Things to do for future self: 1. Stay Curious: Expand your horizon 2. Practice Humility 3. To be Brave: You don't have the capability to do things today, but your future self will have different capabilities.

Just Stay curious Practice humility Be brave Make your future self proud

Everyday we become a new person.

I discovered Hidden Brain podcast few weeks ago and I can’t stop listening to it. I truly recommend it. Great content.

Never look back and wish yourself there, only realise your future self will feel the same way about your now.

One of the most thought-provoking, well-presented and well-crafted TED talks out there!

Captivating story: ✅ Compelling problem statement: ✅ Backed by science: ✅ Actionable insights: ✅ "You're going to be a different person sooner than you think. So you might as well be in charge of who you're going to be." Not often do I find a TED talk that gave me chills and lit a fire inside of me at the same time. Saved this in the hope that my future selves will go back to it from time to time.

This one genuinely deserves more traction. That last note, even on its own, was particularly worthy of applause. Kudos. 👏

That was a good one. If you have ever come across comments you wrote on youtube, or in a journal, or elsewhere from 10+ years ago, you know exactly what this guy is talking about. I sometimes stumble on such previously written messages, that no longer align with my thinking at all. It's a strange thing, that my digital ghost and I are not the same, or at least we have significant differences psychologically.

Whenever I revisited the timestamped entries I wrote years ago in my diary, I would do an air hug to my younger self for making many choices along the way to pave the road to me today. I know my current self will do the same for the future me. I learned to draw at 31, calculus and coding at 39, belly dance at over 40. I know a lady started taking piano lesson after retirement and she played beautifully in her 80s. So definitely the key to the future is in your hands.

I love this so much, on two levels. One, as a speaker and consultant on human connection. Most of my work centers on helping people understand other perspectives. But there's a perspective I never really consider - your own, in the future. And two, as a speaking coach for TED-style presentations. This talk is masterfully crafted and delivered. Perfect example of how to tell stories as a vehicle for an idea, not merely for story's sake.

the fact that I am also a 22-year-old electronics engineer who just left her job and now has no idea what the future will look like this talk is like a universe's sign that one is just supposed to move in life with passion and love And one day we will reach a place where we belong.

I gave you a standing ovation from my living room. 🙂 Amazing insightful talk and ideas. Both my current, and future self thank you for sharing your wisdom and perspective with us.

He is a gem. Great man.

Love this ❤❤ the unknown and unknowable 1. Stay Curious 2. Remain humble (humility) 3. Be brave Thank you Shankar...I love this talk and have listened to it many times and sent it to my family and friends to watch also ❤❤🙏🏾

The Italo from Jan. 2024 appreciated this video❤

Honestly, one of the best TEDs ever. I'm speechless yet my mind is speeding like crazy.

Ted talks are cool because it's someone making a point and then having the platform to explain it WITHOUT being shouted down and disagreed with for likes. I wish more people watched this stuff.

This makes you wonder about the massive time and money investment into our education when we don't know if our future selves will still want that career. I went to school to become a web developer, and I did learn useful skills, but I never actually worked as one. I didn't even work in the tech industry at all. Little wonder so many people end up feeling "stuck" and having midlife crises. Also wise to rethink any change that would be permanent that your future self may indeed regret. Like permanently altering your body in some way. I enjoyed this presentation and I'll be seriously considering subscribing to his podcast. :)

almost burst out crying when he said your future self will say "thank you"

One of my favourite talks. Just as my previous self could not predict my current self, my current self cannot predict my future self. Obvious yet profound. Begs the question: is there even a "true" self? So many of our belief systems and cultural practices rely upon the assumed existence of fixed and immutable characteristics within a person's makeup. It is odd to imagine a world without this assumption, yet in every other aspect of the natural world we easily accept that change is the only certainty.

Remarkable coincidence, Hidden Brain is not hidden anymore. Great topic, excellent touch by Shankar Vedantam. Future myself should thank me. Today is our past, let's change it.

