2021 – TEDxUConn Salon: Courage to Persist

 

Failure in our society is all too common. However, if failure is so prevalent, what encourages people to try again – to start a new business, to rebuild and re-launch a rocket, or to draft a new book – and succeed? Particularly during this time, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have lost hope and motivation as we become more and more uncertain about the future. What can we do, what stories can we tell, what lessons can we teach to inspire others to have the Courage to Persist? 

Are you ready for "change"? Then come get ready for dialogue! Diversity and inclusion professional Pauline Batista gives us useful insight on how institutions can support Black and Brown folks in succeeding as professionals. She relies on collaborative research work, dialogue, lived experiences, and even some with in helping us navigate what she refers to as “Pedagogy of Action”.

In a society where those who selflessly care for others are consistently praised—such as healthcare workers saving hundreds of lives—it is easy to forget the fundamental need of caring for oneself. Therefore, society should also praise those who can successfully meet their own basic and psychological needs because doing so not only promotes mental health and wellbeing but also the ability to successfully look after others.

Dr. Tamika Blackburn is an internal medicine physician who shares how adversities in life can help build the courage to persist. She details her personal experience of overcoming “roadblocks” from applying to college through being in medical practice. Viewers are challenged to examine their own mindset toward failure and how this can either promote or stifle the pathway to success. Finally, she summarizes with four strategies to foster resilience.