Ted Talk Summary Essay Example

Being happy, or attempting to pursue happiness is a feeling we should all strive for in our day-to-day lives. We as people often tend to find ourselves in a constant cycle, comfortable with our daily routines and not striving to seek that discomfort within our lives that could potentially lead to us being exponentially happier. Thomas and Matt, who are co-founders of the multi-platform media brand Yes Theory, do an excellent job at conveying the idea of seeking discomfort and how it correlates with one's happiness. This insightful take on seeking discomfort is a position I stand on, and I feel most of us should do the same. In their TedTalk, “Seeking Discomfort” Thomas and Matt give the audience a multitude of examples and reasonings as to why they view the original path given to them by society as outdated. They convey the idea of seeking discomfort and challenging the expectations of society in their daily lives. I first watched this TedTalk shortly after it was released in 2018, I definitely found this piece of work to be heartfelt and inspiring. I would argue that most, if not all of the material contained in this TedTalk still pertains to how I live my life today.  

Each of us most likely have somewhat of a daily routine that we all tend to follow consistently. Thomas and Matt argue that having this routine isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however saying yes to spontaneous adventures or what you perceive as an irregularity in your routine could result in a considerable amount of happiness for yourself. I agree with the two of them in the sense that it is apparent to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while, go out and try new things, and of course, say yes. Following this ideology the past couple of years has shown an insurmountable difference in how I perceive the quality of my life. I’ve noticed I hardly regret the decision of saying yes to something spontaneous. I can specifically remember a time when I was asked to help a friend move into their college dorm in Boise, ID. I had absolutely dreaded the idea of traveling 9 hours in a car to Boise state to then turn around the very next day and drive home. This trip ended up being one of the most fun times I’ve had in recent years and I couldn’t believe I even questioned the idea of going in the beginning. I made friends on this trip who I consider to be some of my closest friends today. This goes to show that saying yes to something you may not want to do for whatever reason, and stepping out of your daily routine could result in a substantial amount of happiness for yourself. Along with myself, Thomas and Matt contradict the idea of being trapped in this daily routine. Thomas immediately begins their TedTalk with a question, “When was the last time you felt most alive?” which instantly pulls the audience in, making them question their own lives. Thomas then introduces his audience right away in regards to his experience of not feeling generally happy. I feel as though this is something I relate to and I would argue that most of us have felt this way at one point or another in our lives. With Thomas making these two connections within the first 20 seconds of the TedTalk, he is able to create a strong emotional connection with the audience which continues to grow stronger throughout the TedTalk. 

 Thomas further explains his story of how seemingly boring his life had become in his early 20’s. He explains this feeling of being stuck in a rut and not having any real drive or ambition to do things outside of his comfort zone. He explains the feeling of being stuck in this routine and how he became complacent with all of his weeks looking the same, saying that he had never felt more lost. He conveys to the audience the frightening feeling he felt after graduating from university, not knowing what he wanted to do with his life. My own experience definitely Mirrors that of Thomas’s. When I had first graduated high school I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do. I had dreams since 3rd grade of receiving a division 1 baseball scholarship. When those dreams quickly turned into a harsh reality that I was not ready for, I felt like a failure. Not only to myself, but to my parents, coaches, teachers, and everyone that supported my journey to becoming a division 1 athlete out of high school. Like Thomas, I had never felt more lost. I decided to seek discomfort within the situation and continue playing baseball here at SCC. With the little experience I have had here, I feel at home. I would be lying if I claimed to not still be in somewhat of the same mental state. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, but I would say that I’m happy, with a sense of direction knowing that I am confident in accepting discomfort.

Matt further explains in their TedTalk how 3 years ago, himself, Thomas, and Ammar, who is another member of Yes Theory, started going on these adventures to escape their life of living the continuous repetition of a 9-5. They went anywhere their heart desired, traveling across the nation and out of the country. After going on these adventures, the three of them quickly realized how happy they had all become. Matt brings up the question of why they were all seemingly living more blissful lives, he says, “after doing a little research and looking into it, we came across an idea, and that idea is this: it’s that every single one of you looking up at us right now, you are a living, breathing hunter-gatherer stuck in an age of robots. Our vacations are planned like scripts for actors, our schools, our workplaces are scheduled to the dot, our meals are at the same time, and they are the same meal every single day.” This comfort in having a routine is what had been dwelling on Thomas, Matt, and Ammar's happiness for so long. Stepping out of this constant cycle every once in a while is what made the difference in their lives, and could have the same effect on ours if we choose to do the same. I am of the same opinion as Matt in the sense that we are wandering creatures by nature, we aren’t meant to be cooped up in a constant cycle of what seems to be boredom in a lot of our lives. I try to escape this routine when I can in healthy ways of seeking discomfort such as traveling and meeting new people. Matt conveys the idea of how many people in society today attempt to escape the routine by “medicating themselves, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, mood suppressors, painkillers, you name it.” He continues to explain how we are built by our nature, meaning that we are thirsty for risk-taking, for adventure, for exploration and experimentation in healthy forms. 

The message Thomas and Matt are conveying in this speech isn’t to live your life freely with no obligations at all, but to “live the Yes Theory” by consciously making time to do things you’ve never done before. There isn’t a drastic decision that needs to be made to “live the Yes Theory” in fact, you can start today, after school, work or whatever it may be, the point is that when seeking discomfort you’ll never feel more alive.

Work Cited

Brag, Thomas and Matt Dajer. “Seeking Discomfort”, YES Theory | YouTube, Apr. 2018,Seeking Discomfort | YES THEORY | TEDxYouth@ISP.