Index
Abraham, story of, 146
absurd, belief in the, 60
acceptance
end of denial, 138
peer pressure, 78
accidents, amusement park, 16
accomplishments, repetition of great, 19
accountability
personal, 149
workforce behavior, 83
action, reflection, 42
activities, group dynamics, 134
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk (Bernstein), definition of risk, 171
aim, book, 7
alcoholics, denial, 137
Ali, Muhammad (Cassius Clay), acts of defiance, 152
alone, spending time, 45
altruism, heros, 100
amusement parks, roller coasters, 16, 111
Anderson, Walter, taking chances, 139
Andreotta, Glenn, Soldiers Medal, 151
antidote, to fear, 110
anxiety
desperation, 83
purposeful, 75
appearance, limiting scripts, 66
appraisal, performance, 83
approaches, risk, 11
Apter, Michael, The Dangerous Edge, 112
assumptions, Universal Risk Taker, 29
Atlantic, Lindberg’s solo flight, 19
attention, need for, 139
attitude, survival, 144
authenticity
integrity, 174
life, 182
personal, 176
author, about, 191
authority, defiance of, 147
avoidance, personal growth, 117
award, Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, 36
awards
Boy Scouts Honor Medal, 97
Soldier’s Medal, 151
U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, 124
awareness
fear, 104
silence, 41
Awareness (de Mello), self-knowledge, 47
balance, fear, 108
Baldwin, James, on change, 138
bankruptcy, personal, 16
Baring, Francis, 84
Barings Bank, staffing mistake that led to bankruptcy, 84
Basco, Monica Ramirez, Never Good Enough, 132
Battle of Guadalcanal, World War II bravery, 124
beauty, limiting scripts, 66
behavior
barometers, 15
deviating from the expected, 65
executive vs. employee, 162
inhibiting change, 66
obedience to authority, 148
risk avoidance, 1
Bernstein, Peter L., Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, 171
Bible, obedience, 146
blasphemy, ideas, 152
boredom, paradox, 17
boundaries
discipline, 45
setting, 70
191
Boy Scouts, Honor Medal recipients, 97
bravery, U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, 124
breathing, composure, 119
British Medical Journal, thalidomide use, 35
Buckaroo Banzais, dot-com “space”, 79
Buch, Paul, U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, 125
bulldozer, vs. pavement, 2
cages, tigers, 112
calling, following your, 180
Campbell, Joseph
finding your muse, 172
leaps of faith, 182
capability, courage, 118
Captain Inferno, 5
Carpenter, Jake Burton, snowboarding, 77
Catmull, Ed (Pixar Animation), inspiring innovation, 77
cave dwellings, paintings, 30
challenge, meeting unexpected, 97
change
behavioral, 52
overcoming inertia, 51
re-scripting, 65
channels, feedback, 161
chaos, calming inner, 44
Chemie Gruenthal, FDA approval of thalidomide, 34
choices
courage, 3
deviating from expected behaviors, 65
habits that inhibit, 64
making, 180
prerogative, 34
regret, 21
Chouinard, Yvon, Patagonia, 174
Christ, Jesus, acts of courage, 153
Clay, Cassius (Muhammad Ali), acts of defiance, 152
Clinton, Bill, peer pressure, 78
coaching
instilling courage, 71
job responsibilities, 173
reaching goals, 56
Coburn, Lawrence, Soldiers Medal, 151
comedy, choreographed routines, 61
command
defying chain of, 151
obedience to chain of, 145
commitment, decisions, 129
complacency, success, 105
composure, breathing, 119
conditioning, skills to cope with the unexpected, 97
confidence
calm, 70
capability, 112
gaining, 69
lead-ups, 56
personal convictions, 94
conflict, interpersonal, 159
conformity
peer pressure, 78
personal authenticity, 177
confrontation
courage, 119
fearfulness vs. fearlessness, 161
reality assessment, 163
contender, achieving your potential, 57
control
