Whistler Bound: My Light List for Doing Hard Things Lightly

Last June, my husband (Scott) and I set out on an adventure in Sun Valley, ID - an endurance hike to attempt climbing the height of Everest in 36 hours. At the time we didn't know what we didn't know and LEARNED so much! Scott climbed the equivalent of Denali (the highest peak in North America) and I climbed the equivalent of Rainer (the highest peak in our home state of Washington). You can read more about last year's adventure here. 

During our last lap, I had a blast being fully present, making snow angels, giving away friendship bracelets, noticing little things like butterflies and hiking with Scott and my friend Kimmie as well as chatting with many participants who were on their “red bib” aka last lap. I also spent the whole lap telling everyone that I'd be back next year to do Whistler…fast forward 63 weeks until today and I'm officially on the mountain (let's hope this scheduled email works!) for Whistler and attempt #2 at 29029 feet starting today. I'm bib #160 you can track participants progress here.

As the lady who is all about feeling lighter, I've occasionally struggled with talking about this adventure because it is generally considered hard, difficult, tough and maybe crazy 🤪 far from the feeling of light. However, I truly believe we can do hard things in a light way. So, for August's Light List I'm sharing 5 things I've used to keep my training light, even when it's been hard or I've felt stuck/didn't want to do it. Hopefully you will find something that you can try this week.

✨ Remember: The only rule for Light 56? Take what you need, leave what you don’t.

1. 🧘 Presence & Gratitude 

   
   

   I will without a doubt be using this gratitude/presence active meditation during my hike. Also, Julie Lafleur did an amazing 💞 Heart-led breathing exercise 💞 at the beginning of her talk for Light 56 Circle that I've been practicing. 

   
   

2. 🫧Fun First

   
   

   We've generally been told to get the work done first and use fun as the reward. Instead, try fun (& dopamine) first to fill your bucket and bring that energy into the work. This means glitter freckles, bubbles, some great audio books, my fav podcast on wisdom and the And, Baby that's Show Business playlist. 

   
   

3. 🌑Moon Rituals

   
   

   There is a New Moon (the best time to start something new) next Saturday. This moon is part of a series of lunar energy that is all about transformation & personal growth so I'm going to tap into that magic as much as possible. I used the last full moon to release some fear I had for the event as well. I just love these simple monthly rituals to take action and get my thoughts out of my body! Grab the free moon rituals guide here.

   
   

4. 🧶 Create

   
   

   Creating is almost always my go-to when I'm feeling stuck or anxious. Making something with my hands has a way of getting me out of my head (and combines nicely with #2 Fun First).

   
   

5. 💪 Do the work (one tiny step at a time)

   
   

   Action reduces anxiety and through this whole training process one of the areas I've made the most progress is on taking imperfection action. In the beginning if I couldn't fit my whole workout in I wouldn't do any of it, now I will always get started even if it's just for 10 minutes (which typically leads to more).

   
   

6. 🤗 Ask for Help

   
   

   This was the #1 lesson we left the mountain with last time. There are amazing volunteers who were willing to help with anything and fully utilizing this was an important factor in success. I trained with an amazing coach, Renee, over the past year and she has helped me immensely. There isn't weakness in asking for help, it's a sign of strength and vulnerability and is a key to progress & confidence.

I hope something in this Light List brightens your day. Let me know what resonated with you! I'll take all your positive vibes and energy over the next week, can't wait to connect when I'm back! xo Morgan