"The gem cannot be polished without friction,
nor man perfected without trials."
~ Chinese Proverb ~
Having a brain tumor is scary. And while I'll be the first to admit it, I also think it can teach me (and you) some really important lessons about life. That's the idea of this post anyway.
It's been 14 years since I first learned that I had a brain tumor. Actually, I had four. After a 12 hour surgery, they could only get three of them, so they closed me up and let the final one stay in place. And it didn't cause much problems until recently.
I first started getting headaches about three weeks before my swim of the Mississippi River. My head hurt a lot, and I felt weak the day of the swim, and I then began experiencing nausea and dizziness once it was done.
Now, as I prepare for surgery to remove the tumor, I want to give you some lessons to use in your own life, when you inevitably face adversity. My hope is that you will take them and use them to make you better.
1) Bad things sometime happen to good people. You might be a positive person. You might help others. You might do a lot of wonderful things. None of that will keep you from having to face adversity though. It's just part of life. Deal with it.
2) That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. Maybe not physically, but certainly mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You must be open to the lessons adversity is trying to teach you though. If you learn them, you'll be stronger as a result.
3) It could always be worse. As bad as things may seem at the time, I know they could always be worse. If it was fifty years ago, for instance. Or, if I had not been blessed to be born where I was. Or...Well, you get the idea.
4) Your attitude makes the difference. While it takes a lot more more than just attitude to accomplish a major goal, your attitude really does make a huge difference when it comes down to your overcoming the difficulties of life or not.
5) Prepare now. Since you don't know when adversity will strike, it's important to be preparing yourself now. If not, it would be like getting ready for a hurricane when it is bearing down on you. It's too late then.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
Keep reaching,
Jay