0:00:09.075,0:00:15.445
Now, most of us dream[br]of the perfect paradise.

0:00:17.022,0:00:22.202
I'm going to start[br]by taking you to my paradise.

0:00:23.031,0:00:28.057
This is what the weather looks like[br]when you wake up in the morning.

0:00:28.057,0:00:30.227
(Laughter)

0:00:30.548,0:00:34.328
This is how you get to work.

0:00:34.328,0:00:36.888
(Laughter)

0:00:38.540,0:00:40.530
And once you're done working ...[br]

0:00:41.925,0:00:44.338
this is how much you pay in income tax.

0:00:44.338,0:00:46.168
(Laughter)

0:00:47.451,0:00:49.089
Well, then again, you're thinking,

0:00:49.089,0:00:51.630
"Paradise? It can't all be about work!"

0:00:51.630,0:00:56.490
So let me take you to a day[br]at the beach - in paradise.

0:00:56.929,0:00:59.159
(Laughter)

0:01:00.580,0:01:01.870
Something is missing?

0:01:02.760,0:01:04.270
Friends? Right?

0:01:05.220,0:01:08.310
This is probably what your neighbors[br]are going to look like.

0:01:08.618,0:01:12.728
Because in this place,[br]there are more pigs than people.

0:01:13.022,0:01:14.392
(Laughter)

0:01:15.024,0:01:17.554
Now, if you're thinking,

0:01:18.451,0:01:21.511
"My God, if this is paradise,[br]I don't want to go,"

0:01:22.622,0:01:24.899
let me tell you something about this place

0:01:24.899,0:01:26.899
that might make you change your mind.

0:01:28.057,0:01:29.707
The paradise is called

0:01:29.767,0:01:30.696
Denmark.

0:01:31.159,0:01:33.319
It is the country I was born in

0:01:33.547,0:01:36.587
and where I lived[br]for the first 18 years of my life.

0:01:37.810,0:01:40.152
It also happens that the Danish people

0:01:40.152,0:01:43.712
are amongst the happiest[br]people in the world.

0:01:44.529,0:01:45.770
Yes.

0:01:45.770,0:01:48.589
Despite the bad weather,

0:01:49.550,0:01:50.890
the high taxes

0:01:51.608,0:01:53.018
and the many pigs,

0:01:54.513,0:01:58.293
the Danish people express[br]being very content in life.

0:01:59.028,0:02:03.058
They have what we call [br]a good base of well-being.

0:02:04.406,0:02:08.171
The economists started measuring happiness[br]more than 40 years ago,

0:02:08.171,0:02:11.173
and ever since, Denmark has come[br]on the top of the list

0:02:11.173,0:02:13.243
of the happiest places[br]to live in the world.

0:02:14.031,0:02:17.772
When United Nations came out [br]with the first World Happiness Report

0:02:17.772,0:02:18.975
in 2012,

0:02:19.355,0:02:21.875
Denmark was again number one.

0:02:23.109,0:02:25.699
So what makes the Danes so happy?

0:02:28.036,0:02:30.139
Well, there are many reasons,

0:02:30.139,0:02:34.109
but I'm going to talk to you [br]primarily about three things.

0:02:34.388,0:02:37.479
I am going to try and give you [br]actionable things that you can do

0:02:37.479,0:02:39.392
and ways to plant seeds

0:02:39.392,0:02:43.022
that can actually grow into the happiness[br]as the Danes know it today.

0:02:43.662,0:02:47.822
I insist on planting seeds[br]because as we all know,

0:02:48.692,0:02:50.902
change takes time.

0:02:51.360,0:02:54.840
And it is actually planting seed[br]that will start that process.

0:02:57.203,0:03:01.540
Now, sometimes when I talk[br]about the Danish happiness,

0:03:01.540,0:03:03.580
I get the reaction from people saying,

0:03:04.066,0:03:08.766
"That's great, but I'm not Danish,[br]and I do not live in Denmark."

0:03:08.766,0:03:12.047
Even Hilary Clinton said it[br]recently in a debate:

0:03:12.047,0:03:14.297
"I love Denmark, but we are not Denmark."

0:03:15.678,0:03:17.188
So, let me tell you something.

0:03:18.204,0:03:22.374
I am Danish, but I have actually[br]been living in Paris

0:03:22.374,0:03:24.064
for the past 20 years.

