ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elizabeth Gilbert - Writer
The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both.

Why you should listen

Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a premidlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of -- running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.

She's a longtime magazine writer -- covering music and politics for Spin and GQ -- as well as a novelist and short-story writer. Her books include the story collection Pilgrims, the novel Stern Men (about lobster fishermen in Maine) and a biography of the woodsman Eustace Conway, called The Last American Man. Her work has been the basis for two movies so far (Coyote Ugly, based on her own tale of working at the famously raunchy bar in New York City), and Eat, Pray, Love, with the part of Gilbert played by Julia Roberts. Not bad for a year off.

In 2010, Elizabeth published Committed, a memoir exploring her ambivalent feelings about the institution of marriage. And her 2013 novel, The Signature of All Things, is "a sprawling tale of 19th century botanical exploration."

Gilbert also owns and runs the import shop Two Buttons in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

More profile about the speaker
Elizabeth Gilbert | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, failure and the drive to keep creating

Elizabeth Gilbert: Suksesi, deshtimi dhe rruga per te vazhduar te krijosh

Filmed:
5,069,463 views

Elizabeth Gilbert dikur ishte nje " kamariere e papublikuar" e shkaterruar nga letrat e refuzimit. Dhe akoma, ne suksesin e "Ha, Lutu, Dashuro" ajo e gjeti veten te identifikonte veten me kamarieren e dikurshme. Me nje pikeveshtrim te bukur, Gilbert reflekton se pse suksesi mund te jete po aq corientues sa dhe deshtimi dhe ofron nje menyre te thjeshte per te vazhduar --te punosh shume--, pavaresisht rezultateve.
- Writer
The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Disa vjet me pare isha
ne aeroportin JFK te New Jorkut
00:12
So, a few years ago I was at JFK Airport
0
797
2781
00:15
about to get on a flight,
1
3578
1792
ne momentet para se te nisesha
00:17
when I was approached by two women
2
5370
1816
mu afruan dy gra
00:19
who I do not think would be insulted
3
7186
1662
te cilat nuk mendoj se do te fyheshin
00:21
to hear themselves described
4
8848
1394
nese degjonin se i pershkruaja
00:22
as tiny old tough-talking Italian-American broads.
5
10242
3942
si plaka te vogla italo-amerikane
me nje te folur te serte.
00:26
The taller one, who is like up here,
6
14184
3146
Ajo qe ishte me e gjata, afersisht kaq,
00:29
she comes marching up to me, and she goes,
7
17330
2051
erdhi duke marshuar
ne drejtimin tim, dhe filloi,
00:31
"Honey, I gotta ask you something.
8
19381
2319
"Zemer, duhet te te pyes per dicka.
00:33
You got something to do with that whole
9
21700
1428
A ke gje te besh me te gjithe kete
00:35
'Eat, Pray, Love' thing that's been going on lately?"
10
23128
3022
"Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
qe po ndodh se fundmi?"
00:38
And I said, "Yes, I did."
11
26150
2114
Dhe une i thashe, "Po"
00:40
And she smacks her friend and she goes,
12
28264
1788
Ajo ia beri me shenje
shoqes se saj dhe filloi
00:42
"See, I told you, I said, that's that girl.
13
30052
2154
"E sheh, te thashe qe eshte ajo vajza.
00:44
That's that girl who wrote that book
14
32206
1950
Ajo vajza qe shkruajti ate librin
00:46
based on that movie."
15
34156
2034
qe bazohet tek ai filmi."
00:48
(Laughter)
16
36190
2154
(Te qeshura)
00:50
So that's who I am.
17
38344
2176
Kjo jam une tani.
00:52
And believe me, I'm extremely
grateful to be that person,
18
40520
3705
Dhe me besoni, jam shume mirenjohese
qe jam ai person,
00:56
because that whole "Eat, Pray, Love" thing
19
44225
1998
sepse me ka ecur shume
00:58
was a huge break for me.
20
46223
1744
me "Ha, Lutu, Dashuro".
