ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tania Luna - Surprisologist
Tania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences.

Why you should listen

Tania Luna has an unusual title: she calls herself a “surprisologist.” The co-founder and CEO of Surprise Industries, Luna thinks deeply about how to delight, and how to help individuals and teams thrive in uncertain circumstances and develop the bonds needed to get through them.

When Luna was invited to take part in TED’s Worldwide Talent Search in 2012, she expected to give a talk about surprise and the importance of not being attached to outcomes. However, she was inspired to tell a more personal story -- one many of her closest friends didn’t know -- about her Ukrainian family getting asylum in the United States when she was 6-yeard-old and arriving in New York with virtually nothing. She sees her work as connected to her upbringing -- in which a piece of Bazooka bubble gum, a thrown-out toy or a mis-delivered pizza was magical -- because it gave her an appreciation for the joy of little surprises. 

More profile about the speaker
Tania Luna | Speaker | TED.com
TED@New York

Tania Luna: How a penny made me feel like a millionaire

Tania Luna: Kako me cent učinio milijunašicom

Filmed:
1,797,188 views

Kao dijete, a nakon černobilske katastrofe, Tania Luna je napustila svoj dom u Ukrajini kako bi dobila azil u SAD-u. Jednoga dana, na podu utočišta za beskućnike u New Yorku, u kojemu je živjela s obitelji, pronašla je jedan cent. Nikada se kasnije nije osjećala tako bogatom. Razmišljanje o gorko-slatke radostima iz djetinjstva... i kako ih čuvati u mislima.
- Surprisologist
Tania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I'm fivepet yearsgodina oldstar, and I am very proudponos.
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Pet mi je godina i vrlo sam ponosna.
00:16
My fatherotac has just builtizgrađen the bestnajbolje outhousenadgradnja
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Moj je otac upravo sagradio najbolji poljski zahod
00:20
in our little villageselo in UkraineUkrajina.
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u našem malom selu u Ukrajini.
00:22
InsideUnutar, it's a smellysmrdljiv, gapingzurenje holerupa in the groundtlo,
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Iznutra, to je smrdljiva, zjapeća rupa u zemlji,
00:26
but outsideizvan, it's pearlybiserno whitebijela formicaFormica
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ali izvana, ona je biserno bijela
00:30
and it literallydoslovce gleamsljuljala in the sunsunce.
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i doslovno sjaji na suncu.
00:34
This makesmarke me feel so proudponos, so importantvažno,
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To me čini toliko ponosnom, toliko važnom,
00:37
that I appointimenovati myselfsebe the leadervođa of my little groupskupina of friendsprijatelji
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da sebe imenujem vođom
svoje male grupe prijatelja
00:40
and I deviseosmisliti missionsmisija for us.
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i osmišljavam misije za nas.
00:43
So we prowlugurati se from housekuća to housekuća
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Prikradamo se tako od kuće do kuće
00:45
looking for fliesmuhe captureduhvaćen in spiderpauk websweb-mjesta
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u potrazi za muhama zarobljenim u paučinama
00:49
and we setset them freebesplatno.
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i oslobađamo ih.
00:51
FourČetiri yearsgodina earlierranije, when I was one,
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Četiri godine ranije, kad sam imala jednu godinu,
00:53
after the ChernobylChernobyl accidentnesreća,
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nakon nesreće u Černobilu,
00:55
the rainkiša camedošao down blackcrno,
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spustila se crna kiša;
00:57
and my sister'ssestre hairdlaka fellpao out in clumpsrazredi,
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kosa moje sestre ispadala je u pramenovima,
00:59
and I spentpotrošen ninedevet monthsmjeseci in the hospitalbolnica.
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a ja sam devet mjeseci provela u bolnici.
01:02
There were no visitorsposjetitelji alloweddopušteno,
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Nije bilo dopuštenih posjeta,
01:03
so my mothermajka bribedpodmićen a hospitalbolnica workerradnik.
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pa je moja majka podmitila nekoga u bolnici,
01:07
She acquiredstečena a nurse'smedicinske sestre uniformuniforma,
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nabavila odjeću medicinske sestre,
01:10
and she snuckušuljao in everysvaki night to sitsjediti by my sidestrana.
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i svake se noći ušuljala kako bi bila pored mene.
01:15
FivePet yearsgodina laterkasnije, an unexpectedneočekivan silversrebro liningoblaganje.
