Learned helplessness can prevent people from achieving their goals, something I've experienced first hand. Check out Audible: bit.ly/AudibleVe More walk and talk videos: bit.ly/2Veritasium
Hey motivational channels never claimed to provide inspiration. Motivation ONLY. You may not know what you're gonna do, but you'll start doing it anyway :p joking obviously but got me thinking about the difference in these words. Motivated seems more concerned with the desire to physically carry out your goals, and inspiration with what exactly you're going to achieve. Though I suppose you can be inspired to be motivated. Ok just rambling to myself here, carry on.
Me too, and I feel incredibly happy and privileged to have learned this by myself. Seeing this video as confirmation is also a surprisingly profound and pleasant experience. I wish this video gets billions of view some day. 900k is far too little.
I suffer from depression, and this video made me realize that learned helplessness has been making me sabotage myself. It also made me realize that I am capable of more than I think and it made me remember the times where I had achieved what I thought was impossible. This video made me feel less hopeless :)
I 100% recommend similar videos to this and BOOKS to get better, it really is crazy the things you read/hear sometimes. There are TONS people out there that have something YOU need to hear (this applies to anyone reading this comment :))
This completely resonates within me. Born into poverty, my largest passion being the forward progression of human knowledge and for me to one day assist in these efforts. Now that Im 26, I've never felt so helpless. no family, no friends, just me and my own thoughts. Thank you for this video. Truly
My mom took a class on poverty while getting her master's. She was telling me about how the problem of poverty is very difficult, partly because the problem is psychological. What he said about learned helplessness reminded me of that, in that people who grow up poor and have only ever really known poverty, might just accept it rather than strategizing how to change it. I come from a wealthy family, but my dad grew up poor and considers himself a self-made man. He would tell you that the trajectory of your life is completely in your control, you just need to have good habits and make smart decisions. As in, when you're young, invest in yourself first and foremost. Become very skilled at something, and somebody will pay you a lot to do it for them. Save your money and spend it wisely.
when working as an employee I did not try to use my creativity to solve problems, I always asked my manager. the simple reason: I was afraid of being punished if I tried to be creative.
I never faced this problem. I don't think I would stay at such a place if I have a choice now. If it was my first job, I don't know, I might have learned helplessness.
I'm working on my own company and I may become successful enough to start hiring people for some of the work, so I already have a plan of action for them. Instead of supervising every decision and every action, I'd give them a list of limitations and abilities. Basically, I tell them what they definitely aren't allowed to do, like stealing the products for themselves, and what they can use to get the job done, like provide discounts to solve complaints. Everything I don't directly address is all for them to decide and if they make a mistake, it's my fault for not preventing it, not theirs. Pretty much, I'd give them control over their own little realm in order to not have to do all the work myself at the risk of them making mistakes I wouldn't. That strategy is my decision, so what goes wrong is my responsibility.
I am watching this video at 20 years old, at the start of my second semester at university and all the stress and pressure is really getting to me and I get the feeling of helplessness and overwhelming. Often times I wish there was someone to help me, but time and time again I see myself alone with all the problems I have to face and realise that I have to be the one overcoming them on my own. This video helped a lot to realise that everyone had times in their lives like this and that there is always a way, even though you can‘t always see it at first.
For some reason the YT algorithm decided to send this to me. 7 years later. Just in time for a major change in my life. Thank you my guy, this advice will be carried with me for the rest of my life.
"To make a truly miserable man, have him believe that he can not change his future, yet have him believe that he could have changed his past." - Me just now, but you know I'm right.
The number one rule in time travel is to absolutely never interact with anything, because the slightest change could lead to a completely different today. So, the slightest change today may lead to a whole different future.
@@ptsg this doesn't actually have to be about time travel. it's just called the butterfly effect. This part at least, "So, the slightest change today may lead to a whole different future."
