OK, so it’s no surprise that I’m a lover of TED Talks. I was looking for a dose of inspiration earlier this week, and came across Sarah Lewis talk. Entitled Embracing the Near Win, I was instantly drawn in.
TED Talk | Embracing the Near Win by Sarah Lewis
Sarah Lewis’ talk is beautifully delivered, and shares such an important message. It boils down to this. Mastery is not an end goal, and we may never get there. We need to ease into the learning process, and as Sarah mentions, ’embrace the near win.’ There are many ways to interpret this talk, and how it can apply to your own life.
For me, I see it as celebrating the little milestones your hard work accomplishes. I see this as a stop and smell the roses. As a way to keep yourself grounded and present in the moment. And I also see this as another way to be kind to yourself, and ease up if your work hasn’t reached the mastery level yet. Stop racing and rushing to ‘perfection’ because it most likely will never come.
My absolute favorite line delivered in Sarah’s talk:
“Coming close to what you thought you wanted could help you obtain more than you ever dreamed you could.”
I had shivers. Because it is so damn true. I can’t even count the number of times that this has happened to me in my life, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
This talk is less than 12 minutes. Go grab yourself another cup of coffee, come back to your computer, and watch this video. And more than anything, I hope it brightens up your Thursday, and keeps you pumped and motivated. Most importantly, I hope you embrace your near win this week.