poxes come in all different shapes and
sizes they’re great for moving
organizing and storing harmless right
are you scared of the box how about you
maybe you know but there are boxes that
can hold us hostage make us feel
hopeless and even stifle our dreams I’m
not good enough I am not the perfect
mother I am not in an acceptable
relationship in a good ol fashion the
only way to make a living is by working
hard box these are the emotional boxes
that we a society we put each other into
for even worse put ourselves into these
emotional constraints they do not know
social or economical status there is no
discrimination against age race gender
or religion
but boxes boxes can also hold gifts if
we’re willing to take the risk and open
them up often as humans we don’t like to
do things that we perceive as risky most
of the time we don’t like to expose
ourselves to things that feel unfamiliar
the possibility of failure or things
that might be scary when we are called
to live authentically we are frightened
by just the thought of taking risk and
every day we take multiple risks without
even hesitating when you make a purchase
when you take a prescription heck even
when we get in our cars we are taking
risks can’t we do it without even
hesitating therefore could it be our
perspective of risks that we should
examine is it possible that not taking
risk is riskier than taking risk why do
we label risk with bed scary outcomes
could it be that risk is just an
opportunity to get us from where we
currently are to a new possibility what
if we could embrace risk
for example the hermit crab there comes
a time when it has outgrown its shell
parts of it may even be exposed to
predators the hermit crab instinctively
knows that I must find a new shell and
when it musters up the courage to step
outside of the old shell and take on the
new shell
that’s when its most exposed yet the
fear of being exposed to ring the
transition isn’t greater than the hermit
crabs desire to grow see for the crab
this is just a natural process of life
there is no judgment on whether the risk
is good or bad just that it is necessary
in order to continue to grow what if we
could think of risk like hermit crabs –
would you be willing to take a risk more
open often and open the gifts that life
is presenting us see like the hermit
crab we use our boxes like a shell for
protection some of us may even stay in
our boxes when we’ve outgrown them and
rather than exposing ourselves to the
risk of being vulnerable because it
offers us a false sense of security it’s
better to stay in this relationship
that’s going nowhere
at least I’m not lonely it’s better to
stay at this one fulfilling job at least
it pays my bills it’s better to fill in
your blank
in the meantime as we stay in our boxes
that we’ve outgrown what we may not
realize is that we leave ourselves prone
to stress depression sickness weight
gain the list goes on and on what we may
not realize is by not taking risk we are
still taking risk we risk our health and
our emotional well-being in order not to
feel uncomfortable unfamiliar more
vulnerable we often pay the ultimate
price
self-sacrifice I’d like to share a story
with you about a woman we’ll call CJ now
CJ she was not afraid of taking risk
she changed jobs a lot and she tried a
variety of things CJ has always had a
deep knowing that life wasn’t meant to
look the way most of us live it working
for the weekend in her community she was
often viewed as indecisive oh and a
little flaky but this was not the case
at all CJ was being called to want more
and that desire to answer the call was
creator than being placed in a box CD
loved to ride motorcycles
she parachuted from the back of both
she’s at blind a hundred and twenty feet
above water in 2014 one of CJ’s ventures
to Kern our teenage son 2,000 miles
across the country to pursue a lifelong
dream can you imagine coming up all your
possessions your family and your friends
to start new
for some people that’s way too risky
after just a few weeks she realized that
her son was not going to stay with her
and he was going back to be with his dad
and friends and in that moment she
realized that the desire to be with her
son was creator than chasing the dream
CJ moved back just six short weeks later
after returning she went from homeless
jobless and broke to a homeowner within
a year because she had finally landed
what her parents would consider a
respectable job because it offered the
security of a steady paycheck she was
loving her new job she was very
comfortable as she justified her new box
by telling people at least it still
aligns with my higher mission of helping
people take better care of themselves
while I get to create community she was
loving work and got very comfortable
with the steady income after eight
months the company changed directions
and took on a new path they no longer
agreed with her in her heart she knew
she should leave yet CJ’s fear of losing
her new home and her steady income was
greater so she stayed in the box over
the next five months she experienced a
rapid decline in her health and gained
weight quickly intuitively she knew she
should leave yet that fear whoo-hooo
that fear was still bait grater she did
not want to lose her home so she
stayed she was just two points two
points away from eating a blood
transfusion her iron in vitamin D levels
were dangerously low and on top of that
she was dealing with hormone and thyroid
issues she jumped from specialist to
specialist in desperation to find a
solution
every doctor was in awe of how she was
managing at such a low level as she
dragged herself around from office visit
to office visit
most days after coming home from work CJ
could barely walk nevertheless prepare
