Today my friend and bestselling publisher Linda Joy released Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness featuring the soul-inspiring stories of 27 amazing women who share their intimate stories of transformation. For a limited time you can get over 40 transformational gifts with your copy of Choosing Happiness. Grab your copy today http://bit.ly/Happiness_Book
I’m excited to be a Happiness Crusader and joining over 100 women in spreading the message of #ChoosingHappiness to women around the world.
This past weekend I had the two best ski days of my entire life. I tackled harder terrain than ever – and had a blast doing it. Over the top extraordinary. Up until Saturday I’d been trying to love skiing for all the wrong reasons – to make someone else happy. But these two days turned everything around. I finally got it. I finally got what everyone was jonesing about. And I was skiing for me!
On Saturday morning my man dropped me off at Aspen Highlands bright and early for my clinic. I got second chair all to myself as soon as the lift opened. It was a crystal clear sunny blue sky day and I was the only person on my first run the whole way down. I met T-Bone, my instructor, and the seven others in my group and then we headed up to Highlands Bowl – an 800 ft vertical hike topping out at 12,392 ft. opening up to steep powdery double black diamond bumps all the way down. Woah. I had never done anything like this before. The hike was no problem for me but the mega-expert terrain was another story. Grateful for the excellent instruction T-Bone patiently provided, I soon found myself euphorically ripping down through the bumps and trees.
And then on Sunday I went out and did it again, only it was a little different. For the first time in my life, at 49 years old, I drove to a ski area on my own. It might sound silly, but I wanted it bad enough to go after it myself. Another spectacular day in up in the Bowl.
On Monday, after two pretty epic days I was content to rest but rallied to get out on the mountain with my man. In the middle of the first run I fell and had a “yard sale” – skis and poles everywhere. And I tweaked my knee. F#%K. Two killer days of finally seeing the light, loving skiing and hungry for more…and then this?! Really?! Ugh!
I hobbled over to where he had been waiting a while for me. We sat until I felt stable enough to get down to the ski shop we’d been aiming for…did I mention that this was the big day I was finally throwing down to buy myself the new skis I’d been coveting!
And then we took the bus home for minimal excess impact on my knee.
So I’m sitting here writing this on the couch, elevating and icing my knee, while it’s snowing outside for the first time in days, with my brand new Blizzard Black Pearl purple skis leaning up against the window and instead of being bummed and mad, I’m choosing happiness.
Because here’s the deal. Happiness is an inside job.
Sometimes I have to choose happiness when it seems counterintuitive.
Sometimes I have to choose happiness when I’d rather blame someone else.
Sometimes I have to choose happiness by buying myself the brand new skis I’ve been coveting, even after I fell on the way to the store!
Sometimes I have to choose happiness watching all the skiers out my window even though I’m still in my jammies with my knee elevated and iced writing a blog on choosing happiness when I could easily choose to be bummed or mad.
Everyday I choose happiness by allowing my heart to overflow with gratitude for the life I choose to live and the way I choose to serve.
I’d love to hear how you choose happiness and invite you to share in the comments below.
And remember to check out Linda’s new book, Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness. You can grab your copy today at http://bit.ly/Happiness_Book and receive the bonus gift bundle worth thousands!
