Choosing Brilliant Health by Rick Foster

Author:Rick Foster
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.

DEREK: PARALYZED BY LIFE

At thirty-two, Derek was a sports enthusiast who craved a good adrenaline rush. Like Zach, his love of vigorous outdoor activity was where he got his joy. On a picture-perfect day at the coastal cliffs just north of San Diego, Derek and his single-surface hang glider soared over sand and sea. But a wayward gust caught his wings, cartwheeled the hang glider, and slammed it against the jagged cliffs. The impact and fall left Derek a lifelong paraplegic.

“The happy man I knew went away that day,” mourned ex-wife, Christine. Unlike Zach, Derek has remained a bitter man for the last twenty years. Rather than acknowledging feelings and using them to direct his healing, the bitterness drove him to increasing misery and unaccountability with each passing year. He never lifted out of the lower brain and ended up continually reliving the initial pain and trauma as the victim. The accident became his excuse for giving up on life and for making unhealthy choices: overeating, driving up cholesterol levels, and drinking too much. Hanging onto anger was Derek’s downfall, rendering him increasingly psychologically and physically weak. Emotionally numb, he is now divorced and has barely maintained contact with his two sons.

If we analyze Zach and Derek, here’s what emerges: two men with close to the same physical condition, yet two extremely different quality-of-life outcomes. Being in their presence, you easily see it. Shrunken in the wheelchair, Derek’s belief that “the horrible event ruined my life,” has made the statement a self-fulfilling truth. But spend an afternoon with Zach, as we did, and you can’t help but feel energized and inspired by this vibrant, powerful man who has recast himself as incredibly accomplished, capable, and healthy. And he is.

The dynamic synergy between Brilliant Health’s first five practices is illustrated by Zach’s story. His intention to reclaim a happy life overrides his anger and fear. He’s highly accountable, staying away from victimhood as he forges through medical school with determination and discipline. Zach identifies his greatest passions and begins to envision himself thriving in Africa. His centrality of adventure and outdoor experience lead him to fulfillment in Ghana. And, by recasting, Zach puts himself in the physical and mental condition to live his dreams, in spite of the physical odds.

Sometimes, another of the Brilliant Health practices is a companion to successful Recasting. In the next story, it turns out to be Centrality.

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