Why I Stopped Running and Started Winning | Ziqi Gao | TEDxGrand School Qingdao Youth

A TEDx talk by student Ziqi Gao from Qingdao Grand Primary School argues that rest is not laziness. Drawing on her own experience of pushing too hard before exams and while preparing a painting, she connects Taoist ideas such as Wu Wei and the blank space of Liu Bai with the value of recharging. She also describes a bike ride where she stopped thinking about exams, and links the experience to the default mode network, a brain state associated with memory consolidation and creativity. The talk concludes that lying flat is a pause for growth rather than an end.

• Rest is presented as necessary, not as laziness or weakness
• Taoist ideas: Wu Wei (acting without forcing) and Liu Bai (blank space)
• Personal story about overworking before midterms and during a painting project
• Neuroscience note on the default mode network and recharging

This talk opens with a simple question: how many people have been called "lazy" just for taking a break—or have called themselves lazy for the same reason? Almost every hand in the room goes up, revealing a dangerous equation many grow up with: rest equals weakness, and busyness equals worth. The speaker shares a personal story. The day before midterms, exhausted, she put her head down for two minutes—and a friend teased her for "lying flat." She wanted to protest but realized she used to think the same way. Later, while preparing traditional Chinese painting for a school exhibition, she pushed herself from morning till night until her hands shook and her work got worse. That was the turning point. Drawing on Taoist wisdom—Tao follows nature, Wu Wei (acting without forcing), and the painting concept of Liu Bai (leaving blank space)—the speaker argues that proper "lying flat" is not laziness or quitting. It is wisdom and recharging. A river doesn't flow faster because you shout at it; bamboo grows silently underground for years before it shoots up. Rest is the blank space that lets life breathe. She also describes a bike ride during which, for the first time in months, she wasn't thinking about exams—just feeling the sun and wind. Neuroscience calls this the "default mode network," a state where the brain consolidates memories and restores creativity. Rest, she notes, is not escape but biological necessity. The message is clear: humans are not machines. True growth is not endless running—it is resting, healing, and rising stronger. Lying flat is not the end. It is the beginning. Currently a student at Qingdao Grand Primary School and a member of the school Student Union. Serves as Minister of the Publicity Department of the Student Union, a member of the school broadcasting station, and a member of the young journalists group. Has hosted the 2026 school art festival, opening ceremony, and flag-raising ceremonies. Academically outstanding, ranking among the top in all subjects. Won the Platinum Award in the 20th Qingdao Primary and Secondary School English Competition, passed Cambridge English KET with a score of 146, and achieved an A grade in the Shandong Provincial Mathematics Innovation Ability Test. Awarded the title of "Outstanding Student" of Shibei District in 2025. Actively participates in speech, calligraphy, sports, music, art, and dance competitions, winning numerous awards at the district, city, provincial, and national levels, including the "Top Ten Explainers" title in the 2025 Qingdao Marine Science Popularization Explanation Competition, third place citywide in the 2024 Qingdao "Little Reading Promoter" Speech Competition, first prize in the 2025 Shibei District "Chongsan Cup" soft brush calligraphy competition, the "Best Singing Award" at the 9th Qingdao Choral Festival, and the second prize in the national finals of the 2023 "Tribute to Heroes" piano competition. Also participates in school choir, jump rope club, informatic