01:00
But it also left me in a really tricky position
21
47967
2508
Por me la ne nje pozicion
delikat gjithashtu
01:02
moving forward as an author
22
50475
1908
ne ecjen perpara si autore
01:04
trying to figure out how in the world
23
52383
1727
perpiqesha te kuptoja sesi do te arrija
01:06
I was ever going to write a book again
24
54110
1254
do te shkruaja perseri nje liber
01:07
that would ever please anybody,
25
55364
1845
qe do t'i kenaqte te gjithe,
01:09
because I knew well in advance
26
57209
1990
sepse e dija me siguri
01:11
that all of those people who
had adored "Eat, Pray, Love"
27
59199
2952
se te gjithe ata njerez qe kishin adhuruar
"Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
01:14
were going to be incredibly disappointed
28
62151
1589
do te ishin shume te zhgenjyer
01:15
in whatever I wrote next
29
63740
1383
ne cfaredo qe une do te shkruaja me pas
01:17
because it wasn't going to be "Eat, Pray, Love,"
30
65123
1828
sepse nuk do te ishte "Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
01:19
and all of those people who
had hated "Eat, Pray, Love"
31
66951
2446
dhe te gjithe ata njerez qe e urryen
"Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
01:21
were going to be incredibly disappointed
32
69397
1368
do te ishin shume te zhgenjyer
01:22
in whatever I wrote next
33
70765
1443
ne cfaredo qe une shkruaja me pas
01:24
because it would provide evidence that I still lived.
34
72208
2453
sepse do ti jepte prova
se une jetoja akoma.
01:26
So I knew that I had no way to win,
35
74661
3162
Keshtu qe e dija se nuk kisha
asnje menyre qe te fitoja,
01:30
and knowing that I had no way to win
36
77823
2456
dhe duke e ditur qe nuk kisha
asnje menyre per te fituar
01:32
made me seriously consider for a while
37
80279
1904
me beri te konsideroja seriozisht
per ca kohe
01:34
just quitting the game
38
82183
1442
te hiqja dore
01:35
and moving to the country to raise corgis.
39
83625
3642
dhe te levizja ne fshat
e te rrisja qen 'Corgi'.
01:39
But if I had done that, if I had given up writing,
40
87267
2060
Por nese do ta beja kete,
nese do te hiqja dore se shkruari,
01:41
I would have lost my beloved vocation,
41
89327
2064
do te humbisja prirjen time
qe e dua kaq shume,
01:43
so I knew that the task was that I had to find
42
91391
2208
keshtu qe e dija se qellimi ishte te gjeja
01:45
some way to gin up the inspiration
43
93599
2399
nje menyre per t'u inspiruar
01:48
to write the next book
44
95998
1432
per te shkruar librin tjeter
01:49
regardless of its inevitable negative outcome.
45
97430
2496
pavaresisht ketyre rezultateve
te pashmangshme negative.
01:52
In other words, I had to find a way to make sure
46
99926
1608
Me fjale te tjera, duhet te gjeja
nje menyre per te siguruar
01:53
that my creativity survived its own success.
47
101534
2643
se kreativiteti i mbijetonte suksesit te tij.
01:56
And I did, in the end, find that inspiration,
48
104177
2423
Dhe ne fund e bera, e gjeta inspirimin,
01:58
but I found it in the most unlikely
49
106600
1538
por e gjeta ne vendin me te pamundur
02:00
and unexpected place.
50
108138
1414
dhe me te papritur.
02:01
I found it in lessons that I had learned earlier in life
51
109552
3140
E gjeta ne nje mesim qe e kisha
mesuar me heret ne jete
02:04
about how creativity can survive its own failure.
52
112692
3108
sesi kreativiteti mund t'i mbijetoje
deshtimit te tij.
02:08
So just to back up and explain,
53
115800
1606
Keshtu qe thjesht u ktheva pas
dhe shpjegova,
02:09
the only thing I have ever wanted to be
54
117406
2313
se e vetmja gje qe doja
02:11
for my whole life was a writer.
55
119719
1597
gjate gjithe jetes time,
ishte te isha shkrimtare.
02:13
I wrote all through childhood,
all through adolescence,
56
121316
2372
Kam shkruar gjate gjithe femijerise
dhe gjate gjithe adoleshences.
02:15
by the time I was a teenager I was sending
57
123688
1816
Kur u bera adoleshente