I stumbled across this video a little over a year ago. You have actually changed my life! It was like a switch went off in my head! Quit my job at target and now a manager in logistics!! I had a hell of a year...I've never put as much effort into anything else as I have trying to change my life and im finally happy with who I am! This video really lit a fire under my ass!! Thank you!
Im a 24-year-old recent graduate and still haven't figured out my future, being born in helplessness sometimes does block your capable brain. have a degree in architecture and possibilities are endless but hope is all I need and I have none of it. this video gave me a new hope and a different angle to see life across seas are similar to me and humans are the same as me around the globe I just need the will to do
C’mon, this should be obvious. You obviously will succeed. This just looks like the perfect thing that you needed. The perfect guy, without motivation. No way will you not be successful whether or not you take inspiration from this video. Even still, it is a personal failure but, what did happen after you watched the video? What happened between then and now? Were you able to achieve what you wanted to? Let me know however which way it went.
Depression a big rough time, the more present the purpose the grater the incentive. The hardest part is getting started 1 set a goal and don’t tell anybody about it just do them tell them once your finished if you want to. 2 find meaning to your life a grander purpose that goes beyond your life it can be family(as it is for most)or anything but that really helps get you going even if you really don’t want to.
@@mayamanign what I got out of that is that the quote is stupid. There are better ways to phrase it than that. Now please, go jump off a building yourself.
theres a story of a person who was late to class saw an equation on the board thinking it was homework so they solved it and later found out that it was actually impossible and that the professor was talking about how the equation on the board was impossible
@@iwbmo yeah i heard about it a while ago it was actually a very important equation that many mathematicians were working on until he was able to do it. and he wasnt even exception or talented in any way, he just thought that it was homework so he kept trying and eventually did it
@@aradhyajain2064 What they fail to tell you is it was a Math major, George Dantzig who was a PhD in Mathematics and unknown but famous at the time (WW2). One never learns from these stories because they are inaccurate therefore pointless.
I recall a young girl who recently worked for us, we are in retail sales with expensive items. When a new item comes in we mark it up a fixed amount (100% for example), we then discount it 25% so the public see a deal and are more likely to buy and we get a profit of 50% from the wholesale price. One day, she sold an item that was marked up only 10% by mistake so we actually lost money on the sale. The scary part was she knew there was an error but still continued with the sale and only brought it up later rather than when it would have been beneficial to the company. I didn't keep her on even tho she seemed otherwise competent.
Zuck That my band director is constantly complaining about learned helplessness among the band members. I very much agree with him, however, many people simply call him mean.
Those are 3 of the 4 core values in the Stoic philosophy. -Wisdom -Courage -Temperance (serenity) -Justice, is the one missing and it's the one that focuses on our interactions with other humans.
That may be fine for a stoic, who isn't going to get ahead in life, and is satisfied with being put down, and accepting the situational punishment. But for someone who is geared for getting ahead, that is a challenge, and a wall to get over. NEVEAH ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF, DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE ELSE"S VERSION OF YOU!!
@@davidcadman4468 you are interpreting stoic all wrong dude. Accepting any thing less than your authentic self is not stoic way but rather having wisdom to differentiate what is changeable (achievable) and whats not is true stoic way. Of course being your authentic self no matter what is achievable so pursuing it is actually stoic way. Lets take another example as whats other think of you is unchangeable so accepting it is fine but affect of others thinking on you is changeable and so not letting their's thinking and view get you and continuing as your trueself perusing your dream is true stoic way. And i do believe all those who achieved true success are true stoic knowingly or unknowingly cuz they had wisdom to know which wall can be overcome, strength to overcome it and accepting any collateral damage while overcoming it. They just dont realize they are following stoics way.
