| In an article on taking personal responsibility for | | | | -- to the best of my knowledge Thyroid Cancer |
| finishing strong in 2009 and starting fast in 2010, I | | | | wasn't contagious. |
| mentioned that the things that happen to us in life | | | | The interesting thing about all of this was that I |
| aren't as important as how we react to them. As | | | | never considered canceling or postponing the talk. |
| I was writing, I was reminded of a something else | | | | As long as I was able, I was going to honor my |
| I had written in the past. Stuff Happens: Choose | | | | commitments. I chose to deal with cancer the |
| to React Positively. | | | | way I choose to deal with most things in my life; |
| Stuff happens: good stuff, bad stuff, frustrating | | | | honor my commitments, do the best I can. |
| stuff, unexpected stuff. Successful people | | | | My cancer story has a happy ending. I have been |
| respond to the stuff that happens in a positive | | | | cancer free ever since the operation and seem to |
| way. Humans are the only animals with free will. | | | | be healthier than ever. |
| That means we -- you and me -- get to decide | | | | This story has nothing to do with my cancer |
| how we react to every situation that comes up. | | | | experience and everything to do with free will and |
| Have you ever had a major life crisis? I did. A | | | | personal responsibility. As you go through life, |
| little over 10 years ago, I found out that I had | | | | stuff will happen, most of it out of your control. |
| Thyroid cancer -- not a particularly deadly form of | | | | The important thing is how you react to the stuff |
| cancer, but cancer nonetheless. Trust me; you | | | | that happens to you -- the nice things, the mild |
| don't want to hear the words "you" and "cancer" | | | | annoyances and the major catastrophes. It's your |
| in the same sentence. This experience qualified as | | | | choice. Successful people choose to respond to |
| some bad stuff. | | | | events proactively. They do what they can to |
| The news about having cancer could have | | | | make the best out of any situation in which they |
| depressed me. Instead, it energized me. I | | | | find themselves. |
| remember thinking, "I've got a lot to do. I better | | | | I find a lot of wisdom in Native American spiritual |
| get busy if I'm going to have surgery." I then got | | | | traditions. The Navajos live in the arid plains of the |
| busy and rescheduled any client work that would | | | | US southwest. Drought is always a problem for |
| conflict with the surgery. | | | | them. If you've ever been in Navajo country in |
| I learned everything I could about Thyroid cancer. | | | | New Mexico and Arizona you know what I mean. |
| I talked to friends in the medical field who | | | | I once met a Navajo Medicine Man who summed |
| referred me to docs they knew who specialized | | | | up the difference between how white people and |
| in the disease. I went on line and read, and read, | | | | the Navajos deal with adverse situations. He said |
| and read. I interviewed a couple of surgeons and | | | | "When there is no rain for a long time, the white |
| chose one to perform my surgery. | | | | man prays for rain. The Navajo prays to find the |
| I visited a couple of on line Thyroid Cancer | | | | ability to live in harmony with the draught." |
| support sites. I mostly didn't like what I found | | | | In other words, you have the ability to choose |
| there -- lots of angry people lashing out at one | | | | how you react to anything that happens to you. |
| another, the unfairness of life in general and | | | | When Your Success GPS is functioning properly, |
| Thyroid Cancer in particular. I decided that if I | | | | you'll choose the proactive positive action, instead |
| were going to stay positive, it was best for me | | | | of the reactive blaming negative one. |
| to stay away from the online cancer support | | | | The common sense point here is simple. |
| groups. | | | | Successful people commit to taking personal |
| In order to meet my client commitments, I had | | | | responsibility for their lives and careers. They |
| to spend the weekend before my surgery in New | | | | choose to react positively to the people and |
| York. I finished up one engagement on a Friday | | | | events in their lives. As you go through life you |
| and had to do a talk to some pharmaceutical | | | | will encounter problems and setbacks. We all do. |
| execs on Monday. I had some down time over | | | | Choose to learn from these experiences. Use |
| the weekend, so I decided to visit a few | | | | them to become a better, more successful |
| museums and do some shopping. I bought a | | | | person. I did a talk for the National Association of |
| bright red striped tie that I wore to my talk on | | | | Women Business Owners a couple of weeks ago. |
| Monday. I still call it my cancer tie. I think it brings | | | | When I was there, I met Mary Cantando, owner |
| me luck. I wear it when I'm having a bad day. | | | | of a company called The Woman's Advantage. |
| After I finished the talk on Monday, the person | | | | Mary sells "breakthrough information to grow your |
| running the program announced that this was | | | | woman-owned business." One of her products is a |
| going to be my last talk for a while as I was | | | | desk calendar. She gave samples of the advice on |
| having cancer surgery the following Friday. People | | | | the calendar. I got one that had a quote about |
| were incredulous. They asked, "What are you | | | | dealing with setbacks; "Successful people have |
| doing here when you're having cancer surgery in | | | | setbacks. What separates them from others is |
| four days?" | | | | that they don't give up." Great common sense |
| I said that I had committed to doing this talk | | | | advice -- don't give up in the ace of problems and |
| several months previous and that as long as I | | | | setbacks. |
| wasn't actually in the hospital I was going to do it | | | | |