Danger is an innate part of any backcountry endeavor. I am often asked, "Is it worth the risk? Are you scared? Isn't it too dangerous?" To those who ask that, I like to answer their question with a different question that I came across that really impacted me:

Is danger the acknowledgment of risk or the illusion of safety?

Danger is constantly around us, no matter how "safe" we think we are. Every decision we make is fraught with risk and uncertainty. So what do we do?

Push harder! Challenge yourself! Being safe keeps you in the same place - stepping into risk brings progress.

 Happy Tuesday! 
  

We have 18 more days left until the New Year is upon us. It's that time of year to start thinking about all the changes we want to make in our lives. New Year’s is a time to reflect and assess where we are and look forward to the New Year to come. Below are some tips from Psychology professor John Norcross, Author of Changeology to help you follow through on your resolutions.

1)   Make changes to your behavior. Changing your routine can bring different results. Instead of trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome, people need to modify their behaviors. 
  
2)   Define SMART goals. When setting targets, use the SMART acronym: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-specific. Norcross says that individuals must go further than simply saying, "I want to lose weight." "Specifically, what are you going to do so that you can measure and track [your weight] over time, for say, the next three to four months?". 
  
3)   Track your progress. Norcross calls this technique self-monitoring. A calendar, or a calendar app, is a handy tool you can use to track your goals. 
  
4)   Reward small achievements. When you reach a portion of your goal, recognize the accomplishment and perhaps do something nice for yourself. This will help keep you focused and excited about the overall goal. 
  
5)  Make it public. When individuals announce their goals on social media, to their families or in the workplace, they are being held accountable by those closest to them. 
  
6)   You are human. Chances are you may slip up once or twice during this process. It's OK. Norcross says it is important to deal with failures by getting back on track and continuing along your journey. Seventy percent of successful goal-setters said that their first slip actually strengthened their resolutions. Norcross says to adopt the outlook, "I'm human. Let me learn from it, and let me keep going." 
  

As most of you who follow us on social have probably seen, we're in the midst of our #12DaysOfGiveaways on social media, where we give away a different product every day for 12 days. In order to win, our followers answer a question and the best answer is the winner for that day.

It's been really fun for me to read through all the comments every morning from the giveaway entrants the day before. So far, we've asked questions like:

-What's your favorite childhood holiday memory?

-What's your favorite Christmas Eve tradition?

-What's your most dreaded holiday family tradition? 

As you can imagine, there are some really good responses. The responses to the Day 1 question, in particular, really struck a cord with me. We asked people to tell us about their favorite childhood holiday memory and of the roughly 90 responses we got, there were a handful who talked about a favorite or unexpected gift, but by and large, most of the answers centered around family and shared experiences.

I don't want to sound too cheesy or cliche, but in the midst of the holiday season where the financial and gift-giving stress is at an all-time high, the research shows (yes, our giveaway questions qualify as research) that the lasting memory people will have years from now isn't the gift they got, but the experiences and the memories shared with loved ones. I love giving gifts, so that part will always be enjoyable to me, but at the end of the day, the most important part are the memories made. Just something to remember as we get closer to Christmas. Hope you all had a great weekend - let's make this week a good one!