Here at TEDxUTAustin, we love TED Talks, and we want to share some of our favorites with you all! We are introducing a new series, TEDxUTAustin Recommends, where every Monday on our Instagram we post some of our favorite talks. If you’ve been keeping up with our Instagram posts and stories, you’ve probably seen our recommends already! If this is new to you, you are in luck! Because today’s blog post is a recap of the inspiring posts that we picked for this month. 

Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator- Tim Urban

To start us off, here is Tim Urban who hilariously yet insightfully delivers his take on procrastination. As students at a university, we’ve all been guilty of procrastinating something at one point or another. But what really happens in our minds when we choose to put off our work instead of finishing the tasks that we need to do? We personally were very intrigued by this TED talk because of how relevant it was, and not necessarily just to students, but people overall. Many times, we may not think about why we’re procrastinating our work. We focus our attention on scrolling through our phones or watching Netflix rather than ask ourselves why we feel so compelled to do anything BUT whatever we need to do. It’s an endless cycle of pushing things off until the very last minute, creating a self-induced environment of stress in order to meet the deadline. And we know it’s detrimental. It’s not great. But we still do it anyway. But for once, it was refreshing to hear that there’s some reasoning behind the illogical thought process we go through: the instant gratification monkey that Urban talks about. It’s this very TED talk that brings awareness to the fact that procrastination can be something light, when it has short-term effects only, but it can also be something that can consume us if we’re not careful. Ultimately, it’s with this awareness, that we write this blog post with the intention of writing the next one earlier in the future.

The Power of Vulnerability- Brené Brown

How many of us have heard the word vulnerability and directly related it to negative connotations such as weak, powerless and shame? Society has taught us to avoid vulnerable situations because we are no longer in control, we can get hurt and there is no efficacy in it whatsoever. In this talk, Brené sets forth the findings of her research on how embracing vulnerability is a courageous act that can help you live a whole-hearted life. We are proud to say that this inspiring ted talk is by one of our very own longhorns. She completed her Bachelor’s in Social Work here at The University of Texas at Austin and then went on to pursue a Master's and PhD in Social Work from the University of Houston. Today, she is a storyteller, researcher, professor and New York Times Best Selling Author. In addition, her Ted Talk is one of the 5 most viewed of all time with over 40 million views! We are certain that her message about human connection is truly impacting and changing lives. She explores what it means to love while being vulnerable. Sometimes this can be very hard to do, opening yourself up with all flaws and imperfections.  But Brené says “Our job is to look and say, ‘You know what? You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging’”, and to us, that is being perfectly imperfect. 

I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype - Canwen Xu

Canwen talks about growing up in some of the whitest states in the country such as North Dakota, South Dakota, and Idaho, and how that has shaped her unique Asian-American experience. UT is an incredibly diverse campus, and we’re lucky to have such diversity in people. But there are some places in the world where there isn’t as much diversity, and the resulting effects that stem from this homogeneity can be lasting and harmful to the identities of others. Canwen talks of this eloquently in her TED talk, and how growing up in areas where she is one of the few Asians has dramatically affected how she perceived both herself and others around her. Her talk gave an incredibly raw insight into how the lack of diversity within areas can lead to questions of ignorance that ultimately build into doubts about one’s identity. What to conform to, what to reject. It forces us to understand that the issues of race are extremely prevalent in all areas of the world and that these differences can tear us apart if we’re not careful. It’s being mindful rather than ignorant, and building awareness and solidarity in our differences, rather than dividing because of it- something we hope everyone can take with them as they continue on with their lives.

TED’s mission to spread ideas is achieved through moving talks like the ones previously stated. We hope you enjoyed our November list of TED Recommends! We look forward to providing you the best of the best.

To keep up with our weekly TED Recommends posted every Monday, follow us on Instagram @tedxutaustin.

Until next time we connect,

-TEDxUTAustin