TEDxAustin 2011

I’ll admit it, I slept my way into attending TEDxAustin for the last two years. Nevertheless, it’s a really great day, like a conference without all the sleaze and salespeople. An idea-fest. It was very humbling to hear peoples’ stories of triumph, effort, and contribution.

From another perspective, it’s like a shot gun of concepts explained to you by people who really know about them, and the willing student finds many willing teachers. With such a diversity of content, I think it’s possible to hear whatever you’re looking for.

For me, the satori centered around the quality of relationships and contribution to community being much higher than the value of a large paycheck.

I heard that in Joaquin Zihautenejo‘s talk about a teacher’s ability to change lives on a rude salary. I heard it when David Cameron said that money isn’t going to solve the problems of society and government, it was “what you could do for your country.” I heard it unexpectedly yet blatantly in Tavo Hellmund‘s talk about F1 and making Austin a better place.

From Sunny Vanderbeck, I learned of becoming an enlightened capitalist – one who invests in companies who think a little less short term and who believe in improving the world rather than just delivering immediate shareholder value. My irrepressible cynicism can’t help thinking that if it makes sense financially, I’m in. If you bet your investment dollar on Southwest rather than American and it outperform 2000% because they fly with love rather than misery, then I think it’s ok to make money out of that.

There’s so much more to think about, and as Robyn O’Brien said during her speech, so much imparted knowledge that can’t be unlearned. Such a day of ideas demands action, and as Flint Sparks alluded to, not the kind of action that just adds to your to-do list. As the only Zen priest presenting, he deserves his own blog / site / lifestyle change, but for now, I’ll just leave this fun Brené Brown video which includes rebadging my impending mental breakdown as a spiritual awakening.


Next up, the master cleanse. I may even shave my head. Who knows?

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