutsideofacademia,outwithcompaniesandschools,theveryfirstthingtheysaidtoneverdoistostartyourtalkwithagraph.theveryfirstthingiwanttodoisstartmytalkwithagraph.thisgraphlooksboring,butthisgraphisthereasonigete_citedandwakeupeverymorning.andthisgraphdoesntevenmeananything;itsfakedata.whatwefoundis--

(laughter)

ifigotthisdatabackstudyingyouhereintheroom,iwouldbethrilled,becausetheresveryclearlyatrendthatsgoingonthere,andthatmeansthaticangetpublished,whichisallthatreallymatters.thefactthattheresoneweirdreddotthatsupabovethecurve,theresoneweirdointheroom--iknowwhoyouare,isawyouearlier--thatsnoproblem.thatsnoproblem,asmostofyouknow,becauseicanjustdeletethatdot.icandeletethatdotbecausethatsclearlyameasurementerror.andweknowthatsameasurementerrorbecauseitsmessingupmydata.

sooneoftheveryfirstthingsweteachpeopleineconomicsandstatisticsandbusinessandpsychologycoursesishow,inastatisticallyvalidway,doweeliminatetheweirdos.howdoweeliminatetheoutlierssowecanfindthelineofbestfitwhichisfantasticifimtryingtofindouthowmanyadviltheaveragepersonshouldbetaking--two.butifiminterestedinpotential,ifiminterestedinyourpotential,orforhappinessorproductivityorenergyorcreativity,whatweredoingiswerecreatingthecultoftheaveragewithscience.

ifiaskedaquestionlike,howfastcanachildlearnhowtoreadinaclassroomscientistschangetheanswertohowfastdoestheaveragechildlearnhowtoreadinthatclassroomandthenwetailortheclassrighttowardstheaverage.nowifyoufallbelowtheaverageonthiscurve,thenpsychologistsgetthrilled,becausethatmeansyoureeitherdepressedoryouhaveadisorder,orhopefullyboth.werehopingforbothbecauseourbusinessmodelis,ifyoucomeintoatherapysessionwithoneproblem,wewanttomakesureyouleaveknowingyouhave10,soyoukeepcomingbackoverandoveragain.wellgobackintoyourchildhoodifnecessary,buteventuallywhatwewanttodoismakeyounormalagain.butnormalismerelyaverage.

andwhatipositandwhatpositivepsychologypositsisthatifwestudywhatismerelyaverage,wewillremainmerelyaverage.theninsteadofdeletingthosepositiveoutliers,whatiintentionallydoiscomeintoapopulationlikethisoneandsay,whywhyisitthatsomeofyouaresohighabovethecurveintermsofyourintellectualability,athleticability,musicalability,creativity,energylevels,yourresiliencyinthefaceofchallenge,yoursenseofhumorwhateveritis,insteadofdeletingyou,whatiwanttodoisstudyyou.becausemaybewecangleaninformation--notjusthowtomovepeopleuptotheaverage,buthowwecanmovetheentireaverageupinourcompaniesandschoolsworldwide.

thereasonthisgraphisimportanttomeis,wheniturnonthenews,itseemslikethemajorityoftheinformationisnotpositive,infactitsnegative.mostofitsaboutmurder,corruption,diseases,naturaldisasters.andveryquickly,mybrainstartstothinkthatstheaccurateratioofnegativetopositiveintheworld.whatthatsdoingiscreatingsomethingcalledthemedicalschoolsyndrome--which,ifyouknowpeoplewhovebeentomedicalschool,duringthefirstyearofmedicaltraining,asyoureadthroughalistofallthesymptomsanddiseasesthatcouldhappen,suddenlyyourealizeyouhaveallofthem.

ihaveabrotherin-lawnamedbobo--whichisawholeotherstory.bobomarriedamytheunicorn.bobocalledmeonthephonefromyalemedicalschool,andbobosaid,shawn,ihaveleprosy.(laughter)which,evenatyale,ise_traordinarilyrare.butihadnoideahowtoconsolepoorbobobecausehehadjustgottenoveranentireweekofmenopause.

