Does negative news affect your mood?
Do you long to hear uplifting news about the world we live in?
If so, I know one place that will transform “doom and gloom” into “how lucky we are to have such amazing people transforming the world we live in.”
Where?
The TEDx Talks around the world.
On October 10th, I attended TEDx Orange Coast at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
I purchased my ticket a few days before the event, and had no idea what to expect.
The program started at 8:30 am, and continued all day until 5pm with a few coffee breaks and lunch.
An impressive line-up of thirty speakers of all ages and backgrounds discussed the theme “Redefining Relevance.”
Out of thirty or so brilliant speakers, I selected five who truly inspired me to believe in the good in our world.
1). Jack Andraka Video (High School Innovator) Watch video.
Jack is only 15, and he invented a paper strip, just like the ones diabetics use to test their blood sugar levels, that detects early stages of pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers. This paper strip costs 3 cents and takes only 5 minutes to work. Jack said that over 85% of pancreatic cancer is detected too late. His enthusiasm and passion is contagious. Watch the video and you will be uplifted by this young man.
2). Ray Goren Video (Musician) Watch him play. Amazing blues.
How can a twelve-year-old boy play the blues with such talent? Watch his facial expressions and you cannot help but feel the music is coming from every cell within his body. His electric guitar seems to be an extension of his inner core, not an external instrument.
Watching him on stage at the Segestrom Hall, was one of the highlights of the day.
3). Mike Kenyon (Development Leader)
Mike travels around the world and gives mobility back to those who are physically handicapped. He started, “Free Wheelchair Mission” a nonprofit in Irvine, that provides wheelchairs for the disabled poor in the developing world. (Take a look at their website.)
Mike showed photos of disabled kids and adults who are forced to crawl on the ground as there are no wheelchairs for them. With a plastic chair, and a couple of bike tires, Mike was able to create functional wheelchairs for disabled people at very little cost. He showed photos of one mother who carried her teenage son on her back since he was born, and the amazing gratitude they expressed when Mike gave her son a wheelchair.
4).Reggie Littlejohn (President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers)
Through a near death experience of her own, and a miscarriage, Reggie discovered that the most painful moment in her life, held the key to her life purpose.
Reggie decided to combat forced abortion, gendercide and sex trafficking in China. She shared stories of young Chinese pregnant women being forced to undergo abortions without anesthesia.
5). Nigel Nisbet (Director of Content Creation for the MIND Research Institute)
Nigel was a former teacher at an all-girls English school in rural England. After moving to the U.S., he decided to became a Mathemathics, Physics and Computer Science teacher at Van Nuys Senior High.
Nigel noticed that kids were not able to grasp the concepts of algebra and geometry from text books, so one day, at the grocery store, he decided to buy chocolate bars in different shapes and use chocolate to challenge the kids to think. He discovered that this worked and that math is so much more than just numbers.
Nigel is a passionate believer in finding ways to build engaging, interactive visual games that teach all students how math really works.
So by the end of the day, my mood had transformed to all the good that is happening in our world.
If only we could always focus on those positive aspects of life, imagine what creative energy and passion we could project to the rest of humanity.
If you need some inspiration, check out the most popular TED Talks here.
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Do you have a “My Gutsy Story” you’d like to share?
To submit your own, “My Gutsy Story” you can find all the information, and our sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here.
Three October stories are up. So far we have Duke Marsh “My Gutsy Story” and Don Darkes “My Gutsy Story,” and Kim Brower’s “My Gutsy Story.”
I hope you enjoy the “My Gutsy Story” series and share with others through the links below. Perhaps you’d like to submit your own. Thanks.
Lucky lucky you! I love TED and TEDx!
Lady Fi recently posted..The winged sky
I thought of you Fiona as I know how much you’ve done to promote TED-x in Sweden. Is it all over the world?
Fantastic post,Sonia! I can imagine you had a wonderful day and got a real lift from hearing all these great stories. It is so important to learn to focus on the positive things in our lives and around us in the world.
I’m just now back in the US and having a hard time just watching TV!
Miss Footloose | Life in the Expat Lane recently posted..Expat Life: Miss Footloose is Sorry
We need to talk. Did you watch TV in Moldova? What was it like?
Wow! I did need to tune into a different vein of inspiration. Thank you, Sonia, for being the conduit in sharing the stories of these folks. When I return to my multi-cultural class of TABE/GED students on Monday, I’ll share these stories with them; perhaps engender some discussion as to the ways in which their choices to graduate inspire others.
Doreen Cox recently posted..LOVE NEVER DIES
Thanks Dody. I would be interested in hearing what the students tell you. Please share.
So much of my life has been spent in front of the television, watching one news broadcast after another. For years, I was the epitome of a news junkie and deep inside, I was miserable. It took me a long time to figure out that all the negativity being spewed out by the 6 Oclock news was being absorbed by my subconscious and perhaps this was why there was so much inner turmoil going on.
At some point, I decided to weed out all the negativity in my life and news was one of those things to go. Believe it or not, within weeks of this step, much of the pessimism that had taken hold of me was gone. I began to see a silver lining around all those gloomy clouds and I gotta say, it sure felt good.
For years, I was a major skeptic and always doubted the motives of everyone. Perhaps this was because the news showed me only the bad in humanity. But today, I can trust in the benevolence of most men and I no longer see ulterior motives in everything, or serial killers lurking around every corner. Getting rid of the news is one of the best decisions I have ever made!
Jameyson MacDonald recently posted..News