Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

TED

5,035 views 4 weeks ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think someone should do when they feel there is “nothing left to try”?
From the title, what kinds of problems do you expect this TED conversation to focus on (health, work, personal life, or something else)?
What does “choosing a path forward” mean to you in real life?

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What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

Realizing you must choose a path forward (00:00 – 04:26)

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1. What happened during the speaker’s time as a medical student that changed his perspective?

He became critically ill with Castleman disease and was told there were no options.
He discovered a new disease in a lab.
He moved to a different country for treatment.
He decided to quit medical school to start a company.

2. What did the speaker notice about the chemotherapies that saved his life?

They were only available outside the US.
They were not made for his disease, but they still worked.
They were designed specifically for his disease.
They were experimental and illegal.

3. In clinics, what problem did the other speaker realize was keeping some patients from getting better?

They refused to talk to health coaches.
They didn’t trust any doctors.
They couldn’t afford the medicine they needed.
They were not allowed to exercise.

What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

Turning hardship into action: systems, advocacy, and actionable hope (04:26 – 15:16)

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1. What does the quote “sometimes motivation follows motion” mean in this context?

You should wait to feel motivated before starting.
Taking small actions can create motivation later.
Motion is unnecessary if you have a good plan.
Motivation is mostly genetic and cannot be changed.

2. According to the story about launching a program in Georgia, what small action helped create the initial ‘spark’?

A viral video campaign
A concerned person called a local legislator and got a meeting
A national law immediately changed
A hospital donated millions of dollars

3. In the speaker’s ‘circuit,’ what comes after hope?

Luck
Impact
Action
Profit

What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

Choosing hard things, resilience, and ‘overtime’ (15:16 – 28:41)

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1. Why does the speaker call it a “privilege to do hard things”?

Because hard things are always enjoyable
Because only leaders should do hard things
Because hard things guarantee success
Because many people don’t get to choose their hardships; they face them without choice

2. What are the three things the speaker says help during a really tough time?

Exercise, sleep, and travel
Silence, secrecy, and avoiding emotions
Money, intelligence, and popularity
Vision, an amazing team, and taking things one step (or one breath) at a time

3. What does “overtime” represent in the speaker’s metaphor about life?

A scary but clarifying time when you focus on what’s most important because time feels uncertain
A stage of life that only happens after retirement
A time when mistakes don’t matter
A period when you work longer hours for more pay

What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

Transcript will load here…

1. Which idea is repeated across the conversation as a way to make progress when problems feel too big?

Wait until you have the perfect plan
Start with small, tangible actions and keep moving
Avoid asking for help so you stay independent
Focus only on personal success, not systems

2. What is the main message of “actionable hope” as described here?

Hope is only a feeling and doesn’t change anything
Hope should lead to action, which creates impact, which creates more hope
Hope means believing everything will be easy
Hope works best when you keep it private

3. What do both speakers suggest about change in unfair or difficult systems?

The best strategy is to ignore the system
Individuals can create meaningful change through focused actions and persistence
Change is impossible unless the whole system is rebuilt first
Only experts can create change

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

What to Do When You’re Told There’s Nothing Left to Try | David Fajgenbaum, Kiah Williams | TED

Describe a time when you felt “out of options.” What small action helped you move forward (or what action could have helped)?
Do you agree that “motivation follows motion”? When does this feel true, and when might it not?
What systems in your community create “impossible choices” for people? What is one realistic first step to address one of them?
Which metaphor is more helpful to you: “one breath at a time” or “life is overtime”? Explain why.