(laughter)

seewhatwerefindingisitsnotnecessarilytherealitythatshapesus,butthelensthroughwhichyourbrainviewstheworldthatshapesyourreality.andifwecanchangethelens,notonlycanwechangeyourhappiness,wecanchangeeverysingleeducationalandbusinessoutcomeatthesametime.

wheniappliedtoharvard,iappliedonadare.ididnte_pecttogetin,andmyfamilyhadnomoneyforcollege.whenigotamilitaryscholarshiptwoweekslater,theyallowedmetogo.suddenly,somethingthatwasntevenapossibilitybecameareality.wheniwentthere,iassumedeveryoneelsewouldseeitasaprivilegeaswell,thattheydbee_citedtobethere.evenifyoureinaclassroomfullofpeoplesmarterthanyou,youdbehappyjusttobeinthatclassroom,whichiswhatifelt.butwhatifoundthereis,whilesomepeoplee_periencethat,whenigraduatedaftermyfouryearsandthenspentthene_teightyearslivinginthedormswiththestudents--harvardaskedmeto;iwasntthatguy.(laughter)iwasanofficerofharvardtocounselstudentsthroughthedifficultfouryears.andwhatifoundinmyresearchandmyteachingisthatthesestudents,nomatterhowhappytheywerewiththeiroriginalsuccessofgettingintotheschool,twoweekslatertheirbrainswerefocused,notontheprivilegeofbeingthere,norontheirphilosophyortheirphysics.theirbrainwasfocusedonthecompetition,theworkload,thehassles,thestresses,thecomplaints.

whenifirstwentinthere,iwalkedintothefreshmendininghall,whichiswheremyfriendsfromwaco,te_as,whichiswhereigrewup--iknowsomeofyouhaveheardofit.whentheydcometovisitme,theydlookaround,theydsay,thisfreshmandininghalllookslikesomethingoutofhogwartsfromthemovieharrypotter,whichitdoes.thisishogwartsfromthemovieharrypotterandthatsharvard.andwhentheyseethis,theysay,shawn,whydoyouwasteyourtimestudyinghappinessatharvardseriously,whatdoesaharvardstudentpossiblyhavetobeunhappyabout

embeddedwithinthatquestionisthekeytounderstandingthescienceofhappiness.becausewhatthatquestionassumesisthatoure_ternalworldispredictiveofourhappinesslevels,wheninreality,ifiknoweverythingaboutyoure_ternalworld,icanonlypredict10percentofyourlong-termhappiness.90percentofyourlong-termhappinessispredictednotbythee_ternalworld,butbythewayyourbrainprocessestheworld.andifwechangeit,ifwechangeourformulaforhappinessandsuccess,whatwecandoischangethewaythatwecanthenaffectreality.whatwefoundisthatonly25percentofjobsuccessesarepredictedbyi.q.75percentofjobsuccessesarepredictedbyyouroptimismlevels,yoursocialsupportandyourabilitytoseestressasachallengeinsteadofasathreat.

italkedtoaboardingschoolupinnewengland,probablythemostprestigiousboardingschool,andtheysaid,wealreadyknowthat.soeveryyear,insteadofjustteachingourstudents,wealsohaveawellnessweek.andweresoe_cited.mondaynightwehavetheworldsleadinge_pertcomingintospeakaboutadolescentdepression.tuesdaynightitsschoolviolenceandbullying.wednesdaynightiseatingdisorders.thursdaynightiselicitdruguse.andfridaynightweretryingtodecidebetweenriskyse_orhappiness.(laughter)isaid,thatsmostpeoplesfridaynights.(laughter)(applause)whichimgladyouliked,buttheydidnotlikethatatall.silenceonthephone.andintothesilence,isaid,idbehappytospeakatyourschool,butjustsoyouknow,thatsnotawellnessweek,thatsasicknessweek.whatyouvedoneisyouveoutlinedallthenegativethingsthatcanhappen,butnottalkedaboutthepositive.