Will That Help Me Get Better?

Today I had the opportunity to interview someone about their professional and personal journey as an entrepreneur. Having the chance to hear other people’s stories is such a blessing because you can learn from their life lessons without having to go through the actual experiences yourself. It happened that the entrepreneur I interviewed today has been fighting ovarian cancer for many years. When she was first diagnosed she was given only a 20% chance of survival. She shared how going through that changed her entire perspective on life. She shared that when the doctor first told her about her diagnosis he said he was shocked that she didn’t fall apart and crumple to the floor like most patients would hearing that news. She looked at the doctor and said, “Will that help me get better?” she went on to say, “Cause if it won’t then I don’t got time for that.” She recognized that if falling apart wasn’t going to help her get better than she didn’t want to waste a moment of her precious time remaining doing it. Instead she put every ounce of her time into fighting the cancer and she went on living her life but with a different perspective and a different outlook on things…one she considers to be better…

Listening to her incredible story taught me so many incredible life lessons. One of the biggest lessons was her comment to her doctor “Will that help me get better?” I started thinking about our lives and how many times we react to difficult situations by stressing out, falling apart, crying, complaining, asking “why me?” repeatedly, feeling sorry for ourselves, etc…  We all do those things at times in our lives…but what if instead when something difficult came along we would stop and say to ourselves, “will acting this way help me get better?”…cause if it won’t then you don’t got time for that…

“Don’t depress yourself in any moment of life. Live it with a face full of smile. Why waste time crying when you know you are here just for a while?” -Abhishek Tiwari

The way this entrepreneur has lived her life and fought her battle with cancer is such an amazing example of resilience. Her example is truly inspirational and I thank her for sharing it today. In closing I want to share this quote because this is exactly what she has done:

RESILIENCE. “Resilience is the strength of spirit to recover from adversity. When we experience disappointment, loss, or tragedy, we find the hope and courage to carry on. Humor lightens the load when it seems too heavy. We overcome obstacles by tapping into a deep well of faith and endurance. At times of loss, we come together for comfort. We grieve and then move on. We create new memories. We discern the learning that can come from the hardship. We don’t cower in the face of challenge. We engage fully in the dance of life.”

May we all engage fully in the dance of life.

~Amy

2 Comments

  • Jane Anderson says:

    This adds another level to choosing to stat positive when things are outside our control. I often tell myself, this can make me bitter or it can make me better. I’m not going to let it make me bitter. I love the way this woman didn’t even think about the option to be bitter.

  • Kim says:

    Great post Amy! Your blog is very inspiring, and I enjoy reading every post!!

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