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The Big Idea: 21 Days of Ideas Into Action

Open this email in your browser Get inspired to take action in your life with The Big Idea: 21 Days of Ideas Into Action, from TED in partnership with the Brightline Initiative.  From Monday, December 10, through Sunday, December 30, you'll receive a TED Talk recommendation each day with ideas on how to make a positive impact in your life and move toward your goals -- delivered to your inbox (for free). Enjoy a preview below! Subscribe to "The Big Idea" Spend more time being with your friends ... and less time trying to change them By Emily McManus, Managing editor, TED Bill Bernat seems like a good friend to have. He also has depression; and in this frank and funny talk (with one of the best first lines ever), he gives us the do's and don'ts for being friends with someone who happens to be depressed. Like: "One of the most off-putting things you can say is, 'Just get over it.' Great idea -- love it! It's just ... we already thought of that. The absence of the ability to 'just get over it' is depression." It's specific, actionable advice -- and yet, one thought from his talk felt bigger than that, felt like the key to every kind of friendship and family-ship. As he puts it:  "Don't let a lack of bubbly happiness freak you out. We can be sad and OK at the same time. I'm going to say that again, because in our society, we're taught the opposite, and so it's counterintuitive. People can be sad and OK at the same time."   This last thought was jaw-dropping for me. Bill is giving all of us permission to meet our friends, family, coworkers right where they are. We don't need to re-wire their emotional state, we don't need to fix them or cheer them up. To be with them, to listen, is more than enough. For them and for us. Watch "How to connect with depressed friends" Subscribe to "The Big Idea"   Join TED Recommends Looking for your next favorite TED Talk? Join TED Recommends and get personally recommended talks delivered right to your inbox. Sign up » Copyright © 2018 TED, All rights reserved. We love you. You're receiving the TED Talks weekly newsletter because you subscribed to it on TED.com. (Was this forwarded by a friend? You can sign up here: http://www.ted.com/newsletter ) Our postal address is: TED 330 Hudson Street 11th Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Cancel your subscription    Change your email preferences

Chia-Ching, your top recommendation is...

Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

Hi Chia-Ching, Here's an idea we think you'll appreciate. The power of vulnerability by Brené Brown was recommended by Natalie Mitchell:

If you are a parent, business leader, or just trying to live a better, more vulnerable life for your own sake – this talk is not to be missed. I'm so deeply grateful to Brené Brown for giving it. Bonus points: she is absolutely hilarious. Natalie Mitchell

The power of vulnerability Brené Brown Watch now ► Add to list

This idea has been viewed 37,231,339 times, and translated into 51 languages.

It was recommended to you because of your interest in Social change and Communication. (Pro tip: you can adjust your interests any time you like, or see all your past recommendations in your dashboard.)

What did you think? We'd love to know what you thought about How to speak up for yourself. I liked it • I didn't like it

Parting thought “The good news is you don't need to be brilliant to be wise. The bad news is that without wisdom, brilliance isn't enough.” Barry Schwartz, Psychologist, from Barry Schwartz: Our loss of wisdom

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When technology can read minds, how will we protect our privacy?

"In a world of brain transparency, who would dare have a dissident thought?" Read online

This week on TED.com December 1, 2018

Talk of the week Nita Farahany: When technology can read minds, how will we protect our privacy? 13:04 minutes · Filmed Nov 2018 · Posted Nov 2018 · TED Salon Zebra Technologies Tech that can decode your brain activity and reveal what you're thinking and feeling is on the horizon, says legal scholar and ethicist Nita Farahany. What will it mean for our already violated sense of privacy? In a cautionary talk, Farahany warns of a society where people are arrested for merely thinking about committing a crime (like in "Minority Report") and private interests sell our brain data -- and makes the case for a right to cognitive liberty that protects our freedom of thought and self-determination. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Why it's sometimes good to be bored How being bored can lead to new possibilities, better ideas and even an extra shot of creativity. Watch » 4 TED Talks • Total run time 41:49

This week's new TED Talks Every cell that's ever lived has been the result of the four-letter genetic alphabet: A, T, C and G -- the basic units of DNA. But now that's changed. In a visionary talk, synthetic biologist Floyd E. Romesberg introduces us to the first living organisms created with six-letter DNA -- the four natural letters plus two new man-made ones, X and Y -- and explores how this breakthrough could challenge our basic understanding of nature's design. Watch » In 2006, Tarana Burke was consumed by a desire to do something about the sexual violence she saw in her community. She took out a piece of paper, wrote "Me Too" across the top and laid out an action plan for a movement centered on the power of empathy between survivors. More than a decade later, she reflects on what has since become a global movement -- and makes a powerful call to dismantle the power and privilege that are building blocks of sexual violence. "We owe future generations nothing less than a world free of sexual violence," she says. "I believe we can build that world." Watch » With Marvel's "America Chavez," Gabby Rivera wrote a new kind of superhero -- one who can punch portals into other dimensions while also embracing her gentle, goofy, soft side. In a funny, personal talk, Rivera shares how her own childhood as a queer Puerto Rican in the Bronx informed this new narrative -- and shows images from the comic book that reveal what happens when a superhero embraces her humanity. As she says: "That myth of having to go it alone and be tough is not serving us." Watch » What if we took out more greenhouse gases than we put into the atmosphere? This hypothetical scenario, known as "drawdown," is our only hope of averting climate disaster, says strategist Chad Frischmann. In a forward-thinking talk, he shares solutions to climate change that exist today -- conventional tactics like the use of renewable energy and better land management as well as some lesser-known approaches, like changes to food production, better family planning and the education of girls. Learn more about how we can reverse global warming and create a world where regeneration, not destruction, is the rule. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com An introvert’s advice for networking. Veteran tech executive Karen Wickre shares her secret to cultivating professional connections with a minimum of anxiety and awkwardness. Read » How we turned our family’s holiday gift exchange into a chance to really connect. The December holidays are a time of giving, but too often that means nonstop spending, shopping and stress. Here's how one family boldly reimagined their annual gift swap. Read » Do you secretly feel good when others stumble? 5 ways to make peace with one very human emotion: schadenfreude. Read »

New podcast: The TED Interview Mellody Hobson challenges us to be color brave. Talking about race can be difficult. But investment expert Mellody Hobson argues that we need to do it anyway -- boldly and often. Throughout her career and in her personal life, she’s experienced just how corrosive it can be when people choose to be “color blind.” In this candid conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, she shares her vision of a more harmonious, diverse America -- and the difficult truths we need to swallow (and discuss) to get there. Find The TED Interview on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

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