Refusing to Settle: The Quarter-Life Crisis | Adam 'Smiley' Poswolsky | TEDxYouth@MileHigh

What is a quarter-life crisis, and how do you break through it? In this engaging and funny talk, the author of an Amazon bestseller on finding meaningful work shares the takeaways from his and other young people confronting the quarter-life crisis head-on.

Adam Smiley Poswolsky is the author of The Quarter-Life Breakthrough, an Amazon bestseller. He has inspired professionals and entrepreneurs to find fulfilling work as director of community engagement for the Hive Global Leaders Program, and previously as director of The Bold Academy. He is a mentor for the StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation and a facilitator for General Assembly and The Passion Co. He previously worked as special assistant to the Director of Global Operations at the U.S. Peace Corps.

[achikookie]

1. Find believers
2. Stop comparing yourself to others
3. Pursue what's meaningful to you

[yesreneau]

He seems like a really great guy to have in your circle of friends.

[jdas]

It's very hard to find people who think like this. The "believers", I look around me and everyone is like the roommate Dan. I hope I soon find some believers in my life .

[vincentskater]

"People will support you when you start working with purpose." - Very well said and very true.

[christopherhernandez]

Honestly the best TED talk for anyone 25-29.

[georgest]

This is inspiring for anyone at any age. I am 59 and working towards a new career for retirement and your talk is helping me move forward with it.

[phillip]

I am 22 and finished school when I was 20 and have been travelling for a year and a half by myself. This time has killed all ideas I had about who I was and what the world expects me to do. I died a million times in those months, I faced my greatest fears and evolved as a human being. My only desire that's left within me has nothing to do with fame, succes or so called stability or security, because the last two things don't exist, they never did and never will.
I want to write, I want to write books, poems, essays and stories. I want to write everything that's within my heart and no matter how rough and tough it'll get, the words written through my hands will make history.

[demois]

1. Find believers
2. Do what is meaningful to YOU, Why are you here? What do you want to do for others? How can you align your gifts with the impact you want to have on the world? What makes YOU tick? There is NO one answer. STOP comparing yourself to others.
3. You have to start hustling with intention. Make the ASK. Be courageous. Take a risk. Volunteer, Work Abroad. Launch the crowdfunding campaign. Start the blog. People will support you when You start working with purpose.

[FaiLovex]

At 23, this is something I really needed to hear. Thank you!

[addosolar]

The most important comment you made is that one must have a job and hustle while planning well to set up their dream career.  Chasing dreams without a realistic plan can be problematic.  Bills and responsibilities will not wait on the dream career to develop.

[mirtharenee]

I’m 27, going through one of those quarter life crisis and let me tell you: this is exactly what I needed! BEST TED TALK I’VE SEEN!!!

[dragonstooth]

I'm 34 and about to finish my second degree in engineering. My first degree in IT I never used. I tell people it took me until I was 30 to realize what I wanted to be when I grew up.

[tracydrobbins]

"We are not the Me Me Me generation. We are the Purpose generation." -Smiley
This is beautiful. I appreciate how you said your current work can propel you to where you want to be. Surround yourself with greats. Thank you!

[lollipop]

I'm 18, but I feel as though I'm already going through an existential crisis. Definitely feeling inspired

[oshun-halianabey]

I'm 24 years old, sitting in my father's house after coming back home from a 3-year abusive relationship. I want to leave home and pursue my dream and I cannot do that here. My father promised me stability, security, and his happiness but I realized that none of that is worth the pain I feel when I am here instead of out there doing what I want and taking risks to make real change. Before I watched this video, I did not want to be in this world. I had so many doubts about life in general...what it was really about and if I could ever be happy and successful. Now, I have made my decision to live and take the risks I want to take and live for me and make a difference. Thank you. This saved my life. <3

[andromacke]

Thank you for this. I've spent the last 9 years trying to get into a graphic design job while working at a job that I didn't really enjoy that much; I didn't hate it, though I did hate my former boss. Eventually I just "made the ask" to the head of our division, letting her know that I think the entire division needed a graphic designer, and she said "Have you been reading my mind?!" We're still dealing with some HR paperwork to make it happen, but in January 2017 I'm going to be that graphic designer. This made me feel good to watch.

[margiesvanmori]

This is such a great talk! I quit my 9-5, quit alcohol, quit Facebook and instagram, bought a 1988 chevy and am building it out to pursue a career in film and tv. We have one life, I want to life it with meaning and be able to look back knowing I followed my heart and not the safe route. Cheers to you!

[sarnobat]

8:15 - I wish I could internalize this part: "Nobody knows what they're doing. Nobody has it figured out. The grass is always greener."

[HaselCH]

Well I'm 41 and I have always had the believer's mindset... I get depressed when I'm around to many people who have just settled... I'll be a believer until I die because I don't know any other way😌

[MsSugarlips]

I’m 24, and glad I’m not in this alone. I feel so stuck. Anxious about my past mistakes and how it’ll impact my future successes. Running on a hamster wheel really. I pray in 5 years or so I can say I’m proud of myself