Gain A New Perspective

The day after I got back from my vacation I started to feel unwell. It started with a bit of a cough but within 6 or so hours had developed into aching limbs and then dizziness and nausea. By Monday I was almost bed bound and feeling as bad as I have done for years. I rarely get ill, in fact I think I have only had 1 or 2 colds in the last 5 years, so when I do get hit by something a bit more aggressive I invariably turn into a wuss.

This was definitely one of those times. I was trying to keep a positive upbeat attitude but kept slipping back into wussness every time my guard slipped. I was sleeping terribly, not eating and having trouble standing up without feeling dizzy. So I decided to read a book, not a coaching book this time but something not associated with work at all. I had been given Lance Armstrong’s autobiography to read by my sister a few weeks ago and not gotten round to picking it up so I though that this may be a great opportunity.

About 70 or so pages in I started to feel pretty pathetic. Here I was with at worst a case of the flu and acting like I was on deaths door reading about a guy that had been to the proverbial hell and back. For those of you that don’t know, Armstrong had Stage 4 testicular cancer (the worst kind) that had spread to his lungs and brain and was given less than a 20% chance of survival. Not only did he survive, but went on to become the greatest cyclist the planet has even known AFTER he had gone through the removal of a testicle, brain surgery and a brutal chemotherapy regime. That is simply incredible.

I lay there trying to comprehend what this guy went through but not really able to do it and started to feel a little less sorry for myself. Sure I still felt under the weather but when it was put into a proper perspective I realized it was no big deal.

We all want more from life and often have a tendency to think that the grass is greener on the other side but ask yourself this; If you could throw your lot in life into a huge big pot along with everybody else on earth and then draw out somebody else’s at random, would you do it?

After I started writing this I heard the sad news that the sister of a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with cancer. I’m not going to name names but just say my thoughts and best wishes are with her and her family for a speedy full recovery.

 

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