0:03:26.107,0:03:29.887
But more importantly, [br]I've received letters from people

0:03:30.484,0:03:34.094
who read my book,[br]from all over the world -

0:03:34.323,0:03:37.373
Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France -

0:03:37.754,0:03:41.414
telling me that they also[br]live by these values

0:03:42.594,0:03:44.194
and they live good lives.

0:03:45.254,0:03:47.684
These are not Danish values.

0:03:48.098,0:03:49.285
They are human values.

0:03:49.285,0:03:50.915
They are owned by each one of us.

0:03:53.379,0:03:56.319
So I am going to talk to you[br]today about trust.

0:03:56.613,0:03:59.093
I'm going to talk to you [br]about the freedom to be you

0:03:59.282,0:04:00.952
and about finding purpose.

0:04:01.708,0:04:05.908
Now, trust in Denmark[br]is a full grown oak tree

0:04:06.381,0:04:07.656
at around 80%.

0:04:07.656,0:04:10.926
Eighty percent of Danish citizens[br]trust each other.

0:04:12.012,0:04:14.762
In most countries in the world,[br]it's not even a sprout,

0:04:14.770,0:04:16.970
at around 5% in the worst cases,

0:04:17.229,0:04:19.319
and on average in Europe at 25.

0:04:19.809,0:04:23.579
In Denmark, it gets[br]summed up in one image:

0:04:24.851,0:04:27.811
babies sleeping outside a restaurant.

0:04:30.376,0:04:34.646
Now, you would say,[br]"Well, nobody is watching the babies!"

0:04:36.192,0:04:40.042
Well, I would say, "Everyone is."

0:04:41.170,0:04:43.880
In Denmark trust is so high

0:04:44.216,0:04:47.006
that you can actually leave[br]your baby sleeping outside

0:04:47.430,0:04:48.910
while you're having lunch.

0:04:51.046,0:04:53.296
A Danish lady tried[br]to do this in New York.

0:04:53.613,0:04:54.895
She got arrested.

0:04:54.895,0:04:57.345
(Laughter)

0:05:00.828,0:05:01.598
Now ...

0:05:03.561,0:05:04.791
Trust ...

0:05:06.018,0:05:10.018
really comes down to something[br]quite elementary.

0:05:10.018,0:05:14.161
If we want to live in a world[br]of more trust in a community,

0:05:14.694,0:05:16.394
have a group of friends we trust,

0:05:17.625,0:05:19.855
it is going to have to start with you.

0:05:21.169,0:05:26.609
The first seed that you can plant[br]is to be a trustworthy person.

0:05:27.102,0:05:31.392
And as much as you can[br]to show trust in others.

0:05:34.070,0:05:36.860
This actually starts[br]at a very elementary place.

0:05:37.055,0:05:41.715
It starts by simply doing what you say

0:05:42.435,0:05:44.525
and saying what you do.

0:05:45.742,0:05:47.542
So what do I mean by that?

0:05:48.334,0:05:52.294
Well, I mean that when I say[br]I'm going to so something,

0:05:52.995,0:05:54.295
I do it.

0:05:54.723,0:05:55.953
And if I don't,

0:05:56.972,0:05:58.182
I say it.

0:05:59.201,0:06:03.811
The root of trust is as simple as this.

0:06:04.334,0:06:07.051
Now, I have travelled[br]to some of the counties in the world

0:06:07.051,0:06:08.461
with the lowest trust.

0:06:08.581,0:06:11.951
And I always say, if you want[br]to live in a community

0:06:12.253,0:06:13.861
or a world of more trust:

0:06:13.861,0:06:15.395
be a trustworthy person;

0:06:15.395,0:06:16.895
show trust in others.

0:06:17.599,0:06:20.909
And this applies in tons of ways[br]in our everyday lives -

0:06:21.283,0:06:22.430
from telling your friend

0:06:22.430,0:06:24.475
that you're going to help him[br]with something

0:06:24.475,0:06:25.985
and actually showing up.

0:06:27.190,0:06:30.140
Or agreeing with a colleague[br]that you are going to do something

0:06:30.140,0:06:32.473
and actually doing what you agreed on.

0:06:32.613,0:06:34.383
And if you change your mind,

0:06:35.230,0:06:36.380
say it!

0:06:37.086,0:06:39.246
I can take this to an even bigger scale

0:06:39.246,0:06:42.451
and talk to you about[br]the Noble Prize winner Muhammad Yunus,

0:06:42.451,0:06:45.500
who created Grameens Bank in Bangladesh,

0:06:45.500,0:06:47.663
a country with 5% trust.

