The Gift of feeling lost: How Struggle Leads to self-discovery | Guzal Choriyeva | TEDxTSUL

Key Issues & Challenges - Personal failures, chronic stress, health issues, identity crisis, changing life stage, perfectionism, false self, toxic resilience, learned helplessness, social comparison (FOMO), and loneliness are core reasons for feeling lost [4][5][6][7] - 62% of students report feeling inadequate due to social media comparison [7] - 70% of students worldwide reported that their grades suffer due to burnout [8] - 65% of international students suffer from family expectations to excel academically, leading to higher stress [9] Solutions & Recommendations - Expressive writing (journaling) for 15-20 minutes to process emotions [17] - Reconnecting with one's "why" by revisiting core reasons and reflecting on motivations [18][19][20] - Setting micro goals for realistic accomplishment to build momentum and avoid feeling overwhelmed [19][20] Illustrative Examples - Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 times before inventing the light bulb [12] - Steve Jobs was fired from Apple but later returned to lead the company to success with iPhone and iPad [13] - Arunima Sinha, despite losing her legs, became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest [14] - JK Rowling faced 12 rejections before Harry Potter became a global success [15] - Netflix was rejected by Blockbuster for $50 million, but now has over 260 million subscribers [15]