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Pet godina kasnije,
neočekivano "svjetlo na kraju tunela"...
01:18
ThanksHvala to ChernobylChernobyl, we get asylumazil in the U.S.
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Zahvaljujući Černobilu, dobivamo azil u SAD-u.
01:22
I am sixšest yearsgodina oldstar, and I don't cryplakati when we leavenapustiti home
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Šest mi je godina i ne plačem dok napuštamo dom
01:26
and we come to AmericaAmerika,
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i dolazimo u Ameriku,
01:27
because I expectočekivati it to be a placemjesto filledispunjen with rarerijedak
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jer očekujem da će to biti mjesto prepuno rijetkih
01:31
and wonderfulpredivan things like bananasbanane and chocolatečokolada
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i predivnih stvari poput banana i čokolade,
01:35
and BazookaBazuka bubblemjehurić gumguma,
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i žvakaćih guma "Bazooka".
01:37
BazookaBazuka bubblemjehurić gumguma with the little cartooncrtani film wrappersomotači insideiznutra,
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Žvakaćih guma "Bazooka"
s malenim omotom u obliku stripa iznutra.
01:41
BazookaBazuka that we'dmi bismo get oncejednom a yeargodina in UkraineUkrajina
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Bazooka koje bismo u Ukrajini
dobivali jednom godišnje
01:45
and we'dmi bismo have to chewžvakati one piecekomad for an entirečitav weektjedan.
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i jedan smo komadić morali žvakati
po cijeli tjedan.
01:49
So the first day we get to NewNovi YorkYork,
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Prvog dana nakon dolaska u New York,
01:50
my grandmotherbaka and I find a pennypeni
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moja baka i ja pronalazimo jedan cent
01:53
in the floorkat of the homelessbez krova nad glavom sheltersklonište that my family'sobitelj stayingostanak in.
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na podu utočišta za beskućnike,
u kojemu je moja obitelj boravi.
01:56
Only, we don't know that it's a homelessbez krova nad glavom sheltersklonište.
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Jedino što ne znamo da je to utočište za beskućnike;
01:58
We think that it's a hotelhotel, a hotelhotel with lots of ratsštakori.
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mi mislimo da je to hotel, hotel s mnogo štakora.
02:01
So we find this pennypeni kindljubazan of fossilizedfosilizirani in the floorkat,
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I tako, pronalazimo taj cent,
nekako fosiliziran u podu,
02:06
and we think that a very wealthybogat man mustmora have left it there
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i mislimo da ga je sigurno neki
vrlo bogati čovjek ostavio ondje,
02:09
because regularredovan people don't just loseizgubiti moneynovac.
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jer obični ljudi ne gube novac samo tako.
02:11
And I holddržati this pennypeni in the palmdlan of my handruka,
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I držim taj cent na dlanu -
02:14
and it's stickyljepljiv and rustyzapušten,
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ljepljiv je i zahrđao -
02:16
but it feelsosjeća like I'm holdingdržanje a fortunebogatstvo.
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ali čini se kao da držim bogatstvo.
02:19
I decideodlučiti that I'm going to get my very ownvlastiti piecekomad
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Odlučujem nabaviti jedan, samo moj, primjerak
02:21
of BazookaBazuka bubblemjehurić gumguma.
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žvakaće gume Bazooka.
02:23
And in that momenttrenutak, I feel like a millionairemilijunaš.
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I u tom trenutku, osjećam se k'o milijunašica.
02:27
About a yeargodina laterkasnije, I get to feel that way again
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Oko godinu dana kasnije,
ponovno se imam priliku tako osjećati
02:29
when we find a bagtorba fullpuni of stuffedpunjeni animalsživotinje in the trashsmeće,
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kad u smeću nalazimo vreću punu plišanih životinja,
02:32
and suddenlyiznenada I have more toysigračke
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i odjednom imam više igračaka
02:34
than I've ever had in my wholečitav life.
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nego ikada u životu.
02:37
And again, I get that feelingosjećaj when we get a knockkucati
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I ponovno, taj osjećaj mi se vraća
kad nam netko pokuca
02:39
on the doorvrata of our apartmentapartman in BrooklynBrooklyn,
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na vrata našeg stana u Brooklynu,
02:41
and my sistersestra and I find a deliverymandostavljač
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a moja sestra i ja ugledamo dostavljača