0:06:47.663,0:06:53.123
He gave loans to thousands[br]of people, without guarantee.

0:06:54.592,0:06:57.422
Ninety-five percent[br]of them were paid back.

0:07:01.723,0:07:03.783
If he can do it under these circumstances,

0:07:03.991,0:07:06.011
it should be an inspiration to all of us.

0:07:06.201,0:07:10.591
Trust is actually a choice [br]made by each one of us every day.

0:07:12.257,0:07:14.484
Saying that this[br]and that person is not doing it

0:07:14.782,0:07:17.904
is in my world not a reason[br]not to apply it to yourself.

0:07:17.914,0:07:20.067
We can actually choose [br]to be part of the team

0:07:20.067,0:07:22.477
fostering a world of more trust.

0:07:23.341,0:07:26.759
Now the second seed[br]is the freedom to be you.

0:07:26.759,0:07:28.591
This is actually also about trust.

0:07:28.591,0:07:31.441
It's about trusting yourself to be you.

0:07:33.306,0:07:34.486
In Denmark,

0:07:34.751,0:07:41.201
the main purpose of education is[br]to develop the personality of the child.

0:07:42.184,0:07:44.994
We teach or children[br]that no matter what they are good at,

0:07:45.176,0:07:46.856
it's important to society.

0:07:46.880,0:07:51.310
You are not rated a better human being[br]because you are good at math

0:07:51.719,0:07:53.339
or foreign languages.

0:07:53.707,0:07:58.107
You can actually be top of the class[br]in creativity or cooking.

0:07:58.776,0:08:00.446
No matter what your talent is,

0:08:01.095,0:08:03.255
it's important; we value it.

0:08:04.672,0:08:09.313
Now this gives the young Danish people[br]an extraordinary base

0:08:09.313,0:08:12.963
of actually choosing a life [br]that corresponds to who they are.

0:08:14.453,0:08:16.533
Because they are taught at an early age

0:08:16.816,0:08:20.306
that no matter what that role is,[br]it's important to society.

0:08:21.353,0:08:23.203
Now, let me tell you a little story.

0:08:23.567,0:08:26.387
A few months ago, I had dinner[br]with some friends in Denmark,

0:08:26.594,0:08:29.468
and a lady looked[br]particularly happy that night,

0:08:29.468,0:08:32.015
and she explained to me [br]that she was so happy

0:08:32.015,0:08:35.335
because her son finally figured out[br]what he wanted to do in life.

0:08:35.943,0:08:38.161
And I said, "Well, so ... really?"

0:08:38.161,0:08:40.847
"He's jumping out of bed,[br]going to school every morning.

0:08:40.847,0:08:42.016
It's wonderful."

0:08:42.016,0:08:43.684
I said, "What's your son studying?"

0:08:43.684,0:08:46.124
She said, "He's studying[br]Techniques and Logistics."

0:08:46.124,0:08:48.623
I said, "Well, that's great. [br]What will he do after?"

0:08:48.910,0:08:51.750
And she looked at me,[br]and she said - and she smiled -

0:08:51.751,0:08:54.501
she said, "He'll be a garbage man."

0:08:55.138,0:08:56.798
(Laughter)

0:08:58.609,0:09:03.219
Now, admit that some of you[br]might be thinking,

0:09:03.511,0:09:07.321
"What parent would really be happy[br]that her son wants to be a garbage man?"

0:09:08.790,0:09:10.102
But guess what?

0:09:10.773,0:09:16.133
This is actually where a part of the key[br]to this whole big question lies:

0:09:18.231,0:09:23.041
When you're free to choose[br]what you want to do in life

0:09:23.503,0:09:26.049
without other people judging you.

0:09:26.049,0:09:29.209
And this includes,[br]by the way, parents,

0:09:29.758,0:09:34.018
who very often project[br]their own ambitions on their children.

0:09:34.533,0:09:37.883
What could possible bring more value[br]to your own person

0:09:38.730,0:09:43.460
than to have your child being[br]a mirror effect of yourself:

0:09:44.691,0:09:46.041
the Mini Me.

0:09:50.168,0:09:52.722
Now, some people might argue,

0:09:54.032,0:09:58.652
"Hm, well, the educational system [br]doesn't work that way

0:09:58.652,0:10:00.032
in my part of the world."

