December 24, 2011
Ben Greenfield jumps off a cliff.
Think about the very best Christmas gift you can give yourself this year.
Is it a luxury car wrapped in shiny, red bow?
An expensive vacation to a luxury resort?
A membership to a shiny, new health club?
Allow me to put a dangerous thought into your head…
…perhaps the best Christmas gift you can give yourself is risk.
Risk to change.
As you sit here reading, silently ask yourself: what can I risk changing today?
Can you risk changing the way your body looks?
Risk changing the way your pantry and refrigerator look?
Risk changing your day-to-day, tried-and-true, safe and comfortable workout routine?
Sure, it's an uncomfortable thought, but you may be surprised at how good the rewards feels compared to how much the risk hurt.
Here, I'll help. This is hard for me, but I'm going to start. The only thing I ask is that you chime in with your comments under this post. Deal?
This Christmas, I am risking changing my relationships with my family. I don't have a good relationship with my father. Or my big brother. Or my little sister.
But this Christmas, 8 hours from now, I am risking mending those relationships. It will be hard. There will be tears. But the risk may be worth the reward.
Your turn. What will you risk this Christmas?
Ben, I used this gift to finally bike a steep hill that has terrified me in the past, then risked going back to the gym, in the evening which I never do and then took an open water swim clinic. Next week, I'm risking an actual complete week on clean eating. Thanks for the gift, think I will use it more than any other present.
Thanks for the article. This keeps me informed about the topic.
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Thank you for writing this, Ben.
I am recuperating from a neck surgery with multiple sets of complications and as I am slowly healing I am going to create a mind that views pain differently. I am no longer going to allow pain to limit me!
Best of luck with all your risks Ben. I am risking putting all my old eating disordered thoughts behind me nad embracing what life is truly meant to be about
That's right, Chuck! See you at Wildflower again this year?
Eh, not likely- that course wasn't too friendly to me! You'll have to let me know when you get your schedule together and we'll see if we cross paths again!
I am right there with you Chuck! I can completely sympathize. As one who has been trapped in eating disordered thoughts myself for way to long, I understand how much ED traps us and prevents us from enjoying life to the fullest.
Then I fully support you and let’s get through this together! Please reach out if you want to chat!
I will risk considering getting a job in another continent. Until today's Christmas lunch I was not even thinking about it …..
Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise…I can't encourage everyone to do this more! It's what life is about and you will never regret your efforts! What we all forget is that sometimes we cannot repair a broken bridge with family, friends or those who we have indifferences with, but instead you have to
build a new one to achieve your goal…
My risk at Christmas and the New Year? To share with everyone that I'm going to go and make myself HAPPY, I going to live my dream! That it's "finally" my turn!
It *is* your turn, Slice. There's no bigger opportunity than now. LIVE.
I am going to tell the wife today that I bought a house
Go Mac!
Well getting the family such as it is just the wife and I living in the same town, so I can stop the ping pong life, guess that I took RISK last October when I took this double promotion, once the whole move is completed then I can finally take the reward like a more consistent training routine , as consistent a 12 hour shift worker can have.
Ben you will never regret making the effort no matter what happens.
I am risking changing my body…except instead of trying to lose weight, which would be extremely unhealthy and dangerous since I am already too thin, I am trying to gain weight and finally be comfortable and happy with that change.
Just remember Chris – don't think of it as trying. Think of it as doing.