I’m Thankful For The Same Thing Every Year: You

Hello and happy Thanksgiving from Riskology HQ here in Portland, OR!

The wife is downstairs prepping for family to arrive and the big meal we’ll all share later today before giving into a food coma and falling asleep on the couch with a dog and a football game. And maybe an extra piece of pie nearby if we wake up and find some extra space in the stomach. I’ve been told to report for duty, so we’ll keep this one short!

The holidays used to be a stressful time for me. I was unhealthy and overweight. Before I started eating better and exercising regularly, I’d worry about the extra load of rich food and sweets that would bombard me the last month of the year.

But since I started cleaning up my diet and running three times a week over five years ago, the holidays come and go with little stress. I eat and drink whatever I want because I’ve built the habit of self-restraint throughout the rest of the year. And that practice has led me to eat less and smarter by choice through the holidays as well.

I don’t count calories anymore. Instead, I count my blessings and heap another pile of potatoes on my plate knowing when the family leaves, it’s back to normal.

But how did this happen? How did I get to this point? The truth is, I did it with all of you. I set smart goals and habits for myself and used all of you as my accountability partners.

Image courtesy of Flickr
Image courtesy of Flickr

That’s right, you are responsible for the habits I’ve created for myself. For that, I am truly grateful. Without a community of smart Riskologists to hold me to the things I say are important to me, I would continue to struggle to make progress in my life.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Dang, I wish I had a whole community of people to help kick my butt in gear” (or some variation of that), I’d answer that now, with the new Riskology Lab, you do.

If you want to try on some new, healthy habits for yourself, we’re kicking off a few together on December 1 via 30-day habit challenges. Check them out here:

  1. 30 Days Of Gratitude
  2. Develop A New Business Skill
  3. Meditate 15 Minutes Every Day (led by Erin Waterman)

Want to do something else? Feel free to start your own 30-day challenge and invite others to join you.

I’m so grateful for the community we’ve built here. You all have shaped and changed me as a person over the years. I will never be able to thank you enough. With the launch of The Riskology Lab and our habit challenges, I hope that, soon, you’ll be able to say the same.

Wherever you may be in the world today—and whether or not you celebrate the holiday—I hope you’ll find something to be grateful for. You shouldn’t have to search too hard.

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P.S. With the exception of an annual report late in December, this will be my last post for 2014. I’ll be using the month of December to plan and execute a few other big projects I’m preparing for you. More on that in January! Of course, I’ll still be hanging around in The Lab, so stop by and say hi.