Willful Ignorance

The other morning I was procrastinating about working out. I decided to peruse the news headlines at Yahoo when a story caught my eye about a reporter who got quite a surprise when he went to complete an interview. After watching the video I immediately started my exercise routine. Here's why:

Bill Weir, a reporter for the late night news program, Nightline, was asked to do an interview with Dr. David Agus, author of the new book, The End of Illness. His focus is how we can stop deadly diseases through smarter living. As part of the interview, Weir agreed to have a full CT Scan completed to determine his current level of health. Bill Weir looks physically fit, is very active and would seem to pass with flying colors....

I'll probably oversimplify things too much, but in short, Weir was found to have some lesions in his main artery to his heart and some other potential blockages. Dr. Agus' comment was "You know those people in seemingly great physical shape who go out on a normal run and just drop dead of a heart attack? You could very well have been one of those people." The good news was that with a change in diet and more closely monitoring his health, Weir can live a long, healthy life.

What shook me and caused me to get moving toward the treadmill was Weir's response. He said, "The first thing I thought of was my daughter and how this could have happened so quickly. I was living in a state of willful ignorance. I came here to do a story and wound up having my life changed."

Willful ignorance. Willingly allowing yourself to NOT take steps to evaluate your physical, mental, emotional or even financial situation. As I talk about so much in Getting the Blue Ribbon, a failure to be intentional about our choices leads to results we really don't want.

What measures could you start taking today to be more informed about your health, finances or even job performance or relationships? Willful ignorance may have gotten you this far, but remember, that same attitude almost cost Bill Weir his life. Maybe ignorance isn't bliss after all.

"Unfinished Business"

If you had the chance to reduce your risk of premature death by 50% by doing one thing, would you do it? What's it worth to you to increase the chances of seeing many of your goals and dreams come to fruition? How important is it for you to be around and hear your children say, "You know what... you were right about so many things?" You're working so hard now... don't you want to be able to be around and enjoy the spoils of your labor... or are you content to be one of the "richest people in the graveyard" as my friend Todd Musig says.

The one thing, of course, is exercise-being active. Thirty minutes of aerobic level exercise 3-4 times per week. The cost (other than missing that amazing repeat of a tv show or tearing yourself away from FB for a few moments) are minimal and the benefits beyond just longer life are amazing. If you need an example, check out the benefits of my choice of exercise-running-by reading this article from Runner's World.

Sure, anything could happen. But improving your chances by 50%? I'll take those odds any day.