02:44
with a boxkutija of pizzapizza that we didn't ordernarudžba.
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s kutijom pizze koju nismo naručile.
02:46
So we take the pizzapizza, our very first pizzapizza,
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I tako, uzmemo mi tu pizzu, našu prvu pizzu,
02:49
and we devourproždiru slicekriška after slicekriška
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i gutamo komad za komadom
02:52
as the deliverymandostavljač standsstoji there and stareszuri at us from the doorwayvrata.
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dok poštar stoji ondje i gleda nas s vrata.
02:56
And he tellsgovori us to payplatiti, but we don't speakgovoriti Englishengleski.
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Kaže nam da platimo, ali mi ne govorimo engleski.
02:59
My mothermajka comesdolazi out, and he askspita her for moneynovac,
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Moja majka izlazi, i on je zatraži novac,
03:01
but she doesn't have enoughdovoljno.
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ali ona ga nema dovoljno.
03:02
She walksšetnje 50 blocksblokovi to and from work everysvaki day
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U to doba, ona svakoga dana
prepješači 50 blokova na posao i s posla
03:06
just to avoidIzbjegavajte spendingtrošenje moneynovac on busautobus farecijena karte.
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samo kako bi izbjegla plaćanje autobusne karte.
03:08
Then our neighborsusjed popsStari her headglava in,
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Tad naša susjeda proviri u stan
03:10
and she turnsokreti redcrvena with ragebijes when she realizesshvaća
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i zajapuri se kad shvati
03:13
that those immigrantsimigranata from downstairsdole
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da su se useljenici s donjega kata
03:15
have somehownekako gottendobivši theirnjihov handsruke on her pizzapizza.
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dočepali nekako njene pizze.
03:19
Everyone'sSvi su upsetuzrujan.
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Svi su uzrujani.
03:21
But the pizzapizza is deliciousukusna.
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Ali, pizza je ukusna...
03:25
It doesn't hithit me untildo yearsgodina laterkasnije just how little we had.
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Godinama mi nije padalo na pamet
koliko smo malo imali.
03:31
On our 10 yeargodina anniversarygodišnjica of beingbiće in the U.S.,
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Desetu godišnjicu našeg boravka u SAD-u
03:33
we decidedodlučio to celebrateslaviti by reservingrezerviranja a roomsoba
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odlučili smo proslaviti rezerviravši sobu
03:35
at the hotelhotel that we first stayedostao in when we got to the U.S.
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u hotelu u kojemu smo odsjeli
kad smo stigli u SAD.
03:38
The man at the frontispred deskstol laughssmijeh, and he sayskaže,
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Čovjek na recepciji se nasmije i reče:
03:40
"You can't reserverezerva a roomsoba here. This is a homelessbez krova nad glavom sheltersklonište."
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"Ne možete ovdje rezervirati sobu.
Ovo je utočište za beskućnike."
03:43
And we were shockedšokiran.
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Bili smo šokirani...
03:45
My husbandsuprug BrianBrian was alsotakođer homelessbez krova nad glavom as a kiddijete.
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Moj muž Brian je, također, u djetinjstvu bio beskućnik.
03:49
His familyobitelj lostizgubljen everything, and at agedob 11,
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Njegova je obitelj izgubila sve,
i u jedanaestoj godini
03:52
he had to liveživjeti in motelsmoteli with his dadtata,
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morao je živjeti s ocem u motelima,
03:55
motelsmoteli that would roundkrug up all of theirnjihov foodhrana
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u motelima koji bi skupili svu njihovu hranu
03:58
and keep it hostagetalac untildo they were ableu stanju to payplatiti the billračun.
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i držali je kao zalog dok ovi ne bi bili
u stanju platiti račun.
04:02
And one time, when he finallykonačno got his boxkutija
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U jednom trenutku, kad su mu napokon vratili
04:04
of FrostedMatirano FlakesPahuljice back, it was crawlingpuzeći with roachesžohari.
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njegovu kutiju pahuljica, bila je puna žohara.
04:08
But he did have one thing.
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Ali, jednu je stvar imao...
04:10
He had this shoeboxza cipele that he carriedprenosi with him everywheresvugdje, posvuda
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Imao je tu kutiju cipela koju je svuda nosio sa sobom,
