I used to love watching Ted Talks, but of late I think the institution has very much lost its way and its originality and has become overly preachy and full of generic platitudes. It is great then to come across a Ted talk that I feel happy to share.

It has helped me a lot during my grad school to be able to adapt my research as needed. It took me a while, but I eventually figured out that I am not very keen on proving grand conjectures but prefer working on small projects. Now, I actively seek out small problems in new areas and I am very much at peace with my research program.

Another adaptation I had to make was learning to learn new things rapidly, both academic and non-academic. It started out of boredom, but I soon realized that I am good at learning new things. Looking back I was a very boring person before I started grad school, but since coming to Baltimore I have learned something new every single semester.

These days I have a huge todo list and I find myself being always behind on it, which is honestly a great feeling to have (if you manage it properly). This has given me a lot of confidence as I know I’ll be able to deal with whatever situation I find myself in. I no longer get nervous or anxious about jobs or career options (as is extremely common in academia).

Finally, my favorite part of the video, which I had not thought about before, was the part about the connection between adaptability and having an exploratory attitude. You have nothing to adapt to if you do not seek out unexplored territories out of your comfort zone, if you do not expose yourself to uncertainties and do not undertake risky adventures. It is not a natural thing to do as human beings are hardwired to be risk averse but it is a skill that, like any other skill, can be learned.

I say this after having spent an entire night hiking in the hills of Cortona with some newly made friends while listening to Vivaldi and finding myself on a night bus to Florence, watching the sun rise on its cobbled streets. I could not have possibly planned this, and there was no rational reason to do it but now that I have done it, it will remain one of the most unique experiences of my life and I will always have a story tell.