There are times when we all need a pick-me-up.

If you’re feeling overworked, overwhelmed or simply over it, we’ve got seven powerful Ted Talks that will motivate you, even on the hardest days. From the power of vulnerability to what makes a good life, we’ve got you covered with talks from some of the most inspiring speakers around the world.

1. Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

Dr Brown has spent 16 years studying shame, vulnerability, courage and empathy. Her Ted Talk on vulnerability is one of the most viewed. Funny and emotional, she teaches us that when we truly believe we’re enough, we stop screaming and start listening.

2. Dan Gilbert: The surprising science of happiness

Harvard psychologist Gilbert, challenges our beliefs about what will make us happy. Backed by research, he argues that we can be happy even if things don’t go as planned.

3. Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

If you’re looking for ways to get rid of stress from your life, then this talk is for you. Instead of defining stress as the enemy, health psychologist McGonigal urges us to see it as a helpful response, whilst introducing us to ways we can reduce stress altogether.

4. Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study of happiness

Waldinger is Director of the 75 year old Harvard Study investigating adult development. In this talk he reveals key lessons from the study and offers practical tips on how to achieve a fulfilling life.

5. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

In this powerful talk, Sinek shares how some of the greatest leaders have inspired those around them, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Apple founders. His model for successful leadership starts with you really believing in something and communicating that message to others.

6. Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation

Pink challenges the effectiveness of traditional rewards as motivators in the workplace. By examining various rewards, Pink explains why we need to come up with a new way of running our businesses and how leaders can motivate their teams more effectively.

7. Andrew Solomon: Love, no matter what

In this incredibly moving talk, writer and lecturer on psychology Solomon reveals how identity can be affected by the diagnosis of an illness. Solomon goes on to discuss illness with astonishing insight. “People engage with the life they have, and they don’t want to be cured or changed or eliminated — they want to be whoever it is that they’ve come to be,” he says.

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AAT Comment editor is AAT Comment’s news writer.