1: When it comes to setting big goals, what game designer Jane McGonigal calls “Epic Wins,” why are physical or athletic triumphs so motivating?
“If you search the SuperBetter database for all the epic wins from more than 400,000 players,” Jane writes in her book SuperBetter, four of the ten most commonly appearing verbs are walk, run, exercise, and dance. (Other top epic win verbs include finish, find, and create.)”
Jane’s advice? “If you’re still not sure what kind of epic win to go for, you cannot go wrong with a walk, run, swim, cycle, or dance epic win.”
2: Science supports her recommendation.
“Physical activity is a known mood booster, which helps with almost any challenge,” Jane notes. “And exercise is one of the most effective treatments for depression, something that can often stand in between you and your nonathletic goals.”
Physical goals typically require a commitment to training, “which builds determination and willpower,” Jane explains, “two strengths that benefit you in any challenge.”
The benefits go beyond determination and willpower. Exercise also alters your perception of pain, making you tougher and more resilient.
Why? Because exercise puts stress on your body. “The more you exercise,” she notes, “the more ‘normal’ your brain interprets pain signals, and therefore it pays less attention to them. . .
“An athletic epic win,” Jane writes, “like completing a charity walk, running a 5K, finishing a yoga boot camp, earning your first belt in a new martial art, or participating in a fund-raising dance-a-thon—also gives your social resilience a huge lift, by connecting you to a much bigger community.”
Some physical goals let you join in with family, friends, or coworkers, which helps build your social strengths.
“Finally,” she notes, “athletic wins often have a built-in sense of meaning and purpose, because so many walks, races, and athletic events are organized to raise money and awareness for a good cause.
“More meaning and purpose means more motivation, plus more positive emotions like gratitude, compassion, spiritual connection, awe, and wonder.”
3: One question that comes up is: What makes an “Epic Win” truly epic?
Jane created a “Possibility Scale” to help you rate your potential goals.
It’s pretty simple. Just ask yourself: What will it take for you to achieve your epic win?
0—You could accomplish your epic win in the next hour without breaking a sweat.
1—You could do it in a day, any day.
2—Give it a good week, and there’s at least a 50/50 chance you’ll be there.
3—It’ll take a couple of weeks and a strong effort.
4—You could accomplish it in thirty days, if you make a heroic effort.
5—Six weeks should do the trick.
6—A few months and real commitment, and you’ll get there.
7—It might take six months, but it’s worth it.
8—With heroic focus and some help from the most important people in your life, you could do it in a year.
9—If you’re being honest, it takes a pretty wild imagination to picture yourself achieving this goal at all.
10—Someone would win a Nobel Prize if they achieved this Epic Win. Maybe two Nobel Prizes.
Here’s how the scoring works:
0–1: Dream bigger! You’re stronger than you think.
2–5: Congratulations! You’re perfectly on target for your first epic win.
6–8: You’ve set a great epic win and you’re very ambitious! Here’s a tip: If you ever feel frustrated because your goal seems far away, try breaking it into two or three smaller epic wins (in the 2–5 range) that you can work on one at a time.
9–10: Good for you for being fearless—but getting superbetter will be more fun if you aim for something in the 2–8 range.
Jane writes: “Now that you’ve got the hang of it, use this chart whenever you decide to set out toward a new epic win. And don’t be afraid to imagine wins with a rating of 9 or 10 for yourself—just make sure to line up some more quickly achievable ones along the way.”
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: What physical or athletic achievement would feel challenging, meaningful, and genuinely exciting to you?
Action: Choose one potential Epic Win, rate it on Jane’s Possibility Scale, and adjust it until it falls within a challenging but achievable range.
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