Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

I am so inspired by the way Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the creative personality and drive within all of us.  Her first TED talk was after the incredible success of her book Eat, Love, Pray and her second is about the almost impossible pressure of achieving anything beyond that success.  In her own words, her second book bombed and yet she kept on going.  Her third book was a great success and she is incredibly insightful on coming back to centre.  From the vast chasms and distance between success and failure and the fundamental need to keep writing, or for the rest of us, doing what we love to do, no matter what the outcome.

I loved writing more than I loved my ego… I loved writing more than I loved myself.  Elizabeth Gilbert was once an “unpublished diner waitress,” devastated by rejection letters. And yet, in the wake of the success of ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ she found herself identifying strongly with her former self. With beautiful insight, Gilbert reflects on why success can be as disorienting as failure and offers a simple — though hard — way to carry on, regardless of outcomes.