0:10:00.293,0:10:01.553
Maybe not.

0:10:02.065,0:10:05.280
But you are still free[br]to choose how you react

0:10:05.280,0:10:07.890
to other people's choices [br]of being themselves.

0:10:08.072,0:10:14.282
It is still your choice not to judge[br]but to encourage

0:10:14.759,0:10:17.489
and support other people's choices[br]of being themselves.

0:10:19.964,0:10:23.921
When it comes to your choice[br]and your freedom to choose your life,

0:10:23.921,0:10:26.531
I'm going to go back[br]to my seeds of happiness.

0:10:26.535,0:10:30.180
Because sometimes,

0:10:30.180,0:10:32.330
and I would say[br]actually most of the time,

0:10:32.330,0:10:34.041
we are not free.

0:10:34.666,0:10:38.586
We have tons of responsibilities:[br]paying rent, school fees,

0:10:39.181,0:10:42.231
having committed to a big project[br]that we need to finish.

0:10:43.732,0:10:44.760
Now, I know this

0:10:44.760,0:10:47.250
because most of the choices[br]that I've made in my life

0:10:47.250,0:10:50.221
have started with me[br]actually planting a seed

0:10:50.221,0:10:53.131
that has gradually grown into something[br]that I could choose.

0:10:53.842,0:10:57.542
The only reason why I am here[br]in front of you today

0:10:58.611,0:11:01.211
is that I planted a seed[br]two and a half years ago

0:11:01.232,0:11:03.282
when I started writing my book.

0:11:03.841,0:11:06.541
After 18 years in the corporate world,[br]

0:11:07.932,0:11:10.215
I only left my job three months ago.

0:11:10.215,0:11:13.105
And to be honest, [br]while this seed was growing,[br]

0:11:13.744,0:11:16.014
I didn't know where[br]it was going to take me.

0:11:17.534,0:11:19.894
But knowing, thinking[br]about that I planted it

0:11:20.362,0:11:21.902
made me feel happy.

0:11:22.099,0:11:25.519
The point is that[br]if you don't plant any seeds,

0:11:26.883,0:11:28.923
you're sure that nothing will happen.

0:11:29.650,0:11:33.620
It doesn't actually matter[br]how long it takes for your seed to grow.

0:11:34.630,0:11:39.610
What matters is that you have come[br]closer to becoming you.

0:11:40.722,0:11:45.652
This alone will actually add[br]significant well-being to your lives.

0:11:47.131,0:11:48.431
So, what can we do?

0:11:50.391,0:11:54.931
Well, we can spend time figuring out[br]when we stop being ourselves.

0:11:57.084,0:12:00.114
Find that dream and plant that seed,

0:12:00.775,0:12:03.315
and we can make sure that next time

0:12:03.652,0:12:07.852
we see somebody fighting the battle[br]of being free to choose their life,

0:12:08.109,0:12:09.395
we do not judge.

0:12:09.395,0:12:11.941
We support and we encourage them.

0:12:14.994,0:12:18.564
The last seed I am going to talk[br]to you about is purpose.

0:12:20.400,0:12:22.190
So what do I mean by purpose?

0:12:23.317,0:12:24.087
I mean this.

0:12:25.733,0:12:28.083
So, you wonder, maybe, who is behind that?

0:12:29.852,0:12:31.352
Let me introduce you to Ali.

0:12:32.202,0:12:35.072
Now you might see a dishwasher,

0:12:35.801,0:12:39.391
but if you ask any of Ali's colleagues,

0:12:39.419,0:12:41.601
they would say[br]that he is part of the team

0:12:41.921,0:12:44.541
running the best restaurant in the world.

0:12:44.541,0:12:47.511
When Noma won the prize[br]of the best restaurant in the world,

0:12:48.507,0:12:52.477
René Redzepi, the chef, decided[br]to take the whole team to London

0:12:52.477,0:12:54.387
to receive the prize on stage.

0:12:54.727,0:12:57.192
Ali, due to some paper[br]problems, couldn't go,

0:12:57.542,0:13:02.842
so the whole team ended up on stage[br]wearing a T-shirt with the photo of Ali.

0:13:05.094,0:13:11.354
For the people working at Noma,[br]it's about living a dream;

0:13:12.093,0:13:14.033
it's about living their passion.