04:12
containingkoji sadrži ninedevet comicstrip booksknjige,
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u kojoj je bilo devet stripova:
04:15
two G.I. JoesJoes paintedobojen to look like Spider-ManČovjek pauk
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dva G. I. Joea obojana da izgledaju kao Spider-Man,
04:18
and fivepet GobotsGoBots. And this was his treasureblago.
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i pet Gobota. I to je bilo njegovo blago.
04:21
This was his ownvlastiti assemblyskupština of heroesheroji
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To je bio njegov vlastiti skup junaka
04:24
that keptčuva him from drugslijekovi and gangsbande
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koji su ga čuvali od droge i od bandi
04:26
and from givingdavanje up on his dreamssnovi.
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i od odustajanja od vlastitih snova.
04:29
I'm going to tell you about one more
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Ispričat ću vam o još jednom
04:30
formerlyranije homelessbez krova nad glavom memberčlan of our familyobitelj.
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članu naše obitelji, nekadašnjem beskućniku.
04:33
This is ScarlettScarlett.
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Ovo je Scarlett.
04:34
OnceJednom uponna a time, ScarletGrimizna was used as baitmamac in dogpas fightsborbe.
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Jednom davno, Scarlett su upotrebljavali
kao mamac u borbama pasa.
04:37
She was tiedvezan up and thrownbačen into the ringprsten
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Bila je svezana i bačena u ring
04:40
for other dogspsi to attacknapad so they'doni bi get more aggressiveagresivan before the fightborba.
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da bi je ostali psi napali i postali
što agresivniji prije borbe.
04:44
And now, these daysdana, she eatsjede organicorganski foodhrana
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Danas, ona jede organsku hranu
04:48
and she sleepsspava on an orthopedicortopedski bedkrevet with her nameime on it,
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i spava na ortopedskom krevetu,
sa svojim imenom na njemu, ali...
04:51
but when we poursipati watervoda for her in her bowlzdjela,
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Ali... dok joj ulijevamo vodu u njenu posudu,
04:55
she still looksizgled up and she wagsmašu her tailrep in gratitudezahvalnost.
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još uvijek podiže pogled i zahvalno maše repom.
04:59
SometimesPonekad BrianBrian and I walkhodati throughkroz the parkpark with ScarlettScarlett,
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Ponekad Brian i ja šetamo parkom sa Scarlett,
05:02
and she rollspecivo throughkroz the grasstrava,
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i ona se valja po travi,
05:05
and we just look at her
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a mi je samo gledamo...
05:07
and then we look at eachsvaki other
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I onda pogledamo jedno drugo
05:09
and we feel gratitudezahvalnost.
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i osjećamo zahvalnost.
05:13
We forgetzaboraviti about all of our newnovi middle-classsrednje klase frustrationsfrustracije
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Zaboravimo na sve naše nove frustracije
05:17
and disappointmentsrazočaranja,
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i razočaranja, tipična za srednji sloj,
05:18
and we feel like millionairesmilijunaši.
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i osjećamo se poput milijunaša.
05:21
Thank you.
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Hvala vam.
05:22
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
Translated by Martina Movrić
Reviewed by Mladen Barešić

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tania Luna - Surprisologist
Tania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences.

Why you should listen

Tania Luna has an unusual title: she calls herself a “surprisologist.” The co-founder and CEO of Surprise Industries, Luna thinks deeply about how to delight, and how to help individuals and teams thrive in uncertain circumstances and develop the bonds needed to get through them.

When Luna was invited to take part in TED’s Worldwide Talent Search in 2012, she expected to give a talk about surprise and the importance of not being attached to outcomes. However, she was inspired to tell a more personal story -- one many of her closest friends didn’t know -- about her Ukrainian family getting asylum in the United States when she was 6-yeard-old and arriving in New York with virtually nothing. She sees her work as connected to her upbringing -- in which a piece of Bazooka bubble gum, a thrown-out toy or a mis-delivered pizza was magical -- because it gave her an appreciation for the joy of little surprises. 

More profile about the speaker
Tania Luna | Speaker | TED.com