One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success, and it wasn't social intelligence, it wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't IQ.

It was grit.

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals.

Grit is having stamina.

Grit is sticking with your future.

Day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years.

And working really hard to make that future a reality.

Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint.

An important part of being a successful language learner is having the right mindset.

And TED Talks can help you with that.

If you've never heard of TED Talks, they are fun, interesting, and as you saw in the preview, often inspiring speeches by professionals.

They are also a great way of improving your listening skills and vocabulary.

In today's lesson, we'll look at three examples of TED Talks that can help develop your mindset to advance your English.

But before we get started, if this is your first time here, welcome!

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One of the first and most important steps to being a successful English speaker is understanding why you're learning English in the first place.

In this popular TED Talk, author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek explains the power of knowing your why.

By why, I mean what's your purpose, what's your cause, what's your belief?

Why does your organization exist?

Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

And why should anyone care?

Well, as a result, the way we think, the way we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in.

It's obvious.

We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing.

Let me give you an example.

I use Apple because they're easy to understand and everybody gets it.

If Apple were like everyone else, a marketing message from them might sound like this.

We make great computers.

They're beautifully designed, simple to use, and user-friendly.

Want to buy one?

But it's uninspiring.

Here's how Apple actually communicates.

Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo.

We believe in thinking differently.

The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use, and user-friendly.

We just happen to make great computers.

Want to buy one?

Totally different, right?

Be ready to buy a computer from me.

Why does your organization exist?

Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

Although Simon Sinek uses Apple as an example, this applies to individuals as well.

When we understand why we do anything, our purpose becomes clear and we can more easily work towards it.

Here, when we talk about what gets you out of bed in the morning, it means what is your purpose and motivation in life.

What motivates you to go to work each day?

An expression that sounds similar but has a totally different meaning is to wake up on the right or wrong side of the bed, which is used for saying that someone is in a good or bad mood.

For example, he seems very grumpy today.

It seems he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

So what's something you do every morning without fail?

Oh, unfortunately, I check my phone.

Same here.

Yeah.

What gets you out of bed?

My dog noon.

Cute.

We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing.

In this context, when we refer to an idea or concept as fuzzy, we mean that it is still unclear or undeveloped as you haven't yet given it enough thought.

For example, he wants to start his own business, but his business plan is still a bit fuzzy.

Each of these pictures also represents the meaning of fuzzy.

The slippers and rabbit are fuzzy because they are covered with short, soft fur.

And in English, we call this fuzzy.

The display screen is fuzzy because the image is not clear, making it difficult to see.

Ew.

Oh.

Ew.

Gross.

Idiot.

Stupid little fuzzy yellow creature.

Oh, look at me.

I'm so cute.

I'm a little chick who's disgusting.

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They're beautifully designed, simple to use, and user-friendly.

This is a word that you might hear related to software and technology.

You can use the word user-friendly to describe something that is simple or easy for people to use or learn.

My new computer came with Windows 7.

Windows 7 is much more user-friendly than Windows Vista.

I don't like that.

Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo.

The word status quo is a Latin phrase that is still used today mostly in formal or academic situations.

However, it's perfectly normal to use it in everyday conversations.

We use it to mean the present situation or the way things usually are.

Louis said I'm not allowed to prioritize your work anymore.

You think I'm taking orders from Louis?

Consider things status quo.

Yeah, well, they aren't.

They are as far as you and I are concerned.

We just happen to make great computers.

We use the phrase happen to plus verb to say that something happened by chance or without preparation.

For example, he happens to be best friends with his boss's daughter.

Hi, Isaac.

Isaac, hi.

You know, we haven't actually met.

You dog!

Yes, I suppose I am a dog.

But, Isaac, see, I happen to have a girlfriend.

Oh, right.

That Rachel chick from the coffee place.

Yeah, that's the one.

We just happen to make great computers.

Want to buy one?

Notice how Simon uses connected speech here.

Instead of asking want to buy one, the words want and to flow into each other.

So, the T sound at the end of want and at the beginning of to are silent.

So, all we hear is wanna.

Together, this sounds like wanna buy one?

Wanna buy one?

The next step is to accept the fact that mistakes and vulnerability are part of learning a new language.

In this powerful TED Talk, Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability, or more simply put, the power of embracing possible mistakes and failure.

