4 TED videos to watch when you lack motivation

Dernière mise à jour de l'article le 12 June 2025

When we feel lost or don’t really know what we want to do with our lives, we tend to look for ideas and food for thought on the Internet.

Personally, I like watching TED videos, it helps me to (re)find inspiration and motivation. I remember that’s what I used to do when I was a bit lost in my life and didn’t really know where to (re)start 🤯.

In this article, I’d like to introduce you to 4 TED videos that I hope will inspire and motivate you to continue on the path towards your life goals.

I suggest you take a 15-minute break, choose the video you want to watch and then … take a deep breath, press Play and let yourself be carried away by these messages of inspiration.

Enjoy your viewing!

1/ Why you will fail to have a great career by Larry Smith

In this video, Larry Smith explains why we fail to have a great career.

According to Larry, the good professions are disappearing and the other professions are jobs with a heavy workload, a lot of stress, that suck the blood out of us and destroy our soul. And the problem is that there’s really no in-between these days.

Yes, that’s a strong start, you may say, but I find the rest of his analysis interesting. In reality, if we risk failing to have a successful career, it’s because we don’t dare. We don’t take action, even though we know we have to do something.

We make excuses for doing what we really should be doing to have the life we want to live.

Anyway, I won’t tell you any more and suggest you watch the video (you can watch the French subtitles if English isn’t your preferred language).

2/ Before I die, I want to … (Before I die, I want to …) by Candy Chang

In this video, Candy Chang shares with us a project she has decided to set up to recreate links between people, particularly in public spaces.

Following a tragic event a few years ago, she had a complementary idea.

She wanted to find a way of remembering what really mattered in her life and what made sense.

She wrote this simple sentence – which I think will resonate with you – and which everyone could add to as they wished: Before I die, I want …

Take a look at this moving video, which will get you thinking about what really makes sense for you today.

Personally, after watching this video, I decided to add a page to my diary “Before I die, I want to …” and write down what I really want to achieve in my life so that these things have a small place in my heart.

3/ Why some of us don’t have one true calling by Emilie Wapnick

In this video, you’ll discover what multi-potentiality is and maybe you’ll recognise yourself in this explanation.

If you have the impression that you have too many interests, that you’re (too) curious, that you don’t know what to do with your life because you have too many passions, this video is for you!

I also think that we don’t have just one vocation throughout our lives (well, we do, but basically it’s to live in line with our values…).
I think it’s entirely possible to have different professional activities that may seem completely different, but which in reality are linked by our talents and skills.

Beyond this multi-potentiality, Emilie Wapnick presents us with 3 key skills possessed by multi-potentialists and the importance of having diverse profiles in a company – specialists and multi-potentialists – to bring out innovative ideas.

To find out more about multi-potentiality, you know what you have to do ↓

4/ Are you human by Ze Franck

I’m sharing this latest video from Ze Franck that reminds us what makes us human – unless you answer no to every question on the test, in which case it’s a different story 😁.

For example, I’ve often found myself looking for the “DELETE” button in real life to undo an action or comment I’ve just made – yeah, I know it’s not possible, but once a geek, always a geek …

Or I’m still waiting to discover a super mega talent that’s innate and hidden inside me that makes me simply brilliant – yes I know … I’ve already got plenty of talents, but you never know … maybe there’s one that’s really super mega brilliant and that’s still hiding inside me (I think I’ve been watching too many Marvel films …)

In short, personally, this series of questions has made me realise that we are all human after all, whatever our circumstances.

So if you need a 5-minute reminder of what makes you human, watch this video.

My aim in sharing these videos with you is to make you aware that it’s always possible to decide to change your path. Even if the path isn’t easy, you have the choice to live the life you really want to live, to try out the life experiences you want to try.

Seize your chance, even if a little voice tells you that it’s not possible or that it’s no longer for you, choose not to listen to that little voice in your head but rather to your heart.

Take care of yourself ✨

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