I genuinely needed to hear this man. Every time, I feel like I can't change things. I'm so scared of failing man. But hearing you already tried to take that leap, with acting or film schools or whatnot, I get more hope. That there is always another way. For the first few minutes in this video I could tell where it was going. I was thinking "I know there is a way to change. I don't know if I can do it.". but you won't know until you try, right? I don't know why every time my career comes up I end up crying really hard. I'm so scared of letting everyone down. I'm only 16, and I know life will follow I just to get high school over with and worry about the rest when I get there, that I shouldn't worry so much and just do. I don't know then. Why I always cry when I hear reassuarances like these. I don't have talent so I have to build up the skill. And that's so scary. Because as someone who is considered smart, I have never failed for real. Anything I try, video games, I eventually get better slowly and if not I lose interest. But it's my job we're talking about. Maybe I should give up and be an academic instead, I think every single time. I don't know why I worry so much when I haven't failed yet like you have. When you make a misstep and or fail. I'm so scared of making that step before I even get there. I don't know dude. It's turning into a word salad and Damn I need to wash my face I'm out
I'm impressed, dude. I'm sure that the majority of 16-year-olds like you aren't able even to elaborate this kind of "speech". I think you have a great future ahead, just don't overthink things and try, try, try. Talk to your family and friends as much as possible and find people that support you. Good luck, my friend.
I can assure you, next decade will be the most fun you've had in a while. No matter the end result. It is also great time to experiment, since you have all the time in the world. I am 29 now and I finally got the courage to do 180 on my successful career, in order to chase my childhood dream. The moment you start is when you don't have the time to hesitate anymore. And it kind of goes from there. It gets easier the more you fail, so wish you good luck
@@user-ck3hb4kx3o Yeah man! I try my best not to overthink, it's just every time the topic comes up I end up givin myself a headache from all the intrusive thoughts of failure. LOL but when I'm normal I'm just sat down practising and stuff. Thanks man
@@danielzhakobin2918 Yeah, once you get into it you can't hesitate. I'm not there yet, so man, you're right, I just need to get up and do it. I'm glad you were able to do it too, man! I get scared that if I fail, I'll be forced to take some other job, but even so, there's always a way for me to get back into it, like you did! Thanks man
If you are looking for direction/discipline/education/etc I’d recommend joining the USAF. It’s a little known life hack to get free education. I got a cyber job and plan on pursuing cyber security when I get out at the end of my 4 year contract.
When I was in year 4 my parents took me out of school to home-school me, something interesting I just realised is that school had in fact made it very difficult for me to make my own choices. I was never able to do studying without someone telling me what to do and it took me around a year to get over it and I just realised it was learned helplessness. It was definitely damaging and I am glad I know what it was now. After that, I became a lot more independent and studying was a lot easier for me, it was also easier for me to deal with a lot of different real-life situations as I had to do things on my own quite a lot. I think one thing about school as said in this video is that you learn to follow, not to lead and that is probably the greatest flaw in the education system. People are growing up not knowing how to deal with things and are probably struggling with things that would be so much easier if we learnt better. Thanks for making the video, it was really eye-opening :)
Dude I can relate When we have lockdown my sister teach me My maths was like so bad But now it's better even my grades In maths Get better by a lot.......
Yes, maintain this, please! I love people thinking and associating correlations out of things. Maybe once I break the "impossible" dream of creating a new "Alexandria Library", or at least raising something big enough to be a "Shelter" for people to gather, learn and share thoughts, all together, we can meet there! xD I do believe the world would benefit a lot out of a spread search for knowledge and sharing philosophy. More than with the competitive and job searching mindset our most common current educational system guides us to.
@@raunak8889 I'm not the one you asked, but I couldn't resist sharing: How about something like Library Genesis + Quora + Reddit combined? ಠಿヮಠ When I think of collecting knowledge/insight/experience and sharing it with a community... Those are the ones that come to mind.
I stumbled upon and re-watch this video 3x, and every time tears roll down my cheeks. Thanks to Derek I have found something valuable at a perfect time for me.
A great public service! Learning how and then looking back and saying, “hey, I could help them get here!” Is a really great thing and very honorable. Thank you.
