Boldest Action Winner: Mat R flies high on fives

Category: Culture and Community

Challenge: High five someone for a job well done
Sponsor: Whole Foods Palo Alto
Action: 30 pull-ups on a work break. REALLY? Matt deserved a flying high five for that sweet pump up!

Mat's Thoughts:

Giving out high-fives means recognizing the affect that people have had on my life. It makes them feel good, it makes me feel good. When two hands meet at such a high velocity and with such ferocious enthusiasm, it makes a satisfying slap that can only be described as pure joy. Why wouldn't you share that with someone? And why wouldn't you choose to share that with someone who did something great? Seeing a company like Whole Foods encourage me to thank someone seemed like a no-brainer, and thanking ME for thanking someone in my life was just like icing on the cake.

While normally I don't go around giving out "flying" high-fives to everyone I meet (though I definitely should), the metaphor of giving someone a high-five is an ideal that resonates strongly with me, especially at this time of the year. Regardless of it being the holidays, the end of the year always presents me with a time to look back and reflect on how my year has gone. When I truly take a moment to think about it, I often find that my life has gone well because of the kindness and hard work of the millions of people I interact with on a daily basis. Whether it be my friend inviting me to dinner, my postman delivering my mail, or my coworker helping me out that one day when I was struggling at work, there are so many people in our lives that deserve to be recognized for the help and kindness they have offered me.

You might think it's the concept of paying it forward, but in reality, to me, it's about paying it back. People do wonderful things all the time, selflessly and endlessly, and a palm-stinging thank you seems to be a small price to pay for such great work. So go ahead, try it. Put that hand way up in the air, take a running start, jump up, and say thank you to someone who deserves it this year.