Ted Talk Friday: How not to take things personally?

A friend and colleague of mine recommended this talk to me during a meeting about a week ago. I watched it and it has really stuck with me. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t take things personally; I think some of it is human nature, but some of this thinking can change. As a student clinician, I liked how the speaker discussed his own experience and how he provided easy ways we can begin to view interactions with others through a less negative and less self-focused lens.

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What did you think of this talk? Were you surprised that the speaker actually became a referee in order to work on taking things less personally?

Ted Talk Friday: The Power of Mindfulness

Happy New Year! One of my New Year’s resolutions is to live more mindfully, which is something I struggle with. Dr. Shauna Shapiro is a speaker, author and Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University who makes mindfulness incredibly accessible. As I’m trying to incorporate mindfulness into my life more regularly, I have found videos like this to be particularly helpful. I hope you enjoy!

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Did you learn something new about mindfulness from Dr. Shapiro?

Ted Talk Friday: The Hidden Network That Makes the Internet Possible

Working in tech, I feel there is so much I don’t know about basic technology. I was talking with my coworker about a major internet gateway in New York and I suddenly realized that I did not realize that there were gateways like this. I immediately wanted to learn more to understand how these gateways work; of course, there’s a ted talk for that! I hope you enjoy and learn something new.

 

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Did you know about this hidden network? Did you learn something new with this talk?

Ted Talk Friday: Remember to say thank you

Since Thanksgiving was yesterday, I wanted to focus today’s talk on gratitude and the value of giving thanks and asking for a thank you when you need it. This talk relates back to two of my favorite relationship rules:

1) ask for what you need

2) express gratitude

I hope this short talk is helpful for you and I hope you had a great holiday!

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Do you always ask for what you need? Do you wish you asked for someone to express gratitude for your actions more often?

Ted Talk Friday: Are emotions contagious in the workplace?

I saw this talk in person in the Spring of 2016 and fell in love with Brandon Smith‘s work as the “Workplace Therapist.” I found his ideas fascinating before working in an office, but now that I work a regular 9 to 5 job I see his theory in action. I am lucky to work in an office that has contagious emotions, but contagious emotions of almost exclusively the good, productive kind. It is common knowledge that the mood and outlook your friends have rubs off on you, but the same goes for your coworkers. Choose wisely!

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Have you experienced contagious emotions in the workplace? How do you handle negative people?

Ted Talk Friday: Cracking the Grace Code

I used to associate the word “grace” with a specific religion, but in the past few years I have realized that this is not aways true. Grace is about gratitude, spirituality, and feelings of connection and wholeness, in my opinion, and none of these have to be religious in nature. Living with grace is about gratitude and self-compassion; Anne Barry Jolles’ does an amazing job of explaining how to use grace as a tool and way of being in the world. I hope you enjoy her talk.

 

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What do you think when you hear “grace”?