This video somehow change my life twice, when in highschool my friend died because rare disease and it's slow and painful death. Then I quit highschool because depression. I come across this video and try to change my life for better and re-enter highschool. The second time is during highschool, at that time I just think about graduating. But I watch this video again and decided to try enter the best Engineering school in my country. Now I proud to say I got accepted. My journey will not end here, I will find a new goal to achieve.
Stay strong. You are made of the same things that the sun, the moon and the stars are made of. You are powerful beyond your wildest imagination. You are walking along side divine beings. You will see the light. Stay strong , for yourself and for all others.
So some friends and I in Vancouver have a fake holiday that we've celebrated now for maybe 3-4 years. It's called St. Project's Day. Every autumn when the weather starts to get grey and rainy, each person adopts a secret project on their own and works on it throughout the duration of the winter. The project has to be something new to you, something that exposes you to a bit of the unexplored. Come spring (early May perhaps?) when the weather is finally nice enough to have a beach picnic, we share a meal with food and drink, and we present to each other the results of our efforts. Two years ago I picked up French after failing it in grade 9 (I'm reasonably conversant now!). This year's project was yoga (I can finally touch my toes without issue!). I think St. Project's Day is relevant to this video as it's a yearly exercise in trying the things we don't know how to do, striking out on your own and struggling through the "I can't do this" moments.
SirVixIsVexed In retrospect, I wish I'd recorded even 15 seconds of progress per week so I could make a montage out of the winter's work. Maybe next year's project. Eye of the Tiger soundtrack? ;)
thank you. i have been battling depression for the last few years and learned helplessness was definitely a big theme in my upbringing. now that I'm 21, there's this pressure that i suddenly have to grow up and figure things out on my own. thank you for what you said, i think the message you spread definitely has resonated with me and I'm sure it has to others as well. maybe i will wake up tomorrow and feel depressed but at least now, i know what this learned helplessness thing is and more importantly, that it is something that CAN change. it isn't an impossibility, but a choice we have the option to take. Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart. - Joseph
Joseph you got this! I'm 24 now but when I was 21 I think I went through something similar. Things got a lot clearer for me even though I still feel a little lost and directionless, just not as much. We'll overcome learned helplessness together along with all of the other 20 somethings and make this a great decade!
This is the single best motivational video in internet! No one screaming at you, no weird actions done, no overwritten script that sounds like poetry; just a charismatic guy delivering pure experience and straight-up facts in the most authentic way. If this doesn't change you atleast a little bit, then I don't know what will. I wish I had a big brother like you @Veritasium ❣️
Agreed. The philosophy is old and true but the delivery and story is really good. Veritasium has mastered the art of story telling! Even the way he gets people to buy NordVPN is genius.
I think of it this way “It’s possible to change myself” “It’s not possible to change anyone else” “Changing yourself does more to change your world than you realize”
Meh, it is simple as yin & yang. Yin = Dogs, Passive, Negative, Feminine Yang = Cats, Active, Positive, Masculine And what do you mean by that you cannot change anyone or yourself? Passive person changes their reaction and active person changes their method. If you want to change someone's reaction then you need to touch their emotions, compliment/despise something they have. If you want to change someone's method then you need to touch their goal, move the chair further/closer. If you want to change someone who is passive and active, also known *independent* ... you note them about the thing they defy, relationship. Everything is about relationships, you just need to pick the side.
@@davipenha I know where you are coming from. You believe dogs are active because they are more out going and cats are just chilling. It is more psychological thing. Cats also want to do stuff but only if they think there is an end goal. Making them competetive and everything they do is a sport. Positive = They create a resource to spend. Dogs in other hand react on events and are doing stuff on mere impulse. So they do everything besed on their emotions. Negative = They spend the resource they get.
It is possible to change others, of course not 100% by yourself but I assure you anyone can make an impact on people. Maybe it's all semantic, but if someone on their car hit you with it while you were crossing their road, one would said that person will change your behavior when crossing the street and you can say you chose yourself to be more wary, so it's semantics maybe.