fillova t'i dergoj
02:17
my very bad stories to The New Yorker,
58
125504
1836
tregimet e mia te shemtuara
te The New Yorker,
02:19
hoping to be discovered.
59
127340
1276
duke shpresuar qe te zbulohesha.
02:20
After college, I got a job as a diner waitress,
60
128616
2444
Pas kolegjit, fillova nje pune
si kamariere restoranti,
02:23
kept working, kept writing,
61
131060
2136
dhe punoja, vazhdoja te shkruaja,
02:25
kept trying really hard to get published,
62
133196
2248
perpiqesha shume te publikohesha,
02:27
and failing at it.
63
135444
1712
dhe deshtoja ne kete gje.
02:29
I failed at getting published
64
137156
1472
Deshtova ne te publikuar
02:30
for almost six years.
65
138628
1576
per rreth 6 vjet.
02:32
So for almost six years, every single day,
66
140204
1608
Keshtu qe per 6 vjet, cdo dite,
02:34
I had nothing but rejection letters
67
141812
1656
nuk kisha asgje pervecse letra refuzimi
02:35
waiting for me in my mailbox.
68
143468
1652
ne kutine time postare.
02:37
And it was devastating every single time,
69
145120
1750
Dhe cdo here ishte shkaterruese,
02:39
and every single time, I had to ask myself
70
146870
2244
dhe cdo here, me duhej te pyesja veten
02:41
if I should just quit while I was behind
71
149114
2386
a duhej te hiqja dore
sa isha akoma ne kohe,
02:43
and give up and spare myself this pain.
72
151500
3690
te hiqja dore dhe t'ia kurseja vetes
te gjithe ate dhimbje.
02:47
But then I would find my resolve,
73
155190
1294
Por me pas do te gjeja zgjidhjen,
02:48
and always in the same way,
74
156484
1522
dhe gjithmone ne te njejten menyre,
02:50
by saying, "I'm not going to quit,
75
158006
2145
duke thene, "nuk kam per te hequr dore,
02:52
I'm going home."
76
160151
1821
do te shkoj ne shtepi."
02:54
And you have to understand that for me,
77
161972
948
Dhe duhet te kuptoni qe per mua
02:55
going home did not mean
returning to my family's farm.
78
162920
3572
te shkoja ne shtepi nuk do te thoshte
te kthehesha tek familja ime ne ferme.
02:58
For me, going home
79
166492
1558
Per mua, te shkoja ne shtepi
03:00
meant returning to the work of writing
80
168050
1551
do te thoshte t'i kthehesha punes
per te shkruar,
03:01
because writing was my home,
81
169601
1885
sepse te shkruarit ishte shtepia ime,
03:03
because I loved writing more
than I hated failing at writing,
82
171486
3216
sepse e dashuroja te shkruarit me shume
se sa urreja te deshtoja ne te shkruar,
03:06
which is to say that I loved writing
83
174702
1505
qe do te thote qe dashuroja te shkruaja
03:08
more than I loved my own ego,
84
176207
1573
me shume sesa e doja egon time,
03:09
which is ultimately to say
85
177780
1404
qe ne fund te fundit eshte per te thene
03:11
that I loved writing more than I loved myself.
86
179184
2592
se e doja te shkruarin me shume
sesa doja veten time.
03:13
And that's how I pushed through it.
87
181776
1966
Keshtu qe kjo eshte sesi vazhdoi me tej.
03:15
But the weird thing is that 20 years later,
88
183742
1864
Por gjeja e cuditshme eshte
se 20 vjet me pas,
03:17
during the crazy ride of "Eat, Pray, Love,"
89
185606
1498
gjate periudhes se cmendur
"Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
03:19
I found myself identifying all over again
90
187104
2606
e gjeta veten te identifikohesha perseri
03:21
with that unpublished young diner waitress
91
189710
2400
me ate kamarieren e re dhe te papublikuar
03:24
who I used to be, thinking about her constantly,
92
192110
2168
qe isha me pare, te mendoja per te
ne menyre te vazhdueshme,
03:26
and feeling like I was her again,
93
194278
1858
dhe ndihesha se isha ajo perseri,
03:28
which made no rational sense whatsoever
94
196136
1765
qe ne fakt nuk ishte nje gjykim racional
03:30
because our lives could not
have been more different.
95
197901
1977
sepse jetet tona ishin kaq te ndryshme.
03:32
She had failed constantly.
96
199878
1448
Ajo kishte deshtuar
ne menyre te vazhdueshme.