comfort zones, 57
freak, 67
perfectionism, 133
convictions
courage of, 153
moral, 151
Cooper, Cynthia, WorldCom whistleblower, 123
Copernicus, acts of defiance, 152
courage, to be courageous, 105
cowardice
acts of, 118
courage, 116
crimes, obedience, 146
danger
excitement, 111
fear, 105
Dante, The Divine Comedy, Vol. I: Inferno, 176
Darwin, Charles, acts of defiance, 152
De Blanc, Jefferson, U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, 124
de Mello, Anthony
Awareness, 47
coping with emptiness, 45
death, acknowledging possibility of, 94
debriefing, group dynamics, 135
debt, credit card, 16
decisions
commitment, 129
giant leap, 180
defiance, courageous acts of, 152
deformities, thalidomide use and birth, 35
denial, alcoholics, 137
desperation, survival, 56
dialogue, group activities, 135
difficulty, degree of, 132
discipline, boundaries, 45
disclosure, personal, 158
disobedience, point of, 146, 149
dissatisfaction, purposeful anxiety, 75
dissidents, silencing, 124
distractions, modern lifestyles, 15
distrust, limiting scripts, 68
dive, first high, 23
diversity, nature, 174
dreams
buried, 179
pursuing your, 55
workaholism, 54
dynamics, group, 134
Earnhardt, Dale, NASCAR driver, 122
Edison, Thomas, failed experiments, 132
education, adventure-based, 144
effect
double or nothing, 85
Fall Hike, 125
mere exposure, 108
once bitten, 85
Eliot, T. S., creative endeavors, 92
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
capitulation to authority, 143
conformity, 177
courage, 115
personal integrity, 173
sacred vs. literary teachers, 36
emotions, volatility, 158
emptiness, coping with, 45
endorsements, product, 80
engagment, emotional, 166
Enron, accounting whistleblower, 123
Estrich, Susan, rape victim advocacy, 95
Everest, Ed Viesturs, 121
evolution, from one persona to another, 96
excitement, danger, 111
executives, behavioral latitude, 162
exercises
assessing your courage level, 126
exposing yourself, 167
Finding Your Golden Silence, 48
harnessing your fears, 113
overcoming inertia, 57
perfect imperfection, 141
personal tolerance, 101
pressure tolerance, 88
script creation, 73
trespassing continuously, 154
expectation, shifting from gain to loss, 81
experimentation, fearless, 64
exposure, personal, 155
failure
consequences, 18
mistakes, 132
fallibility, recognizing our own, 137
familiarity, fear, 108
family, relationships, 156
FBI, whistleblower on handling of 9/11 intelligence, 123
fear
consequences, 6
courage, 116
facing, 25, 27, 103
fearfulness, vs. fearlessness, 161
feedback
channels, 161
honest, 163
Ferguson, Marilyn, fear, 103
Foss, Joseph, World War II bravery, 124
frame, protective, 112
Franklin, Ben, laziness, 52
fright, excitement, 111
Fromm, Erich, reaching your potential, 173
fulfillment, seeking, 30
gain, as motivator, 79
Galileo, acts of defiance, 152
gambling, legalized, 16
Gandhi, Mahatma
acts of courage, 153
acts of defiance, 152
Resolution, 71
on silence, 40
genes, dopamine receptor, 29
Germany, average workweek, 17
giant leap
decisions, 9, 180
relishing the moment, 91
Giant Leap Consulting, motto, 6
God, perfection, 140
Golden Knights, U.S. Air Force, 19
gonorrhea, research, 100
Gordonstoun School, innovative curriculum, 144
Grateful Dead, “Ripple”, 172
Great Britain, average workweek, 17
greed
pressure systems, 82
temptation, 85
growth
avoidance, 117
honest feedback, 164
guilt, assuaging, 76
habits
breaking, 50
inhibiting choice, 64
Hahn, Kurt
Gordonstoun School, 144
Outward Bound, 145
Salem School and Adolph Hitler, 144
Haskins, Henry S., good behavior, 143
Heart of Gold (Young), 78
hell, Dante’s Inferno, 176
heros
altruism, 100
