Author: Sean Swarner
Some people see the glass as half full, others see it as half empty, but I just gulp it down and ask for more Optimistic During Setbacks. Life is a smorgasbord, and even though some servings are tough to swallow, you need to power through it in order to enjoy dessert. Enough with the food […]
Some people see the glass as half full, others see it as half empty, but I just gulp it down and ask for more Optimistic During Setbacks. Life is a smorgasbord, and even though some servings are tough to swallow, you need to power through it in order to enjoy dessert.
Enough with the food metaphors; I’m starting to get hungry. Perhaps the reason why I’m distracting myself with culinary wordplay is that I don’t want to start this blog entry by being too blunt. I was recently diagnosed with skin cancer, but instead of dwelling on pessimism, I want to pivot towards inspiration.
It may sound odd to find the silver lining in cancer, but really – what other option do I have? I survived cancer twice when I was thirteen and sixteen years old. The big, bad C didn’t take me down then and it sure as hell won’t bring me down now.
My tone may sound bold, but I’m speaking directly to others who have survived cancer. Every single one of you is a warrior and you deserve the utmost respect and acknowledgment from your peers. If my situation can serve as any sort of inspiration for you, then I’ll write until my fingers bleed. This one’s for you…
REJECT THE UNEXPECTED
Expectations are most likely unrealistic. Life is unpredictable – that’s really the only prediction any of us can possibly make in this crazy world. Rather than focusing on how things have not gone according to an arbitrary plan, try throwing out those so-called plans and embracing the chaos that surrounds you.
Like most people, I never expected to get cancer, but here we are at diagnosis #3 – the hat trick. With each ongoing setback, I refused to worry about the little details I might be sweating at the time. Instead, I latched onto the major challenge at hand: to trounce the disease head-on. My regularly scheduled events would have to be postponed because cancer had other plans for me.
Humans can only be in one place at one time. I am here, now, in my body, and my body demands attention. To honor my physical needs, I need to be present. I can’t fixate on regrets from my past or worries that will surely arise in the days to come. The present tense is what matters most. Live in the now.
Living with cancer forces you to appreciate what you have in the current moment. I may be gone tomorrow, but I’m here today. Celebrate the wonder of every sunset and the amazement of every sunrise. Time marches on and you must be right there alongside it to embrace what lies ahead.
PROCESS, THEN PROGRESS
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not advising you to repress your anger or ignore your sadness. Let it out! Grieving is a natural and healthy expression to deal with our feelings. We have all experienced loss and each one of us has a different way of processing our emotions. Allow yourself the time to sort through the various complexities of a given setback, but try not to let negativity overwhelm your emotions and weigh you down.
When I received my latest cancer diagnosis, I felt the worst case of déjà vu ever. Part of me reverted to my teenage self as my mind flooded back to the memories of the agony I endured as a kid. But in this out-of-body experience, I was able to really see that younger version of myself for who I really was. I had not traveled the world yet, I had not scaled the highest peaks on the planet, and I had not developed the ability to process true pain.
Now I am an adult (contrary to what my friends might say). I can examine my past through the proper corrective lens and be thankful for the perspectives I have gained since those days. It took my teenage self quite a bit of effort to process the realities of cancer survival, but my grown-up self transformed that process into progress.
I used my doubts and fears as rocket fuel. Instead of wallowing in the possibility that cancer would beat me, I vowed to explore as much of the world as I could before it was too late. If I could teach my younger self one lesson, it would be that there are endless possibilities around every corner. Even though the mountain pass looks bleak, you can hold on and emerge to a whole new vista tomorrow.
CONTROL FREAK
Power is a fuzzy concept. At work, you may strive to get promoted so that you can have more of a say in how your company operates and performs. You organize your personal space to reflect a sense of calm and control. When you experience bad customer service, you may ask to speak to the manager in order to retain some sense of authority.
In life, there is no manager. You dictate your own destiny – sorry to break it to you! Rather than becoming overwhelmed with the responsibilities involved in controlling your own fate, you can embrace the opportunity that is involved.
It is important to delineate what you can control vs. what is beyond your grip. For instance, you can not change other people; you can only affect how they interact with you. Even as a motivational speaker, I can not expect to transform someone’s entire life with my words. I can, however, make them consider what I said and reflect on how my inspiration may apply to their own experiences.
Another interesting component of control is the passage of time. You can prepare for the future, but you can’t live there. Similarly, you can’t go back in time. Focus on the present and do everything you can to make the most of the moment. When you acknowledge the limits of your control, you can truly harness the possibilities of what you can and can not impact in the world today.
Taking control has a way of minimizing fear. It is instinctive to be afraid when you get bad news, such as a cancer diagnosis, but by concentrating on the elements of the situation that are within your control, you can whittle away at the uncertainties surrounding you.
Take a breath. Hold it in. Now slowly exhale. You are stronger than your setbacks and you are in charge of your optimism. Even when things seem in their darkest situation, the bright side is just over the horizon.
If you have goals you want to achieve to become the person you deserve to be, join me and others in The Summit Challenge today.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
One top tip you need to maintaining a high level of engagement among all parties in any meeting is a challenge. But, doing it in a video-led environment makes the real-world challenge look like child’s play so Learn the one top tip. If you have spent any time on video calls up to now, you […]
The best way to predict the future is by Creating a Personal Strategy A powerful quote! Do you know that Abraham Lincoln considered even himself a failure for the most parts of his life? He failed far more than he ever succeeded in life, yet most people remember and reference his success rather than his failures. […]
When I was in high school i realized Leaders You Dont Need To Have All The Answers, there was a teacher that had a brilliant line when he was asked a question that he didn’t know the answer to in the moment. He would state: “That is beyond the scope of this course,” with a […]
When the Chief Marketing Officer mentions brand values in the boardroom they can be treated with disdain and Why your brand needs values. Eyes roll. Disparaging glances are passed. Brand marketing mumbo jumbo. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brand values are important. They are powerful brand assets. This post explains why. Values influence […]
A couple of weeks ago I was in Orlando for a talk and I knew the THE 3 C’S OF ELITE TALENT DEVELOPMENT. The night before I was sitting at the hotel restaurant grabbing some dinner. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that there was a basketball game on the tv at […]
As Covid has made it’s away around the globe it’s brought steep challenges and tremendous loss with it as It Is What It Is from Niki Seberini. Having said that, we must also acknowledge it’s gifted us with lessons in resilience, unconventional connections and a need to recalibrate both our internal and external compass. We […]
When I started in sales and Social Selling, I had to visit 8 clients physically, every single day. No jokes! In our wildest dreams we could not have imagined a tool like email, never mind social media and Building Relationships Online. Social media has created so many incredible opportunities for us, and it is about […]
Life has suddenly become potentially very thorny. The goal posts have shifted completely and now the Necessity is the mother of reinvention. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust us all into a strange new world. The rules of engagement have been turned completely upside down. There is no more ‘normal’. We don’t even know where or […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