03:33
I had succeeded beyond my wildest expectation.
97
201326
2644
Une kisha pastur sukses me shume
se cfare prisja te arrija.
03:36
We had nothing in common.
98
203970
1350
Ne nuk kishim asgje te perbashket.
03:37
Why did I suddenly feel like I was her all over again?
99
205320
3166
Por perse ndihesha sikur isha ajo perseri?
03:40
And it was only when I was trying to unthread that
100
208486
2370
Dhe ishte vetem atehere
kur po perpiqesha te hiqja dore,
03:43
that I finally began to comprehend
101
210856
1602
ku me ne fund fillova te kuptoj
03:44
the strange and unlikely psychological connection
102
212458
2404
lidhjen e cuditshme dhe psikologjikisht
te pamundur ne jeten tone
03:47
in our lives between the way
we experience great failure
103
214862
2534
ndermjet menyres sesi
e perjetojme deshtimin e madh
03:49
and the way we experience great success.
104
217396
2236
dhe menyren sesi perjetojme
suksesin e madh.
03:51
So think of it like this:
105
219632
1470
Mendojeni ne kete menyre:
03:53
For most of your life, you live out your existence
106
221102
1750
Per pjesen me te madhe te jetes suaj,
ti jetove ekzistencen tende
03:55
here in the middle of the chain of human experience
107
222852
2443
ketu, ne mes te zinxhirit
te eksperiences njerezore
03:57
where everything is normal
and reassuring and regular,
108
225295
3078
ku cdo gje eshte normale,
e siguruar dhe e rregullt,
04:00
but failure catapults you abruptly way out over here
109
228373
3460
por deshtimi te hedh befasisht
shume larg mu ketu
04:04
into the blinding darkness of disappointment.
110
231833
2934
ne erresiren verbuese te zhgenjimit.
04:06
Success catapults you just as abruptly but just as far
111
234767
3554
Suksesi te perpin po aq befasisht
04:10
way out over here
112
238321
1368
po aq larg mu ketu
04:11
into the equally blinding glare
113
239689
1862
ne te njejten vezullim verbues
04:13
of fame and recognition and praise.
114
241551
2852
te fames, te vleresimit dhe te njohjes.
04:16
And one of these fates
115
244403
1202
Dhe nje nga keto fate
04:17
is objectively seen by the world as bad,
116
245605
2217
shikohet objektivisht nga bota si e keqe,
04:20
and the other one is objectively
seen by the world as good,
117
247822
2057
dhe tjetri shikohet ne menyre objektive
nga bota si i mire,
04:22
but your subconscious is completely incapable
118
249879
2648
por nendergjegja jote eshte
plotesisht e paafte
04:24
of discerning the difference between bad and good.
119
252527
2728
te beje dallimin ndermjet
te mires dhe te keqes.
04:27
The only thing that it is capable of feeling
120
255255
2141
E vetmja gje qe eshte ne gjendje te ndjeje
04:29
is the absolute value of this emotional equation,
121
257396
3460
eshte vlera absolute
e ketij ekuacioni emocional,
04:33
the exact distance that you have been flung
122
260856
2615
distanca ekzakte qe ti je larguar
04:35
from yourself.
123
263471
1368
nga vetja.
04:37
And there's a real equal danger in both cases
124
264839
2056
Dhe eshte nje rrezik i njejte
ne te dyja rastet
04:39
of getting lost out there
125
266895
1546
ne te humburin atje jashte
04:40
in the hinterlands of the psyche.
126
268441
2024
ne humbetiren e psikikes.
04:42
But in both cases, it turns out that there is
127
270465
1533
Por ne te dyja rastet, del se atje eshte
04:44
also the same remedy for self-restoration,
128
271998
2824
i njejti sherim per vete-permiresim,
04:47
and that is that you have got to
find your way back home again
129
274822
3598
dhe kjo eshte ajo qe ju duhet
te gjeni rrugen per ne shtepi
04:50
as swiftly and smoothly as you can,
130
278420
2267
ne menyren me te bute
dhe te qete qe te mundeni,
04:52
and if you're wondering what your home is,
131
280687
1472
dhe nese po pyesni
se cila eshte shtepia jote,
04:54
here's a hint:
132
282159
1086
po ju jap nje ide:
04:55
Your home is whatever in this world you love
133
283245
2226