dinner for her family there was days
that the pain was so bad the mere weight
of her clothes on her body hurt she felt
like she was dying she was at the mercy
of her own fears she gave the best part
of her day and herself to a job that no
longer aligned with her until one day
one day CJ was called into the office
she was let go now the box was gone and
not in a way that CJ would have ever
chosen for herself
now not only was she exposed but she
didn’t have her health thinking it
difficult to take the necessary risk to
move to the next box
CJ’s full name does Claudia Jean I am CJ
yes that woman was me how did I get so
lost when did I become so comfortable
and where did my sense of adventure go
in retrospect I’ve realized a few things
I realized that had I been willing to
take the risk of being my true authentic
self at the time that I recognized the
job no longer agreed with me maybe I
still wouldn’t be on the roads recovery
today
I also learned to embrace the risk of
change can you remember the last time
you were excited about change okay okay
I’ll help you do you remember the first
time you rode a bike
alright do you remember being really
scared it’s super excited do you
remember having a sense of freedom I’m
sure there’s other times in your life
that you felt that same sense of
excitement and adventure see risk risk
is just the willingness to try something
new
oh but my biggest takeaway my biggest
takeaway was that not taking risk is the
biggest risk of all see losing my job
was truly a gift they gave me what I
couldn’t give myself I now welcome
adventure and excitement back into my
life
no matter what the circumstances are I
live with passion
and that brings me joy and when we live
with joy we have more peace in our world
but see risk does something even more
wonderful risk is like the gift that
keeps on giving
it’s like when you throw a pebble into
the water and it creates a ripple effect
see when we take risk and live
authentically
we give other people the permission to
do the same well if she can do it I can
certainly do it the more people that we
have living from joy the more peace we
create in our world I don’t know about
you but what I believe our world can use
a few more people living from joy
like the hermit crab when we stay in our
boxes that we’ve outgrown we too become
vulnerable and that is risky but that
type of risk is riskier than we were
when we really risk being vulnerable in
our own terms
yes risk is scary but there are
different types of risk there is a risk
of living a life that is on a fulfilling
uninspired yet safe or the risk of
living in alignment with who you truly
are and living authentically let me ask
you are you ready are you willing to be
the crab
good cuz then the next time life hands
you a box take the risk open it up
receive the gift you’re authentic joyful
life is waiting
sizes they’re great for moving
organizing and storing harmless right
are you scared of the box how about you
maybe you know but there are boxes that
can hold us hostage make us feel
hopeless and even stifle our dreams I’m
not good enough I am not the perfect
mother I am not in an acceptable
relationship in a good ol fashion the
only way to make a living is by working
hard box these are the emotional boxes
that we a society we put each other into
for even worse put ourselves into these
emotional constraints they do not know
social or economical status there is no
discrimination against age race gender
or religion
but boxes boxes can also hold gifts if
we’re willing to take the risk and open
them up often as humans we don’t like to
do things that we perceive as risky most
of the time we don’t like to expose
ourselves to things that feel unfamiliar
the possibility of failure or things
that might be scary when we are called
to live authentically we are frightened
by just the thought of taking risk and
every day we take multiple risks without
even hesitating when you make a purchase
when you take a prescription heck even
when we get in our cars we are taking
risks can’t we do it without even
hesitating therefore could it be our
perspective of risks that we should
examine is it possible that not taking
risk is riskier than taking risk why do
we label risk with bed scary outcomes
could it be that risk is just an
opportunity to get us from where we
currently are to a new possibility what
if we could embrace risk
for example the hermit crab there comes
a time when it has outgrown its shell
parts of it may even be exposed to
predators the hermit crab instinctively
knows that I must find a new shell and
when it musters up the courage to step
outside of the old shell and take on the
new shell
that’s when its most exposed yet the
fear of being exposed to ring the
transition isn’t greater than the hermit
crabs desire to grow see for the crab
this is just a natural process of life
there is no judgment on whether the risk
is good or bad just that it is necessary
in order to continue to grow what if we
could think of risk like hermit crabs –
would you be willing to take a risk more
open often and open the gifts that life
is presenting us see like the hermit
crab we use our boxes like a shell for
protection some of us may even stay in
our boxes when we’ve outgrown them and
rather than exposing ourselves to the
risk of being vulnerable because it
offers us a false sense of security it’s
better to stay in this relationship
that’s going nowhere
at least I’m not lonely it’s better to
stay at this one fulfilling job at least
it pays my bills it’s better to fill in
your blank
in the meantime as we stay in our boxes
that we’ve outgrown what we may not
realize is that we leave ourselves prone
to stress depression sickness weight
gain the list goes on and on what we may
