September 28, 2026
What has reached your heart deeply enough to shape the way you live?
Years ago, when I worked in the hospitality industry, I was invited to join a core team helping shape Marriott's culture.
During one of our conversations, I shared with a member of the Marriott family that although I live in Minnesota, I grew up on a cattle ranch in western North Dakota.
His response made me smile. He was surprised because he'd never met anyone from North Dakota. I was surprised because I assumed someone from the Marriott family had.
But that simple conversation gave me the chance to talk about a place that shaped so much of who I am.
Home was three-quarters of a mile down a dirt road. Take a left, and eventually you'd arrive at my family's cattle ranch.
Those dirt roads taught me things long before I had language for them.
Wake up with purpose. There was work to do, and everyone had a part in it. You showed up. You contributed. You cared for what had been entrusted to you. And tomorrow, you did it again—with an attitude that it mattered.
Use your hands to serve. You helped family, neighbors, and whoever happened to be in your path—not because it was always convenient or because you needed something in return. You did the right thing because it was the right thing to do—and because you wanted to.
And perhaps most importantly: Pay attention to what you allow to take root within you. My mom has always said: “If it reaches your heart, it reaches your life.”
I've carried that sentence with me for years because what reaches our hearts rarely stays there — it shapes how we speak, how we work, how we treat people, how we respond when things don't go our way, and how we lead.
Maybe that's why those dirt roads still mean so much to me. They remind me that some of the things shaping us most aren't loud or impressive. They're often the ordinary things repeated over time.
A phrase from your mom.
Getting up each day and contributing to the day.
Hands willing—not out of obligation, but because you wanted to.
A dirt road traveled a thousand times.
Eventually, what gets rooted within us becomes visible through us.
Perhaps the question this week isn't simply, ”What do I need to get done?” Maybe it's: “What am I allowing to reach my heart—and how is it showing up in the way I live + lead?”
____________________________________
Carry It With You
What is this week’s Happy Monday inviting me to notice?
What am I allowing to reach my heart—and how is it showing up in the way I live + lead?
_______________________________________
Until next Monday, keep becoming!