2020 is here. This is the year we all imagined to be so far off. Cars are supposed to be flying by now, and data predicting exponential population growth stops here. This is the elusive “future” everyone talked about — the year that no one could tangibly imagine. Yet, here we are. 2020, the start of a new year and bigger yet, a new decade.
With the potential that all of this newness offers, it’s overwhelming to think of how you are going to harness it. This is the freshest of starts you may ever have to a new year, so how are you going to make it count? Perhaps you’ve thought about it already and you have a plan. Or maybe you’re avoiding a plan altogether and going where life takes you. In any case, this is your chance. If you’re stuck, or the thought of all of this potential has you reeling, here are five TEDxMileHigh talks to inspire you to start the new year off right.
Five TEDxMileHigh Talks to Start the New Year off Right
1. Danielle Shoots is Calling All Millennials
It’s no secret that the Millennials had a tough decade. Our generation was accused, stereotyped, and underestimated. And now, stepping into the new decade, we will account for 80 percent of the workforce, according to Danielle Shoots, a wife, mom, and prominent Denver businesswoman.
In her talk, Shoots says, “Let’s leverage all that is unique and wonderful about our generation, to be tomorrow’s next great leader.”
This talk is a beautiful, blazing call to action for all Millennials out there. If the end of 2019 finds you discouraged and hopeless because you are *ugh* “one of those Millennials,” this is it. Now is our time to prove everyone wrong.
2. Achieve All the Goals
In her talk, developmental psychologist Sabine Doebel explains the importance of context when using executive function. She describes executive function as “our amazing ability to consciously control our thoughts, emotions, and actions in order to achieve goals.”
Doebel emphasizes that the right context will motivate you to use executive function more consciously. In other words, if your goal is to get healthy in 2020 surround yourself with people who will encourage your new lifestyle. If you want to read more books, join a book club. If the environment you are in encourages a new habit, you are more likely to reach your goal.
3. Are You Aware of Your Self-Awareness?
As an organizational psychologist, Dr. Tasha Eurich has spent years studying people who claim to be self-aware and those who actually are. She found that while 95 percent of people considered themselves self-aware, only 10-12 percent actually are.
It would make sense that someone who possesses sharp introspective skills would be more happy and productive, but her studies suggest the opposite. She found that those who are more self-aware are more depressed and less productive. This is because most people are reflecting on themselves the wrong way.
If you find yourself on a path of self-discovery this new year, or if your resolution is to solidify who you are and where you fit in this big world, watch this video. Eurich emphasizes one fix in your introspective efforts: instead of asking why, ask what.
4. Be Adventurous
Maybe you’re feeling a bit more adventurous this new year. Cassie De Pecol knows a few things about adventure and holds two Guinness World Records for the fastest travel to every sovereign country around the world. That’s 196 countries if you’re counting.
Her talk details her trip, how she planned it, and what it was like. But the importance lies in the why behind her expedition. She committed herself to something that she knew she loved and would give her the passion to keep going, both on her trip and in life.
If travel isn’t your thing, find your thing. Take De Pecol’s advice and “find that one thing that gives you just a little bit of excitement, and devote yourself to it 150 percent. In [her] experience, you won’t regret it.”
5. Go Outside
Maybe 196 countries seems a little daunting and you want to start small. Take author and outdoor enthusiast Craig Childs’ advice and just start outside. In his talk, Childs not only mentions the physical health benefits the outdoors offer but talks about living beyond the world that we are in. That is, the human world we have created inside the walls and under the roof of the modern world.
Childs emphasizes that there is a whole other world outside. One that we are innately connected to but don’t always slow down to see. It doesn’t have to be hard or uncomfortable, but if your 2020 goal is to refresh and start over, the outdoors is a good place to start.
If this talk doesn’t make you want to take a hike from your habitual life, you didn’t listen close enough.
Start Somewhere
New Year’s resolutions are infamous for failing. That’s because people set unreasonably high expectations for themselves in too short of a time frame. Change is hard. Instead of resolving to completely reinvent yourself in just one short year or over several months, start smaller.
Pick one of these videos that inspires you and start there. Build a plan full of smaller, easily achievable stepping stones that eventually lead you to your end goal. Start the new year off right with a few simple intentions, and watch yourself slowly but surely transform.
