Sometimes you have to do it afraid. But what if the flip side of fear is where we meet our true power?
“It’s just a little bump.”
“It’s probably nothing.”
Try as you might— you can’t shake the feeling that it could be something more. Something serious. Hands shaking you finally make the appointment. You tell yourself, “Better to be safe than sorry.”
Deep down you know your worst fear could be coming true.
You could have cancer.
Whether you are facing it for the first time or meeting it again through a relapse, the fear is always there.
How do you move past it?
Is constant vigilance the antidote for anxiety? Or does this constant monitoring and worrying merely fueling the fire of disease?
Using Curiosity to Conquer Our Fears
Why is it that the worst things that happen to us often lead us to our greatest gains?
I believe the secret to whether events appear to be working for or against us lies in our mindset. You can’t change the fact that bad things happen. All you can ever really control is your reaction to the situation.
Sometimes this means weighing your options carefully and having to choose between the lesser evils. Sometimes this means having to endure experimental cocktails of toxic medicines and radical treatments because it is your best odds at survival. Often it is taking on your greatest fears, knowing full well the feelings of uncertainty will only grow stronger over time.
Sometimes you have to do it afraid.
But what if the flip side of fear is where we meet our true power?
Facing Our Fears Like the Buffalo
Two years ago, I took a giant leap of faith and signed up to be a part of a clinical trial for a combination treatment of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. I had just been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
I felt like I was running out of time and options. I knew my body was seriously ill. Cancer and chemotherapy were two of my greatest fears. But the thought that I could turn this negative into a positive by helping advance treatment options for myself and others gave me the sliver of hope I desperately needed to hold onto.
Going into treatment with the mindset that my treatment was helping advance options for others gave me the perspective to embrace chemotherapy rather than to fear it.
Movies and experiences from other cancer survivors often paint an uncertain picture. During an incredibly uncertain and terrifying time, it is easy to begin to expect the worst to happen.
But what if approaching treatment with curiosity can be your secret weapon?
Can an optimistic outlook really increase your chances of survival? Too often, illness leads to a state of powerlessness and the desire to not be a burden, as well as a sense of guilt. However, if we change the way we view our diagnosis and treatment, seeing it as a challenge and opportunity rather than a curse, we can shift into a more empowered state of mind.
Turns out, the leap of faith I took in signing up for the clinical trial may have been my saving grace. I am now approaching two years in remission and nearly 100% of all patients in the clinical trial have achieved remission.
Sometimes the quickest way out of the storm is to face it head-on.
Many times, all hope needs to flourish is a leap of faith.
Recently I learned about a phenomenon that is often observed throughout the Colorado plains, which are home to a variety of cows and wild buffalo. When a storm approaches, the two animals react in opposite ways. Cows will start moving away from the approaching storm—inevitably traveling in the same direction as the storm. Buffalos, instead, will move toward the storm, rather than away from it.
By running at the storm, the buffalos run straight through it. Minimizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm. While the buffalo experience the pain of the storm sooner because they charge at it, the duration of the storm, however, is much less because they keep moving through it. Compared to the cows, which hope to outrun or run away from the storm, the storm inevitably catches them, and they experience its painful forces for a longer time because they are traveling in the same direction.
It’s such a great metaphor for life because all of us are dealing with the same types of storms. We all have some relationship issues, health battles or financial struggles. And we don’t always get to choose whether or not we have storms. The only choice we get to have is how we respond to those storms.
While we should all aim to be like the buffalo and proactively face the storms of life head-on, dealing with them quickly, experiencing the pain and moving through it. The reality is, most of us are like cows. We see the storm approaching and want to run from it, hoping to put some distance between us and the pain we know is coming.
Sometimes life’s storms are our chance to level up. Perhaps our difficult seasons are meant to reveal our true strength. Maybe our hardest lessons were designed to provide the opportunity for us to take the ashes of what was and transform them into something better. Something that couldn’t possibly exist if it wasn’t for our own unique experience.
Yes, cancer and tragedy happen. They can also happen for you.
Often it is our losses, our failures and our setbacks that propel our growth and open new doors and avenues of hope that didn’t exist before. You could be the game-changer. You could be the patient that gives others unimaginable relief when they hear your story of incredible survival.
Cancer destroys your sense of self. It demolishes your sense of direction. It can make you question your future. It also reveals profound truths about yourself and others.
Cancer can be a curse, or it can be a catalyst for growth.
The true challenge isn’t getting cancer. It’s how you react once your greatest fear becomes your reality.
What can you gain If you view your current setback through the lens of curiosity rather than fear?
Your trust in the healing process.
Your belief that you can be healed helps miracles take form.
Your resilience creates a ripple effect.
Once you show that it is possible to overcome the unimaginable. Anything becomes possible. Just as fear can be contagious, all it takes is for one person to break the mold and change the world for good.
Let it be you.
