From their webite – TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED – a non-profit dedicated to spreading ideas in Technology, Entertainment, and Design (T.E.D.) – with the world. Under the moniker “ideas worth spreading,” talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the some-word-better-than-best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and a career journalist. Her TEDTalk centers around a topic that – you’re right Adam, and thanks for the reco – ties perfectly to Friday’s W.W. Wunderkind convo. It’s about the strange, terrified reaction you receive when you reach success – the way, as Elizabeth put it, “…people treat me like I’m doomed. Seriously — doomed, doomed! Like, they come up to me now, all worried, and they say, ‘Aren’t you afraid — aren’t you afraid you’re never going to be able to top that? Aren’t you afraid you’re going to keep writing for your whole life and you’re never again going to create a book that anybody in the world cares about at all, ever again?’”

The tricky catch-22 of hitting fame – under 30 or otherwise.

But what Elizabeth recalls – and I can attest to – “I happen to remember that over 20 years ago, when I first started telling people that I wanted to be a writer, I was met with this same kind of, sort of fear-based reaction. And people would say, ‘Aren’t you afraid you’re never going to have any success? Aren’t you afraid the humiliation of rejection will kill you? Aren’t you afraid that you’re going to work your whole life at this craft and nothing’s ever going to come of it and you’re going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams with your mouth filled with bitter ash of failure?’”

Right.  So in my opinion the rest of her talk should have just been about the fact that some people are assholes and should really keep their opinions to themselves.

Instead she talked about the roots of a creative life, the source of “so-called” genius, and how in ancient Greece – one of history’s most productive times on record – genius had nothing to do with the individual person. Also that yes, of course she’s afraid of all of that…always.

Please, please read the full transcript of her talk online here. And if you’re a person pursuing a life rooted in the creative, read it twice. What she says will forever change the way you handle the question, “wow, do you think you can ever top that?” or “do you ever get scared that someday it’s just not going to come out of your head?!” or “that was genius, you’re a genius, what’s that like??”

This past weekend the first one-act play that I’ve ever written was performed as part of Effable Arts’: Stop, Collaborate, & Listen.  It was at once the most rewarding and most terrifying experience of my life.

By no means will this play be my ticket to fame and success. And even though my Mom leaned over and said “genius” Arthur Miller might have walked out.

People asked questions that I never know how to answer, “how did you think of that concept??” – it fell into my mind sort of like when you at first aren’t sure what you want for dinner but then suddenly know the answer is sushi? “Is this piece in your style?” – well, it’s the first play I’ve ever written so I’m going to go with yes but let me get back to you after I write another one. “So – you’re a playwright! Is this what you want to do now? Like for your career?” – if you could explain to me what that means, how it works and what I’d need to do to make it happen, I’ll let you know.

I’m not really sure how it all happened. Yes, I’m terrified “it” will never happen again. But sitting in that audience I’m 100% certain I will do everything in my power to keep it happening for the rest of my life. Whether that’s a good thing? A smart thing? A thing people would advise? Or a bad thing, a dumb thing, and something that will lead to years of depression and writer’s block I have no idea. All I do know is that none of that matters.

To that, today, at 26, overwhelmed and wondering what’s next I say shit…

But Elizabeth Gilbert would say OLE!

(read the transcript).