Consume 60 TED Talks.

Done: The Surprising Science of Happiness - Dan Gilbert

August 24, 2026

An unsuspecting take on happiness! That illusive state we all chase. Our brains are wired to overestimate the happiness we get from the things we want and seek and underestimate the happiness we get from the things we already have and own. We are able to synthesize happiness, and this is more powerful it turns out than organic happiness. People who regularly boost their physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience, even through small actions, live an average 10 years longer.

Done: The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz

August 26, 2026

Some choice is better than no choices, but it doesn't follow that more choices are better than some choice.

Done: There's More to Life Than Being Happy - Emily Esfahani Smith

August 27, 2027

Chasing happiness can actually make people unhappy. Seeking meaning in life is the more fulfilling path. The importance of authoring / editing our own life story / narrative. 4 pillars of meaning: Belonging, purpose, transcendence, storytelling.

Done: How to Make Work-Life Balance Work - Nigel Marsh

August 28, 2026

Honest debate. Countless jobs demand long, exhausting hours doing work you dislike, all so you can afford things you don't need to impress people you don't even care about. Design your own life. If you don't, someone else will do it for you. Don't hand your life over to corporations expecting them to keep it balanced. Their whole design is to extract as much value from you as possible. Small investments in the right places can dramatically change your life more than remarkable upheavals.

Done: A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success - Alain de Botton

August 30, 2026

We are surrounded by snobs. Job snobbery. The opposite of a snob is your mother, or more specifically your ideal mother. Today anyone can achieve anything practically in our life span. There's a spirit of equality. The problem now is Envy. The paradox of achievement in society vs low self esteem. In a meritocracy, failure is crushing, ppl at the bottom literally deserve it. St. Augustine - "It's a sin to judge anyone by his post.". You can't be successful at everything. We might need to come to accept that there will be areas of life and endeavors where we are not so successful. Our idea of success should be our own definition, not one imposed on us by society at any given moment. Leave room for the haphazard.

Done: The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage - Susan David

August 31, 2026

Emotional agility. Life's beauty is inseparable from its fragility. No more toxic positivity. I struggled a lot in my life with this notion of always being positive and never wanting to sit with negative emotions. In doing that, we lose our ability to deal with the world as it is instead of how we wish it to be. Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life. Label emotions accurately in order to release values-aligned responses. The difference in "I am . . ." vs "I'm noticing I'm Feeling . . ." Sawubana!

Done: Measuring What Makes Life Worthwhile - Chip Conley

August 31, 2026

New take on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. 3 tier pyramid. Survival (physiological and safety), Success (social / belonging and esteem), Transformation (self-actualization). How do we measure the intangibles. "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein. Bhutan - Gross National Happiness (GNH). A habitat of happiness! 4 pillars, 9 KPIs, 72 key indicators. The Happiness Equation - Happiness = Wanting what you have / Having what you want. Gratitude / Gratification. "GDP measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." - Robert Kennedy. What can we start counting today that really counts in our personal life or business life.

Done: The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Life - Jane McGonigal

September 1, 2026

The benefits of gaming. Gaming addresses each of these top death bed regrets: 1. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. 2. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. 3. I wish I had let myself be happier. 4. I wish I had had the courage to express my true self. 5. I wish I had lived a life true to my dreams, instead of what others expected of me. I'm not a gamer but I do see many of the positive aspects of reasonable time spent gaming with both of my children.

Done: Your Elusive Creative Genius - Elizabeth Gilbert

September 3, 2026

- Eat, pray, love author. Fear of failure. Reputation and reality of creatives and suffering. Artistry leads to anguish. Let’s not perpetuate this. Poet Ruth Stone’s story. Talking to that creative source that is the empty air. Transcendent performance and inspiration. Ole ole ole! A glimpse of God. Don’t be daunted. Show up and do your job.

Done: Do Schools Kill Creativity? - Sir Ken Robinson

September 5, 2026

All children are born artists. The problem is to remain one as we grow up. - Picasso. Teaching creativity (produce original activities that have value) is as important in education now as literacy. Think of Shakespeare as a 7 yr old in someone’s English class. How quickly would he be stifled. Modern education system all around the world is designed to produce disembodied college professors. They live in their heads. Education is a protracted process to gain University entrance. Intelligence is diverse and dynamic and distinct. We should educate the full human this way. The current system will not serve the future.