This video is really what I needed right now. Since I started directing my own learning, I feel like I've learned far more that I did in guided learning. I had this realisation that sometimes the greatest things are the things that I discover rather than the things that are given to me. Even if this means I have to invite some chaos into my life, take some risks and learn from some mistakes, it's better than the soft pillow of letting something else lead me somewhere. I've got a scary decision to make but I feel like I can see the right option.
unlike most motivational videos, theres no distracting music, or the guy screaming at you, or some glaring scenery, or over-thought script: just an average guy walkin around tellin ya things that really help
Agreed with one correction: I don't think we can call him an average guy ;) He is truly fascinating, met him about 2 years ago when he spoke at a university.
Crazy, I have spent my entire adult life as an entrepreneur in one way or another, I have struggled every single day, but have been free and loved every minute of it. Starting my channel and going full time I am feeling the exact thing you are talking about, and somehow with all my experience I missed it, I did not understand where I was and why I feel so lost. I was not looking to my own power, my own experiences, I was being helpless for no reason, you reminded me of my strength, and I will never forget it again, thank you!
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He is one of two people I know who have (other is PewDiePie), the trick is to just keep uploading. No matter what, daily/weekly videos with high quality (and not a fan base of 6 yr olds) will get you views.
And how do we help people break out of this condition? It's easy to say "Just believe you can do it", but some people are so used to failing it's ingrained inside them and they accept it as the norm.
Internet anon Well it's definitely a bad thing if you fear it, which a lot of people do. If you're afraid of failure, you won't achieve much success, and according to this video, you also won't seek success.
Patchy Which is my point. Failing isn't a bad thing. Fearing failure makes you not want to fail, which makes you not do anything, which as you said, means no success. So it's the fear that's bad, not the failing itself
This hit with a lot more power watching it a second time around a few months later. I'm in high school and I've been thinking about college and how I've been doing, and I keep coming back to me having less opportunities because I didn't go to some elite high school and people who did got so many and such a better shot and all that. But in reality I just started high school and the only advantage anyone could have over me is believing they have an advantage and thus working hard, motivated by pride. I hope the next time that I watch this video I actually put in the effort required to achieve my dreams. Cya later.
WOW! You are the first person I felt like subscribing not to help you but to help me! Every word out of you seems like a gem. Haven't felt like that about anyone other than supposedly enlightened mystics. Great Job brother👌 Thanks!
“All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.” ― Noam Chomsky
Adam G I'm not sure what Noam Chomsky has ever done other than very eloquently phrase things people talk about over the dinner table. He's no Isaac Newton or Wehrner Von Braun. Or Elon Musk.
I tried watching a movie about his life. To call it boring would be charitable. An iconoclast academic commenting on political and social issues...OK, whup de doo. What am I missing?
Whoa whoa hold on there...the USA invaded Vietnam? Stop the presses, STOP THE PRESSES! And...my god, the media manipulates the masses? I had no idea. If you think those are profound observations, you probably should stick to watching movies.
I remember watching this video when it came out, was 17 that year and hated school. Now, 6 yrs later, I've gained so much experience, made a ton of friends, learned to be myself step by step, but got kinda lost since the start of covid. Listening to your advice, since all those yrs passed, I had to cry, cause I forgot how much power and control lies in my hands. Thank u Derek, much love from the Rhineland
What a great video. The serenity prayer is basically gospel in alcohol and drug recovery. I’ve learned through the years, the only things I can’t control are the past and other people. Although others can be heavily influenced as well. There’s a derivative to the prayer. “Grant me the serenity, to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one that I can, and the wisdom to know that it’s me”
Thanks so much for this, Derek. Been a regular sub of yours for years, but had somehow missed this one when today, all of a sudden, due to some algorithmic conspiracy, it landed on my feed, and I'm so glad it did. I really needed it. More power to you, man.
