Introduction

I was watching the men's downhill at the Olympics one year, and it was one of those classic races where everyone was talking about how brutal the conditions were. The snow was soft in some spots, icy in others, and totally chopped up from earlier runs. It was the kind of mess skiers love to complain about before they even strap in.

Reporters circled behind the finish line with microphones out, asking everyone how they felt about the "bad snow." Most competitors shook their heads and muttered about how unfortunate and difficult it was. You could feel the negativity through the television screen.

Then one incredible athlete came down the course. His motions were fast and aggressive, the way only someone truly locked in can be. The announcers went quiet. The crowd watching the monitors leaned forward. He crossed the line and pulled off his goggles, and the crowd began to roar. He had won the gold medal. "How did you handle the terrible snow conditions out there?" one reporter asked, sticking a microphone in his face. The skier gave a dismissive wave. "It's not about the snow. It's never about the snow. It's about how I ski on today's snow. That's what matters."

It hit me square in the chest. I paused the TV and sat there for a few minutes to let the message sink in. This skier was at the absolute pinnacle of his career, with a gold medal on the line and the whole world watching. He refused to let the conditions define his performance. While everyone else focused on what was wrong, he focused on what he could do to claim victory. I knew the line was going to stick with me for the rest of my life, and sure enough, it has. Every time life throws terrible conditions my way, I remember it and wave them off just as he did.

You see people blaming the conditions everywhere, don't you? It's not just something Olympic medalists struggle with. In sales, business, or real estate, it's the same thing. "Interest rates are too high." "There's not enough inventory." "No one's buying right now." It's true, the conditions aren't always perfect. Often they're just plain brutal. But someone still needs to buy a house today, and someone is still selling one. The world doesn't stop turning just because the conditions get bad. It keeps moving relentlessly, as if it doesn't even know what we're experiencing on the surface. The people who succeed, not just in business but in life as a whole, are the ones who push off and give it their all despite the conditions.

That's the choice we all have to make every day. Are we going to complain about the conditions and sit this one out, or are we going to push off and give it our all? You can complain about the snow and spend your energy worrying about how unfair it is, or you can get out there and ski the best you ever have.

Are you a victim of the conditions in your life, or are you the type of person who overcomes them? One mentality keeps you stuck at the top where it feels safe and warm; the other gets you down the mountain. Complaining has never changed the conditions. It just keeps us from enjoying the journey we're on.

That moment at the Olympics became the title and the foundational theme of this book: It's Not About The Snow.

Life hands us all kinds of conditions, positive and negative, easy and seemingly impossible. This book is not an exercise in pretending the snow isn't there or wishing for better conditions. It's about the mindset that defies the conditions and causes us to do our best and enjoy the challenge along the way. I'm here to remind you that you're not alone, and that we're all on the same mountain dealing with our own version of the snow.

The skier's confident dismissal began to shape how I looked at my own life. For a long time, when things got hard, I would try to push through alone with my head down, telling myself it was my problem to fix.

Then something happened. I started putting my thoughts into words every evening as I sat and reflected on whatever was weighing on me. I began to type out, "Today's thought worth thinking about…" on my Facebook profile. It started as a small ritual over six years ago, during some hard chapters of my life when I really needed to get whatever was going on inside my head out.

It started as a private exercise just for me, a way to sort through the messiness without unloading on anyone in my life or taking out the stress on those around me. As time went on, the posts became a habit, to the point where I found myself posting one almost every day. Short reflections on whatever was on my mind. Thoughts on why tough challenges are necessary, not as punishment, but as a way to prove to ourselves we are better than whatever we're struggling with.

It was never my goal to inspire others. I never expected anyone to take interest in what I was writing. I thought my life wasn't special enough, that my writings were just the musings of a guy from Alaska who used to play hockey until he got into real estate.

I was surprised when people began responding to these daily posts. I started getting messages from people I hadn't spoken with in years saying things like, "I read your post and it felt like you were reading my mind." Friends pulled me aside and told me they thought I was talking right to them because they were going through the same struggles. One woman hugged me with tears in her eyes after reading one of my posts.

The posts seemed to give people permission to admit they were struggling without feeling less than. Even more than that, they seemed to show people they weren't the only ones going through something. I had never imagined my thoughts would matter so much to anyone other than myself. I just made the decision to be vulnerable when I was struggling most, and it turned out a lot of people were struggling down the same mountain beside me. Vulnerability has a way of doing that, of creating space. If I can express that I'm not giving up even though I'm not doing okay, then maybe someone else is empowered to overcome their own conditions.

This book is me collecting my thoughts and the lessons I've learned over the years in one place. I'm not writing this because I think I have it all figured out. In fact, I know enough to understand that I have a lot to learn. This book is for anyone who has ever felt totally alone in their struggle, for anyone who feels like they're the only one facing bad conditions while everyone else seems to be gliding by.

You're not alone. We're all on the mountain.

If sharing these reflections can help even one person remember that it's not about the snow and give them the encouragement they need to push on, then putting this book together was worth it. I'm not an Olympic skier who nails every turn like it's nothing. I'm the other guy on the hill who falls halfway down, curses at the conditions, and sits there catching his breath before pushing back up and continuing on. I don't do it gracefully every time, and I never do it without a few more stumbles along the way. But I always keep going, and that's the only part that really matters.

My hope is that you walk away from these pages with a handful of quiet, powerful shifts. First, I want you to realize that the fears and struggles you are experiencing are universal to the human condition. When we are really hurting, we have a tendency to think we're the only one. We think no one else could possibly understand the weight of our troubles. We all feel that way at one point or another, and it's okay. It doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you're human. The moment you start realizing you're not the only one struggling, something changes. The isolation evaporates and the burden lightens. You're not broken. You're just in the same storm we've all been caught in at one point or another.

The following chapters walk through some of the stories and mindsets that helped me climb out of my own deepest and darkest moments. Some I borrowed from books, mentors, and other sources along the way. Others are just honest reflections that worked for me. Take whatever resonates and leave the rest. Use this book as a guide to keep going when life feels like an uphill battle. This is the only life we get. We shouldn't settle for living it as anything other than the best versions of ourselves.

Whatever snow you're facing now, remember: it's not about the conditions. It's never about the snow. It's about how you choose to respond and fight through whatever life throws at you. You don't have to like it. You don't have to pretend it's perfect. You simply have to decide you're going to give it your best anyway.

Read these pages with an open heart and be honest with yourself as you do. There's no need to figure everything out or to be perfect. All you need to do is be willing to look at where you are and make the decision to take the first small step toward where you want to be. It may feel tiny, pathetic, or ridiculous, but you'll see that it will make a difference. The path we all have to walk doesn't reveal itself until we start walking, and the second step shows up after the first. Build the momentum quietly, until one day when you look back, you'll realize you've come farther than you ever could have imagined.

That's why I'm grateful for the chance to share this with you. Grateful even on the rough days, when the snow feels deeper than it should, when the grief over losing my Dad sneaks up again, when a virus or cold knocks me sideways or the doubts get extremely loud. Grateful for my dog Charlie, who's probably curled up by the fire right now, calm as ever, reminding me that presence and persistence are enough. Grateful for the music in the kitchen, keeping the rhythm going, keeping me moving. Grateful for the small, steady things that carry us through.