Monday Inspiration: TEDx Boulder

I’ve been sick for over a week now, which is really frustrating. Not only was I home feeling icky a lot, but there were so many fun activities I had to pass up since I was just too tired to do them. (Hello, 7:30pm bedtimes! Don’t judge.) But I spent my Saturday night at a pretty darn awesome event that didn’t require anything of me except to sit and listen with an open mind: TEDx Boulder.

I’m sure you’ve seen the many amazing TED talks that are out there – thanks to the videos they edit after the event, many of the “ideas worth spreading” are easily found even if you can’t attend a TED conference live. TEDx is an offshoot of TED that supports independent organizers who want to create a TED-like event in their own community, to create a more local experience. This fourth year of TEDx Boulder was held in Macky Auditorium at CU Boulder, and I was really excited to get to experience it in person.

Well, it didn’t disappoint! The organization did leave a bit to be desired – there were some issues with both parking and food. But those logistical snafus were more than made up for by some of the great talks. I know it will take some time for the organizers to edit and post the videos, but you’d better believe I’ll be sharing them when they do. Two in particular, by Ash Beckham and Kim Coupounas, were so outstanding that I am eagerly checking the TEDx page to share their videos as soon as they are posted. Their two talks really need to be listened to in their entirety, because there wasn’t so much any one quote as there were very holistic, memorable, powerful presentations. But I took a few notes on some great quotes from many of the other speakers, and I thought I’d share them to get the week off to a great start 🙂

From Joseph Logan:

“Change and crisis are the same thing happening at different speeds. Crisis is like a boulder rolling down a hill… you can’t sell the change from happening.”

“You don’t get to choose the crisis, but you do get to choose what happens next. Making those choices ends the crisis and begins the new day.”

From Catie Webster:

“Eventually the enjoyment of doing the thing far surpasses the annoyance of figuring it out.”

“I realized that I was never going to like all the parts of any one thing I committed to. But the balance of staying on the fence was far more limiting than the enjoyment there was to be had.”

“I wouldn’t have had the energy to get back out of it if I hadn’t first committed and put that energy into it. Our energy is as much of a resource as fish, or water, or land, or anything else.”

“Commitment isn’t the death of freedom. It’s the door to the freedom to do the things we love.”

From Steph Davis:

“No one is going to get you off the mountain but you. Crying is just a waste of water.”

“Endurance works, but you can do better. You can choose resilience.”

From Megan Feldman:

(Quoting Nelson Mandela) “Resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for your enemy to die.”

“Forgiveness can lower blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.”

From Alan Lewis:

“I do not believe we are combatants in the good war. I believe we are the resistance in the occupation.”

From Gerry Valentine:

“The adversity was an advantage in my first Ironman triathlon, because nothing could be as hard as being the fat kid that everyone bullied.”

“Fear and paralysis trend to bring out the worst in us at times when we need to be our very best.”

From Bobby Stuckey:

“Service is what you do to someone; hospitality is how you make them feel.”

Happy Monday, y’all!