Shtepia juaj eshte cfaredo ne bote
qe ju doni
04:57
more than you love yourself.
134
285471
1914
me shume se sa doni veten.
04:59
So that might be creativity, it might be family,
135
287385
2086
Kjo mund te jete kreativiteti,
mund te jete familja,
05:01
it might be invention, adventure,
136
289471
1976
mund te jene shpikjet, aventurat,
05:03
faith, service, it might be raising corgis,
137
291447
2792
besimi, sherbimi, mund te jete
rritja e qenve 'Corgi',
05:06
I don't know, your home is that thing
138
294239
1900
nuk e di, shtepia jote eshte ajo gje
05:08
to which you can dedicate your energies
139
296139
1772
te ciles ti i dedikon energjite e tua
05:10
with such singular devotion
140
297911
2046
me nje devotshmeri te tille
05:12
that the ultimate results become inconsequential.
141
299957
3402
saqe rezultati final behet i parendesishem.
05:15
For me, that home has always been writing.
142
303359
2504
Per mua, ajo shtepi gjithmone
ka qene te shkruarit.
05:18
So after the weird, disorienting success
143
305863
2572
Keshtu qe pas suksesit disorientues
dhe te cuditshem
05:20
that I went through with "Eat, Pray, Love,"
144
308435
1698
qe kalova me "Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
05:22
I realized that all I had to do was exactly
145
310133
1414
kuptova se gjithcka qe une duhet te beja
ishte ekzatesisht
05:23
the same thing that I used to have to do all the time
146
311547
1984
e njejta gje qe beja gjate gjithe kohes,
05:25
when I was an equally disoriented failure.
147
313531
2230
kur isha nje deshtim i corientuar.
05:27
I had to get my ass back to work,
148
315761
1778
Duhet te kthehesha te punoja,
05:29
and that's what I did, and that's how, in 2010,
149
317539
2508
dhe keshtu bera, dhe ne 2010-n,
05:32
I was able to publish the dreaded follow-up
150
320047
2354
arrita te publikoja vazhdimin e
05:34
to "Eat, Pray, Love."
151
322401
888
"Ha, Lutu, Dashuro"
05:35
And you know what happened with that book?
152
323289
1576
Dhe e dini se cfare ndodhi me ate liber?
05:37
It bombed, and I was fine.
153
324865
2711
Doli huq dhe une isha mire.
05:39
Actually, I kind of felt bulletproof,
154
327576
1849
Ne fakt, u ndjeva pak si e papershkrueshme,
05:41
because I knew that I had broken the spell
155
329425
2120
sepse e dija qe e kisha prishur mallkimin
05:43
and I had found my way back home
156
331545
1645
dhe kisha gjetur rrugen per ne shtepi
05:45
to writing for the sheer devotion of it.
157
333190
2611
te shkruaja per perkushtimin absolut ndaj tij.
05:48
And I stayed in my home of writing after that,
158
335801
2136
Dhe qendrova ne shtepine time
te shkruaja me pas,
05:50
and I wrote another book that just came out last year
159
337937
1832
dhe shkrova nje liber tjeter
qe doli vitin e shkuar
05:51
and that one was really beautifully received,
160
339769
1645
dhe ky u prit shume mire,
05:53
which is very nice, but not my point.
161
341414
1496
eshte nje gje e kendshme,
por kjo nuk eshte ajo qe dua te them.
05:55
My point is that I'm writing another one now,
162
342910
2290
Ajo qe dua te them eshte
se po shkruaj nje tjeter tani
05:57
and I'll write another book after that
163
345200
1187
dhe do te shkruaj nje liber tjeter me pas
05:58
and another and another and another
164
346387
1830
dhe nje tjeter, dhe nje tjeter
dhe nje tjeter
06:00
and many of them will fail,
165
348217
1198
dhe shume prej tyre do te deshtojne,
06:01
and some of them might succeed,
166
349415
1628
dhe disa prej tyre mund te kene sukses,
06:03
but I will always be safe
167
351043
1596
por une gjithmone do te jem e sigurte
06:04
from the random hurricanes of outcome
168
352639
2372
nga uraganet e mundshem te suksesit
06:07
as long as I never forget where I rightfully live.
169
355011
3550
per aq kohe sa nuk e harroj se ku jetoj.
06:10
Look, I don't know where you rightfully live,
170
358561
2402
Une nuk e di se ku jetoni ju,
06:13
but I know that there's something in this world
