I chose the motto “Taking you from Surviving to Thriving” for my business and website because I wanted to share with you what could be possible when you work past what may be blocking you and see what can be. Some of these, I experienced after going through my own colon cancer battle. If I can have these in my life, you can as well! I am no different than you! As a survivor and coach, I am here to point you in the direction of thriving. Here are some things you can expect to find when you empower yourself.
You can learn how to reach goals you set for yourself. In the past, we may have just put things to the side and made excuses for not seeing them through. You can set small goals for yourself that are realistic and achievable. Your confidence will grow and you will start to set larger goals for yourself. What I have discovered is that even small steps forward is progress. It is not so much about the journey, but rather the destination. Picture a mountain with two ways up. One way is to scale the side which may be faster but is more dangerous. The other way up is a winding path up the mountain and is safe. It may take more time to use the winding path but you will ultimately reach the top!
You can receive abundance in your life. Goodness and joy are wonderful tools that can help you when you are feeling low. Before cancer, I felt uncomfortable when goodness came into my life. When diagnosed with cancer, I changed that way of thinking. I learned to humbly accept the gifts that I had in my life. I know that by being grateful for the love and support of others, you can see past your cancer. Allowing yourself to appreciate what you have and what is available to you, can motivate you to not go down the rabbit hole of self-pity and self-hate. Abundance is a gift you should receive with humility and grace.
Cancer and treatment affects us physically, emotionally and spiritually. As a result you will need to recover in each of these areas. What you will see is that you can have balance in all of these recoveries. When there is that balance, you will feel better about where you are in your battle and what your life may look like after cancer. Remember, cancer is only a chapter in your life. You are the author of your story and there is a lot still to be written. Find things that inspire you, motivate you, bring you joy. Do them with 100% of yourself! Remember, you determine what’s next. Not your disease or anyone/anything else! Go for it all!!!! That is what led me to become a coach and work with people like me.
After beating cancer, you will realize that nothing in your life is impossible! You have just faced a major medical issue and you have done everything that has been asked of you (and probably more) to win the fight! If you can overcome these obstacles, then anything else in your life can be done! Putting your mind to something motivates you to tap into strengths you may not have known about before. They are there and they will be with you as you move forward. For me, I found out that I was able to advocate for myself with my medical team. I could go to work, maybe not with the same amount of energy but I could do what I could do while there. Also I could be strong for the people around me. I remember always being positive with my kids and sharing all the updates as I was receiving them. This was the foundation I had to take the leap and decide to learn how to be a coach.
You will learn how to listen to your body more and what you can do to take care of it. You will be limited to a degree. By managing your diet, exercise, rest and sleep, you will give yourself the ability to heal and recharge. What I did was to take some time to lie down during the day as I was going through my chemo treatments. This helped me get through the rest of my day and do what I needed to get done. Building good habits in these areas can help you stay healthy after your battle and live an energetic next chapter in your life. I still use some of the practices today in my daily life - better diet, more exercise during the week, don’t stay up too late and get enough sleep.
Having cancer can bring you closer to your spiritual or religious side. Embrace your faith as a tool to help you through the difficult times. It is easy to blame or question your higher power and think “why me?”. That doesn’t get you anywhere. Attend services when you can. Find a meditation practice that brings you peace. Add your clergyperson to your circle of support people. You will see your faith restored! For me, going through the diagnosis, surgery and treatment strengthened my faith. I never blamed my higher power for doing this to me. I remember going for infusions and seeing people weaker than I was and counting my blessings that my situation is not so bad compared to others. My faith gave me the perspective I needed to have. Now I have a personal connection with my higher power and am willing to receive the messages I get and act upon them. You can have that as well! Be willing!!
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