Everyone has a different twist on their morning routine. Some of us have a cup of coffee, go for a run, or watch the morning news, but I decided to take my morning routine of going to the gym to a new level. While waking up early and working out felt physically rewarding, my mind was craving some daily inspiration. Up until 3 months ago, I spent my 30 minutes of cardio watching an episode on Netflix, as many of us do. It wasn't until I had completed an entire series that I realized the amount of time I spent watching meaningless shows when I could've been learning resourceful things. As the ultimate passageway to motivation, I began watching a new Ted Talk every day during my morning run. This change was minor, but the results were more than I ever expected.
Throughout my entire life, I have heard "Positivity is the key to everything". While being positive seemed like such an easy daily task, I realized the type of positivity that has impact requires effort. My morning runs were no longer dreadful to complete, but rather something to look forward to, something new to learn every day. I do my best to watch a wide variety of Ted Talks and not just things that interest me. From doing so, I've learned that you may become passionate about something you've never considered exploring.
I recently watched a Ted Talk on the importance of learning multiple languages. While I have always had the desire to pick up Spanish or French, I never knew the right way to approach how to learn a language. Should I purchase a book, Rosetta Stone, or just take a course? The video provided examples of how others learn multiple languages- watching your favorite show, listen to a book you're well-familiarized with, or even listen to podcasts in a different language. No matter which way you choose, we all have the same destination: fluently speaking an additional language. This video was only 12 minutes long, and by the end of those 12 minutes, I had added a new goal to my list- "Learn fluent Spanish by the time I graduate college". Setting a goal is easy, but it's all about how you accomplish it. It's important to remember- your dreams are only as real as you make them out to be.
The thing I love most about Ted Talk is the array of episodes offered. There are speakers from across the world presenting information to small crowds and big crowds. They are all very different from one another, but they all have the power to inspire. It has now been nearly 3 months of Ted Talk watching and I look forward to it more and more every day. I never plan for which episode I may click- it may be "The History of Staircase Architecture" or "Why Everyone Should be an Inventor", so I continuously surprise myself. Watching these videos are not to "become smarter", they are about daring to learn something extraordinary and using creativity to make your own impact.
You may be a daily Netflix watcher, but I challenge you to add just one Ted Talk to your list of "things to watch". Maybe one day I will get to be on the other side of the screen- the one standing on the stage, spreading ideas and inspiring others to do the same.