bravery of war, 124
nature or nurture, 98
Hillary, Edmund, climbing Mt. Everest, 19
Hitler, Adolph, political prisoners of, 144
HIV, reverse epidemic, 106
homogeneity, individuality, 174
honesty
personal, 139
personal exposure, 164
Horowitz, Vladamir, perfection, 130
Hunter, John, Treatise on the Venereal Disease, 100
Huxley, Thomas, rejecting authority, 143
identity
authenticity, 177
changing, 96
individuality, 174
integrity, 182
workaholism, 53
ignorance, vs. knowledge, 108
imperfection, perfect, 136
inadequacy, limiting scripts, 66
independence, personal, 178
indolence, vs. laziness, 50
information, filtering, 44
ING, purchase of Barings Bank, 87
initiatives, funding strategic, 82
injury, acknowledging possibility of, 94
innovation, inspiring confidence, 77
insincerity, limiting scripts, 68
instinct, survival, 93
integrity
identity, 182
personal, 173
International Labor Organization, average work weeks, 17
intimacy, relationships, 166
intimidation, Fall Hike Effect, 125
Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt, 122
investments, stocks, 15
“IT”, defined, 27
Japan, average workweek, 17
Jeffords, Jim, changing political parties, 96
Jewel, Don, reality assessment, 159
Joan of Arc, acts of courage, 153
Johnson, Samuel, breaking habits, 50
Kafka, Franz, inner silence, 46
kayaking, the “Grumpy” rapids, 109
Kelsey, Frances, thalidomide approval, 34
Kennedy, John F., 36
Kevadon, FDA approval, 34
Killjoy, perfectionism, 141
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
fear, 71
home of, 109
peer pressure, 74
Kinkel, Kip, Thurston High School mass murderer, 98
Kittinger, Joseph W., Jr., skydiving, 19
knowledge, vs. ignorance, 108
laws
human inertia, 51
treatment of rape victims, 95
laziness
vs. indolence, 50
vs. inertia, 52
lead-ups, building confidence, 56
leadership, counterbalancing, 106
leaps, giant, 9
Leeson, Nick, Rogue Trader: How I Brought Down Barings Bank and Shook the Financial World, 84
Lenz, Widukind, birth deformities and thalidomide use, 35
lessons, application to everyday life, 36
liberation, integrity, 182
life
compromised, 181
everyday risk, 20
quality, 7
lifestyles, distractions of modern, 15
limitations, restraint, 121
Lindberg, Charles, flight anniversary, 19
Linkage, Inc., performing job related work on vacations, 17
lion, the cowardly, 112
listening, inner voice, 120
Liteky, Charles, Medal of Honor/protestor, 124
loss, as motivator, 79
Madonna, reinventing herself, 65
Mallory, George, on climbing Mt. Everest, 26
Mandela, Nelson, acts of defiance, 152
mantras
personal, 69, 181
simple, 72
marketing, limited time offers, 80
Maslow, Abraham, personal integrity, 173
materialism, limiting scripts, 67
Matthew, Gospel of, 153
maturity, restraint, 120
May, Rollo, The Courage to Create, 42, 153
McCormack, Mary, 13
McDonald’s, TV commercial, 80
McGregor, Ewan, Rogue Trader, 87
medals. See awards
Milgram, Stanley, Obedience to Authority, 146
Miner, Josh, Outward Bound in America, 145
mistakes, perfectionists, 132
moments
quiet, 44
relishing success, 91
Moore, Thomas, Soul Mates, 155, 166
morale, organizational, 162
motion, paralysis, 54
motivation
internal, 76
risk-taking, 31
movement, inertia, 51
Mt. Everest, climbing, 19, 121
Muller, Robert, FBI handling of 9/11 intelligence, 123
Murrow, Edward R., interview with Dr. Jonas Salk, 100
My Lai, rescue of innocent victims, 151
myths, Universal Risk Taker, 29
Nader, Ralph, silencing dissidents, 124
name, recognition, 80
NASCAR, racers, 122
nature, diversity, 174
NCAA, public endorsements, 80
Never Good Enough (Basco), 132
“no”, saying, 120
Norgay, Tenzing, climbing Mt. Everest, 19
O Magazine (Winfrey), running Harpo, 43