Shankar Vendantam is elegance personified.

You are one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. I first met you when I picked up your book "The Hidden Brain" by accident and started to read it. Immediately I loved your style of writing and I deduced that you were incredibly brilliant. Today by accident I watched your Ted Talk and was indeed very ecstatic to see you in person, just like I imagined you would look like. Thank you for being the person you are and sharing with us.

I'm so excited about my future... The problem is... When I try to be as fun as possible, as ecstatic as possible, some people out there do everything they can just to put me down, to down my mood and etc. It hurts, right? But, I'm never gonna listen to people, cause I know that doing what you truly desire and like is the only way to happiness)) Start listening to your gut, it must become your best friend, who would help you in the toughest times!

Awesome, thanks again for valuable inputs. It really a gift to have you sharing your wisdom & perspectives with us. I'm glad to have actively participated with you in the youth parliament congress (Bangalore) in the 1980s. Best wishes.

The person who we are becoming in 10 or 20 years later is different what we think and not have our same views, perspectives. If you accept the idea tat you're going to be a different person in 30 years' time, you should play an active role crafting the person you are going to become. You should be the curator of your future self. You should be the architect of your future self. Most of us don't actually know that our future self are. You might be in charge of deciding who that person is going to be. You have to stay curious to explore yourself and practice humility and be brave to accept change.

The concept of disliking our past selves hits home hard. Thank you. I needed to hear this.

Be open to changing. Perspectives change as you grow.

This hit me on so many levels. "We imagine that we represent the end of history. That the future is only going to before of the same" Wow.

The problem is what you want and what you thin you want are totally different and many people get confused. What you want comes from heart and it doesn't change, what you thin you want comes from mind and it changes all the time. Look for what you want not what you think you want and it lasts a life time.

Wonderful, so much to learn, even about yourself

There was an urgent need for a such idea in me before! I was afraid of my own ambiguity in the field of interests! Back in a school a dreamed of one thing in college time of another! And that tremendously simple idea of remembering of my future self eliminates that fear and clears up almost everything!

As always - his talks are thought provoking and profound . Thanks Shankar for delving into topics like this.🙂

I love this TED so much. Believing myself could be the one I wanna be, cause everyday I am changing 💪

Love you Shankar! Your work has been so influential in my life!

What a message! Spend time crafting what you wanna become. 1. Stay curious by expanding your horizon 2. Practice humility 3. Confront opportunities and be brave in them.

youtube needs more of this. society needs more of this. beautiful.

Beautiful Wisdom. Be Curious. Practice Humility Be Brave! I am grateful! ✨

I love Shankar it’s been more then 2 years I have been listening to hidden brain his podcast and it really helped to to understand my self and others!

This man made me think that the future self of mine is completely a new person whom I'm going to please while I know I will thank my older self. He's making me worried about my relationship of my both the selves.

To the worthwhile person seeing this, your dream is not dead. Don’t allow the past and current pains and hurts stop and define you. You’re more than a conqueror. Rise up and put yourself together. Keep pushing your future depends on it. I wish you all the best in life ❤

Wow. One of the best TedTalks I've heard! 1. Curiosity, 2. Humility, 3. Courage.

I have had become aware of this about 2 years back at an abstract level. It feels relieving to have someone put this in words. ☺️ Now if I want to express anything about how I'm feeling, I can simply show this video to add clarity.

Nice to see Shankar on TED, I’m a huge Podcast listener and It’s all because of Hidden Brain, Shankar shape my taste for all the pods I listen to, he delivers thought provoking questions, Hidden Brain is full of good research and amazing guests!

I'm giving you a standing ovation. This was very well done.

This is a masterpiece! The best TED Talk I have heard so far..I could completely relate to it.

