Here I am friends, Day 10 of running a mile each day and working on Snow Happy everyday! Lets recap…I decided about two weeks ago to commit to something challenging for me. One of those things is running. I live a healthy, active lifestyle, but running is something that has been hard (like really hard) for me to stay consistent. I like it, I feel good after, but the mental game is strong (more on that later). Second, Snow Happy. I want to give you all, my community, my peeps more to read about, more positive light in the world, and I was letting life get in the way of that.

So, what has happened? Has it been easier to stay consistent? Have I found a new passion for it? Is it hard? Has my life improved in major and significant ways? Here’s the deal:

1. Consistency: Forming habits takes time…and effort…and willingness to do something everyday. Even if that something feels small. By committing to a 1 mile run and writing everyday, it’s something and it adds up to a lot.
2. Passion: No, purpose. It gives my day meaning and purpose. (Don’t get me wrong, my family and taking care of them provides me with a deep sense of purpose, but this fills a different cup for me). Having passions are great, but living intentionally everyday and finding what enables us to contribute to the greater good, that’s grounding. Purpose is grounding.
3. Challenge: Yep, it’s hard. You have to make changes. You have to choose it everyday. Live it everyday. There are obstacles…blockers (shoot, I was my own blocker yesterday). Overcoming challenges, that brings more consistency and enables us to take on more in other areas of our lives….which makes me think of another great word, and that’s resiliency. Overcome challenges, even small ones, builds us up.
4. Impact: For sure! Making these small changes over the course of 10 days has given me some focus. It’s helped me to think. My runs make my brain work better. Ideas flow. It’s an empowering feeling that mind body connection and I want to go back for more each day. Running – even if it’s just a mile – primes me for writing.

And, let’s talk a minute about what you’re missing if you don’t do something? Day 1 for me was just a run. Just getting in some exercise for the day. Day 2, this idea started to formulate and I made a decision to do it. Day 3, it snowed and had I not shown up, I would have missed running in a snow globe and seeing 10 deer on a hillside watching me. Day 4, it was a cold morning and all the grasses and bushes were crystallized and glittering in the sunlight. And, in saying yes, and sharing this with you and writing more, I get to hopefully, have an impact on my community. Whether it’s getting you out skiing for the first time, finding a way to love skiing with kids or make just one change, I am incredibly humbled to have that opportunity. What do you get to do today?

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What is the bottom line here? My husband told one of his best friends on his wedding day that marriage is about the little things. I believe this applies to life. It’s those small things, small changes, gestures, goals, guideposts along the way that build up to something big. Like raising your kids. Building a successful business. Getting a degree. Changing careers. Building relationships. Making a difference. They don’t just happen overnight. But, they do happen by showing up everyday with purpose.

In fact, I had this conversation with my kids last night at the dinner table (and 5 minutes earlier, at breakfast, in the car on the way to hockey…and you know the drill) that you have to practice being kind to one another. “Do you think that pretending to punch your sister is good practice?” “No, mama.” Oh, that happened at your house, too, this morning? Mmm hmm. I see you! The little things. No one thing I’m going to say to them is going to be a light bulb moment for them (and if you’ve found that phrase someone should give you at least a million dollars and a morning show slot). It’s everyday. Practice. Consistency. Showing up. As a parent, partner, friend, employee, business owner, volunteer, athlete, chef, advocate.

What’s your thing? What do you want to change? Do you feel purpose and meaning? Could doing something everyday for 100 days grow into something significant? I believe that it can. And, that, friends? That is where we find contentment and joy. Be Snow Happy, my people!!! I hope you join me on this journey. The time is now.