5 Brand New TED Talks That Will Inspire You to Do Better Work This Year

5 Brand New TED Talks That Will Inspire You to Do Better Work This Year5 Brand New TED Talks That Will Inspire You to Do Better Work This YearTED talks can inspire you to do your best work, reach for the stars, or even try a new way of tying your shoes. With the 2016 TED Conference wrapped up last month, the folks at TED have gone to work putting some of the best talks theyve hosted recently online. Delivered by a TV mogul, the leader of a study on happiness thats been running more than 75 years, even the creator of yarn bombing, their talks are filled with ideas for upping your game for the rest of 2016. Theyll improve everything you do, from your relationships to your job performance to your creativity to your ability to converse, especially about politics. They can even add years to your life.Here are five guaranteed to make you feel motivated, energized, and ready to take on the world 1. Taking Time to Play Makes You mora Inspired at WorkThe legendary Shonda Rhimes created the TV hits Greys Anatomy and Scandal, and is involved with three or four network series every season. Thats a lot of work, and when its going well- when she feels engaged and enthusiastic and at her creative peak- she calls that the hum. But one day the hum stopped, and try as she might, she couldnt get it to start again, she explains in this deeply honest talk.Rhimes was bereft. But she was also a single mother whod promised herself to say yes to everything asked of her that year. So when her toddler asked her to play as she was on her way out the door, instead of leaving she said yes and stopped to play for a while. And she promised herself that from then on, if humanly possible, she would stop and play whenever her children asked her. (As she points out, any child will get bored in 15 minutes or less, so it wasnt a schedule-crusher.)It was a great thing for her family, and to her surprise, by taking the time to play for a few minutes with her children, Rhimes brought the hum back to her work, as well. Its a great lesson for our overworked, overcommitted, always-in-the-zone times.2. Good Relationships Make You Happier- and Healthier- Than Wealth or FameWhat makes people happiest? To find out, Harvard University began tracking a group of its male students- and a comparable group of young men from Bostons poorest neighborhood- and it continued studying them for 75 years, taking medical tests to determine their health and asking detailed questions about their lives. In this thought-provoking talk, Robert Waldinger, the studys current head, says the evidence is in and its incontrovertible. Although most of us (including the studys subjects) believe achieving wealth and fame will make us happiest, its actually the quality of our relationships that determine both our well-being and our longevity.3. Frustration Inspires CreativityWhat should you do when your creativity flags and youre feeling really stuck? Try tying your dominant hand behind your back. This logic (alt hough not this specific advice) comes from a fascinating talk by economist Tim Harford, who notes that the best-selling solo piano album of all time came about when a brilliant pianist was obliged to play on a really terrible piano.The legendary musician and producer Brian Eno uses this knowledge to his advantage too, forcing musicians to do things like play each others instruments when they get creatively stuck. Apparently, the tougher things are, the more we rise to the occasion.4. Doing What You Love Can Become a Career When You Least Expect ItMagda Sayeg is a textile artist, but she didnt set out to be one, she explains in this brief and colorful talk. In fact, she was a math major, but one day, out of a desire to relieve the endless gray and hardness of a faulen urban environment with something colorful, soft, and fuzzy, she wrapped a steel door handle in knitted fabric. Then came a stop sign post that proved to be highly popular.Before she knew it, the yarn bombing movement wa s born, and she had started it. And given her life a whole new direction in the process.5. You May Have Less Time Than You Think to Do What You Care About MostMaster procrastinator and Wait But Why blogger Tim Urban knows a lot about leaving things until the last minute. But when it comes to the most important things in our lives, which often come with no deadlines, this habit can really harm us, as Tim explains in this funny and thoughtful talk. Starting a business, making your relationship better, getting out of a relationship that isnt working, and spending time with the people we care about most are just a few examples of things we might never get around to because they have no deadlines.That would be a real shame.So spend a little time watching these powerful talks, and use them as inspiration to make 2016 the year that you create the life you really want.More From Inc.5 Traits of Incredibly Inspiring LeadersThe Surprising Source of Inspiration for Brilliant IdeasThese Are the Most Inspirational Videos Ever Made