171
360963
1670
por e di se eshte dicka ne kete bote
06:14
that you love more than you love yourself.
172
362633
2072
qe ju e doni me shume se doni veten tuaj.
06:16
Something worthy, by the way,
173
364705
1415
Dicka qe t'ia vleje, meqe ra fjala,
06:18
so addiction and infatuation don't count,
174
366120
1991
se varesia dhe cmenduria nuk quhen,
06:20
because we all know that those
are not safe places to live. Right?
175
368111
4107
sepse e dime se ato nuk jane vende
te sigurta per te jetuar. Apo jo?
06:24
The only trick is that you've got to identify
176
372218
2047
E vetmja gje qe duhet te beni
eshte te identifikoni me te miren,
06:26
the best, worthiest thing that you love most,
177
374265
2464
dicka me me vlere
dhe qe ju e doni me shume,
06:28
and then build your house right on top of it
178
376729
2371
dhe me pas te ndertoni
shtepine tuaj siper saj
06:31
and don't budge from it.
179
379100
1877
dhe mos luaj nga ai vend.
06:33
And if you should someday, somehow
180
380977
2344
Dhe nese nje dite , per ndonje arsye
06:35
get vaulted out of your home
181
383321
1944
mbylleni jashte shtepise suaj
06:37
by either great failure or great success,
182
385265
2440
nga nje deshtim ose nje sukses i madh
06:39
then your job is to fight your
way back to that home
183
387705
2165
eshte detyra juaj te luftoni ne
rrugen e kthimit per tek ajo shtepi
06:42
the only way that it has ever been done,
184
389870
1785
dhe e vetmja gje qe mund te behet,
06:43
by putting your head down and performing
185
391655
2189
eshte te ulesh koken dhe te performosh
06:46
with diligence and devotion
186
393844
1822
me devotshmeri dhe zell
06:47
and respect and reverence
187
395666
1686
me respekt dhe perulesi
06:49
whatever the task is that love
188
397352
2044
cfaredo lloj detyre qe ajo dashuri
06:51
is calling forth from you next.
189
399396
2080
kerkon te behet me pas.
06:53
You just do that, and keep doing that
190
401476
2184
Vetem bej kete dhe vazhdojeni ta beni
06:55
again and again and again,
191
403660
1649
e perseri e perseri e perseri,
06:57
and I can absolutely promise you,
from long personal experience
192
405309
2656
dhe une mund tju premtoj ju,
nga nje eksperience e gjate personale
07:00
in every direction, I can assure you
193
407965
2255
ne cdo drejtim, mund tju siguroj
07:02
that it's all going to be okay.
194
410220
2070
se cdo gje do te behet me mire.
07:04
Thank you.
195
412290
1691
Ju falemnderit.
07:06
(Applause)
196
413981
4000
(Duartrokitje)
Translated by Eva Hoxha
Reviewed by Helena Bedalli

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elizabeth Gilbert - Writer
The author of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both.

Why you should listen

Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a premidlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of -- running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.

She's a longtime magazine writer -- covering music and politics for Spin and GQ -- as well as a novelist and short-story writer. Her books include the story collection Pilgrims, the novel Stern Men (about lobster fishermen in Maine) and a biography of the woodsman Eustace Conway, called The Last American Man. Her work has been the basis for two movies so far (Coyote Ugly, based on her own tale of working at the famously raunchy bar in New York City), and Eat, Pray, Love, with the part of Gilbert played by Julia Roberts. Not bad for a year off.

In 2010, Elizabeth published Committed, a memoir exploring her ambivalent feelings about the institution of marriage. And her 2013 novel, The Signature of All Things, is "a sprawling tale of 19th century botanical exploration."

Gilbert also owns and runs the import shop Two Buttons in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

More profile about the speaker
Elizabeth Gilbert | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM