5 Motivational Points on Finding Your Purpose, From Yara Shahidi’s Inspiring TED Talk
The former Bazaar Arabia cover star is a testament to the power of following your true calling – and wants us to do the same.
Iranian-American actress Yara Shahidi, is known for her work as a women’s rights activist and youth empowerment advocate.
At 23 years old, she is wise beyond her years, and has graced some of the most prestigious platforms at educational institutions to share her insights with future leaders and change-makers.
Now, the award-winning star, and Harvard-graduate – who regularly champions humanitarian issues online, particularly in the Middle East – has shared that her TED Talk, “Let Curiosity Lead”, is finally being released to the public, almost a year after she initially took the stage.
In her talk, Shahidi speaks about the power of creativity, imagination, and untainted authenticity.
Here, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia shares five lessons we took away from Shahidi’s inspiring speech, to help set us on the right path this new year.
You don’t have to have it all figured out
The question “Are you sure about that”, was the theme of the Shahidi’s first poignant point. In the opening of her talk, the actress shares a difficult experience she had early on in her career, where she was pressured to choose between pursing an education or acting – both of which she was incredibly passionate about.
Shahidi goes on to advise that when it comes to our life path, we shouldn’t feel pressured to choose between one thing or the other. Rather, we should embrace our curiosities, explore different passions and interests, and allow ourselves to reach our highest potential. “Think about what you are missing out on by not actively prioritising your curiosity,” she says.
Curiosity breeds possibility
“Lessons come from everywhere,” says the Grown-ish star. The actress goes on to talk about the importance of fuelling creativity and the dangers of limiting beliefs. “Our curiosities are often mislabled as distractions,” she advises, before suggesting that curiosity is a catalyst for innovation – and without innovation, how will we create new ways of thinking and living?
Imagination doesn’t always have to be big
The power of imagination is palpable, leading to new discoveries and the breaking of tradition. But, she says, it doesn’t always have to be big. Shahidi says that it is the small, everyday curiosities and ideas of each one of us that leads to collective change. You don’t require a platform or an audience to be a “universe-shifting change-maker,” she says. Belief in your own ideas is powerful enough.
Curiosity aligns us with our purpose
Shahidi encourages us to honour our “distractions”. By chasing our curiosity, we are always in line with our purpose, she says. And in doing so, we are always one step away from our next opportunity. Without trying new things, we will never truly know what we are capable of achieving.
You don’t have to be defined by what you do
What we do is only a fraction of who we are, says Shahidi. The actress critiques the culture of “heralding expertise”, emphasising that as multi-faceted beings, we should not feel pressured to be defined by one thing. In fact, as people, we have always been primed for imagination and exploration, she says. And we owe it to ourselves to find out what can blossom from curiosity.
Watch Yara Shahidi’s full TED Talk, below.
Lead image from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s April 2023 issue.
Photography: Greg Swales. Styling: Jason Bolden. Editor in Chief: Olivia Phillips. Art Director: Oscar Yáñez. U.S. Producer: Alexey Galetskiy at AGPNYC. HBA Producer: Steff Hawker. Make-Up: Emily Cheng at The Wall Group. Hair: SherriAnn Cole. Digital Technician: Amanda Yanez. Tailor: Erin Castile. Lighting Tech: Yolanda Leaney and Juliet Lambert. Styling Assistant: John Mumblo
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