Does our school system reinforce learned helplessness? Yes. No where else on the planet have I been told I was stupid for trying a different way or that my way of thinking was wrong simply because it isn't in the specification and therefore won't gain marks on an exam. The entire system is so gaurded and washed-out, it forces children to think like robots and crushes uniqueness and creativity. Failure is now quantified and success is never enough.
I figured this one out a few years ago but this video really hit home. Thanks for encouraging people to get outside of their comfort zone. For me this realization came when I started applying for jobs which had more qualifications than I believed I had. Low n behold I have better jobs now.
This is life-coaching/philosophy for oneself. I watched quite a lot of scientific experienments on this channel but not this one. I was confused three years ago due to that "learned helplessness" that I had to lean on some life mentors/guidances to make most decisions, but most of them didn't turn out to be what I wanted. I am grateful for this content and I am glad to watch it today even though I already had some hints on breaking "learned helplessness". Just like one of the comments said, one can only solve the problem when he/she realizes the problem.
The military teaches "learned helplessness" more than most. They tell you that you should never do anything on your own accord but can also punish you for not taking initiative when you could have, this makes people confused and almost more reliant on the person in charge. I believe the reason a lot of people stay in the military is because of this. You seldom take initiative, you are enouraged to ask for help and therefore rarely have to take responsibility for yourself. I did almost six years in the military, now I'm studying mathematics and physics at University, and I'm finally beginning to feel like my own person again.
Do you even know how difficult that is ...I’m sure you felt the pain when you were making those decisions but what you did is .. wow .... that’s a super tough cycle to come out of.. the programming runs deep and your strong enough soul to fight for your self out of that. Not many can over come mental programming society programming and physical programming! Huge huge huge congratulations what you did few have the courage to do!
You must’ve not had a good experience. I always encourage people to take initiative. I try to always communicate intent to the lowest levels so that individual members can take initiative and solve issues before they get brought to a higher level. Toxic and poor leadership is a huge reason why people leave. Unfortunately the toxic leaders are too dumb to realize they are the issue and they often stick around the longest.
In the military you are always responsible for yourself and everyone around you. When I was in the army we were encouraged to take our own descisions as long as it made sense. Leaders in the military have a very big responsibility and have to take many descisions. In the military you are put into harsh conditions, challenged and simply expected to survive on your own confidence. How is that learned helplessness? You must be an exception because most people comming out of the military make great leaders and are people who take action when needed. Honestly you don’t sound at all like someone from the army, it really suprises me that someone with years in the army have your attitude.
Thank you so much, Dr. Muller. I'll be graduating high school next month and I'm nothing but a bunch of nerves. Thank you so much for this video at this time. If it had come to my feed a month earlier or a month later, it wouldn't have made the same impact. Thank you for giving me so much hope. I hope that one day i am able to come back to this comment and tell you that i made it. Karishma.
Akash Thinakaran strange, usually it is opposite for me: when i see a vid with a title like that i just assume that it is another pointless "motivational" mumbling from some "life guru", only after seeing that it was from Veritassium i gave it a shot
you really should do motivational speaking. i myself suffer(ed) depression and i know some people who suffer from that too. Some of your videos and thoughts answer so many questions most people don't even want to listen to and gives me so much inspiration and motivation as my whole family couldn't give me. thank you very much, keep going!
I started a computer science program a month ago and got stuck. I haven't gone back to class for almost a week. the things being taught isn't that hard. But when I look at it, I just couldn't get myself to do it. seeing this video has made me think about my future. IT'S ME TO HELP MYSELF. THANKS VERITASIUM.
That video has some sort of true beauty in it, that makes it "speak" to young people (yup, I've done some sort of experiment on my own) louder than any motivational bsht. It's really challenging, at least for me, not to think of improving something in my everydayness, every time I end up watching it again.
As a new entrepreneur I came to realize that nobody knows anything and everybody is just trying to work things out just like you, and I found that incredibly comforting because it reduced the pressure that I was doing something/everything wrong as there is no right way of starting a company.
