As Zig Ziglar rightly said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last, Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily”. And that’s why, we’ve rounded up the best motivational or inspirational videos currently available on YouTube. Whether it is in your personal or professional life, you can check them out whenever you feel down or lack the zeal to get things done.
Best Motivational Videos Ever Made!
How Bad Do You Want it? (Success)
Eric Thomas, an American motivational speaker is sure to left you feeling pumped with this powerful speech which had taken the internet by storm post its release. He tells you that those who are willing to go the extra mile and are extremely passionate about what they wish to achieve, will actually be successful in doing so. His analogy about working hard on your goals sans distractions, the same way you focus on breathing just to get fresh air, will get you thinking deep. A powerful line from his speech that really struck us – “And when you get to the point where all you want to do is be successful, as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful”. This one is a must-watch for all those who really want to succeed, but need encouragement.
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Who doesn’t know of this great tech-innovator? In this speech, Steve Jobs narrates brief stories from his own life which prompted his actions and eventually steered him towards success. He talks about what made him quit college, his struggles, and how everything in the future connects to your past. When you truly believe in something and follow your heart, it will all come together at the end. He also tells us how he got back up after being laid off in his own company, leading to one of the biggest creative phases in his life, ultimately resulting in the birth of “Pixar” and “NeXT”. Steve urges the audience to never stop looking, to never give up.
Life = Risk
Too short on time? Watch this one-minute long video which recounts massive bungles in the lives of even the most celebrated people including, Lucille Ball, The Beatles, Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas Edison, and Walt Disney. They had all failed several times, been rejected, discouraged, and written off by their peers at some point. But what made them triumph is determination and strong belief in self. The video contains a very important message; i.e. one should never back down or be overcome by fears, in spite of what others tell you. You grow from your failures; it’s how we all learn. Here’s the line we loved the most from this little video – “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived”.
Be Phenomenal
In merely seven minutes, this video posted up on the “MotivationGrid” channel is sure to get your gears moving. It is a sweet anthology of powerful speeches given by well-renowned motivational speakers like Eric Thomas, Les Brown, and Ray Lewis. What we got out of this video are three important purports – A. It is okay to not be perfect. What’s important is that you begin somewhere and fight the enemy inside of you. B. Do NOT settle for something that doesn’t bring you enough happiness or satisfaction. C. You cannot grow unless you step out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. Be Phenomenal. Or, be forgettable; your choice!
Stand Strong (Nick Vujicic)
Simply watching Nick Vujicic speak is enough to move you to tears. Not out of sympathy. But, out of stupefaction as to how someone who is born without limbs (tetra-amelia syndrome) can be so strong, so driven, and so happy, when even the most privileged of the lot often seem to appear so weak and unhappy. For those of you who aren’t aware, Nick is one of the funniest and most affable motivational speakers there is, exuding warmth and positivity at all times, despite the challenges life has thrown at him. Though this is about 20 minutes’ long, it’s definitely worth a watch.
“Inches”- Any Given Sunday – Pacino
This one’s not a real-life motivation speech given by someone who’s actually gone through crisis personally. Instead, the clip has been lifted from the well-received, sports-themed movie called “Any Given Sunday”. It’s the scene where Al Pacino, the veteran actor, brilliantly delivers a four-and-a-half-minute long dialogue on playing together as a team. The gist of his speech is that you could either be defeated, or fight together, bit by bit, and ultimately, strike it big. “Inches” is easily one of the great motivational scenes that is both, engaging and effective.
The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
“The Last Lecture” is a famous motivational video, created by an American professor who battled Pancreatic cancer for the longest time. He wrote this speech when top academics were asked to deliver a “wisdom talk” as though it were their last one. And guess what? This indeed was his last lecture as he had written it in 2007, just a year before his passing away. It’s no news that those who’ve had it the hardest, are also some of the most motivated individuals. These are individuals who’ve taken on their ordeals head-on, stayed brave, and came out victorious. So great was his speech that Hyperion published a book by the same name in 2008. Heads up: this video is over an hour long so grab a cuppa, sit back, and get those much-needed life-lessons.
Dream
One of the best motivational clips to be uploaded on YouTube, Dream is an assemblage of speeches put together almost seamlessly. The speeches have been taken from various sources such as Angelo Milli’s ‘Requiem’, Steve Jablonsky’s ‘Bumblebee’, Hans Zimmer’s ‘Arcade’ and ‘I will Find Him’. The purpose of this video is to help you realize your dreams, set out on achieving them despite all the hardships, and believe in yourself. No matter what, do NOT ever give up on your dreams. Chase them, and chase them hard! This one’s just a 6-minute long video so it should certainly make it to your to-watch list.
The Key to Life: Running and Reading
The Key to Life is only a minute-long exemplary speech delivered by none other than Will Smith, after winning an award several years ago. He breaks the life-lessons down into two straightforward tenets – A) Running – he says that when you run, you get tired, and when you get tired, you tell yourself to quit. It is in that moment that you turn your negative-voice down, defeat your weaker self, and learn to keep going even when things get tough. B) Reading – he says that as humans, we face similar problems, and someone out there has already written a book about it. When you read, you know you’re not all by yourself, and find the solution to your problem.
I am First Not Second
In this video, speaker John Doman, a famous American actor, tells you like it is; brutal, but the truth. If you’re not reaching for the top and are okay with simply being an average joe, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. It means that you don’t wish to succeed (at least not hard enough). He tells you to aim to come at first place, at least try. Like the saying goes, “Aim for the stars, if you fail, you’ll at least land on the moon”. It may sound a bit too harsh but sometimes, hard-hitting blow is all you need to pull up your socks and prove that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Never Quit
You want to see results? Then don’t quit. Ever. “Never Quit” is a short motivational video, featuring speeches written by speakers like Will Smith, Eric Thomas, Les Brown, and Elliott Hulse. All basically saying the same thing, i.e. if you want to accomplish your goals, there’s no other way than to work hard. You’ll have plenty of obstacles your way and you’ll be tempted to give up, it’s the easier way out. The key is to combat all those obstacles and keep trying. There would be times when you can’t figure a way out. You will backslide and make blunders. To quote from the video, “Just because you fail, doesn’t make you a failure”. So, try try until you succeed! The Upshot: We hope that these videos aid in lifting up your spirits and giving you the boost you require to stay at the top of your game. Of course, there are countless other motivational videos which are equally powerful. These are our personal favorites. That aside, we’d like you to keep in mind that motivation is not the only tool required to climb the success-ladder. In order to avoid checking yourself out of the race, your goals, or situations in general, you need to learn to make the right decisions. To simply make a conscious choice. For this, we’d suggest that you check out Mel Robbins’ quotes and speeches. She swears by the “Five-second rule” and promises that it would change your life. Keep reading our blog Dreamy Tricks to get more such updates.