0:13:14.451,0:13:18.601
It's about being part of a common project.

0:13:20.604,0:13:22.614
So what can we learn from them?

0:13:23.512,0:13:27.194
Well, this is of course closely linked[br]to the second seed

0:13:27.194,0:13:30.654
of actually doing something [br]that you feel passionate about.

0:13:32.114,0:13:37.294
Planting the seeds of your dreams[br]gives you a feeling of purpose.

0:13:37.584,0:13:40.724
Doing something that you love[br]gives you a feeling of purpose.

0:13:43.354,0:13:45.959
So, if you project this[br]on a country level,

0:13:45.959,0:13:47.304
what does that look like?

0:13:48.194,0:13:54.224
Well, in Denmark, seven[br]out of ten Danes like paying taxes

0:13:54.586,0:13:57.958
because they feel individually [br]responsible and committed

0:13:57.958,0:14:00.378
to the common project[br]of the welfare state.

0:14:01.218,0:14:02.418
It gives them purpose,

0:14:02.418,0:14:05.105
and it is part of what makes them[br]feel content in life.

0:14:06.904,0:14:08.733
They're not victims of the system.

0:14:08.733,0:14:09.843
They're part of it.

0:14:11.910,0:14:14.670
Lack of purpose can come from two things.

0:14:15.225,0:14:18.535
It can come from not doing[br]what you like in life,

0:14:19.162,0:14:22.722
but it can also come from[br]not feeling part of anything -

0:14:24.506,0:14:27.176
just basically executing[br]what you are told to do,

0:14:30.437,0:14:32.827
being a sort of victim[br]of your own existence.

0:14:34.539,0:14:36.099
So what can we do about it?

0:14:37.585,0:14:40.545
Well, we can find[br]that passion inside of us.

0:14:41.625,0:14:44.227
Find that dream and plant that seed

0:14:44.227,0:14:47.747
and make it our individual[br]responsibility to take care of it

0:14:47.861,0:14:51.211
so that it grows into something[br]that we can actually choose.

0:14:52.705,0:14:57.185
Planting the seeds of our dreams[br]gives us purpose,

0:14:58.271,0:14:59.564
it gives us hope,

0:15:00.162,0:15:01.652
and it makes us feel happy.

0:15:04.297,0:15:09.912
Now, I've talked to you about trust, [br]the freedom to be you,

0:15:10.692,0:15:12.187
and finding purpose.

0:15:13.664,0:15:17.094
But it's actually not[br]what is given to us in life

0:15:17.094,0:15:18.624
that really matters,

0:15:19.335,0:15:20.985
it's what we do with it.

0:15:22.571,0:15:27.961
Who cares if you are born in a country[br]with high trust, the freedom to be you,

0:15:28.690,0:15:30.061
with greater purpose

0:15:30.061,0:15:33.971
if you take this for granted,[br]if you don't use it the right way?

0:15:34.302,0:15:38.222
It is for us to choose[br]to live by these values,

0:15:39.074,0:15:41.494
little by little, as well as we can.

0:15:43.455,0:15:46.429
It is our individual responsibility

0:15:46.429,0:15:50.432
to make sure that if we want to live[br]in a world with more trust,

0:15:51.894,0:15:53.734
that we are a trustworthy person,

0:15:54.025,0:15:55.935
that we show trust in others.

0:15:58.236,0:16:02.086
Don't be sitting around[br]

0:16:02.086,0:16:04.636
waiting for someone else[br]to come with that solution.

0:16:05.066,0:16:06.586
Be that solution.

0:16:07.444,0:16:08.984
Don't be part of the problem.

0:16:09.843,0:16:11.453
Be part of the solution.

0:16:13.267,0:16:15.167
These values are owned by all of us.

0:16:15.444,0:16:17.344
They are for us to choose,

0:16:17.545,0:16:22.125
and I hope I have illustrated[br]that you do not need to be Danish

0:16:22.415,0:16:26.565
nor to immigrate to Denmark[br]to find happiness.

0:16:27.195,0:16:30.447
It is within each one of us[br]and the choices we make

0:16:30.447,0:16:32.967
to plant these seeds of happiness

0:16:33.767,0:16:36.355
and to be and to choose

0:16:36.355,0:16:39.665
to incarnate the change[br]that we would like to see in the world.

0:16:39.775,0:16:40.985
Thank you.

0:16:40.988,0:16:43.738
(Applause)