That's with the entire work force in my opinion. I've had a decent amount of jobs (ranging from Lowes employee-Plumber-Telecom Sales Engineer etc.), and I'm always shocked by how things are done behind the scenes. It's usually way more simpler than people realize, but you just don't think about it or assume it's more complicated than it really is. I think you can honestly teach anybody anything, it just depends on if they want to learn it or if they even have the confidence. Referring back to what the video mentioned, about having the capability of figuring stuff out on your own if you actually tried, insecurity is a major driving factor for people who want to learn or be something, but don't put in the work to achieve it, I think they're scared they'll fail or that they're wrong. Confidence is the biggest advice I can give people going into the workforce. Competence and Confidence will take you far in any direction you decide to take.
@@pathania3377 -- Yes. It is. With a name like Grim Perception, you should know this. I'm a piano teacher. When a 50-year-old comes to me and says they want to play the piano, they have too much stress, commitments, deadlines and responsibilities and infirmities to devote enough TIME to it to make it worthwhile. When you're 6, you can start piano and become great at it. When you're 50, with the exigencies of society burdening you at every turn, you have NO PHYSICAL TIME to become anything more than a single-finger plinker that can't really play anything. Hence, sometimes it IS too late to start what you love... sorry... grim but true... Veritasium is talking about a slightly different concept, though, not the "never too late" platitude.
@@DunmoresMovieMania well...yes!!😂 50 might be a little too late...but a little range of age is still acceptable...as in teenagers or 20-30 maybe... Maybe to 50 year old person can learn after he is retired!! Then he might have enough time!😅
@@DunmoresMovieMania same with guitar players who decide to learn at age 50. They rarely become half decent pickers, simple strumming in time will be their peak usually. And maybe they're not even keeping time properly.
I remember seeing this video 4 years back ago , I have saved and downloaded this video and watch it every few months to clear my mind and get rid of learned helplessness mentality .......
2 main things to take away after watching this video: 1. We all have free will. It's not just learned helplessness. We can choose what we want to do, and what we dislike. 2. It doesn't matter where you start, but that you did start. You can always get better equipment and skills, but to just starting is sometimes the hardest part. Like Derek had a strong will to start making films, but didn't know where to start for a long time.
No one said that it is just learned helplessness. I would also assert that your starting point is relevant but typically not an insurmountable obstacle in most cases.
+ArwenMeow Your comment works on multiple levels. Well said! As for Mark Lucas and many like him, believe me, they know. Anybody can do anything. However, most everybody requires a spark or inspiration to get going. Sadly those that need it the most don't get that spark.
This presentation would make a good Graduation Day speech. Short, but loaded with insight and wisdom and inspiring. It is NOT the obnoxious "You can do it if you want" or "Never Give Up" type of speech that you hear from some successful people who are too full of themselves. It sort of hints at trying and putting in an effort without being so cocky and it is more thoughtful. Good job!
I think that these kinds of "obnoxious" messages are misinterpreted at least some of the time. The point is not to tell people that everything's sunshine and roses, it's that they need guts of steel, endless determination, and a healthy dose of "F you" defiance to overcome the obstacles of life and reach their potential.
@@narcoleptic8982 That's why I literally said "some of the time". Slogans necessarily (and literally) lose that kind of nuance because they have to be short. That doesn't mean one should literally misinterpret them.
watching this video again 7 years later, is really surreal. I completely forgot about the actual video, buts its message as followed me from my 20 year self in college to my 27 year old self with a full time job as an electrical engineer at Boeing.
5:57 Thanks Derek, that segment really opened my eyes. I'm in that situation where I applied multiple times to film schools and never got accepted, but I've just realized that I don't have to wait to get someone else's acceptance to begin to work on my goal. In fact it doesn't matter at all, I'm going to do what I want to do, whether or not I get to go to a film school this year.