obedience
Biblical stories of, 146
goal achievement, 145
Obedience to Authority (Milgram), 146
objectivity, gaining, 46
opinion
exposing your, 162
public, 74
organization, book, 8
outcome, potential, 79
Outside Magazine, adventure All Stars, 121
Outward Bound, innovative curriculum, 145
paintings, cave dwellings, 30
paralysis, motion, 54
Parks, Rosa, acts of defiance, 152
Pascal, Blaise, sitting quietly, 44
passion
hallmarks, 33
pursuing your, 54
Patagonia, diversity, 174
pavement, vs. bulldozer, 2
people, Whatever, 176
perfection, imperfect, 130
perfectionism, aspects of, 131
performance
ease of, 61
fear, 104
internal motivation, 76
management, 83
peer pressure, 78
personality, nature vs. nurture, 98
Pharisees, Christ’s admonition, 153
philosophy, “whatever”, 175
Picasso, Pablo, creative endeavors, 92
Pindar, personal integrity, 173
Plato, The Republic, 108
polio, finding a cure/prevention, 99
possible, vs. practical, 28
predisposition, genetic, 30
preparation
positive peer pressure, 79
visualization, 24
prerogative, hallmarks, 33
pressure
organizational, 82
risk, 39, 74
turn on your risk, 88
pretense, maintaining a, 174
Prince Phillip, Gordonstoun School, 144
Princess Diana, Baring heritage, 84
principle
hallmarks, 33
preparation for risk taking, 39
Prine, John, “Storm Windows”, 40
prisoners, political, 144
privacy, exposure., 167
progress, tresspassing continuously, 152
prosperity, effects of, 175
protests, war, 124
purpose, hallmarks, 33
questions
personal risk experience, 21
risk-discerning, 14
WIIDR (What If I Don’t Risk?), 55
quilts, perfection, 140
racers, NASCAR automobile, 122
rape, victim advocacy, 95
rapids, kayaking the “Grumpy”, 109
ratios, initiative to enormity of task, 51
re-scripting, difficulty, 65
realities, practical, 28
reality
assessment, 160
buried dreams, 179
rebels, vs. saints, 153
recreation, extreme, 18
reflection, action, 42
regret, choices, 21
relationships
family, 156
intimacy, 166
resentment, 165
trust, 158
relevancy, personal, 36
reputation
safety, 121
staking your, 94
resentment
authenticity, 178
feelings of, 156
prevention, 165
Resolution (Gandhi), fear, 71
responsibility, assuming, 153
restitution, losses, 87
restraint, maturity, 120
retreats, silent, 46
reviews, performance, 162
rewards, following your calling, 181
Richardson-Merrell, FDA approval of thalidomide, 34
Rickenbacker, Eddie, courage, 115
“Ripple”, Grateful Dead, 172
Rogue Trader, the movie, 87
Rogue Trader: How I Brought Down Barings Bank and Shook the Financial World (Leeson), 84
roller coasters, amusement parks, 16, 111
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, polio, 99
Rowley, Coleen, FBI whistleblower, 123
Royal Family (Britain), Gordonstoun School, 144
rules
acts of defiance, 152
NCAA product endorsement, 80
Russell, Bertrand, blasphemy, 152
Ryker, Jake and Josh, Boy Scouts’ Honor Medal, 97
safety
fear, 104
reputation, 121
rut of, 1
survival, 122
saints, vs. rebels, 153
Salem School, innovative curriculum, 144
Salk, Jonas, polio vaccine, 99
sanctum santorum, your own, 42
Satellite Retrieval, group dynamics, 134
Schopenhauer, Arthur
boredom, 17
self-confidence, 60
Schriver, Steve, positive peer pressure, 78
scoring, diving competition, 80
scripting
comedy diving performance, 61
parental, 63
scripts
limiting, 66
risk, 39, 60
security, complacency, 106
self-acceptance
achieving, 141
authenticity, 178
self-assurance, gaining, 45
self-awareness, full, 139
self-confidence, gaining, 69
self-followership, authority, 150
self-knowledge, achieving, 47
self-preservation, survival, 93
self-resentment, limiting scripts, 68
sensation, vulnerability, 25