This speech inspires me a lot . When watching most of TED topics, they are almost derived from excellent achievements. But this topic is very different. It could wake up our recognition about matters in life by simple explanation about the aspects of life. Only one thing that will never change is "Change" . So, be positive about your future creation as an architect of your life.

This was so insightful and well put together. Im so glad I watched this video today. It just popped up randomly on my feed. And thankful for Shankar for putting this together - definitely looking forward to listening to his podcast now. This has really motivated me to continue doing the work that I’m doing. Most days I feel like I’m pushing a boulder uphill mentally. It’s hard doing things on a day to day basis that don’t really align with what your current self wants. But this has helped to reinforce why it’s important to stay consistent, and continue doing the work. On bad days I used to tell myself that my future self will thank me, but I’ve lost sight of that recently. So I’m thanking the universe for this video finding me. Stay grateful and blessed y’all. But most importantly, stay curious, practice humility, and be brave 😊

It is one of the most inspiring video I watched. It tells us how reality is and how we can do better in live, but we aren’t doing it consistently. Thx for the advice

What a beautiful speech in the craft of presenting, bravo Shankar !

I watch a lot of TED Talks. This is now among my favorites. Thank you.

One of the most alluring and well presented Ted talks. Lots of new perspective just opened to me. I really need time to process these new views!!!!!!

Wow, it's such a gripping speach. I heard lots of others advice, but yours are the most thought-provoking. To expand our horizon we should be curious, convey humility and be brave. Actually, it doesn't sound so difficult, we can change our lifestyle in accordance with you piece of advice. Let's see what happens after 5 years. Thank you!

geniius speech, thank you.

his podcast is truly phenomenal, it has such captivating stories that help teach some of lifes most valuable lessons. It helps listeners acctually be able to grasp what some of these old sayings truly mean.

I do not know if I should smile or shed a tear. Deep.

Love this presentation. Thank you, Shankar Vedantam.

Mind-blown after watching this TED talk on understanding our future selves. The exploration of how our present choices may not align with what our future selves truly want was eye-opening. The psychological insights shared make me rethink decision-making and long-term goals. Kudos to Shankar for shedding light on this fascinating aspect of human behavior. Can't wait to apply these insights in shaping a more intentional future.

this is one of the best TED talks i've seen

this is the second time i watch this speech. Stay curious, practice humility and be brave. I'm on my way to build my new self. Thanks so much!

Amazing talk & amazing thaught. I always used to think that, the things that I wanted in the past, why don't I want them now. You have answered that question wonderfully.

Every thing he said about the topic hits so personal

I like the moment he was smiling and said "thank you" at the end of the presentation.

That is JUST AMAZING!! Thank you so much for sharing ❤

One of THE most enlightening talks ever.

I think he means perseverance in doing what you are doing. I can easily relate bravery, curiousity with being open minded to life. This is highly characteristic with japanese society

Great TED Tak Shankar! I love your podcast!

I used nearly constantly preoccupied with how my future self would look back at me. I agree with what is said here. Stay curious, practice humility, and be brave are good goals. However, when this idea became a brainworm for me, it hurt so bad. I am a people-pleaser, and my future self just became another person to please. It's like I was looking up to my future self and constantly criticizing my past self. It helped immensely with my confidence to stop looking down on my past self, and to worry less about the opinion of my future self. I guess how I take this is to do what I can to make sure my future self has a good life, but not worry about what she thinks of me.

So simple, so true. Great talk!

Thank you so much! It gives me a new perspective of what I really want in life and how I portray myself in the future🔥

This is apt. Thanks for your presentation.