The one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we're not worthy of connection.

I took all of the interviews where I saw worthiness, where I saw people living that way, and just looked at those.

What they had in common was a sense of courage.

And so, these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect.

They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others.

The other thing that they had in common, they fully embraced vulnerability.

They talked about the willingness to say I love you first.

The willingness to do something where there are no guarantees.

The one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we're not worthy of connection.

The word worthy has several meanings.

In this context, it means that someone deserves respect, admiration, or support.

You must be so proud to have him as your brother.

Well, truth be told, he does bring me a lot of joy.

Thank you for telling me this, Charlie.

You're welcome.

Just promise me you won't embarrass him by bringing it up.

Not a word.

I just hope I can be worthy of him.

As a suffix at the end of a word, it can also mean suitable or deserving.

For example, road plus the suffix worthy makes roadworthy.

Which means that something, usually a vehicle, is suitable to be used on the road.

Trust plus the suffix worthy makes trustworthy.

Which means that someone can be trusted.

For example, he is a very trustworthy employee.

What they had in common was a sense of courage.

And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect.

We say that people have something in common when they share similar interests or characteristics.

He obviously went crazy.

He obviously lost his mind.

I didn't lose my mind.

Janice and I have a lot in common.

We've both been divorced.

We both have kids.

The word folks can be used in different ways.

We use it to refer to people in general.

For example, folks need to realize that global warming is a reality.

We use it to refer to people of a particular group.

That area is very popular amongst rich folks.

Folks also refers to your parents.

I'm going home over Thanksgiving to see my folks.

You can say folks if you want to speak in a friendly way to people you don't know.

For example, well folks, thanks for watching Channel 5 News.

They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others.

Compassion is a positive word that refers to a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a wish to help them.

The other thing that they had in common, they fully embraced vulnerability.

In this situation, embrace is a synonym for accepting something.

I think it's great that you're going on a date.

It sounds healthy. You have needs. Embrace your womanhood.

However, to embrace can also mean to hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking or sympathy or when greeting or leaving someone.

For example, the boy embraced his mother to show his gratitude.

They talked about the willingness to say I love you first.

The noun willingness means that the person is ready and voluntarily wants to do something.

You could also change the sentence structure slightly by using the adjective willing.

So instead of they talked about the willingness to say I love you first, you could say they talked about being willing to say I love you first as they have the same meaning.

One of the main reasons many learners study English is that it is a global language.

In order to truly become a global citizen, we need to be open to understanding the world from different perspectives.

In this TED Talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains why this is important.

Years later, I thought about this when I left Nigeria to go to university in the United States.

I was 19. My American roommate was shocked by me.

She asked where I had learned to speak English so well and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as its official language.

She asked if she could listen to what she called my tribal music and was consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey.

My roommate had a single story of Africa, a single story of catastrophe.

In this single story, there was no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way, no possibility of feelings more complex than pity, no possibility of a connection as human equals.

So that is how to create a single story.

Show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.

She asked if she could listen to what she called my tribal music.

Here, tribal music refers to the music created by indigenous people of a particular area who belong to a specific tribe.

It is music that is special and symbolic of the culture.

I was consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey.

The word consequently is often used in writing and means the same as therefore or as a result of something.

Last year, you bet me that you could steal my Medal of Valor, and you did.

Consequently, I was forced to do your paperwork for a week, and to say words I thought I'd never have to say.

I was consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey.

When she refers to her tape, she means a cassette tape, which is a flat rectangular object used for playing and recording audio.

Cassette tapes were popular in the 1980s and 90s.

For dinner music, I thought we could listen to that tape that you made me.

Oh, the mix tape?

This is quite humorous because she is saying that the music that is symbolic of her culture or tribe is from international superstar Mariah Carey.

My roommate had a single story of Africa.

The word single means one, so when she talks about a single story, she means that her roommate only understood one part of the story, or she only had limited information about Africa, and this became how she viewed the entire continent.

We use the word catastrophe to refer to a bad situation or an event that causes very great trouble or destruction.

When we talk about a people, it might sound incorrect, but in fact, it refers to a nation, a tribe, a community that is regarded as a single unit.

So that brings this lesson to an end.

But before you go, let's do a quick quiz to see how much you've learned.