not realize is by not taking risk we are
still taking risk we risk our health and
our emotional well-being in order not to
feel uncomfortable unfamiliar more
vulnerable we often pay the ultimate
price
self-sacrifice I’d like to share a story
with you about a woman we’ll call CJ now
CJ she was not afraid of taking risk
she changed jobs a lot and she tried a
variety of things CJ has always had a
deep knowing that life wasn’t meant to
look the way most of us live it working
for the weekend in her community she was
often viewed as indecisive oh and a
little flaky but this was not the case
at all CJ was being called to want more
and that desire to answer the call was
creator than being placed in a box CD
loved to ride motorcycles
she parachuted from the back of both
she’s at blind a hundred and twenty feet
above water in 2014 one of CJ’s ventures
to Kern our teenage son 2,000 miles
across the country to pursue a lifelong
dream can you imagine coming up all your
possessions your family and your friends
to start new
for some people that’s way too risky
after just a few weeks she realized that
her son was not going to stay with her
and he was going back to be with his dad
and friends and in that moment she
realized that the desire to be with her
son was creator than chasing the dream
CJ moved back just six short weeks later
after returning she went from homeless
jobless and broke to a homeowner within
a year because she had finally landed
what her parents would consider a
respectable job because it offered the
security of a steady paycheck she was
loving her new job she was very
comfortable as she justified her new box
by telling people at least it still
aligns with my higher mission of helping
people take better care of themselves
while I get to create community she was
loving work and got very comfortable
with the steady income after eight
months the company changed directions
and took on a new path they no longer
agreed with her in her heart she knew
she should leave yet CJ’s fear of losing
her new home and her steady income was
greater so she stayed in the box over
the next five months she experienced a
rapid decline in her health and gained
weight quickly intuitively she knew she
should leave yet that fear whoo-hooo
that fear was still bait grater she did
not want to lose her home so she
stayed she was just two points two
points away from eating a blood
transfusion her iron in vitamin D levels
were dangerously low and on top of that
she was dealing with hormone and thyroid
issues she jumped from specialist to
specialist in desperation to find a
solution
every doctor was in awe of how she was
managing at such a low level as she
dragged herself around from office visit
to office visit
most days after coming home from work CJ
could barely walk nevertheless prepare
dinner for her family there was days
that the pain was so bad the mere weight
of her clothes on her body hurt she felt
like she was dying she was at the mercy
of her own fears she gave the best part
of her day and herself to a job that no
longer aligned with her until one day
one day CJ was called into the office
she was let go now the box was gone and
not in a way that CJ would have ever
chosen for herself
now not only was she exposed but she
didn’t have her health thinking it
difficult to take the necessary risk to
move to the next box
CJ’s full name does Claudia Jean I am CJ
yes that woman was me how did I get so
lost when did I become so comfortable
and where did my sense of adventure go
in retrospect I’ve realized a few things
I realized that had I been willing to
take the risk of being my true authentic
self at the time that I recognized the
job no longer agreed with me maybe I
still wouldn’t be on the roads recovery
today
I also learned to embrace the risk of
change can you remember the last time
you were excited about change okay okay
I’ll help you do you remember the first
time you rode a bike
alright do you remember being really
scared it’s super excited do you
remember having a sense of freedom I’m
sure there’s other times in your life
that you felt that same sense of
excitement and adventure see risk risk
is just the willingness to try something
new
oh but my biggest takeaway my biggest
takeaway was that not taking risk is the
biggest risk of all see losing my job
was truly a gift they gave me what I
couldn’t give myself I now welcome
adventure and excitement back into my
life
no matter what the circumstances are I
live with passion
and that brings me joy and when we live
with joy we have more peace in our world
but see risk does something even more
wonderful risk is like the gift that
keeps on giving
it’s like when you throw a pebble into
the water and it creates a ripple effect
see when we take risk and live
authentically
we give other people the permission to
do the same well if she can do it I can
certainly do it the more people that we
have living from joy the more peace we
create in our world I don’t know about
you but what I believe our world can use
a few more people living from joy
like the hermit crab when we stay in our
boxes that we’ve outgrown we too become
vulnerable and that is risky but that
type of risk is riskier than we were
when we really risk being vulnerable in
our own terms
yes risk is scary but there are
different types of risk there is a risk
of living a life that is on a fulfilling
uninspired yet safe or the risk of
living in alignment with who you truly
are and living authentically let me ask
you are you ready are you willing to be
the crab
good cuz then the next time life hands
you a box take the risk open it up
receive the gift you’re authentic joyful
life is waiting
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