Thank Mr.Shankar for this speech, I'm really appreciated about this, you made me more confident about my decision : improving everyday like all of your detail in video. I hope one day I don't look back and feel a lot of regrets. Thanks

Wonderfull presentation and great message to pass. Greetings from Italy

Wow, this TED talk really made me reflect on how our future selves are often a mystery to us. It's fascinating to see how our interests and perspectives can change so drastically over time. The story of John and Stephanie Rinka was truly thought-provoking, highlighting the challenges of predicting our own desires and decisions in life and death situations. The concept of the 'ship of Theseus' and the illusion of continuity were eye-opening. The speaker's advice to stay curious, approach our views with humility, and embrace bravery resonated with me. A powerful and insightful talk that reminds us to actively shape our future selves. Thank you for sharing!

So relatable & i felt touched😢❤ Thank you to my old self for not giving up❤❤

The power of Reflection is something that taught me much in Life. In other words Hindsight is 20/20.

Wonderful. Great noble thought gifts in simple words.

Really inspiring and great talk

One of the best TED Talks I've ever seen! It was amazing! Thank you sp much for these words

Mind blowing talk. Love the way of narration.

Oh, man! Great talk. I just begin to listen to podcast. And it's a surprise that the man I listen to most frequently delivered such a wonderful talk!

Thank you! Such a powerful perspective!

One of the best TED talks that I have ever listen to!

Every time I have to ask myself what should I do I think what the person I'm trying to become would do. That future of myself that I see, that person I WANT to be, that person I HAVE to become. I know what my future self wants cause I have been thinking like him since I was 12. I knew that he was going to be a combination of people and personality traits. So, I picked out what those would be and started practicing to become that person. My goals haven't changed once since, the only thing that's changed is the roadmap to achieve them. It's easier to know what your future self wants when your future self is standing beside you being the role model you need to become that future self.

Truly appreciated this powerful and mind-awaken video. it gave me the strength to keep in my journal in self-improving. Thank you

What an excellent topic, thanks very much!

A very interesting talk. And a talk that makes one think. I love it. I have long tried to not fix time and space, for those two things are constantly changing. I did not consider that it was also myself that would be a different person in the future - thank you ever so much for opening my mind further.

Great TED Talk, I hope our future selves are proud of us.

Things that we can do for our future self: 1. Stay curious: expand our horizon (try as many things as we can) 2. Practice humility: don't too overconfident but put into mediocrity in our words or promises. 3. Be brave: maybe you don't have the capability to do the thing today, but your future self will.

Curious engagement is 🔑 to adapting to change. Thanks for this.

Such a profound talk .. wow

such deep ! thank you 🌷

Love listening to Shankar.

Really inspiring and mindful talk👌

Thought provoking talk. But, do we really become that different over time? Some say the more we age, the more we stay the same. I think there's some truth to that. I've always been creative, but had these unrealistic expectations and vanity hopes/dreams when younger. As I got older, I started shaking these things off to pursue creative endeavors that seemed to come easier for me. I become truer to myself. The example raised in the talk -- with the woman changing her mind about prolonging her life twenty years later -- seemed less like a fundamental transformation, but more like a change of attitude, as she transitioned from being a mere observer to the protagonist. What I mean is this: as a young nurse, she was constantly exposed to dying patients and felt they were struggling with living and dying without dignity. And she had planned on dying easy if similar fate would befall her. But after contracting ALS in her old age, she completely changed her mind about euthanasia. It's a bit like saying, oh, divorces suck because look how much damage it's inflicting on the divorcees. But the divorcees might have a different perspective despite vindicating some of the concerns. Anyway, the point is, I feel the example is more about changes in ways of thinking as a passenger vs a driver, rather than some unforeseen and unknowable metamorphosis we all might go through. Interestingly though, the conclusions remain valid: stay curious, practice humility, be brave. But rather than thinking about how I will be different (if I'm truly going to be unknowably different, then why bother thinking about it at all), I'd rather think about what might stay the same. And plan my life on that consistency. And capitalize on that immutability.

Great talk ... really motivated..

a brilliant talk ,one of the best i have ever listened to .

Actually, I'm crying at the end of it ❤🙏

as an intp, a person with extreme levels of anxiety, this is of great help. love this ted episode❤