Wow i’ve been your sun for more then 6 years and i’ve seen you evolve so much. Thank you for the amazing videos and thank you for being an inspiration. So much so that I remembered this video and had to come back and watch right now that I’m feeling like i’m helpless
Just like me I am thinking about dropping out of college. I been in college over 10 years. I keep failing. I feel like a dumb ass. I have got some good grades, but I just cannot get to the graduation spot. When will I ever graduate.
This lifts me out of my depression atm. Thanks for your awesome content. I want to study neurosciences but I‘m in high school and this system is so bad and unfair. But maybe I can change. Thank you!
Feel like the message of the video to me personally was that there is much more in your life in your control than you believe, the school system isn’t completely “unfair” there are many ways to succeed
I have realised that it depends on how bad you want to do something. If you want to something bad enough, you gain confidence in yourself and start believing you can do it. A friend of mine feels helpless in so many situations, but when it comes to helping animals, she will move heaven and earth to find a solution.
that's what I concluded. Accepting is wanting, or wanting enough to be worth it. Accepting a bad situation always involves a getting something in return, even if it doesn't feel like it when your choices are limited. You can say you accept something but you don't unless you want it, at least, enough to be worth it.
"Grant me the serenity to accept the things i can not change, and the courage to the things i can and the wisdom to know the difference" 7:15 "It always seems impossible until its done" - Nelson Mandela 7:48
You have no idea (or maybe you do..) how helpful this video is right now to me. Thank you for sharing your experiences and this tremendous piece of advice.
I’m in programming class and frustrated so much. My professor, a senior lady, noticed my absence, since I attended every class and help session before, usually only me in the help session. Yesterday she emailed me and said she could give me special help sessions. It made me cry heavily. When we are young and have no experience but dying to know new things, it’s so important and precious that we can get help from professionals.
The thing is, pessimism =/= realism. He's saying that you shouldn't assume that your situation is unchangeable (that's not realism, that's learned helplessness which can ultimately amount to pessimism), because it is more than likely changeable (depending on the situation of course). If anything, the optimism that things can be changed can be considered the more realistic option; the key is that (once you have all the facts of your situation) you just have to try and do something about it. At least, that's how I felt he explained it :)
Pranav Eswaran Exactly! As a matter of fact pessimists are actually more often successful in making predictions that turn out to be true, yet optimists walk through life easier anyway since they deal better with problems! Realism is something in between that actually *nobody* can achieve anyway! You're either more pessimstic or optimistic but never completely realistic! And for said reason it's better to tend to the optimistic side!
really needed this somehow yt just recommended out of the blue, I've been really suffering to this mentally at the moment I am thinking that I have no control over my life and do not know what to do. Thank you so much!
I am going through the same helplessness because of a couple of decisions I made. Still trying to get through this. I am keeping track of my journey through youtube. This video is profound even after 8 years.
I don't know how long I can expect it to last, but you've given me the motivation I needed to make progress with something I was spinning my tires on. Thanks for the much needed small victory.
I don't know when I saved this video on my watch later list, but today I finally watched it. You've got me something to think about during the next days
I think this is why we Asians generally lack initiative and do not dare take risks or behave outside of social conventions. Our rigid educational system alongside other cultural factors and even national service has forced us into learning helplessness.
I think this is the third time in 4 years that this video ended up on my main page, so this is the third time watching it fully. The longer I think about it, the more I believe that this video has influenced me and my decisions significantly, yet subconsciously, which likely helped me keeping a rather positive mindset, despite going through hard times. It probably helped me improving my english to a degree where I am able to convey such a deep message in a language which isn't my native language. Every time I rewatch this video, I try to remember the past times when I watched this video, seeing that despite all difficulties, I've nevertheless made progress. Every time I rewatch this video, I understand another part of it (differently). I'm looking forward to the next time when this video pops up on my main page. Thank you
Thanks man, I'm a Vet student but I've always wanted to build an axial compression jet engine. I think I'm ready to learn the physics and fluid dynamics to finally pull it off.
