Today, like most days, I woke up early, exchanged a quick, sacred wink with the sun peeking over Narragansett Bay, smiled at my wife as she patiently endured my clumsy attempt not to wake her, and eased into the my day. A day where I constantly remind myself that this time, this sun, this air, and the opportunities it will bring are not for me alone. I have been, and continue to be, blessed in more ways than I can tell you.
But I sure didn’t feel blessed when I heard those four life-altering words on June 14th, 1999. “Michael, you have cancer.” You know some variation of those words. If not spoken to you personally, then spoken to someone you love. The words shock, crush, and distort your understanding of “You” and your place in this universe. The words make you question your hearing. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
For me, the words began a journey that started with fear, confusion, anger, resentment, and helplessness. But then I made a discovery. I found that even though I could seldom control the events of cancer, I could control my reactions to those events. That discovery changed the journey. The fear, confusion, anger, resentment, and helplessness moved to the background and my journey became one of hope, courage, strength, and determination.
And we both know that the difference that makes in whether the cancer beats us or we beat the cancer. As I shared the secrets of controlling those reactions with others, I discovered something else. Your reaction can move you beyond survival to Thrival - Thriving in all that you do not just in spite of cancer but BECAUSE of this experience called cancer!
Once I found this Thrival mindset, my life changed even more. I now include regular visits with former president and Mrs. Bush, sharing the stage with Lance Armstrong, trekking to the Mt. Everest base camp, authoring four books, crossing the Davidson Glacier with my son, and speaking to audiences from Boston to Brussels about the “Power of the Possible” in my life experiences. All because of those four life-altering words:
Now that I am past the 5 year mark, I’m even more committed to dedicating a portion of every day to helping others thrive along their cancer journey. One piece of that effort is a special message that goes out to the cancer community every Monday morning. This “Monday Morning Motivation” will help strengthen your inner resolve and focus your energy on choosing options that pull you toward cancer Thrival and away from periods of despair and hopelessness.
The first message you’ll receive will be a little longer that the others. It’s a poem that has been circulated around the world through the Internet grapevine and distributed by countless organizations including The American Cancer Society and The Lance Armstrong Foundation. The poem is called, “Close The Door Before You Leave.” It is a directive toward cancer that clearly and passionately states that your soul and your spirit will forever belong to you and you only. At the moment, the poem belongs to me and the thousands who have read it. I’d like it to be yours also, and once you’ve read it, it is yours. You’ll become part of our “club.”
People tell me the poem – as simple as it is – has given them strength and hope. Put a bounce in their step and a song in their heart. Lifted spirits and brightened days. And the messages that will follow every Monday? Not as long as the poem, but people I run across see them as a steady stream of support that shows up every Monday morning.