When Jane McGonigal came on stage she made a promising proposition for the audience that she would give them an extra 7 minutes on their lifespan if they gave her their attention. How was she going to do this? With 4 ways of gaining strength and resilience.
Before she revealed these strategies, Jane shared a life-changing story about how she got a concussion and suffered from non-stop headaches, nausea and other undesirable symptoms. She was on bed-rest for about 6 months after her doctor said she couldn't do anything but rest her brain. This mean she couldn't walk, run, watch TV, read books, internet surf; basically anything that requires brain power. She said she felt like dying for the longest time. At the peak of her tolerance, Jane gave herself 2 choices: either she killed herself, or created an alter-ego game character that'd help her get through. Jane is a game programmer and used her profession to get her through the toughest year of her life. She was the protagonist who had to recruit a team (her sister and husband) and defeat her antagonist, which was her concussion. Within 3 days, she said she forgot about her depression and sought a way to help others with the same or similar situations. Jane created a forum that let other people with illnesses created their teams and defeat their enemies (their sicknesses).
After this story, Jane revealed the top 5 regrets of the dying:
1) I wish I had not worked so hard
2) I wish I stayed in touch with my friends
3) I wish I'd let myself be happier
4) I wish i had the courage to express my true self
and 5) I wish I had lived life true to my dreams.
Then she changed the vibe into positive by revealing her success through her alter-ego gaming life by showing what she gained through Post-Traumatic Growth.
(Post-Traumatic Growth is when someone experiences happiness after a negative life-changing experience.)
The top 5 Post-Traumatic Growth claims found amongst those who experience it are:
1) My priorities changed, I'm not afraid to do what make me happier
2) I am closer to my friends and family
3) I understand myself better and I know who I am now
4) I have a new sense of meaning and purpose
and 5) I focus on my goals and dreams
These were all direct opposites of the dying regrets list that Jane was sharing before.
With that, she revealed how to gain strength and resilience with 4 strategies that would gain the audience members 7 bonus minutes of life!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t3y7EeBhxg
I really enjoyed this video and its heart-warming message.
No comments:
Post a Comment