My Happy - Getting Outside My Comfort Zone

My happy is pretty simple. 

It starts with no drama. But let's face it, life can be stressful! Just because we're stressed, exhausted, and unsure of what's coming next, doesn't mean we're not happy or can't BE happy.

Part of living a life HAPPY ON PURPOSE is understanding what we CAN control and what we CAN'T control. One of the biggest things we CAN control is our mindset - our psychology - and our energy. We have the power to influence and change both of those things!

Maybe you can relate to this story:

Yesterday was an incredibly emotional and taxing day in my life. My emotions were off the charts because I video-recorded three chapters from my book, BOLD MOVES, for the website. I was also feeling anxiety about the launch of the book and how it would be received by the important people in my life. Pair emotions and anxiety in my body and tears start to flow.  Yep, I'm a crier. After not sleeping much last night and waking up with a headache as a result, I was feeling pretty low.

Wait, whaaaaaatttttt? I'm supposed to be the "Happy on Purpose" chick, right?

Yep - I'm a very happy person! I just needed to dig deep this morning, pick myself up by the wooly socks and do something to GENERATE happy energy in my body and in my psychology.

This is different for everybody, but for me, it's the outdoors!

Mind you, it's fricking cold in central Missouri right now. And trust me, this redhead wanted to stay in BED and pout about my stress because it was warm there. Every cell in my body was saying no - but I control my mind and I have the power to generate the energy I needed to get moving. 

My mind was definitely fighting me this morning, though.

It was trying to self-talk myself out of a bike ride in the dead of winter. Seems logical right? But that was unacceptable-ish. I needed to pull in solid backup to push me and hold me accountable.

I asked a couple people in my family if they wanted to join me for a ride.

"Uh, that's a hard no," was the reply I received.

So... I texted a friend in another state who's big into biking.

"Hey, do you think 28 degrees is too cold to hit the trail on my bike this AM?"
(I was hoping for an agreement that it was)

My friend replies back - "Do you have a wool underlayer? If you do, you should be fine. Have fun! Send me a picture!"

Well, crap.

Yep - I have a wool underlayer and the clothes necessary to take my bike out in freezing weather and ride it. And now I knew someone expected me to report back with a pict.  It's exactly what I needed - a push and accountability.

Riding my bike and being outside brings me immense JOY. It's exhilarating! Doing it in 20-degree weather... well.... ok, it's still exhilarating - just perceived as dumb by some. LOL

I knew I needed to suck it up and do it to bring my happy out today and tame the life "stuff" ...  SO I DID!!! Once I got out of bed, started putting on my base layer, and organizing the stuff I needed to take along, I started to get excited - it was a SHIFT in energy. It felt GOOD!

I got to the Katie Trail and started to ride. OH. MY. GOSH. Was it ever cold!!! This was WAAAYYYY outside my comfort zone. But it felt amazing - incredible, in fact!

I didn't do it long - just 5 miles. But that's all that was required for a total transformation of my energy and my mindset. I found MY HAPPY!

This is only my second blog post since the launch of the book and the HAPPY ON PURPOSE brand. I almost didn't put this out there, but I feel like if I can share "MY HAPPY" (and how I find it when I'm not exactly vibing it) it might inspire you with ideas on how to find and generate YOUR HAPPY!

We're here to inspire each other!

How do you find your HAPPY?