TEDx Talk: On Meaningful Risk

TEDx conference, Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania 

November 2012

“My name is Nick Thorpe, I’m a writer and journalist, and I have a fascination with risk-taking. Despite my innate anxiety – or perhaps because of it – I seem compelled to stretch myself, force myself into the present moment.

But what’s changed over the years is the kind of risks I take. In the past it was physical, an adrenalin buzz from a reed boat adventure or a leap off a cliff. But I like to think I am learning to take more meaningful risks – and that’s the journey I’d like to share with you today…”

Which is the bigger risk: controlling life or learning to let go? What do we do in a fast-paced world when willpower alone runs dry? In a humorous and sometimes intimate talk to a 1000-strong audience, Nick distils some of the deeper lessons laid out in his three books, from his 2500-mile Easter Island voyage to a quest for balance & fulfilment that took in Buddhism, ballooning and even naturism…

To watch the full 18-minute talk, view on YouTube site or click the image at the top. 

For some background on the event, click here