Shakespeare, William
discretion, 121
fear, 103
shows, extreme television, 19
Siever, Michael, Stonewall Project, 106
silence
conspiracy of, 123
golden, 39
internal, 46
skydiving, record setting jumps, 19
smiles, simulated, 61
Snow, C.P., “following orders”, 146
snowboarding, 77
Societies, Whatever, 175
Socrates
acts of courage, 153
fear, 108
Soldiers Medal, My Lai rescuers of innocent victims, 151
solitude, using, 42
Soul Mates (Moore)
intimacy, 166
self-exposure, 155
speed, roller coasters, 16
spirit, broken, 158
spite, motivation, 77
spontaneity, encouraging, 64
sports, extreme, 19
statements, personal mission, 73
status quo
challenging the, 153
resistance to change, 51
Stephens, James Kenneth, perfection, 130
Stevenson, Robert Louis, personal integrity, 173
stillness, focusing, 43
stocks, investments, 15
“Storm Windows” (Prine), silence, 40
strategies, “at risk list”, 83
stress, calming down, 44
studies
HIV and gay men, 106
obedience to authority, 146
risk and genetics, 29
stunts, dillies, 5
success
complacency, 105
relishing, 91
Sullivan, Scott, WorldCom CFO, 123
surgery, brain, 131
surveys, Linkage, Inc., on performing job related work on vacations, 17
survival
desperation, 56
factors, 144
safety, 122
self-preservation, 93
syphilis, research, 100
systems, Head and Neck Support (HANS), 122
tactics, fear-based pressure, 83
task, ratio of initiative to enormity of, 51
temptation, greed, 85
Ten Commandments, obedience, 146
thalidomide, FDA approval, 34
The Courage to Create (May), 42, 153
The Dangerous Edge (Apter), protective frame, 112
The Divine Comedy, Vol. I: Inferno (Dante), hell, 176
The Republic (Plato), fear of the unknown, 108
The Wizard of Oz (Baum), cowardly lion, 112
therapy, self-awareness, 140
thinking
perverse, 43
undisciplined, 44
Thompson, Hugh, Soldiers Medal, 151
Thoreau, Henry David
public opinion, 74
sanctum santorum, 42
Walking, 44
Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, 105
tigers, cages, 112
Time Magazine, 2002 Persons of the Year, 123
Tito, Dennis, International Space Station, 19
Treatise on the Venereal Disease (Hunter), 100
trespass, continuously, 143
trust, relationships, 158
truth
confronting, 164
revealing the, 171
truth-tellers, whistleblowers, 122
Tzu, Lao, Tao Te Ching, 40
uniqueness, embracing, 180
unknown, fear of the, 109
unloved, limiting scripts, 70
U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, Thunderbirds, 105
U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, World War II bravery, 124
U.S.A., average workweek, 17
vacations
adventurous, 18
job-related work during, 17
vaccinations, polio, 99
valor, discretion, 121
victim, limiting scripts, 68
Viesturs, Ed, adventure All Star, 121
violence, facing, 125
virus, infantile paralysis, 99
visualization, preparation, 24, 55
voice, inner, 120
vulnerability
exposure, 158
sensation, 25
Walking (Thoreau), undisciplined thinking, 44
war, heros, 124
Watkins, Sherron, Enron whistle-blower, 123
well-being, personal, 173
“whatever”, philosophy of, 175
whiplash, Head and Neck Support (HANS) systems, 122
whistleblowers, fate of, 122
Wigand, Jeffrey, acts of defiance, 152
WIIDR (What If I Don’t Risk?), 55
Wilde, Oscar, authority, 143
Willard, Steve, reality assessment, 163
Williams, Bern, indolence, 50
willpower, survival, 144
Winfrey, Oprah, O Magazine, 43
wisdom, inner, 47
workaholic, limiting scripts, 67
workaholism, self-neglect, 53
workplace, feedback channels, 161
workweek, average, 17
WorldCom, financial fraud whistle-blower, 123
The X Games, extreme television, 19
Yeats, William Butler, perfection, 130
Young, Neil, Heart of Gold, 78
zones, comfort, 158